NSERC grants at Laurentian University Subventions du CRSNG `a l ...

IntroductionNSERC (pronounced n’serc) stands for “Natural Sciences and EngineeringResearch Council of Canada”. NSERC is a federal agency whose mandate isto encourage research and discovery in the natural sciences and engineeringin Canada. In its own words:NSERC’s role is to make investments in people, discovery and innovationfor the benefit of all Canadians. We invest in people bysupporting more than 20,000 university students and postdoctoralfellows in their advanced studies. We promote discovery by fundingmore than 10,000 university professors every year. And we help makeinnovation happen by encouraging more than 500 Canadian companiesto invest in university research.In 2004-2005, NSERC will invest $850 million in university-basedresearch and training in all the natural sciences and engineering.This booklet provides the summaries of all the research endeavours bycurrent holders of NSERC grants at Laurentian University. These summarieswere written by each researcher as part of their application to NSERC.Laurentian University’s President, Dr. Woodsworth, and the AssociateVice-President of Research, Dr. Vasseur, have already mentioned the impactof NSERC’s funding on the university and on the region. From the viewpointof a researcher who has benefited from NSERC’s funding for a number ofyears, I cannot emphasize enough what this support has meant to me. Ithas allowed me to meet with researchers across the world to learn of theirwork and to let them know about mine as well. My grant allows me to hirestudents. In addition to earning a salary, this gives them an introduction toresearch, so it works to their benefit as well as mine.I believe that you will find much in these pages to interest you and hopethat you will share my pride in the achievements of my fellow researchersfrom Laurentian University.13