Craig S. Finnigan Northern Award for Student Research Presentations
Applications will be accepted until September 30, 2024, for the Yukon and Yellowknife conferences and until November 22, 2024, for the Nunavut Symposium. Application forms received after these dates will be automatically declined.
This year, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists (NAPEG) is pleased to offer an award designed to provide a student with funding to attend the Geoscience Forum. Dr. Craig Finnigan inspires the Finnigan Award for Northern Research.
Dr. Craig Finnigan was a Professional Geoscientist who spent most of his short career working across the Canadian north for industry, government and academia. Craig passed away in 2014 at 45; however, his passion for geoscientific fieldwork and exploration has left an imprint on those who worked with him. He was recognised in 2014 with the prestigious Huestis Award (AMEBC) for discovering the Coffee gold deposits in the Yukon. Craig was an adamant supporter of students and education. As an Adjunct Professor at Western University, he co-supervised several graduate student theses, including studies on the Coffee gold deposits in Yukon and uranium mineralisation at the Lac Cinquante uranium deposit in Nunavut. A student-focused scholarship that encourages presentation at northern conferences has been established to honour Craig's memory.
NAPEG encourages excellence in the engineering and geosciences professions through the promotion of advanced studies and research programs. By providing financial assistance to researchers working in the northern territories, the Association seeks to encourage young geoscientists to communicate effectively with their peers and the public, an important skill in developing a professional practitioner.
To be eligible, the applicant must be enrolled in a Canadian university and registered in a Geology or Earth Sciences program that includes a thesis with a subject relevant to the territory in which the results would be presented. The applicant must also have submitted an abstract (or similar document) for a talk or poster presentation at the conference indicated on their application form. The applicant must attend this conference and give the presentation to receive scholarship funding.
NAPEG Student Presentation Awards
Cash prizes of $1000 each will again be offered for the best technical oral and poster presentations. Please note that students must give a soapbox talk to be eligible for the poster award, while oral presentations are automatically eligible. The conference organisers thank the NAPEG Education Foundation for sponsoring these awards. The winners will be announced at the 52nd Geoscience Forum.
2024 NAPEG Student Award Winners
Poster
Tshepiso Sekhula (Lakehead University, working with Peter Hollings and John McBride) for their presentation, “Geochemical characterization of the Hewitt Lake and Leta Arm group, Indin lake greenstone belt NWT”
Ø An exemplary illustration of effectively conveying technical knowledge with clarity and precision.
Oral Presentation
Michelle Landry (University of Alberta, working with Alexandre Chiasson, Keytash Moshtaghian, Alejandro Alvares, Steve Kokelj, and Duane Froese) for their presentation, “Investigating Permafrost integrity in drilling-waste sumps using electrical resistivity tomography and induced polarization techniques in the Sahtu region, central Mackenzie valley, NWT.”
Ø The project integrates permafrost science, geophysics, geochemistry, peatlands, geomorphology, hydrology, contaminated sites, and climate, all within a 15-minute timeframe. Michelle spoke confidently and was very engaging. The project is well designed and clearly relevant to the North.
Craig S. Finnigan Northern Award for Student Research
Juan Bello-Rodriguez (University of Toronto, working with Dan Gregory, Merilie Reynolds, and Denis Fougerouse) for their research, “The Distribution of germanium in the Zn-Pb-Ag Prairie Creek Deposit: insights from macro to nano scale.”
Presented by the Northwest Territories and Nunavut Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists (NAPEG). The Finnigan Award for Northern Research is inspired by Dr. Craig Finnigan.
Please visit NAPEG to apply for the Finnigan Award.
2023 NAPEG Student Award Winners
Poster
Wanda Czebreszuk from the University of Alberta, Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Edmonton, Alberta, for their presentation, “Rapid sphalerite deposition prompted by sour gas at Pine Point, Northwest Territories, Canada.”
Oral Presentation
Bianca Lulianella Philips from the University of British Columbia, Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Vancouver, British Columbia, for their presentation, “Soil microbial community fingerprinting: increasing exploration success in covered terrains.”
Craig S. Finnigan Northern Award for Student Research
Michaël Thibault from the Institut national de la recherche scientifique, Québec City, Québec, for research titled, "The Potential for Deep Borehole Heat Exchangers (DBHE) and the significant positive impacts on northern communities as well as reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”
Presented by the Northwest Territories and Nunavut Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists (NAPEG). The Finnigan Award for Northern Research is inspired by Dr. Craig Finnigan.
Please visit NAPEG to apply for the Finnigan Award.