Current Recipients 2020-2021

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.

Please see the full media release here.

Canadian Northern Studies Trust (CNST) Scholarship ($10,000)

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)