Updates of the Chair

  • GATHERING TO DISCUSS GETTING MORE WOMEN AND GIRLS INTO SCIENCE on FEBRUARY 12

    Monday, February 12, 2018 | By

    The Brock community is invited to celebrate and discuss how to enhance the role of women and girls in science.

    In honour of International Day of Women and Girls in Science, Professor of Biological Sciences and UNESCO Chair in Community Sustainability, Liette Vasseur has organized an informal gathering to be held on campus Monday, Feb. 12.

    The goal is to start a dialogue about ways to further inspire and engage women and girls in science. From mentorship opportunities to raising awareness and strategies for empowerment, all ideas are welcome.

    Held from noon to 1:30 p.m. in Mackenzie Chown F Block, Room 237, the event is open to all undergraduate and graduate students as well as faculty and staff. Refreshments will be served.

    Joining the group will be Valerie Davidson, former NSERC Chair for Women in Science and Professor Emeritus, University of Guelph.

    The United Nations General Assembly declared Feb. 11 as the International Day of Women and Girls in Science and, in 2016, UNESCO collaborated with the L’Oreal Foundation to engage governments and stakeholders in promoting the full participation of women and girls in science.

    If you’re not able to attend Monday’s event, everyone is encouraged to join the conversation through social media by tagging posts with #GirlsInSTEM, #WomeninScience or #GirlsCrackTheCode.

    Categories: Updates of the Chair

  • NEW VIDEO: My Chair in 3 Minutes: UNESCO Chair on Community Sustainability: From Local to Global

    Monday, February 12, 2018 | By

     

     

    The Canadian Commission for UNESCO has just released a video presenting the UNESCO Chair in Community Sustainability: From Local to Global at Brock University !

    View the video on YouTube:
    My Chair in 3 Minutes: UNESCO Chair on Community Sustainability: From Local to Global

     

    Categories: Updates of the Chair

  • UNESCO Chair in Community Sustainability: From Local to Global January Newsletter Available

    Monday, February 12, 2018 | By

    The most recent edition of the UNESCO Chair in Community Sustainability: From Local to Global newsletter is available now! Click on the image below to read the full edition and learn about what the UNESCO chair has been up to.

     

    Categories: Updates of the Chair

  • Brock’s UNESCO Chair launches Sustainability Poetry Contest

    Wednesday, January 31, 2018 | By

    Brock’s UNESCO Chair launches Sustainability Poetry Contest

    WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2018 | Posted by 

    MEDIA RELEASE: 31 January 2018 – R00020

    What kind of future do you want?

    That’s the question being asked this year as part of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Poetry Day.

    Brock University Professor and UNESCO Chair in Community Sustainability Liette Vasseur, along with Brock’s Environmental Sustainability Research Centre, is putting out a call for submissions in this year’s 2018 Sustainability Poetry Contest. All Niagara residents are eligible to enter their original, unpublished poems with the theme of ‘The Future We Want’ for this year’s contest.

    UNESCO has been celebrating World Poetry Day annually since 1999. The idea is to use poetry as a social tool to bring awareness to social issues, give a voice to the community, promote linguistic diversity and change the way people view their place in the world.

    “The poetry contest is important because when we look at sustainability in communities, arts and culture are essential for human well-being,” said Vasseur. “We are aware that when we look at sustainable development, we do not only consider economic development but also social development. It is important to integrate activities that make people feel positive about their lives and help work toward our sustainable development goals.”

    The Sustainability Poetry Contest, which is under the patronage of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO, includes categories for elementary, high school and post-secondary students, as well as the general public. Both French and English poems are welcome.

    This year’s topic is derived from a 2015 United Nations outcome document that spurred the development of the 2030 Agenda, citing 17 sustainable development goals to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. Each goal has specific targets to be achieved by 2030.

    “The 2018 Sustainability Poetry Contest affords an opportunity for individuals to philosophically envision ‘the future we want’ and express it creatively,” said ESRC Director Ryan Plummer. “In making connections to the sustainable development goals, the poetry helps to bridge sustainability locally to a global agenda for transformative change.”

    Poems can be submitted online until 5 p.m. Monday, Feb. 19 by visiting the UNESCO Chair’s website. Prizes such as books and gift cards, will be awarded in each of the four categories.

    Winners will be announced at the UNESCO World Poetry Day celebration on Friday, March 23 at Mahtay Café in downtown St. Catharines. The event is free, but registration on the Chair’s website is required as space is limited.

