Our Researchers

Dr. Josef Hamr
Josef Hamr obtained his B.S. in Biology from Beloit College, Wisconsin, M.Sc. in Zoology from the University of Guelph, Ontario, and Ph.D. in Wildlife Ecology from the Leopold-Franzens University, Innsbruck, Tirol, Austria. During the early 1980's, he was employed as a wildlife biologist by the Foundation for Environmental Studies in the Austrian Alps, working with red deer, roe deer, chamois and ibex. In the late 1980s, he held the position of a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the University of Guelph, researching seasonal physiology of white-tailed deer in conjunction with the Ministry of Natural Resources in central Ontario. From 1986 to 1991, he also lectured and supervised research in the Department of Biology at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario. Since 1991, J. Hamr has worked at Cambrian College of Applied Arts and Technology in Sudbury, first heading the Canadian Institute for Natural Resources Management and later the Northern Environmental Heritage Institute. He also holds the positions of Adjunct Professor in the Department of Biology at Laurentian University and, Conjunct Professor in the Environmental & Life Sciences Graduate Program at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario. From 2003 to 2007, he also served as Associate Graduate Faculty in the Zoology Department at the University of Guelph. Since 1986, he has conducted and supervised graduate research on white-tailed deer ecology and morphology; elk ecology, habitat use, post-release dispersal and population dynamics; wild turkey introduction and survival on the Precambrian Shield; and nuisance bear demographics, behavior, and orphaned cub rehabilitation success. The Northern Environmental Heritage Institute had also been contracted by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources to conduct nuisance bear control in the Municipality of Greater Sudbury under J. Hamr’s supervision from 1995 to 2003.

J. Hamr has authored and co-authored over 20 scientific publications and articles on wildlife. From 1997 to 2009, he coordinated and taught biology, ecology and outdoor skills in the Sustainable Outdoor Recreation/Nature-Based Adventure Tourism programs at Cambrian College. In 2008/09, he developed and began coordinating the Environmental Monitoring and Impact Assessment graduate certificate program and also began teaching in the Energy Systems Technology program. He has also served on various advisory bodies including the Maskinonje Provincial Park Steering Committee (Parks Ontario), Partners for Eco-Adventure Tourism (PEAT), Ecosystem Management Program Advisory Committee (Sir Sanford Fleming College), the Provincial Elk Restoration Technical Committee (MNR), Sudbury Elk Restoration Committee and the Junction Creek Stewardship Committee (Sudbury).

Dr. Kameal Mina
Dr. Kameal Mina graduated from the Faculty of Education at the University of Western of London, Ontario in 2006. He obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Tokyo, Japan in 2003. In 1995, he obtained his B.Sc. in Aerospace Engineering and in 2000 he obtained his M.Sc. in Engineering Physics, both from Cairo University, Egypt. In 1995, he designed and built a wind turbine to demonstrate his understanding in aerodynamics in Aerospace Engineering. He also built a small scale solar dryer in 1997. He has had a specialized interest in renewable sources of energy since 1993 and has co-authored many publications and articles in this area. He has also obtained a patent for "Water Flow Turbine" with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office in August 2008.

His research interests include green buildings and energy modeling for residential and commercial applications.

Joyce Helmer
Joyce Helmer currently serves as the Chair of the Wabnode Centre for Aboriginal Services at Cambrian College. She has worked since 1974 in a variety of faculty and administration positions throughout Ontario and Quebec. She is currently a Doctoral student in Education, completing her Masters in Education Leadership and Bachelors of Education degrees. This summer she will complete the Joint Indigenous Research Leadership program with John's Hopkins University and the University of Alberta.

She holds an Associate professorship appointment with Laurentian and Lakehead Universities through the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. She serves as a cabinet member for the City of Greater Sudbury on the Healthy Communities Cabinet, and as a member of the Joint Ethics committee of St. Joseph's Hospital and St. Joe's Villa. She holds the position of Vice President of Shkagamik-Kwe Health Centre - the urban Aboriginal Health Centre serving the urban Aboriginal population as well as 3 associate First Nations.

Susan Alcorn Mackay, B.Ed., M.Ed
Susan has been the Director of The Glenn Crombie Centre for disability services at Cambrian College since 1988 and is a past member of the executive of the Canadian Association of Disability Service Providers in Post-Secondary Education, and a current member of the Provincial Advisory Committee on Disability Issues. She was instrumental in the creation of the Northern Ontario Regional Assessment and Research Centre at Cambrian, only one of two assessment centres in Ontario.

The author of many papers and articles on the subject of disabilities services, Susan has developed a variety of courses, conferences and workshops for disability service providers and delivers special education courses to elementary and secondary school teachers through Nipissing University.

In 1997, Alcorn Mackay received the Educator of the Year Award from the Council for Exceptional Children. In 2003, she was nominated for the Ontario Medal for Good Citizenship and also received an Association of Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology of Ontario Award in the Distinguished Service category. She was also acknowledged by Cambrian College in 1995 with the President's Award for Excellence and in 2005 received the International Exemplary Leadership Award. In 2006, The Glenn Crombie Centre received the Community Builder’s Award under the leadership of Susan Alcorn MacKay.

Dr. Alana Holmes
Dr. Holmes is a registered Clinical Psychologist with substantive experience in educational systems, and currently is the Staff Psychologist and Manager of the Northern Ontario Assessment and Resource Centre (NOARC). Her academic credentials include a Masters in School Psychology (University of Toronto/Ontario Institute for Studies in Education), and a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (Lakehead University).

Responsibilities at NOARC include: research initiatives, professional development activities for psychological practitioners, supervision and training of clinical staff and interns, and the provision of psychological assessments.

Since 1991, Dr. Holmes has worked with school boards providing assessment, consultation and intervention plans for students experiencing learning and behavioural challenges. Along with an integrated services team, she provided mental health services to the remote and outlying communities of Thunder Bay from 1997 to 2005. Dr. Holmes supervises doctoral students working through their registration year with the College of Psychologists of Ontario. She has taught psychology courses at the undergraduate and graduate level as well as at college.

Her research interests include intellectual giftedness, the role of language and working memory in social understanding, as well learning disabilities in adult populations. She has particular interest and experience in rural psychology, specifically alternative models for delivery of psychological services.

Robert Silvestri
Robert Silvestri is currently employed with the Northern Ontario Assessment and Resource Centre as a researcher. He has obtained his Masters in Education from the University of Toronto and is presently completing his Ph.D. in Education with a specialization in cognitive studies at Queen’s University.

He has completed research at the Queen’s University Adult Dyslexic Research Centre and was awarded the 2004 and 2005 R. Samuel McLaughlin Fellowships and 2005, 2006, and 2007 Martin Schiralli Fellowships at Queen’s University. Robert has recently co-authored an article entitled "Learning Strategies and Study Approaches of Postsecondary Students with Dyslexia" for the Journal of Learning Disabilities in 2008.

His research interests include studying the impaired cognitive mechanisms associated with learning disabilities (i.e. dyslexia) and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Additionally, Robert is interested in research examining the impact of disabilities on academic success at a postsecondary level of education.