TALKING SENSe Spring and Summer Term 2015 Growing the SENS Community Collaborative student garden initiative about more than just growing food Many people on campus are familiar with the fenced plot of land behind the Biology building. This summer, rather than being used to grow plant material for biological research, the plot has been taken over by a group of SENS students, who have turned it into a thriving community garden. This student-led initiative is about much more than growing vegetables, however. PhD candidate Ana-Maria Bogdan, one of the proponents of the garden, shared her enthusiasm for the project: “This initiative succeeds in bringing together students with diverse educational and cultural backgrounds, and encourages them to use their knowledge and experience in a collaborative effort ... with hopefully tasty rewards! The garden also provides an exploratory space, where we can leave our keyboards and pens behind, and step outside of our offices, to make a contribution towards a more sustainable food system.” Late last winter, when the garden project was nothing more than a good idea, a survey was sent to the SENS community—students, faculty, and staff—to ask them for their opinions. “The enthusiasm and support we found was certainly the main reason we decided to push forward,” says Ana-Maria. “I think SENS wanted to see this garden created, because of its potential to enhance the sense of community, as well as to create a sense of appreciation for growing one’s own food.” The project was not without its barriers, however. Finding and securing a suitable plot of land within walking or biking distance of campus was critical, but initially proved difficult. Two other plots of land were offered, but the students chose the plot behind the Biology building, given its vicinity to Kirk Hall, where SENS is housed. “The location could not have been better,” says Ana-Maria. “Our enthusiasm for the project certainly helped us to navigate this barrier, but we also received significant support from faculty, especially Vladimir Kricsfalusy in SENS and Bohdan Kordan at St. Thomas More.” PhD candidate Hardi Shahadu has also been a driving force behind the project. Now, as the end of summer approaches, the students are already realizing the benefits of the garden. Of course, they are looking forward to the vegetable harvest, but Ana says that many of the garden’s benefits are more intangible. “Weeding a plot together with your fellow student makes for a great opportunity to establish meaningful connections, to get to know the people you work with better. You drift slowly from caring about their plot being watered or weeded, to caring more about their life and well-being. We chat about recipes and foods that we’ve never heard about before as we learn about each other’s cultures. I think the students have benefitted by gaining the valuable life experience of growing their own food, but also by finding a place to unwind, in the midst of the tumultuous waters of grad school.” Participants in the community garden can use or share the produce as they wish at the end of the season. “We are considering a get together after harvest, to share foods from the garden,” says Ana-Maria. Talking SENSe | Spring and Summer Term 2015 2 IN THIS ISSUE 1 - SENS Community Garden 2 - Executive Director’s Message 3 - SENS Photo Contest 2015 4 - SENS Profiles 5 - Toddi Steelman Named MVA Board Chair 6 - Undergraduate Certificate Receives RCE Award 7 - Spring Convocation 2015 7 - Founding Faculty Member Retires 8 - Faculty Members Receive Tenure 8 - Teaching at the Nelson Mandela African Institution for Science and Technology 10 - Water Worlds: SENS PhD Student Publishes in Nature 10 - Upcoming Events Executive Director’s Message Universities and their roles and missions are increasingly in the news. The time for universities functioning solely as ivory towers of thought removed from social responsibility has passed. This raises some interesting questions about how we in SENS serve the broader good and why we are motivated to do so. How does SENS create value from the local to the global? What role are we playing to create science, and other types of knowledge, in the service of society? The short answer is that we are an asset for economic development, a force for social equity and sustainability, and a trusted partner for communities, industry and nonprofit organizations. Most recently, this is evident in the work of the Global Institute of Water Security and Jeff McDonnell’s MOST (Mine Overlay Site Testing) facility and how it will assist our understanding to improve mining reclamation. Helen Baulch has also undertaken research on detecting water quality problems at Buffalo Pound Lake which provides drinking water to the City of Regina. Markus Hecker and his colleagues in the Toxicology Centre are pioneering new ways to detect harmful environmental toxins