Articles tagged with: Sustainability Science

• MEOPAR BLOG: Call for Photographs

  Wednesday, September 18, 2019 | By sackles

  

  CALL FOR PHOTOS EXTENDED

  We have discussed what climate change is and the importance of adapting to the environmental changes occurring and anticipated. But how can we be sure that some of these changes are truly a result of climate change? MEOPAR team member Meredith DeCock is hoping to demonstrate just that with her master’s thesis.

  Brock University Master of Sustainability Science and Society Candidate, Meredith DeCock is conducting an analysis of the Lincoln shoreline of Lake Ontario to see how it has changed since the 1930’s. As part of her research project, she is asking for help from the community. She is interested in acquiring electronic copies of historical photographs anyone may have of the shoreline to help visualize how it has changed over time. Photographs are important visuals in climate change research to help tell the story over time. It is a way of sharing your local knowledge and contributing to the research project.

  Don’t miss out on an opportunity to participate in a local research project!

  Photos are now being accepted until October 31, 2019. 

  Find out more information on the project and how to submit your photographs here.
  *Please remember to sign a waiver (found at the web address above) and submit it with your photograph(s)*

  Continue to monitor this page to read new blog posts every week. These posts are written by the MEOPAR Research Team, comprised of Liette Vasseur, Meredith DeCock, Bradley May and Alex Marino. For more information about the project, contact us using this form, or, via email at lvasseur@brocku.ca@brocku.ca

   

  Tags: brock university, Brock University UNESCO Chair in Community Sustainability, call for photographs, department of biological sciences, environmental sustainability, Marine Environmental Observation Prediction and Response Network (MEOPAR)- Lincoln Community Sustainability Project., meopar, Meredith DeCock, Sustainability Science, town of lincoln, unesco
  Categories: MEOPAR-Lincoln Blog, Updates of the Chair

• Students experience sustainability science in the field

  Thursday, November 22, 2018 | By Brock University

  

  Liette Vasseur, far right, speaks to Master of Sustainability students in the core zone of the Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Reserve at Brock University.
  

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  Thursday, November 22, 2018 | by Jeannie Mackintosh
  From: The Brock News 

  As a group of Brock students recently learned, sustainability science is all around us.

  It can be found along the Niagara Escarpment, in the waste-sorting stations of Guernsey Market and on the properties of the Niagara Parks Commission.

  Students in the Sustainability Science and Society graduate program got a taste of sustainability initiatives in action during a series of field trips in October.

  The Master of Sustainability program has always encouraged students to think critically about the theories behind sustainability science. Developing a sound theoretical understanding is essential, but practical application also plays a major role, said Ryan Plummer, Director of the Environmental Sustainability Research Centre (ESRC) and Professor of Foundations of Sustainability Science and Society.

  “We train students to be leaders in sustainability. They need more than just classroom instruction to prepare them to take on leadership positions when they graduate,” Plummer says.

  A series of three field trips added an experiential education component to the program this year, giving students a first-hand look at how sustainability science is implemented on Brock’s main campus and in the wider Niagara community.

  “Sustainability science extends beyond the classroom and the University campus,” says Plummer. “Modifying the curriculum in our foundational course to include an ‘experiencing sustainability’ module enables new ways to connect theory and practice.”

  On the first trip, Liette Vasseur, Professor of Biology and Environmental Science and UNESCO Chair of Community Sustainability, led an outdoor education-based exploration of the Niagara Escarpment, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Lisa Gribinicek, Senior Strategic Advisor with the Niagara Escarpment Commission, also spoke with students about the area.

  The second trip focused on sustainability efforts at higher learning institutions and included a tour of Brock’s Central Utilities Building. Scott Johnstone, Associate Vice-President of Facilities Management, and Ryan Stewart, Energy Manager of Maintenance and Utilities Services, demonstrated how current University initiatives contribute to the Brock University Project Charter on environmental sustainability. Students learned how Brock is working towards its goals of low emissions and an overall sustainable campus.

  At Guernsey Market, students visited the waste-sorting area to see what happens behind the scenes to the scraps and recyclable containers left behind after a cafeteria meal. Bryan Boles, Associate Vice-President of Ancillary Services, and Malcolm Dale, Associate Director of Operations, described the sustainability challenges faced in Dining Services.

  The final trip focused on the ESRC’s innovative partnerships with the Town of Lincoln and the Niagara Parks Commission, and included a tour of the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre.

  “Seeing how the world works outside of the classroom is an invaluable experience,” says Meredith DeCock, a candidate in the Master of Sustainability program.

  Each field trip in the series was “unique and engaging” according to DeCock. “I even presented my research to the Town of Lincoln,” she says.

  Readings and assignments took precedence but, beyond the serious work of learning, there was also time for some fun. In Niagara Falls, students enjoyed the famed Journey Behind the Falls.

  “When an experiential learning session includes a trip to Niagara Falls, you really can’t go wrong,” says DeCock.

  “The thoughtful development and execution of the field study modules is a perfect example of why Brock is such a leader in experiential education,” says Carolyn Finlayson, Experiential Education Co-ordinator for the Faculty of Social Sciences. “Bringing to life course theories and concepts outside the classroom is what we do best.”

  The trips were organized with financial support from a Teaching Learning and Innovation grant.

  Tags: Brock University Project Charter, Carolyn Finlayson, CCEE, environmental sustainability, environmental sustainability research centre, ESRC, Experiential Education, liette vasseur, Meredith DeCock, Niagara Escarpment, Niagara Falls, Niagara Parks Commission, Ryan Plummer, Sustainability Science
  Categories: Updates of the Chair