Innovative Training
Driven by excellence, commitment and experience, Sentinel North's training strategy continues to be a major driver of the development of a new generation of scientists capable of tackling the most complex questions.
The year 2022-2023 saw Sentinel North’s graduate students and postdoctoral fellows shine in their spirit of collaboration and innovation, at Université Laval and beyond.
Taking northern ecosystem research to the next level
As a true living lab, the Advanced School in Computational Ecology offered an open-innovation experiential learning opportunity to 24 young scientists who put their complementary expertise at work to familiarize themselves with cutting-edge methods and technologies for monitoring and modeling animal behavior.
With its novel and bold game-based approach, this school explored new research avenues and enunciated original hypotheses that hold great promise for improving our understanding of northern ecosystems.
Arctic snow, a driver of global change
As part of a total immersion experience north of the 69th parallel, 23 participants from a wide range of disciplines took part in the International Arctic Snow School in Iqaluktuuttiaq (Cambridge Bay), Nunavut.
The school, which also welcomed members of the Hunters and Trappers Organisation (HTO) and Inuit students from Nunavut Arctic College, aimed to gain a better understanding of the characteristics of Arctic snow, its relation to climate and wildlife, and its importance to the way of life of northern communities.
This was the world's first initiative to focus on Arctic snow from both academic and Indigenous perspectives.
Impact of the Sentinel North strategy on the training of a new generation of northern researchers
Following up with the program's 105 scholarship recipients and 242 alumni has allowed us to measure the impact of this strategy on their career paths.
My experience with Sentinel North enabled me to gain a better understanding of issues related to northern environments, expand my professional network and develop my research skills. The program has greatly benefited my training as a young researcher and will serve as a springboard for the rest of my career.
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Sentinel North alumni
Here's a closer look at some of the program's alumni, whose inspiring paths have led them to join a wide range of academic, public and private-sector workplaces – promoting the excellence of the next generation of Sentinel North graduates beyond the walls of Université Laval.
Catherine Girard
My postdoc fellowship at Sentinel North enabled me to develop a network of interdisciplinary collaboration with researchers from a wide range of sectors, with whom I still work and who helped me to launch my career. Moreover, interdisciplinarity is an intrinsic part of the research program I set up as a researcher, and I now have the chance to introduce my students to it.
Isabelle Fournier
My research experience at Sentinel North has given me a different perspective on technology. It has encouraged me to keep my eyes open for technologies that come from other fields and sectors, but which can prove very useful once adapted.
Sarah Gauthier
For me, Sentinel North stands out for its commitment to providing students with resources to help them carry out their research projects. Whether it's writing scientific papers, analyzing data or improving their impact at scientific events, Sentinel North offers activities that make a real contribution to student success.
Jean-Christophe Gauthier
Sentinel North's framework offers a rare opportunity to connect with students with different profiles but similar challenges. It helps to think outside the box, a key skill once on the labour market.
Joanie St-Onge
Discovering the Canadian Arctic during two expeditions aboard the research icebreaker CCGS Amundsen will forever be etched in my memory. Similarly, my participation in the 2018 Ph.D. school enabled me to integrate skills and knowledge from a wide range of disciplines such as optics-photonics, arctic marine biology and ecology, physics, biochemistry, remote sensing and human health.
Simon Lambert-Girard
In my opinion, Sentinel North's training strategy stands out for its interdisciplinary approach, its emphasis on technological innovation, the possibility of participating in Arctic missions and the opportunity to collaborate with northern communities. The interdisciplinary nature of the research was very formative and prepared me for the start-up of Medscint.
Séraphin Guy Balla
Through my experience at Sentinel North, I learned to better communicate the specificity of anthropological knowledge and what it can contribute to interdisciplinary research. I acquired communication and collaboration skills that are very useful to me today, as well as for leading high-profile, multi-stakeholder projects.
Mojtaba Parsaee
My experience at Sentinel North has inspired my curriculum and my career path as an assistant professor. Indeed, I am currently in the process of setting up my own interdisciplinary research laboratory, focusing on the Arctic and its inhabitants, their health, buildings, energy use and climate change. These are all subjects I've explored and learned about in the context of Sentinel North.
Myriam Labbé
I've often had the chance to share my research at Sentinel North's scientific conferences, and I've been hooked! My involvement with the Sentinel North Student Association also enabled me to take part in a public presentation at the Musée de la civilisation. These experiences confirmed that I wanted to go into science journalism.
Charles Murphy
For me, the key added value of Sentinel North are the collaborations that helped diversify my research projects. Also, the experience acquired during the Ph. D. schools now gives me a broader, complementary and diversified perspective.
Béatrice Choi
My participation in the International Field School on Arctic Microbiomes at Whapmagoostui-Kuujjuarapik was a unique experience, both scientifically and personally. It enabled me to go to Nunavik and interact with the Cree and Inuit communities, as well as meeting dynamic professors and students with whom strong bonds were established.