News

  • Congratulations to MA Geography student Danielle Martineau

    Tuesday, December 10, 2019 | By

    Congratulations to Geography MA student Danielle Martineau on the successful completion of her MRP, titled “The Systematic Examination of Significant Thematic Overlap between Digital Geographies Literature and Digital Educational Literature when Considering the ‘Smart Classroom’,” as well as on the successful completion of all requirements for the MA in Geography.

    Congratulations and thank you as well to Danielle’s supervisory committee, Supervisor Dr. Jeff Boggs and Second reader Dr. Catherine Nash.

    Categories: News

  • Congratulations to Katelyn Pierce on the successful completion of her MA in Geography thesis defense

    Wednesday, November 20, 2019 | By

    The Department of Geography and Tourism Studies would like to extend congratulations to Katelyn Pierce and her committee for the successful defense on Oct. 24th of her Master of Arts in Geography thesis entitled “Detached from Our Bodies: Representing women’s mental health and well-being with graphic memoirs”.

    Katelyn’s research was supervised by Dr. Ebru Ustundag, and committee members, Dr. Jeffrey Boggs and Dr. Neta Gordon. Many thanks to External Examiner, Dr. Kate Parizeau (Department of Geography, Environment and Geomatics, University of Guelph).

    We wish Katelyn all the best for her future endeavours!

    Categories: News, Uncategorised

  • MA in Geography thesis defence scheduled for Oct. 24: “Detached from Our Bodies: Representing women’s mental health and well-being with graphic memoirs” by Katelyn Pierce

    Thursday, October 17, 2019 | By

    Katelyn Pierce will defend her MA thesis titled “Detached from Our Bodies: Representing women’s mental health and well-being with graphic memoirs” on Oct. 24, 2019 at 2:00pm. The defense will take place in Sankey Chamber and is open to the public.

    Katelyn Pierce’s Examining Committee includes Dr. Kate Parizeau from the University of Guelph (External), Dr. Ebru Ustundag (Supervisor), Dr. Jeffrey Boggs (Committee Member), and Dr. Neta Gordon (Committee Member).

    Categories: Events, News

  • New book: The Geographies of Digital Sexuality

    Tuesday, July 30, 2019 | By

    In May, Drs. Catherine Jean Nash and Andrew Gorman-Murray (editors) published a new book titled The Geographies of Digital Sexuality.

    Book cover The Geographies of Digital Sexuality

    About the Book
    This edited book engages with the rapidly emerging field of the geographies of digital sexualities, that is, the interlinkages between sexual lives, material and virtual geographies and digital practices. Modern life is increasingly characterised by our integrated engagement in digital/material landscapes activities and our intimate life online can no longer be conceptualised as discrete from ‘real life.’ Our digital lives are experienced as a material embeddedness in the spaces of everyday life marking the complex integration of real and digital geographies. Perhaps nowhere is this clearer than in the ways that our social and sexual practices such as dating or casual sex are bound up online and online geographies and in many cases constitute specific sexuality-based communities crossing the digital/material divide. The aim of this collection is to explore the complexities of these newly constituted and interwoven sexual and gender landscapes through empirical, theoretical and conceptual engagements through wide-ranging, innovative and original research in a new and quickly moving field.

    Citation: Nash, C.J., and Gorman-Murray, A. (Eds.) 2019. The Geographies of Digital Sexuality. Palgrave Macmillian, Singapore. DOI 978-981-13-6876-9

    Read more.

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    Categories: News

  • Book celebrates work of late Brock cartographer

    Tuesday, July 30, 2019 | By

    STORY REPOSTED FROM THE BROCK NEWS
    TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2019     | by 

    Alun Hughes.

    Alun Hughes, a longtime member of Brock’s Department of Geography, had an enormous appetite for local history.

    Between 2003 and his untimely death in 2013, the trained cartographer wrote extensively about the geography and history of the Niagara region.

    Hoping to honour his passion, Hughes’ former colleagues have come together to release a book of his essays, History Made in Niagara, and will host a launch for the publication on Wednesday, May 29.

    The book was compiled by Hughes’ former colleagues from the Department of Geography and Tourism Studies, Professors Mike Ripmeester and David Butz and retired cartographer Loris Gasparotto.

    Everyone is welcome to attend the free event, to be held from 7 to 9 p.m. at Brock’s Pond Inlet.

    History Made in Niagara can be purchased at the launch for $35 (cash only).

    More information about the event can be found on ExperienceBU or by calling 905-688-5550 x3484.

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    Categories: News

  • Julia Baird selected as finalist for Water’s Next award

    Tuesday, July 30, 2019 | By

    Julia Baird profile photoThe Department of Geography and Tourism Studies would like to congratulate Dr. Julia Baird for being selected as a finalist for a 2019 Water’s Next award. This “awards program honours the incredible achievements and ideas of individuals and companies that successfully work to make a positive change to water in our country and abroad”. Dr. Baird was selected as a finalist in the People – Academic category.

