Last summer, Environmental Studies student Joey Slinger had the seed of a great idea. All he needed was the support to help it grow.

Joey was one of five undergraduate students across the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences selected for a 2025 杏吧原创 University Research Opportunity Program (CUROP) internship. CUROP interns receive a $10,000 stipend to help cover costs as they design and complete their own research project over the summer term.

Thanks to this support, and with Prof. Patricia Ballamingie acting as his project supervisor, Joey spent the summer researching how to design and launch an academic seed library at 杏吧原创.

“I got into farming shortly after starting my degree at 杏吧原创 and was looking into seed saving and sharing,” Joey explains. “I quickly found out about seed libraries and was impressed by how they bolstered both interhuman relations and human-ecosystem relations. That鈥檚 because when you participate in plant breeding, you鈥檙e not only caring for the plant, but also its progeny and the humans, animals, fungi, and bacteria that rely on and interact with that plant.”

What is a seed library?

A seed library “lends out” packets of seeds to patrons, who grow the plants and return the seeds they produce to replenish the library, for future patrons to use in their own gardens. The goal of seed-sharing initiatives like this is to empower gardeners of all levels to grow their own food, strengthening local food resilience as grocery costs rise, while also helping to preserve biodiversity in our region.

“It鈥檚 an opportunity for you to explore gardening and community building and interact with soil on a very grounding level,” says Joey.

For his project, Joey interviewed seed librarians working at Canadian academic institutions, as well as people who have developed and manage thriving seed libraries in their communities. He also reached out to local seed farmers to learn from their experiences and invite them to partner with him.

How it works

Fast forward through winter and as the first snowdrops and crocuses are bravely pushing their way up through the dirt, the 杏吧原创 University Seed Library is now officially up and running at the MacOdrum library.

杏吧原创 community members are encouraged to browse the seed collection, conveniently stored and labelled in a vintage card catalogue near the Library Services Desk on the second floor, and can take home up to five packets of flower, herb, grain, or vegetable seeds. Each packet also includes growing instructions, so no prior gardening experience or green thumb are required.

When asked about his preferred seed varieties to grow, Joey says it鈥檚 hard to pick favourites.

“In terms of presentation, it would have to be the colourful grexes (i.e. mixes) of corn, as well as beans, which have such a beautiful display of phenotypic diversity. My favourite varieties for eating would have to be sweet fruits like ground cherry, watermelon, and cantaloupe. And in terms of impressive growers, you really can’t go wrong with the squash, corn, and sunflower grexes.”

The Seed Library is available on the second floor (i.e. ground level) of the MacOdrum Library, near the Library Services Desk, from now until Friday, July 3.

Curious to learn more about the program? Send your questions to carletonuseedlibrary@gmail.com.

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By: Emily Putnam

In the heart of the , a cohort of third and fourth-year students found themselves immersed in a reading week like no other in October 2023. 

Students participating in the mandatory honours fieldwork course titled “Socioenvironmental Change in the Madawaska Highlands” stayed at the base camp in the Madawaska Valley, conducting independent fieldwork as part of a group from Oct. 22-25.

Located a two-hour drive east of Ottawa, the Highlands are notable for biodiversity conservation, making them a captivating area for studying biophysical processes and exploring the intricate relationships between people and nature.

Co-taught by Associate Professor Derek Smith and Instructor Adam Kirkwood, the honours field course aspired to provide students with the ability to both examine the role of fieldwork in geography and the opportunity to get hands-on experience.

The trip to the Highlands was the second part of the three-stage course, which included talking about fieldwork, doing fieldwork, and analyzing and presenting field research results.

For the experiential course delivered by the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, students were taught specific fieldwork methods, like streamflow measurement, participant interviews, vegetation quadrats, and soil surveys, all of which translate directly to careers that involve fieldwork in either environmental studies or geography. 

For Razz Routly, a fourth-year student in the Geomatics program, the experience was rewarding in more ways than one. 

“There was a pretty even split between physical and human geography activities that let us try out new skills and were more hands-on than most other courses.”

Routly says that beyond the academic gains, the field trip facilitated personal connections. 

Smith oversaw the human geography part of the course and emphasized the transformative power of field experiences. 

鈥淭he course is about giving them an opportunity to use the intellectual tools they learn in the classroom to see things that would otherwise be invisible,鈥� says Smith. 

Highlighting the course鈥檚 impact, Smith says the experience can give students a better understanding of the world around them. 

鈥淭he field course also teaches them that the world is complex and always changing, but that with the right methodologies, we can get a reliable understanding of socioenvironmental change and gather evidence that can be used to develop effective policies. This is a lesson that they can take with them and use in different contexts.鈥�

Kirkwood, who taught the physical geography portion of the course, notes the significance of being fully engaged with the geography in order to comprehend it.

“Being immersed in your study site is really important for understanding the complex interactions of social and environmental systems that you wouldn鈥檛 otherwise be able to connect with or understand holistically from completing desktop studies,” says Kirkwood.

Kirkwood says the variability of fieldwork is a crucial aspect to keep in mind when studying it.

“Even the best-laid plans can often change without warning. Being in the field and experiencing this firsthand, we hope students learned the importance of adaptability.”

