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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    Categories: Events

  • Master of Science Thesis Defences – Dec 11 and Dec 15 -Alysha Gullion, Ethan Gibbons, Nicholas Aksamit, Raikhan Zakarina

    Master of Science thesis defence in Biological Sciences

     

    Alysha Gullion, a Master of Science candidate in the Department of Biological Sciences, will defend her thesis titled “Influence of cover crops on invertebrate diversity in Niagara organic vineyards” on Monday, December 11 at 9:30 AM., virtually.

    The examination committee includes Melanie Pilkington, Chair; Liette Vasseur, Supervisor; Caroline Provost, External Examiner (Centre de Recherche Agroalimentaire de Mirabel); and Sudarsana Poojari and Kiyoko Gotanda, Committee Members.

    Master of Science thesis defence in Computer Science

    Ethan Gibbons, a Master of Science candidate in the Department of Computer Science, will defend his thesis titled “Memetic Algorithm for Large-Scale Real-World Vehicle Routing Problems with Simultaneous Pickup and Delivery with Time Windows” on Monday, December 11 at 1:30 PM., virtually.

    The examination committee includes Shahryar Rahnamayan, Chair; Betty Ombuki-Berman, Supervisor; Brian Ross, External Examiner (Brock University); and Michael Winter and Ke Qiu, Committee Members.

    Master of Science thesis defence in Computer Science

     

    Nicholas Aksamit, a Master of Science candidate in the Department of Computer Science, will defend his thesis titled “Combining the Power of Attention Models

    and Many-objective Computational Intelligence Algorithms for Drug Design” om Friday, December 15 at 10 AM, virtually.

    The examination committee includes Cheryl McCormick, Chair; Betty Ombuki-Berman and Yifeng Li, Co-Supervisors; Naser Ezzati-Jivan, External Examiner (Brock University); and Rahnuma Islam Nishat and Youlian Pan, Committee Members.

    Master of Science thesis defence in Chemistry

    Raikhan Zakarina, a Master of Science candidate in the Department of Chemistry, will defend her thesis titled “Solvent-free zinc-catalysed hydroboration of esters ” on Friday, December 15 at 2:30 PM., in Plaza 600F.

    The examination committee includes Ping Liang, Chair; Georgii Nikonov, Supervisor; Joe Gilroy, External Examiner (University of Western Ontario); and Divya Matta and Martin Lemaire, Committee Members.

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  • Dec 7 – PhD Thesis Defence – Andréanne Hébert-Haché

    Andréanne Hébert-Haché, a PhD in Biological Sciences candidate, will defend her thesis titled “The influence of grapevine cultivar, clone, and rootstock on cold hardiness and dehydrin proteins” on Thursday, December 7th at 9:30 a.m., in hybrid format.

    The examination committee members are Brian Roy, Chair; Debbie Inglis and Jim Willwerth, Co-Supervisors; Horst Caspari, External Examiner (Colorado State University); Michael Pisaric, Internal Examiner; and Vincenzo de Luca and Charles Despres, Committee Members.

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  • Dec 1 – PhD Thesis Defence – Hannah M. Charnock

    Hannah M. Charnock, a PhD in Biological Sciences candidate, will defend her thesis titled “The Maillard reaction in traditional method sparking wine” on Friday, Dec.1  at 1 p.m., in virtual format.

    The examination committee members are Wendy Ward, Chair; Gary Pickering and Belinda Kemp, Co-Supervisors; Paul Kilmartin, External Examiner (University of Auckland); Jeffrey Atkinson, Internal Examiner; and Jeff Stuart and Charles Despres, Committee Members.

    Categories: Events

  • Nov 8 – PhD Thesis Defence – Lyndon Duff

    Lyndon Duff, a PhD in Biological Sciences candidate, will defend his thesis titled “Environmental and social influences of foraging behaviour and maternal investment with a note on the mating frequency of the eastern carpenter bee, Xylocopa virginica” on Wednesday, November 8th from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Please note, the original room location has changed. We ask you RSVP to egenkin@brocku.ca if you wish to attend.

     

    The examination committee members are Brian Roy, Chair; Miriam Richards, Supervisor; Kyle Bobiwash, External Examiner (University of Manitoba); Francine McCarthy, Internal Examiner; and Adonis Skandalis and Ping Liang, Committee Members.

    Categories: Events

  • Oct 25 – Master of Science Thesis Defence – Minh Vu

    Master of Science thesis defence in Biotechnology

    Minh Vu, a Master of Science candidate in the Centre for Biotechnology, will defend his thesis titled “Epidemiology, genetic variance, and symptomology of grapevine viruses in Canada: A

    metagenomic approach” on Wednesday, October 25 at 3:00 PM, virtually.

    The examination committee includes Cheryl McCormick, Chair; Debbie Inglis and Sudarsana Poojari, Co-Supervisors; Basudev Ghoshal, External Examiner (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada); and Liette Vasseur, Committee Member.

