Articles by author: Amanda Smits

• Brock researchers receive $2.4 million in funds from federal science granting agency NSERC

  Sunday, February 26, 2017 | By Amanda Smits

  Published on June 29 2016

  From The Brock News
  June 28, 2016

  Northern Canada is the “canary in a coal mine” of climate change. Increasing temperatures and fluctuating precipitation are more pronounced than other parts of the country and are literally changing the scenery over a short amount of time.

  Brock University hydrologist Kevin Turner has been investigating these landscape trends during his nine years of research in a lake-rich area of the Yukon called Old Crow Flats, the traditional territory of the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation.

  Some of the area’s lakes have become smaller and shallower because of increased evaporation in drier times. On the other hand, when there is heavier-than-normal precipitation, rain and snowmelt raises lake levels, forming new channels that drain the lake to lower-lying areas.

  More shrub vegetation is growing across Old Crow Flats and many other arctic regions. And, the shorelines of Old Crow Flats’ rivers are eroding because warmer temperatures have weakened the permafrost, causing the bank material to tumble into the waters.

  With his Discovery Grant and Northern Research Supplement he received from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), Turner will study how climate change-induced landscape changes in Old Crow Flats are affecting the area’s water balance and chemistry.

  The assistant professor in the Department of Geography is particularly interested in the movement of carbon, a chemical element that is an important component of greenhouse gasses.

  For example, humans’ massive burning of oil, coal and other fossil fuels has greatly increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which is warming the earth’s temperature. “It is important to identify the movement of carbon from other sources, including degrading permafrost,” he says.

  “As carbon-rich material is unlocked from the frozen shorelines and exported into the river system, the dissolved carbon can either remain within the waterways or become mobile in the atmosphere, which may perpetuate climate change,” says Turner.

  “So it is important for us to map the location and rate of changes to the landscape and how downstream conditions respond,” he says. “Findings will improve predictions of how the hydrology and carbon balances of northern lake-rich landscapes will respond to future climate change.”

  Turner is one of more than a dozen researchers receiving funding under the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC)’s 2016 competition for the discovery research programs.

  The federal granting agency announced the results of the 2016 Discovery Grants, scholarships and fellowships competitions for universities across the country June 23.

  Brock received a total of $2.4 million in funding.

  Included within that are Discovery Grant and Discovery Development Grant awards totaling $1.98 million.

  In addition, two researchers – Cheryl McCormick and Kevin Turner – received supplementary grants totaling $191,900. McCormick’s Discovery Accelerator Supplement grant is given to researchers “who have a superior research program that is highly rated in terms of originality and innovation, and who show strong potential to become international leaders within their field,” says the NSERC site.

  “Brock’s researchers did extremely well in this year’s NSERC competition,” says Associate Vice-President Research (Natural and Health Sciences) Joffre Mercier. “We are very proud of the outstanding work our researchers are doing at Brock.”

  Mercier notes the success rate for researchers already holding a grant is 70 per cent.

  Brock University’s results for the 2016-2021 NSERC Discovery Grants competition are:

  • Bogaert, Tony (Health Sciences): Variations in male sexual orientation: The role of maternal responsivity to male-specific proteins
  • Castle, Alan (Biological Science): Mechanisms of host-parasite interactions between bacteriophages and Erwinia amylovora
  • Head, Martin (Earth Sciences): Plio–Pleistocene paleoceanography of the northern and western Pacific
  • MacNeil, Adam (Health Sciences): MAPK regulation of the epigenome during mast cell differentiation
  • McCormick, Cheryl (Psychology, ESRC): Adolescence: A sensitive period for shaping the adult social brain (also: Discovery Accelerator Supplement grant)
  • Mercier, Joffre (Biological Science): Effects of invertebrate neuropeptides and biogenic amines on synapses and behaviour
  • Metallinos, Costa (Chemistry): Proline hydantoin derivatives as dual purpose chiral auxiliary and chiral catalyst precursors
  • Mondloch, Cathy (Psychology): Expert face recognition: The influence of experience
  • Peters, Sandra (Kinesiology): Regulation of mammalian skeletal muscle lipid metabolism: the role of perilipin proteins
  • Ross, Brian (Computer Science): Genetic programming techniques for modelling and design
  • Schmidt, Mariek (Earth Sciences): Unraveling the igneous and overprinting alteration histories of volcanic terrains on Earth and Mars
  • Turner, Kevin (Geography, ESRC): Investigating the influence of climate-induced landscape changes on water and carbon balances in permafrost landscapes (also: Northern Research Supplement grant for his research: Investigating the influence of climate-induced land cover change and permafrost slumping on water and carbon balance in Old Crow Flats, Yukon, Canada)

  NSERC’s Discovery Grants program supports long-term research programs that assist in “promoting and maintaining a diversified base of high-quality research capability in the natural sciences and engineering in Canadian universities; fostering research excellence; and providing a stimulating environment for research training,” says the agency’s website.

