Origin of the project

The CEN and its Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Committee have developed an EDI education and awareness project for their community.

This project will take place in several stages.

1. An in-person workshop at the spring meeting on 2 May 2025.
2. Five artists will be recruited to bring the discussions to life in the form of comic strips.
3. The unveiling of the comic strips at the CEN Annual Conference

A look back at the in-person workshop

On 2 May 2025, during the spring meeting, nineteen CEN members took part in a CEN-organised educational activity designed to raise awareness of equity, diversity and inclusion issues.

Led by Marie-José Naud, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Advisor at Laval University's EDI office, this two-part activity was very well received, fostering open and respectful discussions within the community. First, members participated in a group discussion to identify issues they had experienced or observed. These themes were then explored in subgroups, each of which was tasked with designing a comic strip to illustrate a particular issue.

The five themes selected were:

• Active listening
• Inclusive teams
• Discussion spaces
• Cultural humility
• Adapted materials

Over the summer, the resource persons from each team will be put in touch with one of the five collaborating artists to bring illustrations of CEN's EDI issues to life. The project will continue in autumn, and the comics will be unveiled at 46th CEN Annual Conference.

The EDI committee would like to thank everyone who contributed to this collective effort, which aims to change behaviours and practices within our research group.

Project outcomes

Stay tuned for the comics! The unveiling will take place at the 46th annual CEN conference, to be held on February 12 and 13, 2026, at Université Laval.

Discover the artists involved!

Discover the five artists who will showcase the ideas exchanged during the May 2, 2025 workshop on education and awareness of CEN's EDI issues in comic strip form.

Lucile Cosyn-Wexteen will work on the theme “Appropriate equipment in the field.”

For me, art and science have always been closely linked. In geology, for example, drawing a landscape or making a sketch is an integral part of the analytical process. This visual approach naturally led me to use illustration as a means of explaining certain concepts.

Throughout my career, I have been inspired by passionate Earth science teachers. Drawing on my experience as a day camp and community centre counsellor, I have seen how stories can bring people together, regardless of age. I am working on a webtoon project to introduce people to the world of limnology and Arctic science with a touch of humour.
This project is close to my heart because it demonstrates that anyone can contribute to EDI by helping to create more welcoming and fulfilling research environments. The project is the result of collective discussions and presents concrete solutions for a more inclusive environment.

Élise Imbeau

Art has always been a part of my life, alongside my scientific studies. During my Master's degree in Limnology at UQAC, I started using graphic design to popularise my research on Arctic lake ice, and I soon realised how powerful illustration can be in conveying knowledge effectively. Since then, I have pursued this passion by helping other researchers to communicate their projects more effectively, alongside the research support services I offer through my company, Viventem (viventem.ca), which is based in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut. Having lived in the north for six years, I feel strongly about research issues, and I am happy to contribute to this outreach project.

Audrey Robert

As a trained biologist and a scientific comic illustrator, I am committed to making complex issues accessible through images. My approach is to build bridges between researchers and the general public by favouring a clear, expressive and sometimes playful style. Taking part in this project gives me the exciting opportunity to combine my scientific and creative skills to raise awareness of equity, diversity and inclusion issues within the CEN community.

Éliane Duchesne

I have been passionate about the natural sciences since I was a little girl, and I have always wavered between deepening my understanding of the world around me through knowledge and experience, and expressing it through the arts. Although I completed a degree in biology and ecology, I am certain that the arts will always be part of my daily life, and I will never have to choose between them! This project is an ideal opportunity to utilise my experience in various aspects of northern research through a medium that I love. I hope my contribution will make a difference to this project, which is very close to my heart and which we have started with the EDI committee! 

Djibril Morissette

I am a visual artist and comic book author based in Rimouski. After graduating with a degree in animation in 2014, I have been working in the French, American, and Quebec comic book industry, publishing with Marvel (All-New Wolverine, X-Men Gold, etc.), Image (Glitterbomb), Le Lombard (Crypto monnaie), Les Humanoïdes associés (L'Histoire de la science-fiction), and Glénat Québec (Khiêm: Terres maternelles, Havana connection). I have always been drawn to the medium of comics for its versatility and accessibility. Throughout my professional career, I have had the opportunity to work as a comic book artist in a wide range of fields, from documentary to fiction, biography, activism, poetry, autofiction, and education. I am very excited about this CEN project because, even though it marks my introduction to the world of scientific research, it does so from the familiar perspective of human relationships.

Thanks to our financial partners

This project was developed by the Centre for Northern Studies, with financial support from Université de Sherbrooke and Université Laval.