Climate Change Research Poster Competition
On April 14th, the SFU VP – Research office and PICS SFU co-hosted the first Climate and Energy Research Day at SFU where SFU researchers had the opportunity to share their latest research findings on climate and energy research, as well as, discuss the need to address climate and energy simultaneously in order to mitigate and adapt to climate change. As part of the day, the 3rd Climate Change research poster competition took place. Twenty nine graduate students from different disciplines had the opportunity to share their research with the attendees. Two $500 prizes were awarded for the best posters to Teresa Rosales-Ramirez, a PhD student working with Diana Allen on “Risk and resilience in the shale gas context: a nexus perspective” and to Joseph Bailey a PhD with Jonn Axsen, with his research on “Intermittency issues for renewables in BC: Investigating solutions from the supply and demand perspectives”.
2015 Participants:
Jennifer Brand, PhD Candidate, Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science / “Sustainable Water Allocation: A Whole System Approach in a Rapidly Developing Energy Resource Sector”
John Bermingham, PhD Candidate, School of Communication, Faculty of Communication Art and Technology / “The Northern Gateway Debate: Media, PR and the Practices of Power”
Dana Ehlert, PhD Candidate, Department of Geography, Faculty of Environment/ “Exploring the role of ocean heat and carbon uptake in determining the linear relationship between global warming and cumulative CO2 emissions”
Teresa Rosales-Ramírez, PhD Candidate, Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science / “Risk and resilience in the shale gas context: a nexus perspective”
Jayme Lewthwaite, MSc. Candidate, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science/ “Do Roads Kill Off Species? Quantifying the Effect of LNG Development on Biodiversity in BC”
Ismena Bystron, MSc. Candidate, Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science/ “Topographical and hydrogeological controls on spring occurrence in Northeastern British Columbia, a rapidly developing shale gas region”
Nigel Kinney, PhD Candidate, School of Political Science, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences/ “Environmental Dismantling”
Jonathan E Cripps, PhD Candidate, Department of Geography, Faculty of Environment, “Reinterpreting the effect of climate warming on the last Cordilleran Ice Sheet over the southern interior, British Columbia”
Stephanie Van Pelt, MSc. Candidate, Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science/ “Climate Variability and Paleorecharge of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico”
Sukhraj Sihota, MPP Candidate, School of Public Policy, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences/ “Swimming Against the Current: Valuation of White Sturgeon in Renewal of the Columbia River Treaty”
Mary Ann Middleton, PhD Candidate, Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science “Vulnerability Assessment for Groundwater Dependent Streams”
Jordan Brubacher, MS Candidate, Faculty of Health Sciences/ “Associations between biogeoclimatic zones and five acute gastrointestinal illnesses in British Columbia from 2000-2013 and potential implications under projected climate change”
Hung Chak Ho, PhD Candidate, Department of Geography, Faculty of Environment/ “Evaluation of using temperature maps to estimate community risks at an extreme hot weather event”
Ryan Burgess, Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science/ “Estimating groundwater recharge to the Gulf Islands under future climate conditions”
Erik Brown, M. Urb. Candidate, Urban Studies, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences/ “Housing Preference in the Peri-urban Zone: The Prospects for Urban Containment and Smart Growth in North Cowichan”
Vinu Subashini Rajus, School of Interactive Art and Technology, Faculty of Communications/ “Lightweight look-ahead options: An Eco-Dialect between the building; its inhabitants and designers”
Jeanette Klassen, MSc. Candidate, Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science/ “Risk of Saltwater Intrusion in Coastal Aquifers due to Climate Change and Development”
Sarah Rathay, MSc. Candidate, Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science / “Response of a Fractured Bedrock Aquifer to Recharge from Heavy Rainfall Events on the Gulf Islands, British Columbia”
Kii'iljuus (Barbara Wilson), Master Candidate, Faculty of Education/ “Educating/Mobilizing Communities for Action in a World of Changing Climate: Initiating Action on Haida Gwaii”
Lisa Danielson, MPP Candidate, School of Public Policy, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences/ “Patching the Leaks: Reforming British Columbia’s Policy Approach to Property-Level Flood Resilience”
Eric Schibli, MSc. Candidate, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science/ “Investigating anion-conducting polymers using wide-angle x-ray scattering”
Sina Salari, PhD Candidate, School of Mechatronic Systems Engineering, Faculty of Applied Sciences/ “Measurement and Modeling of Mass Transfer within Catalyst Layer of a PEMFC”
Joseph Bailey, PhD Candidate, School of Resource and Environmental Management, Faculty of Environment/ “Intermittency issues for renewables in BC: Investigating solutions from the supply and demand perspectives”
Pierayeh Vahdani, PhD Candidate, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science/ “Improving the stability of the active layer in organic photovoltaic cells”
Khorshid Fayazmanesh, PhD Candidate, School of School of Mechatronic Systems Engineering, Faculty of Applied Sciences/ “Composite adsorbent coating materials with increased thermal conductivity and sorption capacity for adsorption cooling systems”
Abstracts of the students research can be found at Climate and Energy Research Day - Abstract Book.