  Another NSERC grant – Research Tools and Instruments – was awarded to Jeffrey Atkinson (Chemistry) to purchase a “Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) instrument for protein–membrane interactions.”

  NSERC also announced its awards for graduate student researchers, which totaled $262,500:

  NSERC Postgraduate Scholarship – Doctoral
  

  • Bryan Giordano (Biological Sciences): “Epidemiology and transmission dynamics of West Nile in Ontario, Canada”
  • Christine Salahub (Psychology): “Examining the mechanisms between individual differences and visual perception”

  Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship – Doctoral
  

  • Kari Lustig (Psychology): “The role of hormones in emotion processing following sleep loss”

  Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship – Master’s
  

  • Sarah Bax (Mathematics & Statistics): “Soliton interaction properties”
  • Lyndon Duff (Biological Sciences): “Modeling the evolution of sociality in the eastern carpenter bee, Xylocopa virginica”
  • Angel Phanthanourak (Applied Health Sciences): “The effects of postural threat on cortical inhibition during an anticipatory postural adjustment”

  “NSERC funding provides our graduate students with much needed financial support to continue with projects that are pushing the boundaries of research in exciting directions,” says Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies Mike Plyley.

  “The scholarships are true recognition to graduate students that the scope and calibre of their work hold great promise in contributing to discovery and innovation in Canada.”

  Story from The Brock News.

• Congratulations to ESRC’s Shawn Geniole on receiving the Jack M. Miller Excellence in Research Award

  Sunday, February 26, 2017 | By Amanda Smits

  Published on June 29 2016

  From The Brock News
  June 27, 2016

  This is the fifth in a five-part series profiling graduate student recipients of the 2016 Jack Miller Excellence in Research Awards. Today’s story features the winners (master’s and doctoral) from the Faculty of Social Sciences.

  SHAWN GENIOLE – PHD, PSYCHOLOGY; SUPERVISOR: PROFESSOR CHERYL MCCORMICK

  Shawn Geniole studies the ways in which people form first impressions of others, the extent to which these judgments are accurate, and how these impressions influence decision-making during social interactions.

  To date, Geniole’s research publications have been cited 137 times in scholarly works. He is publishing in leading specialty journals for a variety of disciplines and received the prestigious Young Investigator Award from the International Society of Research on Aggression.

  “While Geniole’s research interests in aggression are centred in social psychology, his approach is transdisciplinary,” says his supervisor, Professor Cheryl McCormick.

  “Shawn incorporates perspectives and approaches from behavioural neuroscience, neuroendocrinology, evolutionary psychology, anthropology and economics,” McCormick explains. “His overarching hypothesis is that in men, one’s aggressive potential is conveyed to others by specific static clues in the face that serve to regulate social interactions and minimize overt aggression and associated physical costs.”

  Genoile pushes boundaries in his approach to research and in his use of a variety of experimental designs and tools.

  As an example, McCormick points to a study that involved YouTube.

  “Shawn came up with the clever idea to use YouTube to gather screenshots of men clean-shaven and bearded. These screen shots allowed him to test several hypotheses, notably that, if snap judgments of threat/aggression are an evolved adaptation, then such judgments should rely on static facial cues that are not masked by facial hair, as would be the case for ancestors before the advent of shaving.

  “He was able to show the face metric remains perceptible in bearded men, and that observers’ judgments of aggressiveness of the bearded versions of men’s faces were highly correlated with observers’ judgments of aggressiveness in clean-shaven versions.”

  About the Jack M. Miller Excellence in Research Awards

  The awards were established as the Excellence in Research Awards by the late Jack Miller when he served as Vice-President Research and Dean of Graduate Studies, from 1999 to 2004.

  As a tribute to Miller, the Faculty of Graduate Studies renamed the awards in his honour in 2013 and, at the same time, increased the number of awards available and the value of each award.

  Since then, as many as 11 graduates students, in research-based programs, are selected annually from within the six academic faculties to receive between $1,000 to $1,500 to support their research and scholarship.

  Story from The Brock News.

