Growing up in Minnesota, McGill PhD student Scott Sugden spent a lot of time outdoors, particularly canoeing and backpacking in the Arctic.聽
The Arctic became a landscape that he cared deeply about. It led to work in outdoor education, a high school biology classroom, and now as a researcher in environmental microbiology.聽
On Wednesday November 29th, 2023, nine Macdonald Campus graduate students took on the challenge of presenting their thesis in just a few minutes at the Lister Family Engaged Science 3-Minute Thesis Competition.
With only one non-animated slide for visual support, competitors raced against the clock to explain the crucial components of their research and its importance.
Imagine living in a world where the wisdom of Indigenous communities guides our actions towards biodiversity and human health. This isn't just a vision; it's becoming a reality through the groundbreaking initiative known as 膫rram膬t. This 聽funded project is a pioneering effort to acknowledge and amplify the voices of Indigenous peoples, empowering them to share their knowledge about the environment's role in promoting health and well-being.
As the Arctic wind whistles through Canada's northern wilderness, a unique collaboration is unfolding between scientists and Indigenous communities. Graduate and Postdoctoral students in the ,聽under the leadership of Dr. Murray Humphries,聽are redefining how scientific research is conducted.
In our busy everyday lives, it's easy to overlook our deep-rooted connection with nature. The connection is not just about the nourishment we derive or the air we breathe; nature subtly but significantly enhances our well-being. This intriguing intersection is where McGill Department of Natural Resource Sciences PhD candidate directs her research.
Dr. Murray Humphries聽(PhD鈥�01), a passionate wildlife biology professor at the Macdonald Campus, spends his days immersed in the fascinating world of biodiversity鈥攖he colorful, complex tapestry of life on Earth. At the Macdonald Campus, we don't just study this diversity, we celebrate it.
The tidal wetlands and dykelands of the inner Bay of Fundy are critical ecosystems in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, providing essential benefits to human and non-human communities.
These ecosystems offer biodiverse habitats, protection from coastal flooding, and cultural value for Indigenous, Acadian, and other communities. However, they are increasingly threatened by climate change, making their management more complex and their future uncertain.
We live in the Anthropocene era. Human actions have become the major driving force behind unprecedented environmental challenges, creating delicate complexities and uncertainties about the future of the planet and humanity. Canada鈥檚 critical landscapes are not spared from these challenges, threatening the well-being of human and non-human communities that depend on them for various natural benefits. Thus, our ability to prepare, plan, and reflect for the future has never been as important to ensure that Canada鈥檚 landscapes thrive sustainably and resiliently in the Anthropocene.
Photo: La Terre de Chez Nous
The cr猫me de la cr猫me of the agricultural world gathered in the grand ballroom of the Ch芒teau Frontenac on October 21 to honor three new inductees to the Quebec Agricultural Hall of Fame.
Tributes were paid to Andr茅 D. Beaudoin,聽Charles Vincent聽and R茅jean Vermette (pictured above from left to right), under the watchful eye of the dignitaries in attendance, including the provincial Minister of Agriculture, Andr茅 Lamontagne.
As climate change intensifies extreme heat, farms are becoming less hospitable to nesting birds, a found. That could be another barrier to maintaining rapidly eroding biodiversity that also provides benefits to humans, including farmers who get free pest control when birds eat agricultural pests.
Both elegant and fierce, killer whales are some of the oceans鈥� top predators, but even they can be exposed to environmental pollution. Now, in the largest study to date on North Atlantic killer whales, researchers in the American Chemical Society鈥� Environmental Science & Technology report the levels of legacy and emerging pollutants in 162 individuals鈥� blubber. The animals鈥� diet, rather than location, greatly impacted contaminant levels and potential health risks 鈥� information that鈥檚 helpful to conservation efforts.
As Canadians experience a year of record-breaking wildfires, floods, and extreme heat, experts are warning that these conditions will persist and likely intensify over the coming decades as we experience the escalating effects of climate change and global warming. These impacts are being felt even more acutely in northern regions of the planet, where temperatures are rising at four times the global rate.
Researchers have known for decades that orcas across the North Pacific have harmful pollutants in their system.
础听, written by a team which includes Professor聽Elena Bennett聽in McGill鈥檚 Department of Natural Resource Sciences, explores the challenges of the Anthropocene, a new geological epoch defined by humans' colossal impact on the environment. To counteract this widescale destruction, the researchers propose that imagination is a hopeful yet complicated tool for creating a positive environmental future.聽
