Research
The following highlights some of the areas of growth and research in the faculty:
Water Science and Biogeophysical Processes
Dr. Leah Bendell undertakes research directed at assessing the effects of anthropogenic activities on ecosystem structure and function. She incorporates the ecological characteristics of the species of interest to help determine where these species are at greatest risk of exposure to anthropogenic contaminants.
Fisheries, Aquatic Systems and Coastal Management
Dr. Evelyn Pinkerton is a maritime anthropologist who integrated common property theory and cultural/political ecology in considering the role communities play in the management of adjacent renewable natural resources. She had a role in developing the theory and practice of power-sharing and stewardship through co-management agreements.
Resource Use and Applied Environmental Conservation in Terrestrial Ecosystems
Dr. Ken Lertzman has an ongoing interest in how changing climate drives ecosystems and the landscapes and resources available to people who live in them and how people respond to those changes.
Development and Sustainability in Latin America and Asia
Dr. Mark Roseland's specific areas of focus include municipal climate change mitigation and adaptation, transportation planning and traffic management, land use planning and growth management, housing and social policy, social equity and community capital, energy conservation and efficiency, waste reduction and recycling, urban agriculture and community food systems, and governance for sustainable development.
Political, Social and Economic Issues in Urban Planning and Sustainability
Dr. Janet Sturgeon looks at how property rights and access to natural resources are linked to ethnicity, markets, state policies, local social histories, and globalization. She has focused on ethnic minority farmers in the Golden Economic Quadrangle.
Geographical Information Systems, Spatial Modeling and Visualization Techniques
Dr. Nick Hedley researches areas of geographic and spatial visualization, advanced interface research, geographic information science, cartography and spatial cognition. He has strong interests in the areas of geographic education, spatial decision-making, space-time visualization, fuzzy sets and multi-dimensional representation.
First Nations and the Environment
Dr. Dana Lepofsky is an archaeologist working on a team composed of marine ecologists, fisheries biologists, archaeologists, ethnographers, and Tla’amin cultural experts locating and mapping ancient sea gardens on the Sunshine Coast looking to apply the team’s findings to the modern management of culturally and biologically important species.