• Grad combines love of the beach with sustainability research

  Sunday, February 26, 2017 | By Amanda Smits

  Published on June 08 2016

  From The Brock News
  June 8, 2016

  Southampton Beach was a wonderland of sand, fun and sun for a young Brodie Hague.

  Each summer, Hague’s family left their Hamilton home to spend two weeks at a cottage along the tranquil waterfront setting of Lake Huron.

  The master’s student in Brock’s Sustainability Science and Society (SSAS) program still looks forward to taking a summer break along the four-kilometre shoreline.

  More recently, he found a way to combine his love for his longtime summer playground with his passion for geography and the environment.

  Hague based his master’s research thesis on the use of remote sensing to map and monitor the dune vegetation at Southampton.

  On Tuesday, June 7, Hague was among the program’s first class of graduates at Spring Convocation. The other students to graduate are Erin Duffy, Sarah Holmes, Christine Janzen, Samantha Morris and Samantha Stea.

  The program was launched in 2014 as one of only a few master’s degrees specifically designed to address contemporary challenges through the transdisciplinary lens of sustainability science.

  “Our first graduating class is a measure of the program’s success,” says Professor Marilyne Jollineau, who is the Interim Director of the program and also Hague’s thesis supervisor. “Our students are approaching a wide range of environmental and sustainability issues by breaking down traditional barriers between disciplines. The work of our new graduates will have a far-reaching impact with research topics that include, for example, climate change, environmental communications, corporate social responsibility, renewable energy and sustainability education.”

  When Hague came into the program, after completing a concurrent degree in Education and Geography at Brock, he was already thinking about focusing his research on the dunes.

  “It was probably in the mid 1990s that I remember the first signs of grassroots efforts by the community to create awareness and take action to protect the dunes,” he says. “I remember coming back one summer to see fencing being built through the dune system and designated play areas being developed along with signage and information about the restoration and protection measures.”

  Southampton is the home to the Chantry Dune system, one of five major dune systems along the eastern shores of Lake Huron. The dune complex, explains Brodie, provides habitat for a diverse range of vegetation species, some of which are native, rare and threatened. The coastal dune ecosystem has an important role in preventing erosion of the beach shoreline.

  The sustainability of these fragile ecosystems, says Hague, face serious threat from recreational use, shoreline development and natural disturbances such as fluctuating lake levels.

  Hague’s project focused on using satellite remote sensing technology to map and monitor changes to the Chantry Dune system over a seven-year period, from 2005 to 2012. To carry out his project, Hague received financial support from the Department of Geography to purchase two high spatial resolution satellite images from 2005 and 2012, respectively.

  “The first part of the project focused on the health of the dune vegetation and to determine the patterns of change in the vegetation from 2005 to 2012,” he explains.

  Hague used a numerical indicator called the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) to analyze measurements and to assign values to the health of the dune vegetation throughout the time period.

  Hague also created a land-use/land-cover map that can assist local stakeholders and authorities in ongoing dune management practices.

  Hague’s study has good news for dune protectors.

  “The study determined that little had changed over the past seven years and, in fact, there was an increase in both the extent and health of vegetation. That may be partly explained by the low water levels in Lake Huron during the time period.”

  “Personally, the project has been a chance for me to give back in a way. The beach and town of Southampton has been a special part of my life for as long as I can remember. I hope my research will help to ensure that many others can continue to enjoy such a wonderful playground without harming the health of the dune ecosystem.”

  Story from The Brock News.

• Spring Convocation to feature first grads from new PhD and Master’s program

  Sunday, February 26, 2017 | By Amanda Smits

  Published on June 08 2016

  From The Brock News
  June 7, 2016

  During Spring Convocation ceremonies, June 7 to 10, Brock University will celebrate Master’s and PhD students for their academic and research excellence.

  A total of 411 graduate degrees — 16 PhD, 395 Master’s — will be conferred.

  Justin Maltese, a MSc student in Computer Science, will receive the prestigious Governor General’s Gold Medal for achieving the highest academic standing at the graduate level. Maltese, of Hamilton, attained a 98.5 average.

  Spring Convocation will mark the first graduates from the PhD program in Interdisciplinary Humanities and from the Master’s program in Sustainability Science and Society.

  Both programs have been at the forefront of the University’s directions to build transdisciplinary studies and research activities.

  Brock established the Interdisciplinary Humanities doctoral program in 2011. The program brings together faculty and students from different disciplines across the University to collaborate on research questions from a variety of perspectives.

