News

  • Experiential education exemplified through Earth Sciences field trip

    The cold weather didn’t stop a group of students from making a trip up north this April.

    Hernan Ugalde, Adjunct Professor for the Department of Earth Sciences, led the group of nine students to 10 different locations in the Bracebridge area as part of a field trip for ERSC 4P01 – Advanced Structural Geology.

    After securing a Teaching and Learning Innovation (TALI) grant, Ugalde planned out the trip so his students could apply the concepts they learned in class to real-world scenarios.

    In its third-year prerequisite, students focus more on the basic concepts of how rocks fracture and deform from a strain or stress point of view. This course further teaches students about additional concepts regarding the deformation of rock, with more of an emphasis on ductile deformation (i.e. how rocks fold) and the field recognition and description of all these features.

    “Geology is all about recognizing features in the field,” said Ugalde. “And while you can show pictures of how things look like in real life, that is never the same as seeing them on a fresh or weathered rock face.”

    “Most of the time you have a combination of features (e.g. a fold that has been deformed by joints or fractures after), and you can’t really replicate these features with photos on the screen,” he added.

    One week before the trip, Ugalde travelled to the area and scouted out locations for the students to examine. At each location, students are given a brief explanation on the geological context for that site and are then asked to look at the rock face and give an overview of what they saw (e.g. what kind of rocks, what kind of deformation features).

    Students then took measurements with their compasses which were later processed through compilation diagrams. These diagrams give an idea on the main directions of stress that each site has suffered. The measurements also help in forming a 3D view from the outcrop itself and provide insight into important quantitative measurements as well.

    As a follow-up, the students who attended the trip work on a report that will provide a summary of the location, geology, sketches, measurements for all 10 sites.

    The trip itself is an example of the many experiential education opportunities that are available for students in the Faculty of Math and Science both inside and outside the classroom.

    What Students Have to Say:

    “I found it very beneficial to apply the theoretical knowledge learned in lectures and labs, to real-life situations you would see in the workforce.” – Brendan Llew-Williams

    “I feel that I have learned more than I have over a semester of learning. Being able to visualize and find diagnostic properties within a rock formation rather than looking at diagrams from a lecture was, to me, so much more beneficial.” – Thomas Henley

    “The field trip was invaluable, especially for structural geology.  Some of the concepts learned in a lecture setting aren’t easily grasped until you can see them in real life.” – Nate Sabourin

     

     

    Categories: News

  • Exploring Careers in Biology

    The first-ever Exploring Careers in Biology event will take place Wednesday, March 6 in Pond Inlet from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

    Students will engage with industry professionals at this round table networking event to gain insight and advice from people who are currently working in the field.

    Registration for the event is now open and has been limited to 50 spots. Additional registrants will be placed on a waiting list and notified should a spot open up for them.

    Food will be available. Door prizes to be presented.

    Register today.

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  • Celebrate 50 Years of Earth Sciences

    Originally founded in 1968 as the Department of Geological Sciences, 50 years later, it’s time to celebrate!
    As a graduate of one of our programs, we hope that you’ll join us during Homecoming Weekend in September to reconnect and reminisce with fellow alumni, faculty and staff. We’ve arranged several events specifically for you and you won’t want to miss out!

    50 Years of Earth Sciences Symposium
    Date: Friday, September 21, 2018
    Time: 2 to 6pm
    Location: Pond Inlet, Brock University

    Learn what your fellow graduates have accomplished since graduating from Brock. We also encourage everyone to share memories of their years at Brock at the Symposium, with opportunities to socialize with one another, students, faculty and staff throughout the afternoon.
    A cash bar will be available and light refreshments will be provided.

    Earth Sciences Networking Brunch
    Date: Saturday, September 22, 2018
    Time: 11am to 1pm
    Location: Pond Inlet, Brock University

    Join us for a complimentary bite to eat – the day after our Symposium – before you head out to participate in other Homecoming activities. Share your insights and experiences with current students and recent graduates and meet the geoscientists of tomorrow as well as your fellow alumni in a more casual setting.

    REGISter HERE

    See you in September!

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  • July 17-20: Women in Physics Canada 2018 Conference

    The 7th edition of the Women in Physics Canada conference (WIPC2018) will feature interactive workshops to help you further your career, an entire afternoon dedicated to diversity issues in physics, discussion panels and scientific talks from an array of physics disciplines!

    $5000 in travel funding available – Present your funding demand before May 20, 2018.

    DATE: July 17-20, 2018

    LOCATION: Universite de Sherbrooke, Quebec

    For more information: Women in Physics Conference

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  • Nov 14 – Doctoral Thesis Defence – Arsala Ali

    Doctoral Thesis Defence in Biological Sciences

     

    Arsala Ali, a PhD in Biological Sciences candidate, will defend her thesis titled “Role of transposable elements in gene regulation” on Thursday, November 14th at 11:00 a.m., in Plaza 600F.

    The examination committee members are Brian Roy, Chair; Ping Liang, Supervisor; Jinchuan Xing, External Examiner (Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey); Ke Qiu, Internal Examiner; and Adonis Skandalis and Charles Després, Committee Members.

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  • Nov 15 – Master of Science Thesis Defence – Rushirajsinh Vansiya

    Master of Science Thesis Defence in Biological Sciences

    Rushirajsinh Vansiya, a Master of Science candidate in the Department of Biological Sciences, will defend his thesis titled “Plant virus detection and diversity in a mixed tree fruit orchard determined through metagenomic-based analysis of honeybee (Apis mellifera) collected samples” on Friday, Nov. 15 at 2 PM., virtually.

