Grants and Contributions

Installation of aquaculture as sustainable livelihood in a Marine Protected Area (MPA) through the Ecosystem Approach in Fisheries Management.

Empowerment of Refugee Women and Adolescent Girls in Gaziantep through GBV Prevention Services, Capacity Building Program, and Advocacy Campaigns

This project addresses the needs of Venezuelan migrant women and girls in Guyana impacted by Gender-Based Violence (GBV). The project achieves this by improving the quality, and increasing the availability and awareness, of services that address GBV in collaboration with government and other civil society organizations. Project activities include: (1) training law enforcement officers, immigration officers, and health care workers in three regions of Guyana to provide high-quality, dignified care and services to GBV survivors; (2) conducting a campaign to effect changes in beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours around GBV and ensure that migrants know f their rights and the services available to them; (3) providing legal and administrative services in clinics in two regions and psychosocial support in four regions for GBV survivors; and (4) training partners and service providers on referral pathways and monitoring and coordinating the delivery of GBV support services in six regions of Guyana.

This project is part of the Local Engagement and Action Fund (LEAF) that supports civil society and local organizations across the Caribbean to implement initiatives that respond to local needs and advance the aims and strategic objectives of Canada’s Caribbean Regional Development Program.

Develop and deliver a Strategic Tourism Expansion Program plan for Ingonish

Support for tourism marketing and product development 2023-24

The Achilles tendon is critical to walking, yet can be impaired after long period of immobility or lack of gravity, in space or on earth. Our study aims to investigate whether artificial gravity can reduce the effect from lack of gravity on the Achilles tendon, and explore whether male or female respond differently to artificial gravity.

Muscle wasting occurs in consequence to pathological conditions, including aging (sarcopenia). In space, healthy astronauts experience severe wasting of the anti-gravity muscles, the muscles that are normally engaged on Earth to maintain posture. Adjunct therapies are required to mitigate the risk of muscle wasting to enable human exploration of space. In this proposal, the research team use genetic tools in the mouse to reveal how protein synthesis, a major determinant of muscle mass, is remodeled in aging mice. Understanding how protein synthesis is remodeled under conditions of muscle wasting on Earth and in space is the first step towards identifying drug targets.

Space anemia is well-documented, but we don’t fully understand the cause. This study will analyze the red blood cell data of American and Canadian astronauts over the past 50 years in order to further characterize space anemia. The causes of anemia may be multiple and studying the complete blood profiles of astronauts provide a unique perspective to explain the increased red blood cell destruction in space. Astronauts, space tourists, and bedridden people on Earth remain at risk for anemia. This project will add to the growing body of research with the hopes of discovering effective ways to mitigate this risk.

Light-headedness and fainting occurs when the cardiovascular system is unable to maintain arterial pressures during rapid changes in posture, such as standing up from a horizontal position. Some astronauts experience such symptoms after returning to Earth from space and the underlying factors are still poorly understood. The research team will analyze data from the recent CIHR-based Bed Rest Study of 55-65-year-old men and women wich they propose can provide information on how the blood supply to the brain is related to fainting. The results will be an important step towards the prevention of fainting in astronauts and people on Earth.

Findings from Viking and Phoenix Mars landers have revealed the widespread presence of perchlorates in Mars regolith at concentrations that are toxic to humans and plants. The MARSCROP project will explore the use of perchlorate reducing bacteria associated with willow roots to mitigate regolith toxicity as well as determine the potential for co-cropping of willow with tomato and soybean to produce safe fresh food for astronauts on the surface of Mars. The project findings will hope to exploit multisystem biology which has evolved on earth to help solve complex challenges and safeguard astronaut health on the Martian surface.