that minimize testing on animals while improving accuracy of results. Maureen Reed is catalyzing work in Biosphere Reserves and Model Forests to demonstrate them as real models of economic, social and ecological sustainability in action. Our students are also engaged in this kind of research. Recent MES graduate Nils Lokken just completed his work on “Attitudes, Trust, and Wildlife Co-management in Igluligaarjuk, Qamani’tuaq, and Tikirarjuaq, Nunavut, Canada” which documented Inuit trust in the wildlife co-management system in an effort to increase understanding of Inuit goals in wildlife management. Raea Gooding, another MES student, completed her work on denitrification in small reservoirs which contributed to developing innovative solutions to nutrient pollution in prairie landscapes. MSEM student Leonid Akhov has been working with City of Saskatoon to prohibit “cosmetic” use of herbicides within the city limits while recommending alternative methods of pest control. This work is hard. It is satisfying. It is not for everyone, but it matters. In SENS we have intentionally focused on a problem-oriented mission. We are affecting real people’s lives in many ways. We serve Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada and the world. How does your work make a difference? Toddi Steelman, PhD Executive Director School of Environment and Sustainability University of Saskatchewan Kirk Hall, Room 323 117 Science Place Saskatoon, SK S7N 5C8 Executive Director Toddi Steelman, PhD Newsletter Sharla Daviduik, MRM Administrative Officer Meagan Hinther, BSc Communications Specialist Please submit comments to sens.info@usask.ca MSEM students will be headed to the Redberry Lake Biosphere Reserve in September for the ENVS 806 field course. Mohammed Al-Mahdawe and Leonid Akhov, shown here, completed the course last year. Photo courtesy Vladimir Kricsfalusy. 3 Talking SENSe | Spring and Summer Term 2015 “Earth’s Vein” Wins SENS Photo Contest The 2015 edition of the SENS photo contest didn’t disappoint. Forty-four photographs, taken by students and alumni, were entered in four categories: Natural Environment, Urban Environment, Research and Student Life, and Sustainable Community. Over fifty votes were cast, and Ana-Maria Bogdan’s photograph, “Earth’s Vein,” shown above, won the Natural Environment category, and was the overall contest favourite. Ana-Maria’s caption for the photo read, “On my way to Cartier Lake, I got the chance to witness this relentless meandering transport of life-giving sediment.” Ana-Maria also won the Urban Environment category with “Reconstructing the Gardens of Babylon,” a photo of her indoor garden. Ranjan Datta won the Sustainable Community and Research and Student Life categories, with two of his photographs from the Laitu Khyeng Indigenous Community in Bangladesh, where he conducted research for his PhD dissertation. SENS thanks the students and alumni who entered the contest. We never fail to be amazed by your wonderful photographs! The 2015 SENS Photo Contest Winners. Above: “Earth’s Vein” and, to the right, “Reconstructing the Gardens of Babylon” by Ana-Maria Bogdan, along with Ranjan Datta’s photographs of the Laitu Khyeng Indigenous Community in Bangladesh. Talking SENSe | Spring and Summer Term 2015 4 Student Profile: Emily Cavaliere, PhD Program Research Interests: I’m interested in the biogeochemistry of changing aquatic ecosystems. I’m currently studying nutrient dynamics of ice-covered lentic ecosystems (that is, lakes, ponds, and reservoirs). Place of Birth: Salem, Oregon, USA Most Significant Achievement: My most significant achievement was to continue my education past high school. I’m the first one in my immediate family to earn a Bachelor’s degree. And now I have a Master’s and I’m working on my PhD. What impact do you hope your research will have? I hope that my research will show that the little we know about ice-covered lakes needs to be improved to mitigate the effects of climate change, particularly for the systems used by native species and for our own drinking water. How do you define sustainability? I define sustainability as the desire to preserve natural resources for the future. Favourite Music: Ambient electronica. Emily had an unexpected visitor during her field work at St. Denis. Photo courtesy Jay Bauer. Influences: My grandmother is my greatest influence. She told me that I had the capacity to go to graduate school and that it was okay to be passionate about science. Faculty Profile: Markus Hecker Research Interests: Alternatives to animal testing; aquatic ecology; chemical safety; ecotoxicology; environmental risk assessment; fish biology Place of Birth: Neuss, Germany Most Significant Achievement: Development of alternative in vitro biotests (e.g. the H295R Steroidogenesis Assay that was recently adopted by the US-EPA and OECD) that replace live animal tests in current chemical