December 2018

The 11^th edition of the RQR Symposium was held on November 13^th and 14^th, 2018 at McGill’s New Residence Hall in Montréal. The Pre-Symposium Workshop held on November 12^th on “Reproduction in Exotic and Wildlife Species” drew forty participants, who attended 4 seminars by guest speakers Dr. Gabriela Mastromonaco of the Toronto Zoo, Dr. Janine Brown of the Smithsonian National Zoo, Dr. Christopher Tubbs of the San Diego Zoo and Dr. Glen Van Der Kraak from the University of Guelph.

To open the Symposium, RQR director Dr. Derek Boerboom presented in his introduction the achievements of the RQR in 2017/2018, as well as its objectives for 2019. At the Symposium, 2 awards were presented for knowledge translation, along with 3 prizes for best oral presentations and 3 prizes for best poster presentations. In addition to seminars by our four guest speakers, participants were able to attend 17 oral and 53 posters presentations by RQR trainees.

Here are the students who stood out:

Winners for best oral presentations

1^st prize – $ 500: Gauthier Schang, McGill University

2^nd prize – $ 300: Lia Mara Gomez Paim, Université de Montréal

3^rd prize – $ 100: Ariane Lismer, McGill University

Winners for best poster presentations

1^st prize – $ 500: Guillaume St-Jean, Université de Montréal

2^nd prize – $ 300: Amélie Ménard, Université de Montréal

3^rd prize – $ 100: Samir Mehanovic, Université Laval

As at all RQR Symposia, the knowledge translation efforts of two RQR members towards research end-users or the lay public were rewarded.

Here are the recipients of the 2018 RQR KT Awards:

Researcher  Award:

Dr. Cathy Vaillancourt

INRS-Institut Armand Frappier

Student Award:

Bélinda Crobeddu

  (PhD student)

INRS-Institut Armand Frappier

The RQR would like to congratulate the winners and would also like to thank all

Symposium participants.

The RQR is looking for students and researchers to participate in this new committee.

The diversity committee will aim to:

– Create policies and activities to promote diversity, inclusion and tolerance in the RQR.

– Provide a resource where the concerns of underrepresented members of the RQR can be communicated and discussed.

– Strengthen the participation of women and minorities in the RQR and in the field of reproductive sciences.

We need you! If you are interested in joining this committee, contact Charlène Rico.

As part of the partnership between the RQR and GDR 3606 Repro from France, 4 PhD students (1 per research Center) will have the opportunity to go to France to present their results and represent the RQR at ReproSciences 2019, which will take place in Toulouse on April 24-25-26^th 2019. The selected students will be expected to present their results in French. Travel expenses (flight, accommodation) will be covered by the Centers and the RQR. The deadline for sending in your application is January 31^st, 2019.

24 Hours of Science is a great opportunity to share your research with the lay public.

2019 THEME: TOMORROW, THE EARTH The theme of this year focuses on the future and the environment. At this critical time in the face of climate change, we want to highlight the issues, initiatives at all scales, along with possible solutions. This theme also ties into many topics related to future discoveries and scientific and technological breakthroughs. The theme is never mandatory, but it is very broad this year.

Events aimed at the lay public must be submitted by February 6^th, 2019 to appear in the printed program of the event. Contact Maude Lussier to organize an activity. Reminder: The RQR can contribute up to $ 500 for knowledge translation activities. See the details.

The ‘Plume de science’ journalism contest is organized as part of the 24 Hours of Science event presented by Science for All. Participants are invited to write a short article on a scientific topic illustrated by an image. This contest is open to all. Articles must be submitted by midnight May 20^th, 2018 .

For more information, click here.

Congratulations to Josianne Bienvenue-Pariseault (PhD candidate supervised by Dr. Cathy Vaillancourt) and to Célia Brochen (MSc candidate supervised by Drs. Pascal Vaudin and Delphine Pillon, from France) who have each obtained a $15,000 scholarship for their international internship.

It is with great pleasure that the RQR welcomes 2 new regular members: Dr. Vardit Ravitsky (Axis 3) and Dr. William Pastor (Axis 3). We also welcome Dr. Jean-François Schmouth as a new collaborator.

• Frontiers in Reproduction: The prestigious FIR course will take place from April 27^th to June 9^th, 2019. The deadline for application is January 17^th, 2019. The RQR will offer one scholarship of up to $ 2,000 to an RQR student who will be selected to take the course. Find all the details of the course and the registration process by clicking here.