Tracy Tran, an Honours Planning student, reflects on her friendships and how they are one of the lasting benefits of an Orientation experience that helped turn a new campus into a community.
Bria Wong-Armstrong, Chloe Stroh, Prishaa Rajalathan, Sadia Mohammad and Zoraiz Sheikh participated in Map the System, a global learning program and competition that challenges students to examine complex social and environmental issues through a systems lens. After winning the University of Waterloo's Map the System competition, the team earned the opportunity to represent the university at the global finals hosted by the University of Oxford's Saïd Business School.
The impacts of climate change are seen in natural and human systems, and the global sports sector is particularly vulnerable. Kyara Simoes, a recent graduate from the Master of Environmental Studies program, assessed climate change readiness of national-level Canadian sport organizations.
Congratulations to Samantha Bray, a PhD student in Geography and Environmental Management, for winning the P.E.O. Scholar Award to advance her research focusing on destination stewardship, where public, private and civil sectors collaborate to protect the existing community and environment.
Stephanie Saal, a PhD candidate in the Department of Geography and Environmental Management, is researching how snowpack impacts key ecological relationships, and how best to collect this information at a watershed level. In recognition of her academic achievements and innovative research, Saal has been awarded the 2026 Weston Family Award in Northern Research. Valued at $120,000 over three years, the award is presented to outstanding doctoral students across Canada. Saal was one of eight recipients, placing her among the country's emerging leaders in Northern research.
This spring, four MFC students participated in FCIT 610 - International Field School, travelling to Singapore to explore what is possible when strategic foresight is integrated into urban planning. Lead by Eryn Stewart, the Managing Director of the Future Cities Institute, students were challenged to critically evaluate how Singapore’s strategies could be adapted to Canadian context.
Chilika Lagoon, located on the Eastern coast of Bay of Bengal in India, is a biodiversity hotspot that is home to over 200 fish species. Natasha Serrao, a recent PhD graduate from the Social and Ecological Sustainability program, researched the intersection of fisher knowledge and scientific data to understand species importance in the region.
Milk is a cornerstone of Canadian diets and a regularly purchased item at the grocery store. Alexander Cha, a recent graduate of the Master of Environmental Studies in Sustainability Management, quantified the environmental impacts of various milk packaging options being used in Canada.
Global biodiversity is in rapid decline, with an estimated 1 million species at risk of extinction. The Nature Restoration Regulation (NRR), which came into effect in 2024, sets binding targets for European countries to restore at least 30% of their continent’s land and seas by 2030. The NRR narrowly passed into law and faced significant opposition, driven by a widespread campaign of disinformation through social media and other channels. Now that the regulation is in effect, effective implementation will not occur without a stakeholder engagement strategy. Florencia Panizza, a recent graduate from the Master of Environment and Business, identified stakeholder collaboration approaches for the French agricultural sector to support the implementation of the EU Nature Restoration Regulation.
Canada’s eastern boreal forest supports a wide diversity of wildlife, including sandhill cranes. This migratory bird is a species of conservation concern and uses the eastern boreal forest of Ontario and Quebec for breeding. Kiaunna Lee, a recent graduate of the Master of Environmental Studies program, used high-resolution satellite telemetry data to assess how land cover and land use influenced breeding habitat selection of 42 sandhill cranes in Ontario and Quebec.