testing programs, and which significantly reduce numbers of animals used in these programs. Favourite Music: Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd. Influences: Jacques Cousteau. What impact do you hope your research will have? I hope that my research 1) will help to better understand the potential impacts environmental contaminants have on wildlife and people, and 2) that it will provide solutions for the protection of ecosystems and human health. How do you define sustainability? I do not believe that the term “sustainability” should be used on its own, as it seems to imply “sustaining” or “continuing” things in the state they are in. I prefer the term “sustainable development,” which I would define in a similar way to the Brundtland Commission: “Sustainable development is when our actions of today will not compromise the needs of future generations and those of the ecosystem surrounding us (meaning earth).” Associate Professor Markus Hecker is Canada Research Chair in Predictive Aquatic Ecotoxicology and SENS Graduate Chair 5 Talking SENSe | Spring and Summer Term 2015 Alumni Profile: Tobi Jeans Maracle, Class of 2012 “Balance” is an important tenet for Tobi Jeans Maracle. A member of the Anishnawbe (Thunderbird Clan) from Matachewan First Nation in northern Ontario, Tobi spent her youth at the reserve and also in southern Ontario’s cities. “The comparison between urban Ontario and a remote northern reserve led to questions for me,” she says. “How can we sustain both lifestyles and not put stress on the resources that make them both possible? It became apparent to me that one man’s backyard was another’s barren wilderness.” Upon deeper reflection, she realized that some values inherent in an indigenous worldview conflicted with some of those found in a western worldview. “I felt that these values needed to find some level ground.” When she came to SENS, balance again came into play. “Mentorship is pivotal while away from your First Nations community,” Tobi says. “Dr. David Natcher played this role for me.” Dr. Natcher, professor in the College of Agriculture and Bioresources and SENS associate, recruited Tobi for her MES degree. “My grandmother did not live to see me graduate with my Master’s degree, but, before she died, she reminded me that education is key. In order to bridge the gap between the indigenous and western worlds, we need to be educated in western schools alongside traditional knowledge. Dr. Natcher saw this as well, and the potential for First Nations people, like me, to write the story for native communities.” The MES degree she earned at SENS allowed Tobi to continue her studies. She is currently a PhD student in natural resources and sustainability at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. She is a Tobi with her husband, Brian Maracle, in Denali National Park, with Mount McKinley in the background. fellow in the Resiliency and Adapation Program there, and is adjunct professor in the University of Alaska’s Tribal Management program, where she works mostly with rural native students. When she has time, Tobi works for Alaska native tribes and tribal consortiums in resource development and environmental policy. Her continued work to bring together an indigenous worldview with that of the western academy has provided some profound insights. “One constant in life is change,” she says. “Recently, I was visiting a remote First Nations reserve and I saw what I see too often: the uninvited effects of environmental and social change. The Aboriginal youth there characterized their lives as hopeless. Although their leadership is fighting hard for them, it seemed to me that the change from ‘hopeless’ to ‘hopeful’ could not come fast enough. Most Aboriginal scholars start in humble beginnings, often marginalized and impoverished, but we must find room to innovate. Exposure to a wider group of successful, likeminded individuals and communities will provide the motivation and mentorship we need to begin seeing change come more quickly.” Tobi has two recommendations for First Nations graduate students: first, consider interdisciplinary departments outside of your comfort zone, and second, find a mentor. “I believe the opportunity to be a part of SENS played an integral part of my continued development as a First Nations person. This opportunity was only made possible with the support, mentorship and patience of Dr. Natcher and SENS. Throughout my studies, Dr. Natcher and SENS consistently made room for my First Nation’s traditions. I believe this makes it possible for me and other First Nations students to succeed. Choosing an interdisciplinary department made all the difference in opening my mind to new ideas, and to opening new doors for me after graduation.” Tobi is a pragmatist when it comes to predicting the future where sustainability is concerned. “I don’t know what it holds,” she says. “All