October 25, 2005 Source: Trent University:
http://www.trentu.ca/news/pressreleases/051025research.htm Trent University Tops Again, "Research University of the Year" Research Infosource Inc. Releases Canada's Top 50 Research Universities List: Third Year in a Row Trent Ranks #1 in Primarily Undergraduate Category Tuesday, October 25, 2005 (Peterborough) Trent University has once again landed the number one spot as Research University of the Year for 2005, in a national survey ranking Canada's innovation leaders. It is the third consecutive year Trent has held the number one spot in comparison with other primarily undergraduate universities across Canada. Dr. James D. A. Parker, Associate Vice President, Research at Trent University said: "We continue to rank number one for an institution of our size because our researchers are among Canada's best". He added: "Our consistent top ranking is even more impressive because it takes into account research from all disciplines – the natural sciences, social sciences, and the humanities". "I commend the faculty for once again bringing this honour to Trent. Receiving this distinction three years in a row demonstrates the high quality of research being completed here at Trent," said President Bonnie Patterson. "The faculty's devotion to furthering knowledge in all fields and disciplines creates a positive environment, not only for our faculty members, but also for our students. It gives our students some wonderful opportunities to become involved in the research process." Research Infosource Inc., an independent company, released the results of the survey today. Rankings are based on a variety of factors – half of the points awarded are based on financial indicators such as total sponsored research income, research income per full-time faculty position and research income per full-time graduate student. The remaining points were awarded based on the number of publications per full-time faculty member. According to Research Infosource, Canada's top 50 research universities received $5.04 billion in sponsored research – income which includes government and non-government sources. This is an increase of 17.7 per cent over last year.
"These are golden times for university research in Canada. The challenge now is to turn research into benefits to the economy and society," said Ron Freedman, CEO of Research Infosource. Trent University is an internationally renowned institution, known for its commitment to a liberal arts and sciences education. Its 11 priority areas of research are Archaeological Studies, Environmental and Resource Management Studies, Canadian Studies, Native Studies, Cultural Studies, Health Studies, Quantitative Modeling Studies, International Studies, Feminist and Gender Studies, Aquatic Sciences and Biogeochemistry and DNA Profiling, Functional Genomics and Forensic Science. As well, Trent has a total of eight Canada Research Chairs in Environmental Modelling, Archaeological Studies, Aboriginal Arts and Literature, Terrestrial Ecology, Canadian Studies, Cultural Studies, Emotion and Health and Conservation Genetics and Biodiversity. The Canada Research Chairs Program helps Canadian universities become world-class centres of research and research training. The program strengthens research excellence in Canada and increases Canada's research capacity, improves the training of highly qualified personnel through research, improves universities' capacity to generate and apply new knowledge and promotes the best possible use of research resources through strategic institutional planning. Within a collegial setting, Trent University offers traditional and interdisciplinary degree programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Nestled along the banks of the Otonabee River in Peterborough, Ontario, the main campus features award-winning architecture designed to complement its natural setting. More than 7,000 full and part-time students attend Trent in Peterborough and at its Oshawa campus. Canada's Top 50 Research Universities 2005 is available on the Research Infosource web site, www.researchinfo.com The data were obtained from Statistics Canada and Research Infosource's own Canadian University Research and Development Database. - 30 - For more information, please contact:
Dr. James Parker, associate vice president of research at Trent University, (705) 748-1011, ext. 7935
Ron Freedman, CEO, Research Infosource Inc., (416) 481-7070, ext. 31 or Janet Sandor, director of communications, (416) 481-7070, ext. 25
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