    For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

    * Dan Dakin, Media Relations Officer, Brock University [email protected], 905-688-5550 x5353 or 905-347-1970

    Brock University Marketing and Communications has a full-service studio where we can provide high definition video and broadcast-quality audio.

    – 30 –

    Categories: Updates of the Chair

  • UNESCO Chair discusses sustainable agriculture strategies over tea in Fujian

    Thursday, January 25, 2018 | By

    Liette Vasseur enjoyed some tea after a recent meeting with her team of scientists, technicians and students in continued efforts to examine sustainable alternative agricultural strategies to improve tea plantations in the Fujian province of Southern China. This large research program also integrates the Chinese counterpart of the Ontario-China Research and Innovation project from the Ministry of Research and Innovation. Agrominerals from Boreal Agrominerals are being tested there for improving the health of plantations.

     

    Categories: Updates of the Chair

  • Liette Vasseur speaks at Sustainability Transdisciplinary Seminar Series

    Thursday, January 18, 2018 | By

    In her role as UNESCO Chair in Community Sustainability: From Local to Global, Liette Vasseur spoke at the Environmental Sustainability Research (ESRC)’s  Sustainability Transdisciplinary Seminar Series on January 12. The seminars are a component of the Master of Sustainability program.

    Her topic was “The case study of San Juan, Ecuador: Bringing ecosystem governance for a more sustainable community.”

    Here is a brief synopsis of the talk:

    “The Andean Páramo is a fragile ecosystem that hosts high diversity and plays an important role in moderating climate and water discharge towards the Amazon basin. The Chimborazo region of Ecuador is highly vulnerable to the advance of industrial/ conventional agricultural activities and the changing climate, which is severely effecting water management and ecosystem health. Vasseur’s presentation discussed a large project that involves the indigenous population of San Juan and discussed the way forward to enhance community sustainability and resilience through concepts such as ecosystem governance, ecosystem-based adaptation to climate change and landscape restoration.”

     

    Categories: Updates of the Chair

  • 2018 Sustainability Poetry Contest accepting submissions!

    Friday, January 12, 2018 | By

    In celebration of UNESCO Poetry Day, Brock University’s Environmental Sustainability Research Centre (ESRC), and the UNESCO Chair in Community Sustainability would like to invite you to submit your original, unpublished, poem to our sustainability poetry contest.

    The theme this year is ‘The Future We Want’ and the contest is open to all elementary, secondary and post-secondary students in the Niagara region as well as to the general public. The contest is accepting submissions both in English and in French.

    Submissions are open until Monday, February 19 at 5 p.m.

    Submit your poem today!

    English submission form
    French Submission form

    More about this year’s theme:
    The United Nations (UN) General Assembly in its Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 27 July 2012 during the Rio +20 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, adopted the outcome document entitled “The future we want” as a vision for what has become in 2015 the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

    As mentioned: Poverty eradication is the greatest global challenge facing the world today and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development. In this regard, we are committed to freeing humanity from poverty and hunger as a matter of urgency… We therefore acknowledge the need to further mainstream sustainable development at all levels, integrating economic, social and environmental aspects and recognizing their interlinkages, so as to achieve sustainable development in all its dimensions.”

    Complete contest rules available here.

    Get inspired by reading submissions from past contests!
    Check out our Sustainability Poetry Contest E-Book.

    Categories: Updates of the Chair

  • Vasseur publishes new article on gut immunity in the diamondback moth

    Friday, January 12, 2018 | By

    Liette Vasseur has published, as co-author with Junhan Lin, Xiaofeng Xia, Xiao-Qiang Yu,Jinhong Shen,  Yong Li, Hailan Lin, Shanshan Tang and Minsheng You, a new article, “Gene expression profiling provides insights into the immune mechanism of Plutella xylostella midgut to microbial infection” in Gene.

    Read the publishers abstract:

    Insect gut immunity plays a key role in defense against microorganism infection. The knowledge of insect gut immunity has been obtained mostly from Drosophila melanogaster. Little is known about gut immunity in the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.), a pest destroying cruciferous crops worldwide. In this study, expressions of the immune-related genes in the midgut of P. xylostella orally infected with Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Pichia pastoris were profiled by RNA-seq and qRT-PCR approaches. The results revealed that the Toll, IMD, JNK and JAK-STAT pathways and possibly the prophenoloxidase activation system in P. xylostella could be activated by oral infections, and moricins, gloverins and lysozyme2 might act as important effectors against microorganisms. Subsequent knock-down of IMD showed that this gene was involved in regulating the expression of down-stream genes in the IMD pathway. Our work indicates that the Toll, IMD, JNK and JAK-STAT pathways may synergistically modulate immune responses in the P. xylostella midgut, implying a complex and diverse immune system in the midgut of insects.

