|
Chairs Appointed
Sustainable Horticulture, Kwantlen University – Dr. Deborah Henderson
The appointment of Dr Deborah Henderson, director of the Institute for Sustainable Horticulture (ISH), as the sixth BC Regional Innovation Chair was announced on October 15, 2009 at the Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Langley campus. Dr Henderson has a B.Sc. in biology from Trent University, an M.Sc. in parasitology from the University of Manitoba, and a PhD in entomology from the University of B.C. She has worked closely with private companies, growers associations and government agencies on integrated pest management for several years and will build on this hands-on experience in her new role.
The ISH will develop new biocontrol products from native strains of viruses and fungi which will target pests in major crops and landscapes. Support for local growers and food systems will promote the security of healthy food and a healthy environment.
The Province has also invested $2.2 million in the Institute’s new facilities – 450 square metres of research labs on the Langley campus, and a 700-square-metre research greenhouse to study the potential for geothermal heat as a clean energy source. The $7.1-million research facility, Kwantlen’s first, will have climate-controlled rooms for rearing insects, specialized rooms for production of beneficial fungi and viruses, a molecular diagnostic lab, and two research labs for study of the insects and microbial biocontrols. The adjacent greenhouse, as well as being used to test alternative energy options such as geothermal heating and cooling systems, will provide 500 square metres of growing space to study production systems for new indoor crops.
Marine Ecosystems and Global Change, UVIC – Dr Kim Juniper
As the LEEF BC Leadership Chair in Marine Ecosystems and Global Change, based at the University of Victoria, Dr. Kim Juniper will conduct research with a global impact, contributing directly to a better understanding of how human-induced climate change is influencing the oceans, and an improved understanding of variations in fisheries yields.
Juniper’s research will involve the innovative use of new generations of underwater sensors and imaging devices. He’ll make extensive use of the UVic-led VENUS and NEPTUNE Canada undersea cabled observatories for real-time observation of seafloor ecosystems. Collaboration with other VENUS and NEPTUNE researchers will help him understand how other parts of the ocean-climate system are affecting the seafloor.
Juniper was educated at the University of Alberta and the University of Canterbury in New Zealand and is coming to BC from the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM). At UVic, he has a joint appointment with both the School of Earth and Ocean Sciences and the Department of Biology. He was previously the co-scientific director of NEPTUNE Canada and is the founding director and current president of the Canadian Scientific Submersible Facility, which operates the ROPOS submersible based at the Institute of Ocean Sciences in Sidney, BC.
Salmon Conservation and Management, SFU – Dr
John Reynolds
On November 29, 2005 the fourth BC Leadership Chair was awarded
to Dr John Reynolds of SFU with matching funds from the Pacific
Salmon Foundation and other donors. Dr Reynolds, who is returning
to Canada after working as professor and chair of conservation
ecology at the University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK, has
been appointed the Tom Buell BC Leadership Chair in Salmon
Conservation and Management. A one-time doctoral student
at SFU, Dr Reynolds is an internationally recognized expert
on biodiversity and fish ecology.
Dr Reynolds will be based in SFU’s Department of Biological
Sciences, where he will provide leadership for collaborative
research projects with faculty members as well as external
organizations, including federal and provincial agencies, the Pacific
Salmon Foundation and the Pacific
Fisheries Resource Conservation Council. Through projects, comparative studies
and long-term experiments on wild salmon populations, Dr Reynolds
hopes to arrive at a better understanding of how salmon fisheries
and habitat management affect both salmon and our ecosystem,
which will translate into more holistic approaches to conservation.
Proposals Receiving
Preliminary Approval
The following institutions have been invited to submit full proposals for Leading Edge Endowment Fund chairs.
Environmental and Forest Genomics – UVic
British Columbia’s forests exist in a changing world,
and adaptability of our trees will be key to their survival.
This chair will apply genomics -
the large-scale investigation of the structure and function of genes – to
study the response of forests to environmental change and disease in order to
maintain the health of BC’s forests for future generations.
Reservoir Ecology - UBC - Okanagan
Applied research and expertise is required to ensure the sustainability of
B.C.'s rivers and reservoir systems as a source of clean hydroelectric energy
and water. This interdisciplinary chair will provide leadership and facilitate
information-sharing from private, public and non-government sources to monitor
and understand the effects of reservoir management on the environment.
|