    The examination committee includes Jeff Stuart, Chair; Jonathan Griffiths and Miriam Richards , Co-Supervisors; Trevor Charles, External Examiner (University of Waterloo); and Ping Liang, Committee Member.

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  • Oct 2 – Master of Science Thesis Defence – Nima Vaez-zadeh Asadi

    Master of Science thesis defence in Earth Sciences

    Nima Vaez-zadeh Asadi, a Master of Science candidate in the Department of Earth Sciences, will defend his thesis titled: “Ocean warming, acidification, and chemistry of the South Pacific & North Atlantic: a brachiopod investigation” on Wednesday, October 2 at 11:30 AM, in TH306.

    The examination committee includes Melanie Pilkington, Chair; Uwe Brand, Supervisor; Karem Azmy, External Examiner (Memorial University, NL); and John Menzies and Martin Head, Committee Members.

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  • Oct 2 – Master of Science Thesis Defence – Jaskaran Maan

    Master of Science thesis defence in Physics

    Jaskaran Maan, a Master of Science candidate in the Department of Physics, will defend his thesis titled “mKdV Loop Travelling Waves and Interactions of Loop Solitons ” on Wednesday, October 2 at 11 AM., in MC D303.

    The examination committee includes Robson De Grande, Chair; Stephen Anco, Supervisor; Alexander Bihlo, External Examiner (Memorial University, NL); and Edward Sternin and Barak Shoshany, Committee Members.

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  • Oct 1 – Master of Science Thesis Defence – Nazanin Mehregan

    Master of Science thesis defence in Computer Science

    Nazanin Mehregan, a Master of Science candidate in the Department of Computer Science, will defend her thesis titled “GNN-based Handover Management in 5G Vehicular Networks ” on Tuesday, October 1 at 11:30 AM, in MC J404.

    The examination committee includes Melanie Pilkington, Chair; Robson De Grande, Supervisor; Glaucio H.S. de Carvalho, External Examiner (Brock University); and Naser Ezzati-Jivan and Renata Queiroz Dividino, Committee Members.

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  • Sept 25 – Doctoral Thesis Defence – Jae Jung

    Doctoral Thesis Defence in Biological Sciences

     

    Jae Jung, a Doctor of Philosophy candidate in the Department of Biological Sciences, will defend his thesis titled “Investigating Neuromodulator Mechanisms of Cotransmitter Proctolin in Drosophila Neuromuscular Junctions” on Wednesday, September 25 at 10:30 AM, in PL601C.

    The examination committee includes Brian Roy, Chair; Joffre Mercier, Supervisor; Jean-Paul V. Paluzzi, External Examiner (York University); and Ping Liang and Stefan Brudzynski, Committee Members.

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  • Sept 24 – Master of Science Thesis Defence – Antor Mahmud

    Master of Science thesis defence in Computer Science

    Antor Mahmud, a Master of Science candidate in the Department of Computer Science, will defend his thesis titled “Privacy-Preserving Federated Learning on Knowledge Graph Embeddings via Contrastive Alignment ” on Tuesday, September 24 at 10 AM., in PL600F.

    The examination committee includes Naser Ezzati-Jivan, Chair; Renata Queiroz Dividino, Supervisor; Glaucio H.S. de Carvalho, External Examiner (Brock University); and Brian Ross and Robson de Grande, Committee Members.

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  • Sept 23 – Master of Science Thesis Defence – Reza Miry

    Master of Science thesis defence in Statistics

    Reza Miry, a Master of Science candidate in the Department of Mathematics & Statistics, will defend his thesis titled “Time Series Prediction: HMMs with TAN and Bayesian Network

    Observation Structures” on Monday, September 23 at 9:30 AM, virtually.

    The examination committee includes Stephen Anco, Chair; Pouria Ramazi and Tianyu Guan, Co-Supervisors; Rahul G. Krishnan, External Examiner (University of Toronto); and William Marshall and Xiaojian Xu, Committee Members.

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  • Sept 20 – Master of Science Thesis Defence – Nicole Brauch

    Master of Science thesis defence in Biotechnology

    Nicole Brauch, a Master of Science candidate in the Centre for Biotechnology, will defend her thesis titled “The use of immobilized caffeine aptamers in decaffeination & Roles of co-precipitants in the precipitation of DNA” on Friday, September 20 at 1 PM., in MCJ 404.

    The examination committee includes Ping Liang, Chair; Hongbin (Tony) Yan, Supervisor; Juewen Liu, External Examiner (Dept. of Chemistry, University of Waterloo); and Aleksandar Necakov and Jeffrey Atkinson, Committee Members.

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  • Sept 18 – Master of Science Thesis Defence – Assmaa El Khal

    Master of Science thesis defence in Biotechnology

    Assmaa El Khal, a Master of Science candidate in the Centre for Biotechnology, will defend her thesis titled “Insect-specific viruses: infection rates and routes of transmission in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes” on Wednesday, September 18 at 2:30 PM., in PLZ 600F.

    The examination committee includes Uwe Brand, Chair; Ian Patterson, Supervisor; Ana Sanchez, External Examiner (Department of Health Sciences, Brock University); and Charles Despres and Fiona Hunter, Committee Members.

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