    Read the article 

    Categories: Updates of the Chair

  • OIA Niagara and Hamilton Branch Meeting

    Monday, December 04, 2017 | By

    Mark your calendar for a special joint meeting of the Ontario Institute of Agrologists (OIA), Niagara and Hamilton Branches. Agrologists from other branches of OIA (with a special invitation to the Hamilton branch) and all interested friends of OIA, spouses, partners, colleagues and students are cordially invited to attend the meeting on Tuesday, December 12.

    Liette Vasseur will be the speaker at the meeting, discussing the topic of “Development of Sustainable Agriculture in China and lessons for Canada.”

    The meeting location is the Innsville Restaurant, 1143 Highway 8, Stoney Creek (west of Fifty Road exit from QEW and on the corner of Lewis Rd and Highway 8.

    Date:  Tuesday, December 12, 2017
    Gathering time:   5:30 p.m.
    Dinner:   6:00 p.m.
    Cost: Order from the menu

     

    Categories: Updates of the Chair

  • Liette Vasseur attends Gender Summit North America

    Friday, November 24, 2017 | By

    Liette Vasseur was among more than 600 advocates of gender equality from various science,
    innovation and development affiliations who participated in the Gender Summit North America
    2017 earlier this month.

    Vasseur attended the summit, which took place in Montreal from November 6 to 8,  as a
    representative of the Canadian Council for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and
    Cultural Organization (CCUNESCO).

    This marked the 11th year of the international summit and the first time that it was
    held in Canada. It was organized by Natural sciences and Engineering Research Council and
    Fonds de recherché du Québec, with the partnership of the CCUNESCO.

    The summit works to promote gender equality and diversity in research and innovation, with this
    year’s theme focusing on “Embracing pluralism and thriving through diversity – shaping science
    and innovation.”

    Attendees ranged from students, educators and policy makers to government officials such as the
    the Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science.

    “It was a very good meeting,” Vasseur said, “There was a very clear message that we need more
    desegregated data, and that it needs to be better utilized to understand the challenges and barriers
    to inclusivity in the sciences.”

    She added: “There was also a clear message from Minister Duncan that we need to have
    universities clearly stating their policies in regards to gender equality and inclusion and that the
    government will really be pushing the issue to the higher level.”

    At the summit, Vasseur was part of a large panel discussion entitled, “Best Practices: Global
    Perspectives on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in STEM.” During this discussion, Vasseur
    explored global initiatives that aim to better promote, support, and contribute to the rise of
    women in STEM fields.

    Vasseur discussed the UNESCO STEM and Gender Advancement (SAGA) initiative and her work with the Canadian Coalition of Women in Engineering, Science, Trades and Technology (CCWEST).

    “We must combat the decline of women in the sciences and the bias that exists – by both men
    and women – against their potential and capabilities,” she said. “It’s about recruitment first,
    getting more women into STEM fields, but then also ensuring they stay in these fields and
    progress through their masters, PhD and eventually into the working world. Then, when we get
    to hiring, ensuring there is a diverse pool of women to be selected and closing the gender gap in
    these disciplines.”

    Vasseur also spoke on behalf of the CCUNESCO when five Canadian researchers were
    honoured and rewarded through the LOréal-UNESCO for Women in Science program. The
    L'Oréal-UNESCO 2017 Excellence in Research Fellowships, each worth $20,000, are awarded
    to support major postdoctoral research projects undertaken by young Canadians at a pivotal time
    in their career. They were awarded to Dr. Marie-Ève Lebel, PhD, Post-doctoral Fellow, Melichar
    Laboratory, Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont Research Centre and Dr. Kelly Suschinsky, PhD,
    Post-doctoral Fellow, SAGE Laboratory, Queen’s University. Three other awards were also
    awarded at the same time.

    “It was very inspiring seeing so many bright and driven women working
    toward the goal of inclusivity” Vasseur said. “But, we know that we have to keep up the
    momentum that was created there, that’s something that was very clear. We need to continue to
    discuss this issue and figure out ways to move ahead in many aspects because there is much
    work to still be done.”

    Categories: Updates of the Chair

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