Articles from:February 2021

• NCO to present policy brief on land-use planning

  Thursday, February 18, 2021 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 18 February 2021 – R0022

  In an ideal situation, municipal government officials work in consultation with organizations, community members and others in land-use planning that balances environmental, economic and social concerns.

  But a number of obstacles, including “an increasingly activist provincial government,” may be impacting civil society involvement in such a process, says a new policy brief produced by Brock University’s Niagara Community Observatory (NCO).

  Land-use Planning in Niagara: A Study in Multilevel Governance and Smart Growth, co-authored by recent Political Science graduate Sean Giverin (BA ’18, MA ’20) and NCO Director Charles Conteh, examines how multiple tiers of government work together to take a ‘smart-growth’ approach to land-use planning.

  The approach is based on 10 environmental, economic and social principles in the areas of housing, building design, neighbourhood design and atmosphere, farmland, natural resources, transportation, urban development and civil society participation, among others.

  The policy brief describes how smart-growth principles in Niagara’s land-use planning system is governed by multiple tiers of government, explores the role of non-governmental actors, identifies components in this system that can be improved upon and suggests solutions to address these weaknesses.

  What: Virtual presentation of NCO’s Land-Use Planning in Niagara: A Study in Multilevel Governance and Smart Growth

  When: Wednesday, Feb. 24, 1 to 2 p.m.

  Where: Microsoft Teams

  Who: Sean Giverin (BA ’18, MA ’20); Charles Conteh, NCO Director; Diana Huson, Pelham Regional Councillor and board member of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority; Doug Giles, Acting Commissioner of Planning and Development for the Niagara Region; and Catherine Longboat, Assistant Professor, Tecumseh Centre for Aboriginal Research and Education, Faculty of Education, Brock University

  Please RSVP to [email protected] and a Microsoft Teams link will be sent the day before the event.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Dan Dakin, Manager Communications and Media Relations, Brock University [email protected] or 905-347-1970

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  Categories: Media releases

• Brock Earth Sciences professor lands Mars mission role

  Thursday, February 11, 2021 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 11 February 2021 – R0021

  When the Perseverance rover lands on Mars next week, Mariek Schmidt will be ready to search for signs of ancient life — albeit from millions of miles away.

  The Brock University Earth Sciences Professor is a Participating Scientist with the NASA Mars 2020 Mission scheduled to land at the Red Planet’s Jezero Crater on Thursday, Feb. 18. This will be Schmidt’s third Mars rover mission.

  Supported by the Canadian Space Agency, Schmidt will represent Brock as the only scientist from a Canadian Institution. She is one of 13 Participating Scientists who were chosen for the role from 119 applicants.

  Perseverance will collect rock and soil samples for eventual return to Earth by 2034. The rover is fitted with seven key instruments, each with their own team to facilitate their use. Participating Scientists propose ways to use the instruments for their own research and data collection.

  Schmidt will focus on using an instrument called the PIXL.

  The Planetary Instrument for X-Ray Lithochemistry (PIXL) is an x-ray fluorescence spectrometer used to determine the fine scale elemental composition of Martian surface materials.

  “It measures elemental compositions of very small spots (100 microns across) along a grid on the surface of a rock or soil,” said Schmidt.

  Understanding the composition of a rock is critical for determining mineralogy and understanding textures.

  “I’ll be looking at dust on the surface of rocks,” Schmidt said. “I’ll be trying to remove the dust and understand how dust influences the chemistry that is measured in order to get at a dust-free rock composition.

  “The PIXL is a step up from other similar instruments because it is able to deliver micro-texture information about the distribution of elements. The one downside is it takes a longer time to perform a scan.”

  Patience and perseverance are important on interplanetary missions. The average driving distance of the Curiosity rover — and its successor Perseverance — is about 100 metres per Sol, or one Martian day. Curiosity travelled just 20 kilometres over eight years.

  An exciting upgrade in mobility for this mission is the inclusion of a drone called the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter. Drone flights will allow advanced mapping capabilities of areas too challenging for the rover to reach.

  “The Perseverance rover is step one,” Schmidt said. “A different rover will need to fetch the samples collected by Perseverance. The samples will then need to be launched into orbit with another spacecraft to transport safely home.

  “We also want to know if basaltic glass samples exist on Mars and to bring back samples in hopes they will contain evidence of enendolithic microbes,” she said. “The signature tunnels these ancient microbes leave behind could further evidence that life on Mars did exist at one time.”

  Faculty of Mathematics and Science Dean Ejaz Ahmed is proud of Schmidt’s selection and her research.

  “Exploring new planets is a pinnacle of science, done under challenging circumstances and with the potential for remarkable rewards,” he said.

  Brock University Earth Sciences Professor Mariek Schmidt is available for media interviews.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews: 

  * Dan Dakin, Manager Communications and Media Relations, Brock University [email protected] or 905-347-1970

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  Categories: Media releases