  The graduate program in Sustainability Science and Society (SSAS) was launched in 2014. The program provides students an opportunity to study the social, economic, political, and biophysical challenges and to consider new ways of thinking about environmental sustainability.

  “It’s always a landmark event for newer programs to celebrate the convocation of their first students,” says Mike Plyley, Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies. “These students are like flagbearers. They signify a program’s wider impact as its students move forward to contribute their knowledge, creativity and skills in their field or through other academic and research pursuits.”

  This convocation also holds special significance for Plyley as he completes his term as Dean on June 30.

  “Convocation days are one of the best days on the job for a Dean,” Plyley says. “I’ve had the privilege to congratulate thousands of graduate students over the past five years. Watching our students cross the stage to accept their master’s or doctoral degrees provides you with a strong indication of the force of their potential in a world that will look to them to make society stronger and better. For a Dean, those are the times when you say to yourself that it just doesn’t get any better than this.”

  2016 Convocation awards to Brock graduate students

  Governor General’s Gold Medal:

  Justin Maltese, Computer Science

  Jack M. Miller Excellence in Research Awards

  The FGS announces a list of Miller award recipients each year. At the time of graduation, students are given special recognition for the achievement. The following is a list of Miller award recipients who will be acknowledged at Spring Convocation.

  Spring 2016 Convocation

  Dimitrios Alexandropoulos, Chemistry

  William John Gittings, Applied Health Sciences

  Malisa Kurtz, Interdisciplinary Humanities

  Stefon Jan Ross van Noordt, Psychology

  Zahid Mohammad Rahman, Management

  Phillip Wallace, Applied Health Sciences

  Distinguished Graduate Student Award

  Dimitrios Alexandropoulos, Chemistry

  Michael Ayerh K Ayertey, Geography

  Matilda Baptist, Biotechnology

  Allan Campopiano, Psychology

  Corey Jonathan Carlton, Business Economics

  Kevin Daniel Caslin, Physics

  Andrew Cheesman, Physics

  Alison Edge, Biotechnology

  Whitney Evans, Political Science

  Renee Marie Henriette Girard, History

  Christopher Scott Grawey, Critical Sociology

  Steven Greenwood, English

  Wade Alexander Hunt, Philosophy

  Naomi Johnson, Applied Disabilities Studies

  Malisa Kurtz, Interdisciplinary Humanities

  Jeff Lakeit, Comparative Literatures and Arts

  Justin Peter Maltese, Computer Science

  Molly McMeekin, Classics

  Kaitlin Louisa McNeill, Applied Disability Studies

  Max Cale Merilovich, Biological Sciences

  Joel Midgley-Volpato, Mathematics and Statistics

  Samantha Lynne Julianne Morris, Sustainability: Science and Society

  Li Mou, Business Administration

  Ewelina Kinga Niemczyk, Educational Studies

  Matthew Peter Casimir Nikitczuk, Earth Sciences

  Kiel Graham Ormerod, Biological Sciences

  Panagiota Perlepe, Chemistry

  Irene Podolak, Applied Health Sciences

  Stephanie Simoes, Philosophy

  Zipparah Eileen Stephenson, Social Justice and Equity Studies

  Kimberley Caitlin Tsujimoto, Child and Youth Studies

  Rebecca Lynn Vos, Applied Linguistics

  Jennifer R. Weiler, Education

  Narnia Christine Worth, Psychology

  Haiyue Xu, Management

  Michelle Zahradnik, Applied Health Sciences

  Spirit of Brock awards

  Continue reading this story on The Brock News.

   

• Brock researchers and long-term care residents collaborate on scientific research

  Sunday, February 26, 2017 | By Amanda Smits

  Published on April 25 2016

  From The Brock News
  April 22, 2016

  As Canada’s population ages, people are looking for ways to improve the quality of life for their loved ones. One approach, which is becoming increasingly popular, is to get people connected — or reconnected — with nature.

  A group of researchers from Brock’s Environmental Sustainability Research Centre (ESRC) is exploring the link between nature and health through a partnership with The Woodlands of Sunset, a regionally owned long-term care home in Welland.

  This initiative, “Wetlands of Sunset: Connecting Memories with Nature,” aims to show the importance of the location of long-term care facilities for the well being of their residents. What makes this an excellent case study for the research is that it is surrounded by wetlands and forests that are also owned by Niagara Region.

  Two members involved in this initiative, Marcie Jacklin, an avid birder and librarian at Brock, and Kerrie Pickering, a nurse and researcher, were recently awarded an ESRC seed grant to begin a pilot research project.