    More information is available here.

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    Categories: News

  • Studying sustainable transportation in Sweden

    Monday, July 29, 2019 | By

    Bus in bus terminal in Gothenburg, Sweden

    Dr. Christopher Fullerton spent part of March in Sweden exploring experiences with electric public transit buses. Here are a few photos from his trip and a reflection from Dr. Fullerton’s second day in Gothenburg:

    “I spent the afternoon at the Lindholmen Science Park learning about Gothenburg’s ElectriCity project, where they are piloting the use of electric buses on two routes and conducting research about all aspects of electric buses. These pictures show their innovative indoor bus stop. It’s a climate controlled building where the bus pulls in at the end of the route, the doors close, the bus’ battery charges in nine minutes, and then the doors open for the bus to leave on its next run. In the meantime, you can wait for the bus in a heated or air conditioned setting, read a book at their mini library or sit in some cool hanging chairs, all the while listening to a recording of birds chirping! When one bus leaves, the next one to arrive pulls in and does the same! Great idea for cities with cold or hot climates, and something that’s much easier to do with quiet and emission-free electric buses.”

    Bridge over river in Gothenburg, Sweden

    Bus terminal waiting room with bookshelves and seating in Gothenburg, Sweden

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  • Student researcher explores future of electric buses in Canada

    Friday, July 26, 2019 | By

    REPOSTED FROM THE BROCK NEWS
    FRIDAY, APRIL 26, 2019 | by 

    Master’s student Tasnuva Afreen (right) and her supervisor, Associate Professor of Geography and Tourism Studies Christopher Fullerton (left), stand in front of a demonstration electric bus displayed at a conference. Afreen and Fullerton, along with the Canadian Urban Transit Research and Innovation Consortium, set up an internship with the non-profit funding agency Mitacs for Afreen to research the adoption of electric buses across Canada.

    It’s a simple, logical way to cut down on air and noise pollution.

    Electric buses don’t emit carbon or use fossil fuels, are low cost to maintain and, by the silent way they operate, reduce noise pollution compared to conventional buses.

    But replacing current buses with electricity-powered ones is easier said than done, says master’s student Tasnuva Afreen.

    Afreen recently wrapped up an eight-month internship with the Canadian Urban Transit Research and Innovation Consortium (CUTRIC) to collect and interpret information related to transit authorities’ transition to electric buses.

    “Now we’re trying to connect the dots,” says Afreen, who is in Brock’s Sustainability Science and Society program. “We hope to bring out what Canadians think of electric buses and identify the main barriers to bringing electric buses to transit authorities’ fleets.”

    Afreen, Associate Professor of Geography and Tourism Studies Christopher Fullertonand CUTRIC created the internship through the not-for-profit national research organization Mitacs.

    Mitacs partners with academics, private industry and governments to conduct research and training programs related to industrial and social innovation. The organization funds a number of research projects at Brock University.

    During her internship, Afreen organized consultations with industry representatives, transit authorities, government officials and academic researchers.

    She and her CUTRIC colleagues asked participants a series of questions about transit authorities’ experiences and challenges of experimenting with electric buses and the knowledge they need to acquire and integrate hydrogen fuel cell vehicles into their fleets.

    Afreen also asked transit riders to share their opinions on and experiences with electric buses.

    She then transcribed the consultation sessions and analyzed the comments. Afreen also gathered information on how to test electric buses in nine municipalities that expressed interest in becoming demonstration trial sites.

    Although she and Fullerton are still analyzing the data, Afreen says her preliminary results show that there’s much interest in putting electric buses on the road.

    But there are a number of barriers to overcome, she says.

    “Municipalities have to redesign their infrastructure to provide electric lines so that buses can recharge very quickly,” says Afreen. “Also, the upfront expense is huge — a lot of transit agencies don’t have the money in their pocket to go for this.”

    Fullerton, Afreen’s supervisor, says the research she conducted will lay the groundwork for CUTRIC’s efforts to encourage the adoption of electric buses across Canada.

    “While it has already demonstrated clear environmental, social and economic benefits in other parts of the world, electric bus technology is still relatively new and adopting it represents a major funding commitment,” says Fullerton.

    “Public transit agencies and other stakeholders, such as the various levels of government that provide subsidies for transit infrastructure, want to make sure that the technology is reliable and that their money is well spent,” he says, adding that Afreen’s work helps identify stakeholders’ concerns and information needs.

    Afreen will share her Mitacs-supported internship experience at Brock’s Shift Conference Tuesday, April 30 and the Launch Forum Wednesday, May 1. Mitacs Director Rebecca Bourque and Office of Research Services staff will be join Afreen at Launch in the 10 to 11:30 a.m. session in the Cairns Atrium to explore how faculty member and graduate student teams can navigate Mitacs internship opportunities.

