Media releases

• Brock University invests in future of Niagara high school students

  Friday, May 17, 2024 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: May 16 2024 – R0064

  Isabella Corriveau stood amidst the gentle hum of prospective students asking questions and getting acquainted as late afternoon sunlight streamed through the expansive glass ceiling of Brock University’s Rankin Family Pavilion.

  She felt a sense of excitement and anticipation, knowing this is where she will begin her post-secondary journey this fall.

  Corriveau, a student at Saint-Jean-de-Brébeuf Catholic Secondary School in Welland, was among 67 recipients of Brock’s Niagara Principal’s Scholarships honoured at a reception on campus Wednesday, May 15.

  “The moment I stepped onto campus for a tour, it just felt right. The environment is so welcoming,” Corriveau said. “I could see myself thriving in such a supportive community. Everything about Brock just clicked for me, and I knew this was where I wanted to spend the next few years of my life.”

  Brock has presented $2,500 entrance scholarships to two graduating students from almost every public, Catholic and private secondary school in the Niagara region for the ninth consecutive year.

  The award will help Corriveau pursue a degree in Recreation and Leisure Studies in Brock’s Faculty of Applied Health Sciences.

  She was inspired to pursue this pathway after working in a long-term care home last summer and foresees the therapeutic recreation component of her program as a rewarding endeavour.

  “It means a lot to me to give back to the community and help others,” she said. “It was amazing to see how the Rec and Leisure courses are designed to blend theory with practical experience. The professors I met were genuinely passionate about their subjects and eager to help students succeed.”

  This year’s scholarships total $167,500. Recipients are selected by principals from each Niagara high school based on a combination of academic achievements, school and community involvement and financial need.

  The Principal’s Scholarship program has offered more than $1.4 million in funding to local high school graduates since its inception in 2015.

  “We are incredibly proud to support and recognize the outstanding achievements of these bright young minds through the Niagara Principal’s Scholarships,” said Geraldine Jones, Brock’s Registrar and Associate Vice-President, Enrolment Services. “This event highlights our commitment to investing in the future leaders of Niagara. We look forward to witnessing their continued success and contributions both on our campus and in the broader community.”

  The reception, which hosted scholarship recipients alongside their families, principals, teachers and guidance counsellors, also welcomed more than 100 students to learn more about the next steps after receiving their acceptance letters from Brock.

  Scholarship recipients were gifted an awards backpack filled with Brock University gear and items.

  Recipients of the 2024 Niagara Principal’s Scholarships:

  • Charlotte Broughton, A.N. Myer Secondary School
  • Jessica Ludiciani, A.N. Myer Secondary School
  • Evan MacIntyre, Blessed Trinity Catholic School
  • Simona Ruggieri, Blessed Trinity Catholic School
  • Adaeze Uwaneme, Denis Morris Catholic School
  • Arianna Richards, Denis Morris Catholic School
  • Madison Parisi, DSBN Academy
  • Reisa Melnyk, DSBN Academy
  • Adam Dawson, E.L. Crossley Secondary School
  • Ethan van Niekerk, E.L. Crossley Secondary School
  • Natalia Daradics, Eastdale Secondary School
  • Tatiana Baskerville, Eastdale Secondary School
  • Cedric Theleys, Ecole Secondaire Franco-Niagara
  • Isabella Corriveau, Saint-Jean-de-Brébeuf Catholic Secondary School
  • Isabella Losier, Saint-Jean-de-Brébeuf Catholic Secondary School
  • Ella Brens, Eden High School
  • Tanya Ding, Eden High School
  • Haocheng Li, Fort Erie International Academy
  • Jiajun Gao, Fort Erie International Academy
  • Liao Chuyunlong, Fullbright Academy
  • Yu Yue, Fullbright Academy
  • Olivia Crabbe, Governor Simcoe Secondary School
  • Talia Cosby, Governor Simcoe Secondary School
  • Dorcas Adeniyi, Great Lakes Christian
  • Anne-Marie Onwubuya, Great Lakes Christian High School
  • Emma Penny, Greater Fort Erie Secondary School
  • Lyndsay Horton, Greater Fort Erie Secondary School
  • Christiaan Benjamins, Heritage Christian School
  • Curtis Otten, Heritage Christian School
  • Camila Castro, Holy Cross Catholic Secondary School
  • Thomson Chan, Holy Cross Catholic Secondary School
  • Julia Bulk, Jordan Christian School
  • Mikayla Farr, Jordan Christian School
  • Emily Putman, Lakeshore Catholic High School
  • Jordyn Barless, Lakeshore Catholic High School
  • Ayla Jamal, Laura Secord Secondary School
  • Tarawat Abrahim Khail, Laura Secord Secondary School
  • Nathan Osorio, Niagara Christian Collegiate
  • Nolan Brown, Niagara Christian Collegiate
  • Ava Menary, Notre Dame College School
  • Mia Mastroianni, Notre Dame College School
  • Eva Wachel, Port Colborne High School
  • Rianne Robitaille, Port Colborne High School
  • Faith Sauntry, Ridley College
  • Thomas McClenny, Ridley College
  • Adrian Cheng, Saint Francis Catholic Secondary School
  • Gary Friesen, Saint Francis Catholic Secondary School
  • Ava Bechkos, Saint Michael Catholic High School
  • Nicholas Ioannoni, Saint Michael Catholic High School
  • Joyce Du, Saint Paul Catholic High School
  • Sophia Della Marina, Saint Paul Catholic High School
  • Selina Qubaja, Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School
  • Taylor Masterson, Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School
  • Ryan Soltesz, Smithville Christian High School
  • Titus Neufeld, Smithville Christian High School
  • Richie Giroux, St. Catharines Collegiate
  • Victoria Tran, St. Catharines Collegiate
  • Hayden Barrieau, Stamford Collegiate
  • Madison Putzman, Stamford Collegiate
  • Anika Burton, Thorold Secondary School
  • Sophia Shaw, Thorold Secondary School
  • Olivia Gibson, Welland Centennial Secondary School
  • Zarah Mooradun, Welland Centennial Secondary School
  • Penelope Klacko, West Niagara Secondary School
  • Victoria Bridger, West Niagara Secondary School
  • Katarina Cebic, Westlane Secondary School
  • Stephanie May, Westlane Secondary School