  Combining their knowledge on birds and health, they are currently working on a transdisciplinary study to explore if engagement in citizen science, specifically bird watching, has an impact on the well-being of long term care residents. They hope to see if engaging the residents as citizen scientists improves their well-being and to populate the Cornell University eBird database for the area surrounding Woodlands, which at present, has no data.

  Earlier this month, they installed two bird-feeding stations that residents can view from inside the building.

  “This project has been a win-win for me,” says Jacklin. “Working with everyone has been wonderful; the staff is so supportive at all levels and residents have really embraced the project, even those who aren’t official participants in the study.”

  “The potential benefits of this project will extend beyond this one long term care facility,” says Pickering. “This study has the potential to provide valuable insights for researchers, other long term care facilities, and the general population.”

  The researchers say benefits of the research project include:

  • Helping residents understand what citizen science is and showing them that they are still a valuable member of society.
  • Helping homes expand the types of activities they can offer to their residents.
  • Giving residents and staff the opportunity to be exposed to nature and see birds.
  • Populating the eBird database to better understand what kind of birds are in the area and their migration routes.
  • Getting the broader community involved in citizen science.
  • Transferring knowledge learned in this case study to other LTCs in Niagara and beyond.

  Jacklin says she is seeing how the project is making a difference at The Woodlands of Sunset.

  “When I walk down the hall at Woodlands and say I’m with the bird project everyone wants to stop and chat about it,” she says. “So far it seems like the benefits of this project are going far beyond what we had initially expected.”

  Jacklin and Pickering are looking for donations of binoculars, baby monitors, grape jelly (for orioles) and posters or books of common birds of Ontario and Eastern Canada.

  For more information or to donate, contact ESRC@brocku.ca.

  From The Brock News.

• Brock biologist featured in book on influential environmentalists

  Sunday, February 26, 2017 | By Amanda Smits

  Published on April 20 2016

  From The Brock News
  April 19, 2016

  Brock University biologist Liette Vasseur is featured in a recently published book profiling women environmentalists around the globe.

  “I was honoured, almost scared; I was so surprised,” Vasseur says of appearing in the book Citoyennes de la Terre (Women Citizens of the Earth), a collection of profiles complied by Florence Piron, a professor in the Department of Information and Communication at Laval University in Quebec.

  Vasseur was noted for a variety of accomplishments, including her work with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’s Commission on Ecosystem Management, being President of the Canadian Coalition of Women in Engineering, Science, Trades and Technology (CCWESTT) and president-elect of the International Network of Women Engineers and Scientists.

  She also holds a UNESCO Chair in Environmental Sustainability and is a member of Brock’s Environmental Sustainability Research Centre. She has research partnerships with a variety of Canadian and international governments and organizations.

  Vasseur is noted for her research on communities’ responses to climate change impacts and managing ecosystems in coastal and forested areas, taking her to such places as Burkina Faso and China.

  “Who would have thought that this little country girl, who loved to draw animals and help out her florist father, would one day become this accomplished woman who has contributed so much to research on climate change and sustainable development?” writes profile author Vincent Leboeuf Gadreau.

  “Who would have thought that her passion for the environment and communities would one day lead her to work with leading scientists on the other side of the planet and influence changes to environmental policies?”

  In the book, Vasseur joins such notables as Jane Goodall, Rachel Carson, Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai and Canadian politician Elizabeth May.

  Story from The Brock News.

• Lake to Lake Podcast: Water, who has it, who uses it, and how much it costs

  Sunday, February 26, 2017 | By Amanda Smits

  Published on March 28 2016

  St. Catharines Standard, Lake to Lake Podcast: Episode 2

  Episode 2 of the Lake to Lake Podcast, taking a look at water, who has it, who uses it, and how much it costs. We talk to Brock University economist Steven Renzetti and Scott Maxwell from Wells of Hope.

  Click here to listen to the Lake to Lake Podcast.

• Brock, Australian university sign agreement on sustainability research

  Sunday, February 26, 2017 | By Amanda Smits

  Published on March 28 2016

  Story from The Brock News
  March 23, 2016

  Brock University has signed an agreement with the University of the Sunshine Coast (USC) in Australia that will enable Brock students to pursue a PhD in sustainability at USC.

  The memorandum of understanding (MOU), signed March 14 by Brock Professor and Environmental Sustainability Research Centre (ESRC) member Gary Pickering and the Director of USC’s Sustainability Research Centre Tim Smith, formalizes a long-running research relationship between Brock and USC in the areas of global change, sustainability and resilience.

