Freshwater turtles are one of the most at-risk vertebrate groups, with nearly two-thirds of species facing extinction risk. Nest predation by mammals is a major threat to freshwater turtles, which has resulted in community-based nest protection efforts in many regions around the world, including Nova Scotia, Canada. Although widely implemented, the efficacy of nest protection […]

Lyme disease is one of the many diseases transmitted by ticks. The rate of these diseases is rapidly increasing in Canada. Diagnosing these diseases is difficult but examination of biopsy, necropsy and autopsy tissue can help to understand the full and varied effects of the disease and ultimately reduce misdiagnoses. Biobanks are required for this […]

The Negro and Solimoes rivers in the Amazon Basin house an incredible diversity of fish, up to 3000 species, and are critical to the economies and cultures of the communities through which they run. The waters of the Rio Negro are clear and black, with a high concentration of dissolved organic material but almost no […]

“In Conversation with Contemporary Chinese Pure Land Buddhism: What it Means to Practice” is a study of the relationship between objects and practice in Pure Land Buddhism as told by the practitioners themselves. Interviewing scholars and practitioners of contemporary Chinese Pure Land Buddhism and visiting key sites of practice in the Shanghai area, I will […]

The project investigates the practices of contemporary Buddhist Monastics in relation to their interaction and communication with family members. The question to be investigated is: To what extent, if at all, do contemporary monastics maintain relationships with living family members? The research will focus, in particular, on ways that family is understood in this context […]

My research project will focus around the following question: what relationships exist between religious models of the human body—primarily Buddhist and Daoist—and medical practices and beliefs? To explore this topic I will study primary and secondary materials, participate in meetings with my host university supervisor, Chen Ming with the assistance of Dr. Susan Andrews from […]

My project will be examining different aspects of Chinese popular religion, including online representations, physical landmarks, and firsthand accounts, and drawing connections between popular religion in China and the self- and community-identities of lay practitioners in Beijing. I will be visiting sites in Beijing, including St. Joseph’s Cathedral, Yonghe Gong, and Baiyun Guan, examining primary […]

Ticks contain many different disease-causing bacteria and viruses, including the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. Multiple infections with these other pathogens in addition to Borrelia cause more severe illness. For many of these pathogens there are no or limited diagnostic tools available to detect the pathogen. This project includes production of a new product, “a […]

Domestication of cats is thought to date to the Neolithic and to have been driven by the need to control rodents that destroyed stored food. In developed countries, modern pest control methods have rendered the traditional role of cats largely redundant and the hunting tendency of cats is now viewed in a more negative light […]

New Brunswick municipalities have undergone transformative change due to the white paper on Local Government Reform. While municipal reform has focused on the structural elements of communities, it has not undertaken the financial reform that is long overdue. The provincial government is beginning to discuss reforms, the Union of Municipalities of New Brunswick is looking […]

This project will studying a newly discovered population of the Four-toed Salamander (Hemidactylum scutatum), the rarest salamander species, in New Brunswick. Previously, it has only been known from a single location in Fundy National Park and due to its rarity, is listed as Critically Imperiled. During 2023, researchers from Mount Allison University discovered a second […]

This research utilizes the community as the learning environment and embeds the strengths and gifts of its members to foster entrepreneurial growth. The research aims to show that learning is everyone’s responsibility and when done from as asset-based approach can benefit entire communities. Students work with community members to bring ideas and business to communities […]