Master of Environmental Sciences

I chose the University of Guelph’s Master in Environmental Science program primarily due to the diverse range of courses it offers. This variety, combined with the flexible course scheduling, has allowed me to complete my studies at a pace that suits me best. Many of my courses involve field trips to apply techniques and concepts learned in class, such as the trip we took to the credit river as part of Stressors in the Great Lakes course.

Be prepared for some incredible experiences, like no other, that reach beyond the conventional classroom while embracing multiple ways of knowing and seeing the world to support reconciliation and truly transformation of environmental science.

I study the abundance and distribution of critters and plants in ecosystems. I am particularly fascinated with fresh water and marine ecosystems. They are incredibly complex, incredibly diverse and the fact that they persist in the face of environmental change that's what really fascinates me.

I’m environment chemist and I enjoy finding new things that we didn't or couldn't know before about our molecular environment. I work with a tool called nuclear magnetic resonance or NMR for short and this tool allows us to study molecules in their natural environment and soil and groundwater in a way that other methods don't really allow for.

I think for me it's not just it's not an academic question or issues that draw me. I think I have to feel almost spiritually or emotionally connected to the area where I'm working and the problems that I'm trying to solve so if it's working with First Nations or it's working in certain kinds of environment I have to feel really excited about it or it's not going to go.

I am interested in the evolution of the flower flies and other related groups of Diptera. I believe that flower flies represent an ideal model system to study the evolution of pollination behaviours in insects.

My research relates to environmental toxicology, so I look at the impact of chemicals that are used in various aspects of society whether it's on agriculture or industry or commercially and their potential fate. How they make their way into the environment, what happens to them when they get in the environment and what effect they might have on biota, on different species in the environment.

Most of the global population still relies on plant-based medicines as their primary medical intervention. This puts an enormous and unsustainable pressure on the largely wild-harvested plants. Bringing these crops into controlled environment production will improve the quality, consistency, and safety of these medical commodities while also relieving the pressure on wild populations.