Yet people from the village of Valnur in Kodagu (Coorg district) took the sight in stride, affectionately dubbing us the “fish women” and inviting us into their homes for lunch and their temples for festivals. They listened to our descriptions of the project and offered invaluable perspectives on their relationships with their communities, their river, and the mahseer.

Sina was beginning his program at the University of Northern BC’s Natural Resources and Environment Studies department when he was given the opportunity to apply his specialized knowledge of watershed management to an Accelerate project for lumber giant Canfor.

“We have a pulp mill in Prince George that draws water from the Nechako River,” says Mike Bradley, Director of Sustainability for Canfor Pulp. “That means the water level and its clarity are very important to us. We were concerned about how changes over time would affect our business.”

Fast forward a few months later, I reached out to him to supervise a project, an opportunity made possible through the Mitacs Globalink Research Award.

I am a master of public health student at the University of Guelph. I am working on a project titled “Health risks of agricultural intensification in Vietnam,” under the supervision of Dr. Sherilee Harper at the University of Guelph, Dr. Tran Thi Tuyet Hanh at the Hanoi School of Public Health, and Dr. Nguyen Viet Hung at the International Livestock Research Institute.

The Tapajó lived in the Santarém and surrounding area between the 10th and 18th centuries until they disappeared due to European conquest and the mercantile expansion of the Americas. Archaeological and ethnographic data in the region shows that they produced elaborate Santarém pottery. The region is also distinguished by the presence of various archaeogical landscapes consisting of anthropogenic soils, ancient trail networks, and inland wells.

During Juan’s postdoc, he undertook four Mitacs Accelerate internships with FORRx Consulting Inc., a Vancouver-based firm specializing in ecosystem modeling. Juan credits his Accelerate experience with giving him a significant professional jumpstart:

“The funding was key to developing my academic career, my relationships, and my understanding of the use and transfer of my research for real-life and business situations.”

Almost half the world’s population cooks with highly polluting, traditional biomass stoves that burn wood or crop residue. The resulting household air pollution is one of the world’s leading causes of death and contributes significantly to climate change.