Creating a Novel Framework: Managing a Tribal Park for Biocultural Conservation

The Dasiqox tribal Park, one of Canada’s most exciting current initiatives, was established in 2014 by the Tsilhqot’in First Nation following the Supreme Court of Canada’s landmark recognition of Tsilhqot’in Title in their territory. Dr. Bhattacharyya has been invited to work with Yunesit’in Development Enterprise, in collaboration with partnering First Nations and organizations, to develop […]

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Metagenomics to assess impacts of the Mount Polley Mine tailings dam breach onassociated ecosystems

The Mount Polley tailings impoundment failure released 24 million m3 of mine-influenced water and sediment into the surrounding watershed. The scale of this spill is unprecedented in BC history, and the effects on current and future ecosystems are unknown. Of paramount concern is the containment of toxic metal-containing compounds that threaten aquatic life. My research […]

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Using Engaged Philosophical Inquiry in Drug Education

Research has shown that “no use” drug education programs, with the objective of scaring or shaming youth into abstinence, have not been effective in addressing problematic substance use. The ineffectiveness of such scare tactic approaches has led program developers to focus on prevention and harm reduction associated with drug use, or in general, health literacy […]

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The Role of Cannabinoid Receptors in Craniofacial Pain

Pain in the craniofacial region is one of the more complex and difficult to treat conditions for patients and clinicians. Current treatments are complicated by limited efficacy and considerable side effects. Many of these conditions show greater prevalence in women than men, but there is a lack of basic research utilizing female animals. Recent advances […]

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Fall Detection and Activity Monitoring using a Wearable Wrist Device

The aim of this project is to develop a wrist based fall detection and activity monitoring device for older adults. This device will be used to reliably and automatically detect falls and alert the health care providers so that immediate help can be dispatched and made available to fallers. In addition to detecting falls, this […]

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Capacity Building for Competitiveness in Aboriginal forestry Year Two

This project recognizes the significant business challenges First Nations forestry enterprises face which have the effect of limiting the benefits to First Nations from forests (Wellstead and Stedman 2010). There is limited awareness of the conditions that affect the success and failure of Aboriginal enterprises in the forest sector (Trosper et al 2008). Research on […]

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The management of socio-political risk arising from corporate transitions at mining projects

Changes in management and/or ownership at projects can cause regression in corporate-stakeholder relationships, as the changing faces and attitudes can lead to breakdowns in communication, misunderstandings, and conflict. Failure to maintain positive relationships with stakeholders can lead to significant costs for proponents, and is frequently cited as one of the most pressing issues facing the […]

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Visualizing Cultural Reproduction In Sikkim: A Material Culture Approach

Sikkim has preserved quite unique cultural artifacts of Tibetan Buddhism, and among those the most renowned is the thangka paintings. Through this project I would attempt to understand the cultural phenomenon of thangka paintings, how it has transformed in recent times. Thangka paintings portray the cosmology of Tibetan Buddhism, and it has captured the popular […]

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Seismic Risk Assessment of High-Speed Railway Bridge System in China

The proposed research project is to develop a robust performance-based earthquake engineering (PBEE) methodology to quantify the seismic risks of large network of infrastructure such as the high-speed railway system in China. The project is anticipated to accomplish many goals. First, it will develop accurate numerical model to predict the seismic behavior of standard-span length […]

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