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Maryanne St. Denis, Manager, Content and Communications, Brock University mstdenis@brocku.ca or 905-246-0256

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  Categories: Media releases

• World Bee Day: Brock exploring behaviour and evolution of Niagara pollinators

  Thursday, May 16, 2024 | By Brock University

  EXPERT ADVISORY: May 16 2024 – R0063

  Male carpenter bees have a reputation for being aggressive, especially when they dive-bomb those who venture too close to the nests they’re guarding.

  Lyllian Corbin (BSc ’19), a Brock University Biological Sciences PhD student, is fascinated with watching male carpenter bees in action and hopes to draw attention to the crucial pollinators as World Bee Day approaches on Monday, May 20.

  In the spring, they emerge from their nests before the females and establish territories near the nest entrances to protect or pursue those females. They guard their territories by hovering and chasing, or even fighting, other bees that pose a risk.

  Corbin’s interest in studying the role of hormones in aggression is not just academic. Bees play a critical role in the pollination of food crops and other plants — and some populations are declining, both in Canada and worldwide.

  She is creating a two-fold experiment to study the way male carpenter bees interact with one another and whether hormones influence their behaviour.

  As part of the project, she will set up tests to evaluate a pair of male bees within a circular tube, either in the lab or in the shade outdoors. By completing the testing in tubes, Corbin is better able to observe the bees’ interactions with one another compared to tracking them while they fly in open spaces.

  The tubes also replicate the carpenter bees’ natural environment, as they nest in tunnels they have burrowed into wood. This creates a neutral setting for males to interact undisturbed by their surroundings.

  Corbin will then apply a substance called methoprene, which mimics a hormone known to influence bee behaviour, to the carpenter bees’ abdomens.

  “We’re going to observe their behaviour after a day or so to see if the elevated hormone level increases the male carpenter bees’ aggression and territoriality towards other males in any way,” she says.

  The ability of male carpenter bees to guard nests could have an impact on young bees’ survival and female reproduction.

  Previous research has shown male carpenter bees are getting smaller on average. Lower hormone levels could result in less guarding of nests by the males, with a possible impact of more predators attacking bee nests, Corbin says.

  Found in insecticides, methoprene and other juvenile hormone mimics affect the development of insects from larvae to the adult stage.

  “Since bees are key pollinators for a variety of plants and crops, further research on the effects of juvenile hormone mimics on bees’ behaviour will enhance our understanding of whether these human-induced changes to the environment pose a risk to wild bee populations,” says Corbin.

  Her study is among research being conducted at Brock University’s Bee Lab, a group of undergraduate and graduate student researchers working under the direction of Professor of Biological Sciences Miriam Richards.

  “The lab is focused on increasing our understanding of native bee species that are often missed by people who are unfamiliar with them,” says lab Research Assistant James Mesich.

  The lab studies the behaviour, evolution and ecology of bees, mostly in Niagara, with an emphasis on sweat bees and carpenter bees. Much of the research occurs in human-modified landscapes, such as former landfill sites.

  The team’s accomplishments include:

  • Discovering two rare species of bumble bees on the Brock University campus.
  • Sharing bee expertise in a segment of the TVO series Leo’s Pollinators.
  • Producing a Niagara Community Observatory policy brief on protecting bees in Niagara.
  • Research on bee population trends in Niagara’s Glenridge Quarry Naturalization site.

  “Native bee species are under threat due to habitat loss and pesticide use, but there is hope,” says Mesich. “Our research is increasingly showing that efforts to create habitat for bees do work and can help these important pollinators thrive for generations to come.”

  Brock University Biological Sciences PhD student Lyllian Corbin and Brock Bee Lab Research Assistant James Mesich are available for media interviews on this topic.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Maryanne St. Denis, Manager, Content and Communications, Brock University mstdenis@brocku.ca or 905-246-0256 

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  Categories: Media releases