we can do to prepare for the future is to diversify what we know and open our minds to the idea that change is constant. Once we accept that change is constant, and therefore the answer is always changing, we will adapt and move more fluidly into the future with confidence. Accepting that we don’t have the answers takes ego out of the equation. Then all we are left with is the capacity to come up with solutions.” TODDI STEELMAN APPOINTED CHAIR OF MEEWASIN VALLEY AUTHORITY BOARD OF DIRECTORS SENS Executive Director and Professor Toddi Steelman took on a new role in April: Chair of the Meewasin Authority Board of Directors. Dr. Steelman was originally appointed to the Board, which includes representatives from the Government of Saskatchewan, the University of Saskatchewan, and the City of Saskatoon, in July 2014. Toddi Steelman is the ninth chair of the Meewasin Valley Authority Board. “I’m honoured with this appointment and look forward to working as board chair with the diverse groups that care deeply about Meewasin and its importance as the heart and beauty of our city,” said Dr. Steelman. Talking SENSe | Spring and Summer Term 2015 6 RCE Award: SENS Undergraduate Certificate Recognized The Regional Centre of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development in Saskatchewan held its annual recognition awards at the University of Saskatchewan in May. RCE Saskatchewan is one of a network of such centres, all part of a United Nations University initiative to advance the United Nations Decade for Sustainable Development, which ran from 2005 to 2014 (see http://www.saskrce.ca/system/files/files/ RCE_FAQ_Backgrounder.pdf for more information). The recognition awards honour initiatives which make contributions to formal or non-formal education for sustainable development (ESD), and build capacity within the community and the province for ESD. The SENS Undergraduate Certificate was one of several projects recognized at the event. The certificate was created so undergraduate students would have access to integrated sustainability programming at the University of Saskatchewan, an offering which had not been previously available. The certificate focuses on sustainability from local to global contexts, and gives students the opportunity to focus on either sustainability and natural resources, or on sustainability and community. The introductory course for the certificate, ENVS 201: Foundations of Sustainability, introduces students to the sustainability concept and different interpretations of sustainability, while focusing on how to integrate knowledge and perspectives from both the social and natural sciences. ENVS 401: Sustainability in Action is the certificate capstone course. Students work on interdisciplinary, collaborative projects to address sustainability challenges on campus. Projects have addressed issues such as green roofs, renewable energy, greening the U of S endowment, composting, and landscape management. instructors in ENVS 401. “ We taught them [core sustainability concepts], guided them and expected them to take dramatic action with their projects.” This aligns directly with the RCE Saskatchewan themes of building sustainable communities and promoting cultural adaptation for sustainability. U of S Interim Provost Ernie Barber and SENS Executive Director Toddi Steelman at the RCE Recognition Awards “I think about sustainability not as an environmental matter but a cultural and behavioural matter,” says Phil Loring, assistant professor in SENS, who also instructs ENVS 401. Clearly, RCE Saskatchewan is in agreement. Considering the certificate was launched in fall 2014, SENS is very pleased that it has already been recognized with an RCE award. “Our students set out to take actions,” says Colin Laroque, professor in Soil Science and SENS, one of the From left: Saskatchewan Lieutenant Governor Vaughn Solomon Schofield; ENVS 201 instructor Felicitas Egunyu; ENVS 401 instructors Colin Laroque and Phil Loring; SENS Executive Director Toddi Steelman; and, RCE Saskatchewan Co-coordinator Lyle Benko at the RCE Saskatchewan Recognition Awards 7 Talking SENSe | Spring and Summer Term 2015 Spring Convocation 2015: SENS Reaches the 100 Alumni Mark Spring Convocation 2015 marked many milestones. Not only were six Master of Environment and Sustainability and four Master of Sustainable Environmental Management degrees conferred, the first five students to complete the Certificate of Proficiency in Sustainability received their parchments. SENS Astri Buchanan, MES – The Influence of Gender on the Adaptive Capacity of Swedish Reindeer Herding Communities. Supervisor: Maureen Reed Noel Galuschik, MES – Phosphorus Cycling and Water Quality in an Agricultural MEMBER OF SENS FOUNDING FACULTY RETIRES Charles Maulé, Professor in the Department of Civil and Geological Engineering and SENS, retired in June. Dr. Maulé was one of the