view . spring 2012
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Left: Ianina Altshuler and James Vaillant examine a flask of tap water in their GLIER lab. Both master’s students in
environmental sciences are part of a new program that is training students to preserve freshwater resources.
It’s arguably the most precious
commodity in the world and by
studying the multitude of ways
it becomes polluted, UWindsor
student James Vaillant will
be better prepared to protect
our water.
“Water is one of the most important
resources on the planet,” says
Vaillant, a first-year master’s student
in environmental sciences. He is
participating in the ERASMUS Training
Program in Aquatic Ecosystem Health,
a $1.6-million Natural Science and
Engineering Research Council program
designed to train a new generation of
multi-disciplinary scientists devoted
to preserving fresh water. “The only way to change things for the
better is by fully understanding the issues.”
Named after a Dutch Renaissance theologian and modelled
after another program called the European Action Scheme for the
Mobility of University Students, Windsor’s ERASMUS program
will train more than 50 students over the next six years. It will
be based at the University of Windsor’s Great Lakes Institute for
Environmental Research and its team of 30 scientists will be led by
GLIER researcher Dr. Melania Cristescu.
Cristescu’s team, which includes 10 North American universities,
five industrial and four governmental partners, will train students
through interdisciplinary research collaborations, national and
international exchanges, internships and interactive workshops.
These future scientists will gain skills to transform academic
knowledge of the effects of pollutants in aquatic environments into
such concrete action as assessing risks, implementing policies and
designing recovery plans.
“The main goal is training,” says Cristescu. “Graduates will be
able to work in positions where they can have a positive influence
on the way we manage our aquatic
ecosystems.”
The funding, from NSERC’s
Collaborative Research and Training
Experience (CREATE) program, will
prepare students to understand a
multitude of such environmental
stressors as metal contaminants, the
decline of calcium and invasive species
that threaten our sources of fresh water
and the diverse range of organisms
they support.
Cristescu said a recent labour
market report estimated that 14,300
environmental specialists will be needed
in the next four years to meet federal
government commitments to clean
up contaminated sites and secure clean water. Graduates of the
program will be qualified to work as environmental consultants,
human and ecological health risk assessors, hazardous waste
specialists and laboratory managers.
Guidelines to protect such resources as water are essential and
require training students with interdisciplinary expertise to develop
effective management systems, said Dr. Ranjana Bird, UWindsor
vice president of research.
“Currently, the training of environmental professionals focuses
on high specialization within narrowly defined disciplines,” says Dr.
Bird. “Training our students to study these problems from a variety
of perspectives will make them better suited for finding timely and
relevant solutions and to become future leaders in the field.”
Second-year master’s student Ianina Altshuler attended an
environmental genomics workshop in Maine through the program.
She says that, after finishing her PhD, she hopes to find employment
with a government department such as Environment Canada.
“I think that’s where you can influence policy and have the
opportunity to make a real difference.”
n
v
PROTECTING
OUR WATERWAYS
ERASMUS project
BY STEPHEN FIELDS
“WATER IS ONE OF THE MOST
IMPORTANT RESOURCES ON THE
PLANET, THE ONLY WAY TO
CHANGE THINGS FOR THE
BETTER IS BY FULLY
UNDERSTANDING THE ISSUES.”
JAMES VAILLANT, A FIRST-YEAR
MASTER’S STUDENT IN
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
