The Brazilian mining industry is a major economic engine in Brazil and a dominant player in the extraction industry worldwide. A new Mining Code to regulate mining activity was introduced in the National Congress in 2013 and is set to be voted into legislation by the end of September, 2015. The deliberations that have been […]

This project is based on how the communities which rely on the forests of different regions within the state of Odisha, India, cope with and adapt to environmental and social challenges in relation to their daily lives and livelihoods. Using local ecological, social, and cultural knowledge, I will analyze environmental, social and policy challenges, and […]

“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 […]

We will investigate how plants change leaf vein structure to adapt to environmental changes triggered by climate change. Leaf venation is important for plant nutrient transport and efficient water use. Since making veins requires considerable energy, plants regulate vein density to suit the environment, increasing vein number and connectivity with decreasing water. Different leaf forms […]

For many years, it has been a common practice adopted by educated people among East Asian countries to communicate with those who do not speak their language by writing Chinese characters. Many of these pen conversations, or bitan in Chinese, are preserved. Some of these are later compiled and published. These written documents are invaluable […]

My project intends to depict the textual evolution of the Youposai jie jing ????? (S?tra on Up?saka Precepts). This text was written as a household cultivation guidebook for Buddhist laymen, and was translated into Chinese by Dharmak?ema (Tanmochen ???in Chinese, 385–433 CE) in 426 CE during the Northern Liang Dynasty ??(397–439 CE). By studying the […]

Due to anthropogenic alterations such as forest harvesting, fragmentation and forest degradation has occurred enabling the invasion of native bamboo species which are contributing to habitat degradation and reduction of tree species in the remaining forested areas of Brazil. Currently, the primary method of monitoring forests dominated by bamboos is based on field observations. However, […]

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 […]

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 […]

Under the supervision of Dr. Jean DeBernardi my research explores the connections between traditional Chinese religion, martial arts, and medicine. I did my MA thesis on the modernization of traditional Chinese religion in Taiwan, have been practicing White Crane kung fu since 1999, and worked for the Natural Health Practitioner of Canada. I am examining […]

Phyto-pathogenic fungi are one of the main concerns threatening agriculture in Canada. Those phyto-pathogens not only affect the yield and the quality of agricultural products, but their metabolite, represented by mycotoxins, will also endanger food safety. In the pursuit of innovative environmental-friendly fungicides, oxylipid is of great research-importance because oxylipid with specific structures can act […]

My dissertation looks into China’s three environmental policy domains, including climate change, biodiversity and biosafety (GMOs), to investigate how China’ environmental diplomacy, economic interest and political concerns of legitimacy and stability intersect to condition public participation and its effectiveness in affecting policy decisions. It seeks to illuminate not only why authoritarian regime embraces deliberation and […]