first faculty appointed to SENS, when the School’s faculty was formed in 2008. Prior to that, he served as a member of the School’s Advisory Committee, and played a key role in the initial development of the curriculum for the three SENS graduate programs. Dr. Maulé taught ENVS 831: Current Issues in Land Reclamation and Remediation, and advised seven students in the MSEM program. He served as Chair of the SENS Academic Programs Committee several times, and, as a senior member of the faculty, was often called upon to serve as Acting Director in the Executive Director’s absence. also has an extra reason to celebrate this year -- the School now has more than 100 alumni! The Spring 2015 class brings the total number of graduates to 104. The School congratulates its latest grads: Richard Baah, MSEM - A Mechanism for Benchmarking the Sustainability of the University of Saskatchewan Agricultural Practices and Operations. Advisor: Ken Belcher Davida Bentham, MSEM – Environmental Sustainability Policy and Practice in Aboriginal Education Settings in Canada. Advisor: Marcia McKenzie Kelly Richardson, MSEM – Biodiversity Conservation: Recommendations for the City of Saskatoon. Advisor: Bob Patrick Katie Suek, MSEM – Aboriginal Youth and Urban Food Production. Advisor: Rachel Engler-Stringer Rosa Brannen, MES – Controls on Connectivity and Streamflow Generation in a Canadian Prairie Landscape. Supervisors: Chris Spence and Andrew Ireson Watershed. Supervisor: Helen Baulch SENS has benefitted tremendously from Dr. Maulé’s contributions, and we all wish him well in his retirement. Raea Gooding, MES – Denitrification in Small Reservoirs: Understanding Nitrogen Removal Across an Agricultural Watershed. Supervisor: Helen Baulch Matthew Harmin, MES – Epistemological Stretching and Transformative Sustainability: An Intuitive Inquiry. Supervisor: MJ Barrett Nils Lokken, MES – Attitudes, Trust, and Wildlife Co-management in Igluligaarjuk, Qamani’tuaq, and Tikirarjuaq, Nunavut, Canada. Supervisor: Douglas Clark Janell Rempel, MES – Costs, Benefits, and Barriers to the Adoption and Retention of Shelterbelts in Prairie Agriculture as Identified by Saskatchewan Producers. Supervisor: Suren Kulshreshtha Certificate of Proficiency in Sustainability: Leah Jordon Peter Olsen Janessa Paetkau Laura Soucy Amie Vowles Executive Director Toddi Steelman presented Dr. Maulé with a certificate of appreciation at his retirement party. Talking SENSe | Spring and Summer Term 2015 8 SENS FACULTY RECEIVE TENURE Few decisions can impact a faculty member’s career in the way that the tenure decision does. A faculty member’s tenure case file takes more than six months to work its way through the levels of School and University committees, and approval must be received at each one for tenure to be granted. To receive tenure, faculty must meet the standards set by the University in the categories of academic credentials; teaching and supervision; knowledge of the discipline; research, scholarly, and artistic work; administration; and, public service and service to professional bodies. Two SENS faculty, Douglas Clark and Christy Morrissey, have met these standards, and were granted tenure on July 1, 2015. SENS is very pleased to recognize this milestone achievement. Congratulations, Doug and Christy! That One Time We Taught at the Nelson Mandela African Institution for Science and Technology (NMAIST) After three months of proposal preparation and waiting a month for award notification, on December 16, 2014, an announcement arrived in our inboxes that we—Ayodele Olagunju and Jania Chilima—had received the 2014 Academic Without Borders (AWB) Grant, in the amount of $10,000! One grant is given annually by AWB, a Montrealbased non-government organization, for a capacity development project at a higher institution of learning in a low- to mediumincome developing nation. This was exciting news—the grant is highly competitive, open only to academic professionals and researchers at Canadian institutions. It also meant that the hard work of delivering on our proposal was to begin! We proposed to design and deliver an Environmental Governance and Decision Making course at the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NMAIST) in Arusha, Tanzania. The grant required us to find a partner at the host institution. We were fortunate to partner with Dr. Hans Komakech, Lecturer in the School of Materials, Energy, Water and Environmental Sciences (MEWES). Dr. Komakech’s background is in water engineering and policy, and environmental management. He is an alumnus of the UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education in the Netherlands and has a vast understanding of environmental issues in East Africa, especially from a governance perspective. His expertise was very helpful, especially at the curriculum development and delivery stages of the course. We arrived in Arusha the