Another academic year has gone by, and two more cohorts of Environmental Sustainability Research Centre (ESRC) graduate students have successfully completed the first year of their respective programs. This year marked a significant milestone for the Master of Sustainability (SSAS) program, as this year’s cohort is the 10th to join the ESRC! We were also excited to welcome our second cohort of PhD in Sustainability Science (SSCI) students to the program and have greatly enjoyed working with them as they transition into sustainability scientists! We ended the year on a positive note with a variety of student presentations and several different course-based experiential education learning opportunities.
On Tuesday, March 26th, the SSAS students presented their MRP and Thesis research proposals to a group of their student peers and ESRC faculty and staff. This group has been working towards their research proposals since the beginning of the year and all did a wonderful job describing their research topics. ESRC Graduate Program Director Dr. Jessica Blythe shared that the presentation topics ranged from environmental injustice in Canada’s cancer valley to Anthropocene narratives and guidelines for animal welfare, and that “it was a wonderful day that provided an opportunity to celebrate this significant milestone!”
Next, on April 3rd, the Master of Sustainability students were tasked with delivering their final presentation on Brock University’s transition towards sustainable practices for their elective course SSAS 5V83: Just Transitions in Sustainability. The course instructor, Dr. Jen Holzer said of the presentation, “their work and insights were met with great enthusiasm and a desire to share their report with Brock administrators and stakeholders this summer. This project showed that there is a hearty appetite for student leadership on campus sustainability at Brock!”. With this presentation successfully behind them, the students had just one more final project to complete!
On Friday, April 5th, the SSAS students were joined by their peers in the SSCI program to present their final projects in SSAS 5P03/SSCI 7P02: Problem Solving in the Environment/Engaging with Community in Sustainability Science. Since January, the SSAS students have been working closely with the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) to develop what course instructor Dr. Marilyne Carrey described as a “comprehensive month-by-month information repository that can be used for internal communications to educate and engage staff on key sustainability topics, organizational practices, and individual staff behaviours.” Meanwhile, their colleagues in the SSCI program collaborated with members of the Niagara Climate Change Action Network (NCCAN) to create, as Dr. Carrey explained, “a stakeholder engagement plan that will facilitate participation in the development of the Niagara Region Community Energy Plan.” Dr. Carrey added that the results of both projects will be of great value to their respective stakeholders and community organizations.
It’s been a busy year for these graduate students, and we are very proud of them for all the great work that they have completed and the milestones accomplished! We wish this group all the best as they head into the Spring and Summer terms to begin comprehensive exams, co-op work terms, and data collection for their thesis research projects!