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  • Master of Science Thesis Defence – Marshall Joseph, Dipanzan Islam, Maka Hu, David Emanuel

    Master of Science thesis defence in Computer Science

     

    Marshall Joseph, a Master of Science candidate in the Department of Computer Science, will defend his thesis titled “Emergent Behaviour in Game AI:

    A Genetic Programming and CNN-based Approach to Intelligent Agent Design” on Tuesday, October 10, 2023 at 10 AM, in MC J404.

    The examination committee includes Cheryl McCormick, Chair; Brian Ross, Supervisor; Sheridan Houghten, External Examiner (Brock University); and Beatrice Ombuki-Berman and Yifeng Li, Committee Members.

    Master of Science thesis defence in Computer Science

    Dipanzan Islam, a Master of Science candidate in the Department of Computer Science, will defend his thesis titled “Language Agnostic Software Energy Kernel Framework” on Tuesday, October 10, 2023 at 4 PM, virtually.

    The examination committee includes Cheryl McCormick, Chair; Naser Ezzati-Jivan, Supervisor; Robson De Grande, External Examiner (Brock University); and Beatrice Ombuki-Berman and Glaucio Haroldo Silva de Carvalho, Committee Members.

    Master of Science thesis defence in Computer Science

    Maka Hu, a Master of Science candidate in the Department of Computer Science, will defend her thesis titled “Automatic Generation of Human

    Readable Proofs” on Wednesday, October 11, 2023 at 3 PM, in CRN 207.

    The examination committee includes Cheryl McCormick, Chair; Michael Winter, Supervisor; Ivo Duntsch, External Examiner (Brock University); and Ali Emami and Brian Ross, Committee Members.

    Master of Science thesis defence in Mathematics and Statistics

    David Emanuel, a Master of Science candidate in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, will defend his thesis titled “On the Extendibility of a D(4)-Pair of Pell Numbers” on Thursday, October 12, 2023 at 10:30 AM, In CRN 207.

    The examination committee includes Ke Qiu, Chair; Omar Kihel, Supervisor; Puntani Pongsumpun, External Examiner (KMITL); and Hichem Ben-El-Mechaiekh and Alexandre Odesski, Committee Members.

    Categories: Events

  • Oct 13 – Master of Science Thesis Defence – Amirmahdi Khosravi Tabrizi

    Master of Science thesis defence in Computer Science

     

    Amirmahdi Khosravi Tabrizi, a Master of Science candidate in the Department of Computer Science, will defend his thesis titled “Adaptive Logging system: A System Using Reinforcement Learning For Log Placement” on Friday, October 13, 2023 at 9:00 AM, in MC H313.

    The examination committee includes Cheryl McCormick, Chair; Naser Ezzati-Jivan, Supervisor; Renata Queiroz Dividino, External Examiner (Brock University); and Yifeng Li and Ali Emami, Committee Members.

    Categories: Events

  • Oct 5 – Master of Science Thesis Defence – James Sargant

    Master of Science thesis defence in Computer Science

    James Sargant, a Master of Science candidate in the Department of Computer Science, will defend his thesis titled “Evolving Weighted Networks to Simulate

    Epidemics and Lockdowns” on Thursday, October 5, 2023 at 9:30 AM, in PLZ 600F.

    The examination committee includes Cheryl McCormick, Chair; Sheridan Houghten, Supervisor; Ke Qiu, External Examiner (Brock University); and Brian Ross and Renata Queiroz Dividino, Committee Members.

    Categories: Events

  • Oct 3 – Master of Science Thesis Defence – Alexandra Gunn

    Master of Science thesis defence in Biological Sciences

     

    Alexandra Gunn, a Master of Science candidate in the Department of Biological Sciences, will defend her thesis titled “Investigating Vitis sp. cold tolerance with abscisic acid (ABA) analogs “ on Tuesday, October 3, 2023 at 9:30 AM, virtually.

    The examination committee includes Cheryl McCormick, Chair; Jim Willwerth, Supervisor; Ben-Min Chang, External Examiner (Research Scientist, Summerland Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada); and Debbie Inglis and Charles Despres, Committee Members.

    Categories: Events

  • Oct 2 – Master of Science Thesis Defence – Karl Grantham

    Master of Science thesis defence in Computer Science

    Karl Grantham, a Master of Science candidate in the Department of Computer Science, will defend his thesis titled “AI Enabled Drug Design and Side Effect Prediction Powered by Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithms & Transformer Models” on Monday, October 2, 2023 at 12:30 PM, in PLZ 600F.

    The examination committee includes Cheryl McCormick, Chair; Yifeng Li, Supervisor; Divya Matta, External Examiner (Brock University); and Beatrice Ombuki-Berman  and Sheridan Houghten, Committee Members.

    Categories: Events