night of April 27; the temperature was 18°C, near the lowest experienced in most tropical areas. Considering that it was snowing when we left Saskatoon on April 25, this was a treat! Arusha is heralded as ‘the Geneva of Africa,’ given its many diplomatic agencies. This, however, understates its natural beauty, including Mount Meru, a view of Mount Kilimanjaro, Arusha National Park, numerous lakes and springs, and, the lush greenery of the tropical trees. It’s truly nature’s paradise. Christy Morrissey and Doug Clark received tenure on July 1, 2015. The next morning, Dr. Komakech met us for our formal introduction (this was the first time we met in person) and to review the plan for Ayodele and Jania at the main entrance to campus. the next three weeks. The next day we visited NMAIST to meet staff and faculty in our home department, the School of MEWES, and to select a classroom. NMAIST is impressively modern, with technologically advanced lecture theatres, facilitation rooms, classrooms, and laboratories. We selected the classroom where we would spend 9 am-3:30 pm daily for the next three weeks, and were ready for our first class on Monday May 4. The class had 26 participants—10 NMAIST graduate students, and 16 others, including industry and municipal government representatives, and graduate students and lecturers from other universities. Participants came from different environmental subdisciplines, such as: biotechnology/material science, natural resource management, land use planning, wildlife management, sustainable agriculture, geography, tourism management, community planning, forestry, and environmental education. This rich class composition helped to ensure that issues and class materials were approached from a truly interdisciplinary perspective, informed by many knowledge types and experiences. Participants were highly informed and 9 Talking SENSe | Spring and Summer Term 2015 learning were respected. Participants in a small group discussion. focused and were always ready to learn and challenge current discourses. We felt like new learners, exposed to diverse and rich understandings of environmental issues that are contextually different from what we experience in Canada. The course had four modules, reflecting our backgrounds and the expertise we had gained at SENS. However, the emphasis was on issues and practice in developing nations, especially Tanzania. The modules were Environmental Governance; Environmental Impact Assessment; Human and Ecological Risk Assessment; and, Professional Practice and Ethics for Environmental Professionals. Two cross-cutting themes, Environmental Decision Making and Conflict Management in Resource Communities, were taught separately to connect the modules, putting further emphasis on contextual realities of the developing world, specifically livelihood sustainability, human-wildlife interaction and management, and community governance of natural resources. The course used a compressed format and a facilitation style of teaching, to ensure adult learning pedagogies and mutual Visiting Mr. Kitomali’s farm. We wanted participants to gain further practical skills through interactive learning: classes had break-out sessions, world café discussion groups, gallery walk presentations, and group presentations. We invited experts with field experience and good understanding of the Tanzanian social and regulatory context to give lectures. Mr. Edward Lekaita, a resource management lawyer with the Ujamaa Community Resource Team, works with marginalized pastoralists and nomadic communities in northern Tanzania, to ensure their ways of life are preserved and that they have secure and recognized land rights. Mr. Lehada Shila, country director for the Tanzania Domestic Biogas Program at the Centre for Agricultural Mechanization and Rural Technology (CAMARTEC), spoke about how innovative, small-scale biogas facilities, designed and pioneered by CAMARTEC for small holder farmers, are transforming energy production and use in Tanzania. Dr. Jasper Ijumba, professor from NMAIST, legal expert, and biologist, presented the legal framework of Tanzanian environmental impact assessment. We organized a field visit to an integrated biogas application site at Mr. Kitomali’s farm, a few miles from campus. The field trip was a highlight for many, including us, as we had a team of CAMARTEC staff and other biogas researchers join us to learn about the benefits of biogas use, such as application of bio-slurry in farming and aquaculture; how such operations can minimize GHGs, especially methane in the atmosphere; and, its increased importance in the supply chain of organic foods for European markets. The main course ended on May 22 with presentations from student groups. The class had been divided into four teams to undertake different projects—two on EIA, and one each on ecological risk assessment and human health risk