Summer 2017

Dear RQR members, collaborators and trainees,

Changes are afoot!

Following the news of the renewal of the FRQNT Regroupements Stratégiques grant that funds the RQR, your Executive Committee has been hard at work planning and implementing several new initiatives designed to promote new interactions between RQR members.  These will include a brand-new bursary program aimed at newly-recruited trainees who are co-directed by two (or more) RQR regular members.  This program is meant to foster new scientific collaboration, particularly across scientific disciplines and between partner universities.  The first wave of bursary competitions will be held this fall; don’t miss out on this great opportunity!

The RQR scientific program has also changed dramatically, with three new research axes that will provide new opportunities for interaction and collaboration between RQR scientists.  The old RQR “new collaboration” grant program will be discontinued; funds will instead be distributed to these axes.  Axis leaders Claude Robert, Daniel Cyr and Yojiro Yamanaka will work with their axis members to create new initiatives to best support and develop their axis’ research program.

New initiatives aside, also expect all the things you loved about the “old” RQR to continue.  The annual Symposium, training workshops, travel bursaries, networking activities, etc. will all remain key mechanisms whereby the RQR supports training, technology transfer, interaction and collaboration within our network.

As you can read in the announcement below, the topic of this year’s pre-Symposium workshop will be “Mitigating gender bias in science”.  Gender bias is a critical issue that affects us all, and this workshop aims both to increase awareness and identify strategies to prevent it.  Everyone at all career stages from students to principal investigators are encouraged to enroll, but I would particularly like to see the participation of the principal investigators; positive change has to start with us…

Be sure to keep a close eye on the RQR bulletin for all the latest developments!

Best regards to all,

Derek Boerboom

The 10^th RQR Symposium will be held on November 14 and 15, 2017 at the Pavillon La Coop of the Espace St-Hyacinthe.

GUEST SPEAKERS

Matthew C. Lucy, from the University of Missouri

Title: ” The postpartum uterus of the dairy cow as a model for host-pathogen interactions during tissue regeneration “

Gail S. Prins, from the University of Illinois

Title: ” Prostate stem cells as EDC targets that lead to increased disease susceptibility “

Mazhar Adli, from the University of Virginia

Title: ” Editing, regulating and Imaging the genome with CRISPR technology “

DATES TO REMEMBER:

Symposium (November 14 and 15)

• Deadline for registration: October 13, 2017 – REGISTRATION FORM
• Deadline to submit an abstract: September 29, 2017 – ABSTRACT SUBMISSION FORM

* Do not forget to book your hotel room at the Holiday Inn Express and mention the name of the group (Réseau Québécois en reproduction) to benefit from the special rate.

A pre-Symposium workshop entitled « Mitigating gender bias in science » will be held on November 13^th, from 9am to 5pm.

Please note that this workshop will take place at the Faculté de médecine vétérinaire (1500, rue des vétérinaires, room 1465) in St-Hyacinthe.

The workshop is addressed to women and men, from trainees to principal investigators, so everyone is welcome (and encouraged!) to attend.  Free for trainees, but regular members and collaborators will be asked to contribute 150$ to help defray costs.  The workshop will be held in English only, and the format will require that it be limited to 40 participants.

Click here for more details!

• Pre-Symposium Workshop (November 13)
  • Deadline to register for the workshop : November 3, 2017 – PRE-SYMPOSIUM WORKSHOP REGISTRATION FORM

   

It is with regret that we announce that our RQR manager, Julie Blouin, has moved on to a new challenge. By the end of August, Julie will hold the position of Adjunct to the director of the Clinical Sciences Department at the Faculté de médecine vétérinaire, Université de Montréal. We would like to thank her for her dedication and valuable contributions throughout her 7 years of service to the RQR. We are sure that she will meet the challenges of her new position. On behalf of all RQR members, we wish her the best of luck!

A new RQR network manager is going to replace Julie soon, however in the interim, you can send all your requests and questions to Charlène Rico at charlene.rico@umontreal.ca.

As part of the 2017 Symposium, the RQR will offer two Knowledge Transfer Awards: a researcher award and a trainee award. These two awards in the amount of $400 each will be officially awarded at the RQR Annual Symposium in November along with an honorary plaque.

Applications must be submitted by email to charlene.rico@umontreal.ca by September 22^nd. Please note that it is also possible to nominate another member, trainee or researcher.

To submit an application, please complete the form.

It is with a great pleasure that the RQR welcomes 13 new regulars members!

Axe 1 – The improvement of reproductive efficiency in livestock species

• Dr. Marc-André Sirard, ULaval
• Dr. Gustavo Zamberlam, UdeM

Axe 2 – The impact of the environment on reproductive health and development

• Dr. Sylvie Girard, UdeM
• Dr. Julie Lavoie, UdeM
• Dr. Christian O’Flaherty, McGill
• Dr. Aimée K. Ryan, McGill
• Dr. Celine Van Themsche, UQTR

Axe 3 – The development, optimization, and implementation of genome editing technologies in reproductive biology

• Dr. Alexandre Boyer, UdeM
• Dr. Greg FitzHarris, UdeM
• Dr. Loydie Majewska, McGill
• Dr. Carlos Moreno, UQTR
• Dr. Nicolas Pilon, UQAM
• Dr. Simon Wing, McGill