Sustainability Night and Awards

Adele Perry is a settler historian who grew up in British Columbia and has worked at the University of Manitoba since 2000. She works on histories of colonialism in northwestern North America in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and is committed to the transformative work of feminist and decolonizing scholarship.   She is currently distinguished professor of History and Women’s and Gender Studies, and the Director of the Centre for Human Rights Research.

Makenna is part of the UM Engineering Society Sustainability group and the Communications Executive for the Women of Manitoba Engineering Network (WOMEN). She is a fourth year biosystems engineering student, with a biomedical specialization. She is passionate about sharing information on sustainability in engineering to future engineers while promoting diversity and the support of gender minorities in the industry. 

Larissa is a Research Lead with the University Manitoba for a national study entitled, “Bridging the Gender Gap”.  She holds an MBA in Sustainability and Public Administration, a B.A. Hons in International Development, a B.Sc. in Biology, and has a non-profit background in social justice.  

With passions for environmental justice, anti-racism, and women’s empowerment, Larissa has most recently worked as a Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator with Manitoba Government, Fairtrade Outreach Coordinator with the Manitoba Council for International Cooperation and volunteered overseas with her children in the Ecuadorian Amazon.  She currently sits on the Board of Directors for Athena Leadership, the Advisory Committee for Indigenous Parents Community, and the Steering Committee for Fair Trade Winnipeg. Larissa has embraced intersectional feminism in how she raises her children, participates in community, and as a lens in her professional endeavours. 

Larissa identifies as a cis-gender female, first-generation Canadian, and person of colour (pronouns: she/her/elle). 
 

Vanessa Lillie is Cree and Métis. Her family is from St. Peter’s/Peguis Reserve along the banks of the Red River. Vanessa has roots in Peguis First Nation, a community in Manitoba’s Interlake. She earned a Bachelor of Arts Honours degree in Psychology from the University of Manitoba and has worked at the University of Manitoba as the first Academic Advisor for Indigenous Students in the Faculty of Arts and a Student Advisor in the Indigenous Student Centre overseeing the cultural portfolio. Currently, Vanessa is the Director of Cultural Integration (Indigenous). Vanessa works to walk in the footsteps of those who came before her seeking possibilities to make our collective space more accessible, inclusive, and healing. Relationships, listening, and learning are integral to Vanessa as she strives to co-create respectful, community-informed restorative practices. Inclusion and integration of Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing widen the path for generations to come reclaiming spaces within all aspects of education. She is a strong advocate and an active grass-roots community member who balances her time so she can learn from Elders, Traditional Knowledge Keepers and spend time on the land. She is honoured to be a daughter, mother, sister and auntie.

Dr. Tracey Peter is a Professor of Sociology and Criminology and the Vice-Provost (Academic Affairs) at the University of Manitoba. She is currently the principal investigator on a SSHRC Insight grant based a cross-sector and cross-national analysis of women in engineering and computer science occupations in Canada, Germany, and Sweden. Tracey has also been involved in numerous large-scale national and international studies involving youth and other marginalized populations. Her general research and publication interests include: research methods/applied social statistics, mental health and well-being, equity and anti-oppression in education and work, and equity among 2SLGBTQIA+ populations.

The Graduate Sustainability Award recognizes a graduate student who has led an initiative or project to advance one or more of the Sustainable Development Goals. This initiative or project can be a part of coursework or take place outside of the learning environment. 

Eligibility

Nominees must be full‐ or part‐time graduate students in good standing currently enrolled at the University of Manitoba.

The Student Group Sustainability Award recognizes a group of students who have led an initiative or project to advance one or more of the Sustainable Development Goals. This group also has made and will continue making a lasting positive impact on the environmental, economic and social well-being of students at the University of Manitoba.

Eligibility

• Must be a current UMSU student organization, association or club, student or graduate student association or group in good standing.
• Individuals are not eligible to receive this award.
• Sustainability does not have to be in the mandate or mission statement of the student group.

The Staff Sustainability Award recognizes an individual staff member's efforts to educate, advocate and advance one or more Sustainable Development Goals within their department and/or unit. This person shows a keen interest in campus-related activities and sustainability as a whole. Sustainability may or may not be defined in this person's job responsibilities. 

Eligibility

Must be an employee of the University of Manitoba.

The Faculty Sustainability Award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated exceptional and continuous integration of one or more Sustainable Development Goals into their teaching, research and engagement activities. This individual creates engaging opportunities for students through experiential learning, course design, innovative research and assignment creation. This person also shows a keen interest in campus related activities and sustainability as a whole.

Eligibility

Must be an active University of Manitoba faculty member, instructor or postdoctoral fellow.

The Collaborative Sustainability Award recognizes a unique collaborative effort between students, faculty, staff and community members to integrate one or more SDGs in a project or initiative. This unique category puts emphasis on interdepartmental interactions at UM in efforts to find solutions to sustainability-related issues to further advance to the SDGs.

Eligibility

Must be a collaborative project representing at least two of the following: staff, students, faculty and/or community members