Aurora College students receive $5K northern research grants

Two Aurora College students have been selected to receive $5,000 grants supporting northern research.

In a news release on Wednesday, the college said Joni Tsatchia and Karen Lepine – both Bachelor of Education students – were chosen to receive scholarships from the Association of Canadian Universities for Northern Studies (ACUNS).

They are two of 10 recipients from the Yukon and NWT, the college said.

Tsatchia and Lepine are working on a project entitled Deh Gah Gotine, in which both women “looked to their cultural upbringing for inspiration to conduct community research into culture and identity,” the news release read.

Valentina de Krom, head of the college’s Bachelor of Education program, said: “These women represent the future educators of the North. The scholarships are well deserved, and will allow and support their further studies.”

Among other NWT recipients of scholarships, Crystal Milligan receives $10,000 for her University of Toronto research entitled: “Organizational learning from Indigenous communities – a multiple case study in the Northwest Territories health system.”

Dalhousie’s Trisa Ngo receives $5,000 for research analyzing heavy metals in the NWT’s surface waters.

Established in 1978, non-profit ACUNS – in its words – exists to promote “a diverse and comprehensive understanding of the North through the facilitation of collaborative research, knowledge mobilization and education.”