Our member Geneviève Vachon, a Master's student at Université Laval, is a finalist in Acfas' La preuve par l'image contest.
You can vote for the Découverte People's Choice by September 21, 2025! ✅
Her photo, entitled Under the ice, an ancestral knowledge, illustrates the behind-the-scenes aspects of her research project.
Sheltered from the wind, two Inuit teenagers harvest mussels under the ice in the bay bordering the village of Kangiqsujuaq, Nunavik. When the tide goes out, crevasses form. Snowmobilers can then drive to this spot, dig a hole and harvest. Important for food security, this tradition is threatened by the rapid warming of the Arctic. Shorter, warmer winters are weakening the ice. The current interdisciplinary research project is documenting Inuit knowledge of mussel harvesting. It aims to assess the nutritional quality of this resource, while characterizing the impact of ice conditions on this mollusc.
Geneviève is carrying out her Tininnimiutait, health and well-being among Nunavimmiut project under the supervision of Christopher Fletcher (ULaval researcher in health and preventive medicine) and the co-direction of our co-investigator Mélanie Lemire (ULaval).
In the Inuktitut language, the term tininnimiutait refers to the marine organisms found by Inuit in the intertidal zone. These resources are traditionally important for food, and access to them is facilitated by their presence in the coastal zone.
Her project will document Inuit knowledge related to tininnimiutait (intertidal marine species) and their contribution to the health and well-being of elders, adults and youth. She also wants to understand the importance of tininnimiutait in the diet of Nunavik's Inuit, and ultimately assess their potential to help support food security and sovereignty in Nunavik.
Well done Geneviève!
The 16th edition of Acfas' La preuve par l'image competition brings together 20 original images created by scientists working in Canadian research institutions. Acfas joins forces with Espace pour la vie to present an exhibition of the 20 images from the 2025 edition. This world of unsuspected complexity and astonishing beauty will be presented in large format. Visitors will be able to view the exhibition free of charge at Espace pour la vie from May 1.
