Ministry of Research and Innovation recognizes UOIT faculty members with Early Researcher Awards

OSHAWA, ON - The University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) proudly announces that two of its faculty members are being recognized by the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation (MRI) with prestigious Early Researcher Awards (ERA). UOIT's recipients are Dr. Shari Forbes, associate professor, Faculty of Science and Canada Research Chair in Decomposition Chemistry, and Dr. Janette Hughes, assistant professor, Faculty of Education.

The ERA program is designed to help promising, recently-appointed Ontario researchers build their research teams of undergraduates, graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, research assistants, associates and technicians. The goal of the program is to improve Ontario's ability to attract and retain the best and brightest research talent. Each award is valued at $140,000.

"This recognition by MRI clearly reinforces the innovativeness, high quality and societal impact of research and scholarship in which our faculty members are engaged," said Dr. Michael Owen, associate provost, Research. "Securing these prestigious and highly competitive provincial awards will allow Dr. Forbes and Dr. Hughes to further pursue leading-edge research that has social, educational and economic benefits to Ontario and Canada."

Dr. Forbes' award will support her interdisciplinary investigation of decomposition chemistry to assist police and forensic scientists involved in homicide investigations. The new forensic science technology being developed by Dr. Forbes and her team aims to more accurately predict the rate of decomposition of soft tissue. Her work may also help law enforcement officers solve murder cases by improving determination of time of death and increasing the success of forensic investigations, thereby reducing crime statistics and improving community safety and security.

"The ERA will allow me to train highly qualified personnel in a unique area of forensic science known as decomposition chemistry," said Dr. Forbes. "As a result, my research team will have the opportunity to produce a novel methodology for estimating time since death, which will significantly impact the forensic science community and society as a whole,"

Dr. Hughes' research is in the field of encouraging adolescents to become agents of change. In a project entitled Fostering Globally and Culturally Sensitive Adolescents: Social Action Through Digital Literacy, Dr. Hughes is providing young people with an opportunity to produce and share digital information on important social justice issues identified through the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, including the impact of war, child labour, poverty and environmental concerns.

"I'm very excited about this award as it allows me to extend my work in helping youth develop literacy skills and their sense of being responsible citizens in a digital world," said Dr. Hughes. "Adolescents are more plugged-in than ever before. Educators can tap into this interest in digital media to develop their ability to understand and create digital texts that lend voice to the local and global issues they are most concerned about. The award enables me to fund three graduate students annually over a three-year period, helping to develop their research skills and the research capacity of the Faculty of Education."

For full details on Dr. Hughes' research, please visit http://faculty.uoit.ca/hughes/.

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About UOIT

As an innovative university, UOIT delivers a leading-edge learning environment that uniquely combines academic knowledge, research opportunities, hands-on skills and a vibrant student life. UOIT's more than 7,400 undergraduate and graduate students are taught by professors who are experts in their fields from around the world. As Ontario's first laptop-based university, the university offers a diverse array of challenging undergraduate and graduate degree programs through its faculties of Business and Information Technology; Education; Energy Systems and Nuclear Science; Engineering and Applied Science; Health Sciences; Science; and Social Science and Humanities. UOIT's commitment to research excellence has resulted in millions of dollars in grants and awards, including five Canada Research Chairs. To find out more, visit www.uoit.ca or call 905.721.8668.

About Ontario Tech University
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Media contact
Bryan Oliver
Communications and Marketing
Ontario Tech University
905.721.8668 ext. 2209
289.928.3653
bryan.oliver@uoit.ca