assessment. The larger campus community was invited to participate, which proved to be very educational and helped to assess the width and depth of knowledge acquired by participants. The presentations helped to reinforce taught materials, to clarify misconceptions, and to provide additional insights. We were excited to see the level of confidence and knowledge displayed by the participants. They were awarded certificates of completion by the Vice Chancellor, Professor Burton LM Mwamila, who was accompanied by the Dean of the School of MEWES, Professor Karoli N. Njau, and other MEWES faculty. The experience gained from teaching abroad was invaluable. It was a mutual learning experience that will always remind us of how environmental scholars and practitioners work together to make our world a better place. The “take home” messages from our time at NMAIST are: issues surrounding livelihood sustainability are very different in developing versus developed countries; genuine knowledge sharing on key issues such as environmental governance needs collaborative efforts that bring academics and practitioners together; and, developing countries coping with rapid changes in technology, especially in the energy sectors and environmental management, have considerable knowledge to share. Solutions derived locally have contextual sensitivity and are ‘fit-for-purpose.’ Doing research to increase capacity for ‘fit-for-purpose’ innovations can be more effective than transferring solutions from elsewhere. As PhD candidates in environment and sustainability, we believe that experiences such as designing and teaching a course in a foreign country is definitely one of the best ways to have a richer understanding and a more holistic picture of global environmental issues. We are very grateful for the support and encouragement we received from Dr. Toddi Steelman, Dr. Maureen Reed, and the entire SENS staff. Our appreciation also goes to Dr. Lawrence Martz, Vice Dean (Social Sciences), College of Arts and Science, for his assistance with preliminary logistics. Last, we are grateful to our supervisors, Drs. Jill Gunn and Lalita Bharadwaj, for the mentoring provided. By: Jania Chilima and Ayodele Olagunju, SENS PhD Candidates Talking SENSe | Spring and Summer Term 2015 10 UPCOMING EVENTS September 3 - First day of classes September 4 - 1:30 pm - ENVS 990 begins, Room 144 Kirk Hall. Ice cream social to follow. September 7 - Labour Day, University closed Water Worlds: PhD Student’s Paper in Nature Challenges the Status Quo Although only in his second year as a SENS PhD student, Jaivime Evaristo is making a splash in the world of water research. Evaristo is the lead author on a paper published in the September 3rd issue of Nature that sheds new light on how water moves through soil to nourish plants, recharge water stocks and discharge in streams. “The prevailing view in the field assumes that beneath the soil surface lies one huge tank where all water ‘meets, greets, and mixes’,” said Evaristo. In fact, his research shows that around the world, water is compartmentalized, with plants using soil water that does not contribute to groundwater recharge or stream flow. Evaristo’s research followed that of his supervisor and co-author Jeffery McDonnell, SENS professor and associate director of the Global Institute for Water Security. In a paper published in 2010, McDonnell and colleagues first challenged the single-mixing-tank model, tracking for the first time the isotope composition of mobile and immobile water at the watershed scale. Professor Jeff McDonnell and PhD student Jaivime Evaristo. “Jaivime’s PhD findings have the potential to change how we view the hydrological cycle – from what we teach in grade 10 science to academic research in related ecosystem and soil biogeochemical studies. It’s a huge finding,” said McDonnell. “I’m very impressed with the quality of Jaivime’s work on challenging current theories. It speaks to the caliber of water research undertaken at the U of S and the quality of the SENS graduate program.” One unique aspect of Evaristo’s work was using the scientific equivalent of crowd sourcing to collect data from 47 study sites around the world and using that data to calculate the extent of ecohydrological separation between plant water and groundwater. “My mission is to show myself that what we have found in field studies at Jeff ’s sites in Oregon and Mexico and my MSc research site in Puerto Rico is something that is ubiquitous in nature,” said Evaristo, freshly back from six months studying these processes under controlled conditions at the Biopshere-2 facility near Tucson, Arizona. Both Evaristo and McDonnell hope that their findings will inform new tool development that will more accurately predict water quantity and quality in diverse environments and how different parts of the world will respond to climate change and land-use change.