Declines in migratory bird populations have been linked to a range of complex environmental factors, including the dramatic increase in application of neurotoxic neonicotinoid insecticides in recent decades. Neonicotinoids are used as seed treatments in a wide variety of Canadian crops, and consumption of treated seeds could result in poor navigation and migration delays in migratory birds. However, the influence of insecticides on cognition and patterns of movement is poorly understood.

Developing smart technology determines the future economy of societies nowadays. Electronic nose is a device that audits the chemicals and transforms it to human odor perception. One of the most challenging steps to transform electronic nose to smart nose is its patter recognition machinery, because electronic nose data are imprecise and noisy. This pattern recognition machinery builds an empirical statistical model using machine learning algorithms over electronic nose data, to transform the these data to human odour perception.

In the summer of 2017, GM of Canada will be launching several employee engagement campaigns pertaining to sustainability goals. This project will determine how the control of different variables could lead to more or less employee engagement. These variables include the communication medium, the reward mechanism, and the depth of technical detail. By better understanding of what communication practices lead to effective employee engagement, GM can better tailor future sustainability campaigns to bring about larger impact.

Alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) is a key species in the ecology of the upper Bay of Fundy, Canada, that provides food to numerous predators and scavengers. Each year, Alewife migrate into freshwater systems to spawn in lakes. Dams and fishways often impede the migration of Alewife, which can have detrimental effects on Alewife populations, as well as nutrient exchange between marine and freshwater ecosystems.

Reports of air monitoring since 1994 show the annual average PM2.5 concentration in the Prince George airshed is one of the highest in the province. Although a large effort is underway to monitor ambient levels of PM2.5 , there has been no systematic study on personal exposure at the neighborhood level. Furthermore, there are no data on chemical composition (in particular elemental analysis) of PM2.5 in the neighborhoods.

Ecomuseums are primarily community-based endeavors that respond to local needs while concentrating on sustainability. They help guide and develop democratic projects that focus on connections to local history and heritage, which include local physical geographic features, natural resources, natural habitats and agricultural practices. This research concentrates on three case studies in southern Saskatchewan to study ecomuseum citizen participation and governance. Three unique ecomuseums are used as case studies.

In the coming months, a new set of energy efficiency targets called “step codes” will be incorporated into the standards used to build houses. The step code is intended to provide builders with a better understanding of what is expected of them when they build energy efficient homes. It will also allow municipalities incorporate energy efficiency standards into new housing developments. The anticipated problem is that the builders may struggle to meet these energy efficiency standards because it is different from the homes they are used to building.

Pacific herring, as forage fish, provide a vital ecosystem service within marine food webs, as well as economic benefits to BC’s commercial herring industry and cultural benefits to coastal Aboriginal communities. Building on innovative participatory research in Haida Gwaii, this project will identify the values of BC herring industry stakeholders and their preferences for management. Debates about a fishery’s management typically ignore such normative considerations, focusing instead on descriptive biological and economic indicators, such as fish biomass and profit.

Golf courses represent a unique opportunity for urban foresters to promote an increased quality and quantity of trees in the city environment. Golf course managers focus attention mainly on grass maintenance and less so on trees. The tree canopy at Old Ashburn Golf Course is currently in a degraded state. Taking advantage of a forthcoming major course upgrade project on the greens, the intern will (a) characterize the current state of the trees on the course, and (b) develop management proposals for the long-term improvement of the course’s tree canopy.

With increased emphasis on water quality in the Lake Winnipeg watershed, more stringent guidelines for wastewater effluents are being implemented. Smaller municipalities and remote communities, with limited financial resources, will be facing regulatory pressures, particularly around discharge of phosphorus, as well as micropollutants such as estrogens, pharmaceuticals and pesticides. To ensure the release of high quality wastewater effluents post-lagoon treatment technologies such as subsurface filtration systems are being employed for enhanced removal of pollutants.