Seven Graduate students shared their research to the SFU Community at the Sustainability Opportunity Fair while competing for up to $1,000 dollars for travel support to a National or International Conference.
This year's winner of the SFU Climate Change Research Poster Competition is Shannon Holding, a PhD candidate in the Department of Earth Sciences. Working with Professor Diana Allen, Shannon presented her project "Water Security for Island Communities," part of the UNESCO GRAPHIC (Groundwater Resources Assessment under the Pressures of Humanity and Climate Change) Programme and conducted in collaboration with The Nature Conservancy Bahamas. Learn more at http://www.sfu.ca/vpresearch/research-news/2013/sustainability.html
2013 Participants:
- Tyler Herrington, Ms Candidate, Department of Geography/"Path Dependence of Regional Climate Change".
- Heather Munro, Ms Candidate , School of Resource and Environmenta Managementl/“Trade-Offs between Carbon Offset and Timber Harvest Revenue Opportunities in British Columbia’s Central Coast: A Decision Analysis Approach”
- Shannon Holding, PhD Candidate. Department of Earth Science/“Water Security for Island Communities”
- Isabelle Laroque, MSc Candidate, Department of Earth Science/“A framework for identifying climate change impacts and management strategies related to groundwater resources in coastal communities”
- Mary Ann Middleton, PhD Candidate, SFU Department of Earth Science/ “Evaluating Climate Change Impacts on Groundwater Sensitive Streams”
- Vinu Rajus, PhD Candidate, School of Interactive Art and Technology/ “Ambient, Interactive Displays and Controls for Sustainable Living”
- Nat Wilson, Ms Candidate, Department of Earth Science/
“Characterization and interpretation of polythermal structure in two subartic glaciers”
Brought to you by: Faculty of the Environment, Sustainable SFU, the Sustainability Office and the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions - Members of the SFU Sustainability Network-, Carreer Services and Volunteer Services.
To learn more about the students and their research click here.
Innovation in climate change-related research was on proud display at the first graduate poster competition held as part of the SFU Sustainability Festival on September 20th. The Festival was co-hosted by SFU Sustainability, Faculty of Environment, Sustainable SFU and the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS). Two winners were selected to split the $300 prize. Follow this link for the complete story.
2011 Participants:
- Hadi Hadizadeh, Ph. D Candidate of Engineering Science/ “Good-Looking Green Images”
- Roy Bendor, PhD Candidate, School of Communication - ACT Lab / “Greenest City Conversations: Exploring Sustainable Futures”
- Steve Conrand, PhD Candidate, School of Resource and Environmental Management, FENV/ “Improving water allocation adaptation policies and decision-making through an integrated hydrological-stated preference water demand model”
- Cedar Morton, PhD Candidate, School of Resource and Environmental Management, FENV/ “Enduring Waters: Building Resilient International Water Institutions in a Changing Climate”
- Vinu Rajus, PhD Candidate, School of Interactive Arts and Architecture “Ambient, Interactive Displays and Controls for Sustainable Living”
- Britta Ricker, PhD Candidate and Peters and Nick Hedley Department of Geography, FENV/ "Message in a Bottle: Climate Change Education through mobile social technology mediated learning"
- Mary Ann Middleton, PhD Candidate, Department of Earth Science, Faculty of Sciences/ "Spatial and Temporal Changes in Groundwater Flux to Gaining Streams"