    “Mitacs internships offer graduate students a valuable experience working with industry or community organizations,” says Industry Liaison and Partnership Officer Iva Bruhova. “It is a chance to apply their research skills and gain employment-ready skills.”

    In addition to the Mitacs session, the Launch event offers two other sessions on how faculty and staff can support graduate students through designing individual development plans.

    For more information, contact ibruhova@brocku.ca or kperry@brocku.ca

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    Categories: News

  • Brock Model UN takes NYC by storm

    Friday, July 26, 2019 | By

    REPOSTED FROM THE BROCK NEWS
    WEDNESDAY, APRIL 03, 2019     | by 

    Brock University’s Model United Nations club recently visited the United Nations headquarters in New York City while participating in the National Model United Nations conference March 24 to 28. Fourth year Geography student, Thomas Lillo, pictured back left.

    Members of Brock’s Model United Nations recently proved they have what it takes to tackle issues on a global scale.

    The 40-student team made its mark during a visit to New York City March 24 to 28 to participate in the National Model United Nations (UN) conference.

    Held in part at UN headquarters, the annual event brings together more than 5,000 students from hundreds of schools around the world to run a simulation aimed at addressing international problems.

    Each team comes to the table representing a different country and takes a position on global issues from their country’s stance. Teams then work together to negotiate and create successful resolutions. This year, Brock represented the United Kingdom.

    Students began preparing for the conference in the fall, hosting weekly meetings to conduct research, practise speeches and write position papers.

    Their dedication did not go unnoticed.

    For the second consecutive year, the Brock team earned a Distinguished Delegation Award, presented to the top 10 per cent of schools in attendance. In addition to the group honour, fourth-year Political Science students Alex Dow and Anna Demchyshyn were named Best Delegate in Committee for their work on the Peacebuilding Commission.

    Fourth-year Political Science students Anna Demchyshyn and Alex Dow and were named Best Delegate in Committee for their work on the Peacebuilding Commission.

    “All of our hard work paid off,” said Brock Model UN President Kailene Jackson, who expressed pride in her peers for their efforts.

    It was rewarding, she said, to see the commitment and passion Brock students put into Model UN recognized.

    Both the conference and the club are meant to “foster an environment of experiential learning and hands-on skill development, while empowering young people to become involved in international issues,” said Jackson, a fourth-year Political Science and Sociology student. “The competitive aspects are not the most important part, but the awards are always nice.

    “We felt so proud to represent Brock on the international stage at this conference,” Jackson said. “It was awesome to see this group of Brock students grow from just more than 25 students last year to 40 this year, with hopes of taking even more to the conference in 2020.”

    While the team is affiliated with the University’s Political Science Department, students from all disciplines and with varying levels of experience are encouraged to participate. Brock’s Model UN was recently honoured as Club of the Year by the Brock University Students’ Union.

    “Model UN pushes people outside of their comfort zone and gives them the opportunity to develop new skills with the support of their peers and student leaders,” Jackson said. “This is especially true of students not in Political Science who have never been exposed to activities like this.”

    Team members learn a number of transferable skills valued both in the classroom and the workforce, such as public speaking, collaboration, policy writing, communication, research, leadership, critical thinking and adaptability.

    “Outside of these skills, Model UN empowers, encourages and supports students as they strive to create solutions to global problems they care about,” said Jackson, who herself had the chance to speak about gender equality at UN headquarters during the event. “It allows them to see that international diplomacy and the UN are things they actually have the power to partake in and influence in their future.”

    Jackson said the team is grateful to the Brock University Students’ Union and the Political Science Department for “making this experience possible for all of us.”

    STORY REPOSTED FROM THE BROCK NEWS

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  • Geography alumnus publishes paper in Tourism Planning and Development

    Friday, July 26, 2019 | By

    Read Dr. Pius Siakwah’s (Brock MA GEOG ’12) new paper titled “Tourism Governance and Attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals in Africa” online in Tourism Planning and Development.

    Abstract: Inclusiveness that improves tourism governance is significant for development if benefits from tourism are distributed equitably. Declaration of 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism and adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have seemingly brought tourism to the forefront of development even where the SDGs have limited tourism focus. This paper examines how tourism governance is poorly applied in Africa. It interrogates the challenges of integrating tourism governance, mining, and conservation within the SDGs framework in Africa. Sustainable tourism governance frameworks have not comprehensively inculcated trust, justice, social capital, power, and participation. Using mining and conservation in South Africa and Zimbabwe respectively, it analyses how mining affects sustainability, as actors in tourism are unable to conserve and protect tourism sites. Achieving the SDGs requires collaboration between international actors, governments, the private sector, and locals in an inclusive governance based on justice, inclusion trust and equitable power relations.

    Full reference: Pius Siakwah, Regis Musavengane & Llewellyn Leonard (2019) Tourism Governance and Attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals in Africa,Tourism Planning & Development, DOI: 10.1080/21568316.2019.1600160

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