  For several years, USC has offered a transdisciplinary PhD program in sustainability that synthesizes research in the social, economic and behavioural sciences to address environmental and societal concerns.

  This new agreement will allow researchers from Brock’s ESRC to supervise students in the sustainability PhD program, and give students the opportunity to study in Australia and Canada.

  “The ESRC is tremendously excited to sign this MOU with USC. It will allow for deeper research partnerships between Brock and USC and it will bring doctoral students into the Centre who can contribute to its burgeoning research culture. This is a great step forward in the development of the ESRC,” says ESRC director Tim Heinmiller.

  “This MOU builds on existing, high impact research collaborations between the Sustainability Research Centre at USC and the ESRC at Brock. All involved intend this to be a very active MOU, and together help build the capacity in our young researchers and scholars to meet the global challenges in sustainability that we face,” adds Pickering.

  To strengthen this new partnership even further, USC has established a new PhD scholarship in Social Dimensions of Global Change. Under the MOU, Brock students can apply for this scholarship, which will cover tuition, living, and travel expenses.

  USC is offering one scholarship for this program. The deadline is April 29. For more information click here.

  To learn more about the PhD program click here.

• WEPGN announces Connecting With Water award to support junior researchers

  Sunday, February 26, 2017 | By Amanda Smits

  Published on March 21 2016

  From The Brock News
  March 21, 2016

  World Water Day offers an opportunity to consider the significance of one of our most precious global resources.

  Here at Brock University, the Water Economics Policy and Governance Network (WEPGN) will celebrate by offering a new award to its junior researchers who want to share their findings with a broad audience.

  WEPGN is a Canada-wide research initiative that has been headquartered at Brock since it was founded in 2012. The network connects researchers and partners to facilitate meaningful and urgent research into the social, economic and political dimensions of water — matters that are especially relevant to water and jobs, which is the theme of #WWD this year.

  The new Connecting With Water award will provide funding for knowledge mobilization activities that communicate the findings generated by WEPGN research projects.

  Most importantly, the award will enable junior researchers to propose and undertake their own projects while developing practical skills in knowledge translation and project management.

  “The Water Economics, Policy and Governance Network is proud of the role students and other highly qualified personnel have played to date in the success of the network,” explains Steven Renzetti, program director for WEPGN. “We hope that the Connecting With Water award provides an avenue through which students and HQP can research water-related issues and communicate their findings to other researchers and the broader water community in creative ways.”

  The award grew out of a pilot project in 2014/15, when Iftekhar Ahmad, a Masters student at York University, was awarded funding for his work on Human well-being, ecosystem services and watershed management in the Credit River Valley: Web-distributed mechanisms and indicators for communication and awareness.

  Junior researchers may request up to $7,500 to support their knowledge mobilization project over a period of up to six months. Applications must be submitted with the support of a WEPGN affiliated researcher… Click here to continue reading this story in The Brock News.

• World Water Day a reminder of water-related issues

  Sunday, February 26, 2017 | By Amanda Smits

  Published on March 21 2016

  From The Brock News
  March 21, 2016

  Tuesday, March 22 is World Water Day, a United Nations initiative that dates back to 1992 and aims to raise awareness about the precious resource.

  Brock University Professor Steven Renzetti says it’s a reminder about the importance of being aware of water-related challenges.

  “We are relatively fortunate in Canada because we have, in most cases, access to clean drinking water,” he says. “That’s not true in most of the world.

  “Shortages of water and shortages of clean water affect every dimension of people’s lives. It’s a big problem.”

  From health issues associated with a lack of clean drinking water to hydro disruptions related to water shortages, Renzetti says there are massive social problems associated with water challenges.

  He says the demand for water is rapidly growing as the world’s population continues to climb and the need for food and energy skyrockets.

  However, our available water sources aren’t growing with the demand.

  “We still have the same water supply the dinosaurs did,” he says.

  Renzetti says water is one of the areas where we can see climate change in action. From droughts and floods to severe storms, these manifestations of climate change threaten infrastructure and food supplies around the world.

  “Water — it’s really where climate change shows up and it’s a massive threat to wealthy countries,” he says.

  Associate Professor Tim Heinmiller says while many parts of Canada have an abundance of water, some areas face serious issues including northern communities, which don’t have proper water delivery systems, and the southern prairies, which battle water scarcity…. click here to continue reading this story.