As the year draws to a close, we reflect on our accomplishments. 2018 was a pivotal year for the Institut nordique du Québec, which made great progress on several issues.
Before embarking on 2019, we offer you this retrospective of the past year. Take note of the progress that was made: enough to energize us for the next year!
The entire INQ team joins me in offering you our best wishes! We hope that 2019 be scientifically stimulating and that it will bring about many collaborative projects for sustainable development of the North!
Brigitte Bigué
Project director, INQ
Retrospective
December Reflection for the INQ Strategic Plan
To reflect on its future orientation, the INQ mobilized the members of its Implementation Committee for a brainstorming day.
During this productive day, we witnessed consensus on the direction that INQ will need to take in order to achieve its objectives.
As an outcome of this meeting, a strategic plan, covering the period 2018-2023, is being drafted.
November The Institut nordique du Québec’s 3rd Science Day
The INQ’s 3rd Science Day was held on November 28 at INRS. Seventy participants attended this event dedicated to the research being conducted by the INQ’s three research chairs.
Two broad themes, shared by the INQ’s three chairs, were explored by the day’s 14 presenters: Mapping and modelling of northern issues and Participatory research.
Two student competitions were also held as part of the event.
October The INQ participates in one of the largest international gatherings on the Arctic
A delegation from the INQ took part in the Arctic Circle Assembly in Iceland. The delegation was composed of Brigitte Bigué, INQ Project Director, Louis Fortier, INQ’s Director of Science and Innovation, Jean-Éric Tremblay, Interim Director of the INQ’s Implementation Committee and the 6 doctoral students who were finalists in the Quebec competition of My Northern Project.
The INQ, jointly with the MRIF, SPNandFRQNT, organized two sessions during the event.
Last August, the federal government announced its contribution of $25.5M for the construction of the future INQ building. Financing for the project totals $83.5M.
Reminder:
Located on the Université Laval campus, near the Robert-Bourassa thoroughfare, the building will be a true crossroads of northern knowledge and a place for interdisciplinary collaboration among researchers. The pavilion will include laboratories, warehouses and workshops for technological innovation and preparation for northern field work. A videoconferencing room, providing communications with northern communities and other partners and spaces for distance education for northern residents are also integral part of the project. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2021.
July Lab-O-Nord: Find infrastructure in a few clicks
Lab-O-Nord is a digital platform designed to list all of the research infrastructuresavailable to members of the Institut nordique du Québec.
In July, Lab-O-Nord started to grow as INQ partners were asked to submit information about their equipment to the platform.
The objective of the platform is to inform people about these infrastructures, to valorize them and to optimize their use. The detailed description of each item includes the contact information for the laboratory manager who can provide you with information on its terms of use.
Current status:
11 installations
14 laboratories
139 pieces of equipment
Lab-O-Nord is in constant evolution. Visit it often.
The second edition of the INQ’s flagship competition was held in June.
My Northern Project is 20 doctoral students who are each given 5 minutes to summarize their research project.
The purpose of the exercise: to popularize, inform and captivate! The goal: participation in the international final of My Northern Project at the Arctic Circle Assembly in Reykjavik.
Brigitte Bigué, INQ project Director, and Louis Fortier, INQ’s Director of Science and Innovation.
On May 25, Louis Fortier, INQ’s Director of Science and Innovation, and Brigitte Bigué, INQ project Director, presented the INQ to the members of the Bureau de coopération interuniversitaire(BCI), who expressed enthusiasm for the INQ project.
To date, the INQ has brought together 16 institutions for the sustainable development of the North
- École nationale d'administration publique
- École de technologie supérieure
- École Polytechnique Montréal
- Concordia University
- Université de Montréal
- Université du Québec (Québec campus)
- Université du Québec à Chicoutimi
- Université du Québec à Montréal
- Université du Québec à Rimouski
- Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
- Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue
- Université Laval
- Université de Sherbrooke
- Institut national de la recherche scientifique
- McGill University
- TÉLUQ
INQ at the Artic Sustainability Summit
The participants on “The Student Perspective” panel organized by the INQ. Nicolo Giordano (INRS), Glenda Sandy (Université Laval), Gwyneth Anne McMillan (Université de Montréal) and Marianne Falardeau (McGill University).
The Arctic Sustainability Summit, of which the INQ was a partner, was held in May. This summit was presented as part of the G7 Research Summit Series.
The INQ’s principal mandate was to select members of a panel representative of the next generation of scientists entitled "The Student Perspective". The early career researchers made eight recommendations that they believe will help advance research in northern and Arctic environments.
April Atikᶸ : The Northern and Arctic Knowledge Portal
In April, the three librarians behind Atikᶸ: The Northern and Arctic Knowledge Portal were busy bringing this tool to life. Atikᶸ presents the best international resource materials for northern and Arctic research.
To date, Atikᶸ contains:
78 information resources in the Databases section;
44 documentary resources in the Dictionaries and Encyclopedias section ;
58 information resources in the Maps, Atlases and Geospatial Data section;
20 information resources in the Statistics section;
15 documentary resources in the Archives and Sources section ;
12 documentary resources in the Online Film section;
30 information resources in the Studying the North section.
The INQ website underwent a major redesign. A place for accessing reference material and sharing information, the site is intended for use by both the general public and northern research stakeholders.
At the request of site users, the tools developed by INQ, namely Lab-O-Nord, Atikᵁ and the Ethical Research Guidelines, are now prominently displayed and accessible from the home page.
Finally, by relaying news related to the mission of the INQ and its partners, the site maintains its role as a showcase for the INQ community.
In February 2018 the French-language version of MOOC | Le Québec nordique: enjeux, espaces et cultures was launched for the second time.
Did you know that, to date, more than 5,500 people have registered for the MOOC ?
The French version of the MOOC will be offered again from February 4 to April 2, 2019. The course provides an introduction to the socio-political issues of Northern Quebec, the ancestral territory of many indigenous populations.
January Publication of the guidelines for ethical research in the North
This guide, produced by the INQ’s First Peoples' Working Group, presents good practices for northern research.
Almost two years were required to write this flagship document, which was the subject of extensive consultation with Indigenous communities and other Northerners prior to its publication.
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Institut nordique du Québec
Vice Rectorate of Research and Innovation
Pavillon Alexandre-Vachon
1045 avenue de la Médecine, Université Laval
Québec City, Québec G1V 0A6 www.inq.ulaval.ca
