2024 鈥� Year of Research Impact

Written by:

Communications Staff

Arts and Science

Education

Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs

December 17, 2024

Communications Staff

December 17, 2024

Teaser:

In case you missed them, here are 15 stories of research impact and the moments that helped to shape this year.

Deck:

In case you missed them, here are 15 stories of research impact and the moments that helped to shape this year.

The final weeks of each year are always a good time to look back and reflect on accomplishments and milestones. In 2024, Queen鈥檚 researchers explored new frontiers of knowledge that took them from the bottom of lakes to the far away corners of the universe. They made new discoveries, secured research funding, and were recognized with major prizes and awards. The university also welcomed new talent and cultivated new partnerships locally, regionally, and globally.

Here鈥檚 a selection of 15 research stories and key moments from 2024 that you don鈥檛 want to miss:

A better future for the planet

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1. Transforming nuclear materials for a greener future聽鈥� With a research program that will improve the efficiency, reliability, safety, and cost-effectiveness of nuclear energy systems, Yanwen Zhang was named the Canada Excellence Research Chair in Impact of Radiation in Energy and Advanced Technologies.

2. Building landfills that safeguard the environment聽鈥� Recognized with the 2024 NSERC Herzberg Canada Gold Medal, civil engineer Kerry Rowe is tackling our waste problem with groundbreaking work in the design of landfills that prevent contaminants from spreading.

3. What mud tells us about climate change?聽鈥� A lot, according to biologist John Smol, whose field-leading work in sediment analysis has informed understanding of human impact on lake environments. These efforts were awarded with the 2024 NSERC Strickland Prize for Societal Impact.

Advancing health and wellbeing

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4. Cancer research transformed by landmark gift聽鈥� Thanks to a milestone donation, researchers at the Sinclair Cancer Research Institute will combine expertise in biology and genetics, clinical trials, and health care, and epidemiology to advance cancer research and improve outcomes for patients in Canada and around the world.

5. Obesity and the brain聽鈥� How are memory and cognitive function impacted by obesity? Neuroscientist Fernanda De Felice is investigating the connections between the body and conditions like obesity and our brain functions, including memory and cognitive function.

6. Understanding the genetic basis of bleeding disorders聽鈥� Through the work of clinician scientist Paula James, we are advancing research to improve diagnosis and treatment of inherited blood diseases that affect one in 1,000 individuals globally and in Canada.

Research outreach

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7. Preparing for totality聽鈥� Queen鈥檚 research experts across physics, the humanities, and health sciences helped to educate, prepare, and mobilize communities in Kingston and across Canada for the first total solar eclipse regionally in almost 700 years.

8. Integrating sustainability in the curriculum聽鈥� Queen鈥檚 education researchers partnered with No.9, a local nonprofit organization, to create an innovative new program aimed at promoting sustainability and the United Nations鈥� Sustainable Development Goals in local schools.

9. Engaging communities in science and research聽鈥� Across disciplines faculty, staff, and students got together to bring hands-on STEM activities to Science Rendezvous Kingston. With over 5,000 participants, it was one of the largest science festivals in Southeastern Ontario.

New frontiers

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10. McDonald Institute (MI) receives $45.5M in federal support聽鈥� MI, the Queen鈥檚-based, national network for astroparticle physics, received a boost in funding that will fuel globally-leading research unravelling the mysteries of the universe, including dark matter and neutrino science.

11. Searching for cosmic rays 40 km above ground聽鈥� Astrophysicist Nahee Park was part of an international team that launched an enormous weather balloon into the upper atmosphere to capture neutrinos and cosmic rays.

12. Sparking Canada鈥檚 supercomputing renaissance聽鈥� We learned why electrical and computer engineering researcher Ryan Grant wants Canada to become a supercomputing powerhouse: the technology can solve complex problems, from designing new proteins for drug treatments to unlocking new frontiers in artificial intelligence.

Research funding and awards

13. Empowering transformative research聽鈥� Three Queen鈥檚 research teams secured over $18M from the Canada Foundation for Innovation in research infrastructure support for projects in translational medicine, nuclear energy, and environmental sciences.

14. New generation of research leaders聽鈥� Queen鈥檚 expanded its undergraduate research programs to offer new unique training and professional development opportunities. A total of 167 students participated in programs that gave them first-hand experiences to gain the translatable skills and training needed to pursue high-impact research.

15. New and renewed Canada Research Chairs聽鈥� The university welcomed 18 new and renewed Canada Research Chairs, announced in聽March听补苍诲听November. In the next few years, these researchers will lead programs to understand and mitigate climate change impacts within Indigenous Protected Areas, elevate debates in Afrofeminist thought and political transformation, advance neuromorphic photonic computing, address affordable housing scarcity, and much more.

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