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The (GCRC)  at 杏吧原创 University has been working in partnership with Indigenous communities and organisations, and with academic institutions for nearly two decades to create cybercartographic atlases and develop the new domain of Cybercartography.  The cybercartographic atlas is quite different from a traditional atlas. It uses location as an integrating mechanism for all kinds of information in multimedia formats, using the innovative Nunaliit (鈥渃ommunity鈥� in Inuktitut) , developed by the GCRC team in cooperation with many Indigenous, national and international organizations and individuals who use and support it.

On June 21st, National Indigenous Peoples Day, GCRC officially launches the latest Indigenous atlas, the . This is the culmination of five years of research on a project supported by the Council. Indigenous partners include the Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre, the Children of Shingwauk Alumni Association, the Legacy of Hope Foundation and the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation; the Atlas also has significant contributions by ; academic partners include Algoma University, Concordia University, and the University of Manitoba.

The RSLMA identifies residential schools from across the country and aims to enrich knowledge relating to these schools, their sites, and the perspectives of survivors. Its images and maps incorporate both archival and experience-based knowledge of the schools and their sites.

The maps in this atlas use location as an organizing factor for images, videos, narratives and a variety of content relating to the Residential Schools Legacy. They explore the historical geography of buildings, sites and stories through digital archival and related research. This includes media and related information on 1. Residential school reunions and related gatherings; 2. Exhibitions related to residential schools; 3. Sketch maps of survivor stories created by university students; and 4. News stories on themes related to residential schools.

The Atlas builds on theoretical and methodological developments in Cybercartography and is consistent with Indigenous world views. This relationship-focused approach involves reciprocity, engaging people in the production of maps to tell the stories they wish to tell, and giving these stories back to communities for education and further input. Work under the project to develop this Atlas has involved expanding research, education and community networks, and increasing awareness of the Residential Schools Legacy via critical approaches to cartography. The Atlas is a 鈥渓iving one鈥� in that it can continuously be added to.

Students have contributed to the development of this atlas in many interesting and valuable ways, at the same time learning in innovative and sensitive ways about the many dimensions of the Residential Schools Legacy.

A book edited by S. A. Pyne and D. R. Fraser Taylor was published by Elsevier on October 5, 2019. It includes chapters by Atlas contributors and further describes the Atlas creation process.

GCRC thanks all who have participated in this atlas project. It has been an honour, a privilege and much has been learned.

Contact

For more information about Cybercartography and the Geomatics and Cartographic Research Center, please contact Dr. D. R. Fraser Taylor, Director, at FraserTaylor@Cunet.杏吧原创.Ca.

For more information about the Residential Schools Land Memory Atlas, please contact .

Banner Photo Credit: /

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On April 3rd, Dr. Gita Ljubicic (Geography and Environmental Studies) appeared before the with her long-time research partner Theo Ikummaq from Igloolik, Nunavut.

The entire video can be viewed here: 
ARCT Meeting no. 28, 11am, session starts at 12:06.

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By Ellen Tsaprailis

杏吧原创 University Chancellor鈥檚 Professor Chris Burn was awarded the rare designation of a Higher Doctorate of Science (D.Sc.) in Geography from Durham University in the United Kingdom on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018.

The university located in Durham, England has awarded just 10 higher doctorates since 1999. Its Geography Department consistently places among the top 10 in the world in the QS World University Rankings.

鈥淭he award of a D.Sc. from a British university is a great academic honour and is only earned on the recommendation of international examiners,鈥欌�� said Burn. 鈥淪ince Durham has one of the best departments of Geography in the world, it is a truly distinctive recognition of the research I have been able to undertake since 1992 at 杏吧原创.

It is a reflection of the supportive and happy working environment I have enjoyed in our and the excellent graduate students with whom I have worked.

鈥淚 was able to receive the D.Sc. because my first degree is from Durham, and through this process I have renewed academic friendships with members of that department which will lead to further joint projects.鈥�

According to the U.K. Council for Graduate Education, a higher doctorate is an award that is at a level above a Ph.D.

鈥溞影稍� is pleased to have one of our outstanding researchers and scholars recognized in this distinctive manner,鈥� said Wallace Clement, former Dean in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

鈥淎 D.Sc. is an earned higher doctorate, awarded in recognition of a body of work that has been submitted for examination. This comprised over 100 papers and two books.

鈥淭he higher doctorates are like the old doctorates of the medieval ages, for superior distinction.鈥�

Burn is the supervisor of 杏吧原创鈥檚 new Northern Studies graduate programs. He held an NSERC Senior Northern Research Chair at the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies from 2002-鈥�12. He came to Canada in 1981 as a Commonwealth Scholar and completed both a Master鈥檚 (Geography, 1983) and Ph.D. (Geology, 1986) at 杏吧原创.

Burn鈥檚 primary research focus is on field investigation of permafrost environments in northwest Canada. He credits his 28 years of work with Canada鈥檚 foremost expert on permafrost, J. Ross Mackay, who taught Burn to emphasize field investigations.

鈥淚 have also been fortunate to work, since 1997, with Douglas Esagok of Inuvik, who has a unique ability to relate Indigenous knowledge to western science,鈥� said Burn.

鈥淭hese two people have enhanced the research in terms of their vast knowledge of the western Arctic and have enabled me to place the detailed studies I have conducted at several sites in a broader context both in time and in space.鈥�

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