Congratulations to the recipients of the 2020-2021 ACUNS Awards and Scholarships program.
The Association of Canadian Universities for Northern Studies (ACUNS) is pleased to announce the eleven recipients of the 2020-2021 ACUNS Awards and Scholarships program. Their outstanding achievements and commitment to Canada’s northern communities cover a vast landscape of interests from natural science to political science, health, culture, and education. Presenting this year’s winners comes at an unsettling time due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With travel bans and research plans cancelled for the summer, our award recipients face unprecedented challenges. The $95,000 granted today through the ACUNS Awards and Scholarships program offers some hope and security during this time of uncertainty.

Willow English
Biology
Carleton University
Carry-over effects in Arctic-breeding shorebirds: a cross-species comparison
POLAR Scholarship ($10,000)

Abigail Dalton
Geography
University of Ottawa
Identifying iceberg sources, drift patterns, and potential risk in Canadian waters

William Twardek
Biology
Carleton University
Assessing the fate of returning upper Yukon River Chinook Salmon
POLAR Northern Resident Scholarship ($10,000)

Rebecca Canam
Geology
Simon Fraser University
Structural evolution of the western margin of the South Rae craton, Northwest Territories

Erika Hille
Geography
Queen’s University
The geochemical responses of Arctic freshwater systems to regional variability in permafrost thaw across the Canadian Arctic

Moya Painter
Geography
University of Ottawa
Formation and drainage of glacier dammed Donjek Lake, Yukon

Jamie Snook
Public Health
University of Guelph
Co-management and pathways for Inuit well-being

Krista Ulujuk Zawadski
Cultural Mediations
Carleton University
Qatiktalik: Nexus of Colonial Encounters
POLAR Northern Resident Award ($5,000)

Melina Tessier
Northern Sciences
Yukon University
Grounded in the North – Enhancing mechanisms of accountability for the extractive industry in Yukon

Christopher Yurris
Political Science
St. Francis Xavier University
Incumbent defeats in the Northwest Territories
Dr. Jim McDonald Scholarship ($5,000)

Anne-Marie Turcotte
Social and Cultural Analysis
Concordia University
The Sound of breaking glass – Investigating an act of property destruction committed by Nunavimmiut youth