WHITEHORSE—The Yukon College Board of Governors is pleased to announce that Dr. Karen Barnes will remain as the President of Yukon College until June 30, 2019.

Barnes had previously announced she would retire in 2017; however, the Board asked her to consider remaining with the College for a further two years.

“With a new degree and post-degree program about to be launched and the transition to a university underway, the Board would prefer to maintain continuity of leadership at this time,” said Paul Flaherty, Board of Governors chair. “We are pleased that Dr. Barnes has reconsidered her retirement plans.”

Barnes joined Yukon College from Lethbridge College in 2008 as vice president academic. She was appointed president and vice chancellor in 2011.

WHITEHORSE - Following the completion of over $60,000 in upgrades, the newly-renovated McIntyre Creek Salmon Incubation Facility (MCSIF) will host an open house on Sunday June 12 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

There will be a BBQ, hatchery tours, nature-based activities for kids and an opportunity to meet the staff and volunteers who keep the facility running year-round.

“This will be a great opportunity to get up close and learn more about Chinook salmon fry at this stage of life and their entire life cycle,” said Shannon Harvey, MCSIF attendant and Yukon College student.

(Whitehorse, YT) – Cape Breton University’s Purdy Crawford Chair in Aboriginal Business Studies will bring this academic year’s mentoring program to a close for the Northern Region of In.Business.  This two-day closing conference for the Northern Region of In.Business is facilitated in partnership with Yukon College and includes students, mentors and peer mentors from Yukon, Northwest Territories, and northern British Columbia.

WHITEHORSE – Casino Mining Corporation (“Casino”) is pleased to announce that its entire team, including all those working for Casino’s parent company, Western Copper and Gold Corporation., has completed the Yukon First Nations 101 course, which was developed in partnership by the Council of Yukon First Nations (CYFN), Yukon College’s office of First Nations Initiatives and all 14 Yukon First Nations.
                    
Casino is the first mining company to undertake and complete the course, which was unveiled in January.

Delivered online by Yukon College’s Northern Institute for Social Justice (NISJ), Yukon First Nations 101, to which CYFN holds the copyright, was created to educate territorial and federal government employees, the private sector and non-governmental organizations about the history and culture of Yukon First Nations.

WHITEHORSE—Over 400 geologists, academics and graduate students will be in Yukon next week for the annual joint conference of the Geological Association of Canada (GAC) and the Mineralogical Association of Canada (MAC).

The Margins Through Time conference runs June 1-3 at Yukon College’s Ayamdigut campus. Six field trips before and after the conference will allow delegates to experience Yukon history, geology and mine reclamation at the Klondike and Keno mine districts, Whitehorse Copper Belt, Chatham Strait in Southeast Alaska, Kluane region and the Faro mine complex.

Hosted by Yukon College and Yukon Geological Survey, this will be the first time the 59-year-old annual conference has ventured to Yukon.

WHITEHORSE—Grade 7 Christ the King Elementary student Rémie Cherepak was awarded a bronze medal and the Nutrients for Life Foundation Award at the annual Canada-Wide Science Fair in Montreal, Quebec, last week.

Cherepak won for her original research project “Would you eat these peas?” an experiment to see if commonly used vehicle fluids—antifreeze, gasoline, synthetic and petroleum oil—have a negative impact on plant growth. Across three levels of soil contamination, Cherepak’s results show that of the four fluids, antifreeze had the most severely negative impact on plant growth, gasoline also had a negative impact and synthetic and petroleum oil had no noticeable impact.

WHITEHORSE—The Student Financial Assistance Act was granted assent yesterday after being passed in the Yukon Legislative Assembly. The new act replaces the former Students Financial Assistance Act and concludes a review process that began in March of 2015.

“We have consulted extensively with students, parents, Yukon First Nations governments, Yukon College and other partners and stakeholders,” Minister of Education Doug Graham said. “The new act balances the issues and concerns of diverse groups and ensures that funding is administered in a fiscally responsible way.”

WHITEHORSE—When Yukon College students cross the Yukon Arts Centre stage on Friday, 156 will be the first to graduate with the new Yukon First Nations core competency requirement that is now mandatory for students who began their studies after September 2015.

The core competency aims to build greater awareness and understanding of the 14 Yukon First Nations and includes northern and aboriginal knowledge and perspectives, relevant information on the history and legacy of residential schools, land claims and self-government agreements, languages, and the history and culture of Yukon First Nations peoples.

“The core competency information is useful, especially being presented directly and in a single session. I think a person would be limiting themselves to live in Yukon and not take this course,” said Scott Holliday, Business Administration diploma graduate.

Three Yukon students arrived Sunday at the annual Canada-Wide Science Fair in Montreal, Quebec, joining 500 young scientists from across Canada to showcase their scientific knowledge.

Representing Yukon with their original research projects are, Rémie Cherepak (Christ the King - Grade 7) with “Would you eat these peas?”, James Storey (FH Collins - Grade 8), presenting “Camping stove efficiency for summertime alpine hiking”, and Seth Bennett (Golden Horn – Grade 7) with “Video games before bed: Does it affect my sleepwalking?”. 

WHITEHORSE—The Government of Yukon, Yukon College and the University of Alberta have signed a memorandum of understanding that outlines the framework for a coordinated approach to identifying and facilitating upcoming projects and initiatives. 

“This memorandum of understanding is a positive step in diversifying programming and educational options available to students in Yukon and Alberta,” Premier Darrell Pasloski said. “Focussing on building science capacity and relationships was a priority identified in Yukon’s 2016 Science Strategy, and this agreement helps us move towards achieving this goal.”

The memorandum of understanding identifies several objectives, including establishing joint research projects, introducing new degree programs and professional certifications, student mobility and staff exchanges and increased programming to encourage public awareness of topics relevant to science in the North.