BMO Financial Group Future Green Leaders’ Fund
Inaugural Graduate Student Recipients

Protecting our Water…

Pranab Das, Ph.D.
Nanotechnology is a rapidly increasing field of research that has already introduced a variety of engineered nano particles into commercially available products such as clothing, cosmetics, paints, toothpastes and medical appliances. Research is showing that these newly engineered nano particles are harmful to aquatic environments.  Results from Pranab’s research will help us to understand the nature of these manufactured toxins to better protect the aquatic environment.

Colin Du, M.Sc.
Colin is studying a waterborne parasite – Giardia lamblia.  This parasite is found in freshwater systems worldwide and infects livestock and humans with the disease Giardiasis.  This disease is characterized by severe diarrhea and abdominal cramping, which can persist for weeks and months.   His research will determine how the activity of a key set of genes in Giardi is regulated, and the effect of this regulation of the parasite.  These studies will contribute to our understanding of the biology of Giardia, and the identification of unique molecules and pathways that can be exploited to develop more effective drugs for the treatment of this parasite.

Understanding agriculture…

Eric Beales, M.A. (Anthropology)
Eric is analyzing the spread of maize agriculture into Northeastern North America in the first millennium AD.  The transition from foraging to food production is viewed as one of the most significant changes in the modern human past.  The adoption of an agricultural lifestyle influences diet as well as transformations in nearly all facets of human social and symbolic life.

Protecting our Plants…

Kitty Cheung, M.Sc.
Plant diseases have plagued man since the dawn of agriculture.  Kitty’s thesis seeks to further explore the nature of a fungus – Ustilago maydis - that attacks corn – a main food staple for both humans and animals.   Billions of dollars are lost annually in North America alone due to naturally occurring crop diseases.  With a changing climate and an ever increasing human population, a global food crisis is emerging.  A greater understanding of plant-pathogen interactions is essential for the development of effective methods of disease control and sustainable crop production

Michael Donaldson, Ph.D.
Michael is studying the control of gene expression in the fungal plant pathogen Ustilago maydis (the common smut of corn).  Corn smut has also become the model for investigating other fungi that cause plant disease. Information gained through Michael's research can be transferred to the less tractable but economically devastating rust fungi. Therefore, studying the control of gene expression in corn smut provides knowledge to help mitigate economic loss associated with this, and other fungal plant diseases.

Protecting Endangered Species…

Sarah Dungan, MSc.,
Sarah is studying social behaviour in a Critically Endangered population of Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins living on the west coast of Taiwan.  The biggest threat to the dolphins' survival is habitat loss by land reclamation for factory and power-plant expansions.  This industrial development is driven in large part by consumerism in North America and contributes significantly to the degradation of Taiwan's once ecologically productive estuaries.  Little is known about how dolphin species socially respond to human impacts, but Sarah has discovered that the dolphins in Taiwan may have developed a cohesive, highly interconnected social network that allows them to better cope with their harsh environment.  Dolphins and humans share many social characteristics, so understanding how dolphin societies evolve in harsh environments may even provide further insight into the evolution of human social behaviour.

Heathyr Francis, M.Sc.,
Heather’s study of the rare, wild blue lupine population is focused on the Rice Lake Plains, south of Peterborough.  The wild blue lupine is an indicator species for high quality oak savannas and three currently extinct species of butterflies in Ontario.  By studying how this wild lupine produces its seeds, it will be possible to compare this species with other lupines both in the greenhouse and in the field.  It is anticipated that this study will assist in the restoration of savanna ecosystems and allow for the reintroduction of the three extinct butterfly species to Ontario.  Heather currently works part-time for the Trent-Severn Waterway National Waterway National Historic Site, Parks Canada as a Species at Risk Communication Technician to increase public awareness about species at risk and their habitats along the Trent-Severn Waterway (and Ontario in general).

Colin Garroway, Ph.D.
By studying the behaviour and genetic structure of both southern and northern flying squirrels, Colin has begun to uncover effects of climate change on biodiversity.  His findings indicate that the social behaviour of flying squirrels, nesting in groups to stay warm, could play an important role in our understanding of how species respond to climate change. Following climate change related range movements he found that there can be a loss of genetic diversity within populations and an increase in the potential for hybridisation between evolutionarily young species.  The loss of genetic diversity and hybridisation between species are likely to be detrimental to population persistence; however, in some instances hybridisation can facilitate adaptation.  Colin is currently a post doctoral researcher in the Department of Zoology at the University of Oxford, UK.

Andrea Storm Suke, Ph.D.
Andrea’s study of avian migration is essential for our understanding of avian ecology, life history and effective conservation.  By exploring the connectivity between migratory species, it will be possible to understand the limited ability of species to adapt to large-scale climate impacts such as climate warming.    Upon completion of her Ph.D., Andrea will be applying to the Veterinary Medicine program at the University of Guelph.

Helping to establish community-based renewable energy programs…

Beth Evans, M.A. (Canadian Studies)
Beth’s research into the barriers for establishing new renewable energy co-operatives in Ontario is both timely and important.  As society is now realizing that our dependence on fossil fuels is both damaging and short sighted, the development of community-based renewable energy sources is a priority.    As demonstrated in several European countries already, when communities take ownership of energy projects, this helps them to achieve both energy and economic security.  Beth is currently working with a Peterborough-based group to help them establish a local energy co-operative to the benefit of the Peterborough community.  Her findings will also be of benefit to other communities who are looking for alternatives that could benefit from the Ontario government’s new initiatives within the Green Energy and Economy Act.

Protecting maternal health….

Ryan Heighton, M.Sc.,
Ryan’s research will provide further insight to examining and assessing the influence of a variety of environmental stressors on early neonatal maternal care and how this can affect our health in later life.  As the brain and breast complete their development after birth, Ryan’s research could help identify how early life stress affects neurological development and the subsequent influences on mammary gland development, cancer predisposition and coping behavior.