Crawford Lake<\/a> brought international attention to her research, McCarthy says the award also recognizes decades of scientific contribution to Canada and beyond.<\/p>\n\u201cCANQUA mentioned, of course, the work that I\u2019ve done on Crawford Lake to establish a golden spike for the Anthropocene, but also my long, many decades of research before I took on the work at Crawford Lake,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Located in Milton, Ont., Crawford Lake gained international prominence through research examining sediment layers that provide an unusually detailed record of environmental change.<\/p>\n
McCarthy has played a leading role in investigating whether humanity\u2019s influence\u00a0was\u00a0significant\u00a0enough to mark the beginning of a new geological epoch known as the Anthropocene.\u00a0She continues to study the site\u2019s scientific significance and its implications for understanding planetary change.<\/p>\n
Beyond recognition, she views the award\u00a0as\u00a0motivation to continue addressing some of the most pressing environmental questions facing society.<\/p>\n
\u201cMore than ever,\u201d she said. \u201cThe challenges that humanity and the planet face really need Earth scientists.\u201d<\/p>\n
The\u00a0interdisciplinary nature\u00a0of Quaternary science,\u00a0drawing\u00a0from biology, geography and environmental science, as well\u00a0as the\u00a0social sciences,\u00a0has led\u00a0McCarthy\u00a0to work with colleagues across campus and researchers around the world.<\/p>\n
Recently, her interests have expanded to\u00a0examine\u00a0how societies respond to environmental change and how scientific knowledge can inform decision-making.<\/p>\n
The award also highlights Brock\u2019s outstanding contributions to Quaternary\u00a0science.<\/p>\n
Jaan\u00a0Terasmae, the University\u2019s first geology professor and a founding member of what is now known as the Department of Earth Sciences, received the 2026 W.A. Johnston Medal in 1990.<\/p>\n
\u201cBrock has always been renowned in Canada for Quaternary science,\u201d McCarthy said. \u201cBrock\u00a0throughout\u00a0its existence had strength in Quaternary science that was recognized externally by people across Canada.\u201d<\/p>\n
That legacy has helped shape generations of students. McCarthy notes many Brock graduates have gone on to senior roles with organizations such as the Ontario Geological Survey, the Geological Survey of Canada and environmental consulting firms.<\/p>\n
\u201cStudents\u00a0who\u00a0studied here have been exposed to high-quality Quaternary science,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Mentorship is a key focus for McCarthy and she sees helping students transition from the classroom to the scientific community as one of the most rewarding aspects of her work, whether through research projects,\u00a0conferences\u00a0or collaborative opportunities.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy philosophy is that each student is different,\u201d she said. \u201cI fan the flame of curiosity, encouraging their interests and strengths.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Professor Francine\u00a0McCarthy\u00a0has spent her career digging into the mysteries of Earth\u2019s history.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":94,"featured_media":110683,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7484,7,3319,41,1],"tags":[4424,6898,885,348,5662,3325],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110682"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/94"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=110682"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110682\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":110689,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110682\/revisions\/110689"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/110683"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=110682"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=110682"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=110682"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}