Ontario Tech Chemistry grad students present research at Japan symposia

In the digital age’s limitless pursuit of knowledge, sharing information and ideas on a global scale has never been more important to post-secondary institutional growth. At Ontario Tech University, building and maintaining strong relationships with local and global partners is a top priority. 

Global collaborations spark new research opportunities and provide students with opportunities to develop the skills and knowledge they need to engage as global citizens through international work, study and travel. 

In December, Ontario Tech University Chemistry faculty and graduate students participated for the third time in the Kyutech-Ontario Tech Symposium in Chemistry and the International University Exchange Symposium in Chemistry, hosted at the Kyushu Institute of Technology (Kyutech) in Japan. 

Over three days, faculty and students from Kyutech, Ontario Tech, Khon Kaen University (Thailand), and Indian Institute of Technology (India) presented various topics, including areas in chemical biology, organic chemistry, materials chemistry, and inorganic chemistry.  

Ontario Tech presenters included: 

• Jean-Paul Desaulniers, PhD, Associate Professor, Faculty of Science
• Holly Fruehwald, PhD candidate (Materials Science)
• Matthew Hammill, PhD candidate (Applied Bioscience)
• Nadia Laschuk, PhD candidate (Materials Science)
• Jeffery Regier, PhD candidate (Applied Bioscience)
• Donna Riel, Master of Science candidate (Materials Science) 

Ontario Tech’s Dr. Desaulniers also held initial discussions about future partnerships with representatives from Khon Kaen University and the Indian Institute of Technology. 

Ontario Tech’s relationship with Kyutech began in 2016 when Dr. Desaulniers spent one week teaching an intensive course Topics in Organic Chemistry at Kyutech’s Department of Applied Chemistry. That visit paved the way for the inaugural Ontario Tech-Kyutech Symposium in Chemistry in 2017, and the second symposium in 2018. In February 2018, the two universities signed a memorandum of understanding to expand learning opportunities for their students and faculty, in order to foster collaboration and partnerships.

Quotes: 

“Since 2016, our relationship with Kyutech has grown into active collaborations with Kyutech research groups. In 2019, PhD student Kota Tsubaki from Dr. Tatsuo Okauchi’s Organic Chemistry research group at Kyutech spent three months in my laboratory to start a collaboration aimed at making a new class of oligonucleotides for chemical biology applications. We are now in the process of writing a collaborative peer-reviewed manuscript about the collaborative summer research project. Ontario Tech University’s Chemistry program looks forward to expanding collaborations with Kyutech and other international universities to prepare students to live and work in a globalized economy.”                       - Jean-Paul Desaulniers, PhD, Associate Professor, Faculty of Science, Ontario Tech University

“This was a great opportunity for four universities to share their research with one another. This was my first visit to Japan and to Kyutech, and not only were the people conducting world-class research, they were incredibly welcoming. This symposium was a great way to further strengthen ties between our institutions. I anticipate that more visits back and forth will continue in the future, and greatly improve Ontario Tech’s international research collaborations for years to come.”                                                                                                                                                                                                - Matthew Hammill, PhD candidate (Applied Bioscience)