Programme
Thursday 18 February 2021
9:00-9:20 am. Welcome, articulation of goals, and explanation of programme (Stephen Lougheed & Dwight Robinson)
9:20-9:30 am. Pre-recorded welcome. Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, The Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell
9:30-10:15 am. Plenary talk. Mrs. Wendy Harrison-Smith, Manager, Research and Development, the National Water Commission. Tentative title: Water potability and wastewater management in Jamaica. The role of the National Water Commission.
10:15-11:00 am. Plenary talk. Dr. Jeff Ridal. Executive Director and Chief Research Scientist, St. Lawrence River Institute). Title: Great Lakes, Great River: Natural History, Current Challenges and Restoration in the St. Lawrence River Basin.
Friday 19 February 2021
Research talks.
Water security, equity, and supply (Session chair: Geof Hall)
- 9:00-9:15 am. Tessa Latchmore (PhD candidate, School of Environmental Studies) et al. – Using a large spatiotemporal groundwater quality dataset to delineate a suite of Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessments for private drinking water wells in Ontario | Abstract |
- 9:15-9:30 am. Lauren Halliwell (Civil Engineering, Masters Applied Science, Upgrading to PhD) et al. – Wastewater issues, treatment and effluent release for small municipalities | Abstract |
- 9:30-9:45 am. Sophie Felleiter (Civil Engineering, PhD candidate) – Early detection tools for SARS-CoV-2 in municipal wastewater | Abstract |
- 9:45-10:00 am. Corinna Dally-Starna (Environmental Studies, PhD candidate) – Can Canada’s First Nations water security be engineered? The role of project and engineering management in achieving long-term infrastructure service delivery objectives | Abstract |
10:00-10:10 am. Break
Water pollution and quality research (Session chair: Brian Cumming)
- 10:10-10:25 am. Xinyu Sun (PhD candidate, Biology, Queen’s University) et al. – Examining the interactive effects of increased salinity and heatwave on freshwater zooplankton communities and the influence of timing | Abstract |
- 10:25-10:40 am. Allen Tian (PhD student, Biology, Queen’s University) et al. – Early detection of toxic algal blooms using unmanned aerial vehicles | Abstract |
- 10:40-10:55 am. Katherine Moir (PhD candidate, Biology, Queen’s University) et al. – Lower-trophic-level responses to legacy sedimentary mercury contamination on the St. Lawrence River | Abstract |
- 10:55-11:10 am. Dexter-Dean Colquhoun (PhD candidate, Marine Sciences, Life Sciences, University of West Indies) et al. – An assessment of water quality and plankton in key areas of the East Portland Special Fishery Conservation Area Jamaica | Abstract |
11:10-11:20 am. Break
Aquatic biodiversity and conservation research (Session chair: Shelley Arnott)
- 11:20-11:35 am. Ying Chen (PhD student, Biology, Queen's University) et al. – Taxonomy as destiny. Conflicting phylogenetic trees and conservation priorities in Canadian chorus frogs | Abstract |
- 11:35-11:50 am. Gina-Marie Maddix (MPhil candidate, Marine Sciences, Life Sciences, University of West Indies) - Morphological and potential genetic variability in Acropora palmata populations across Jamaica’s north coast | Abstract |
- 11:50 am - 12:05 pm. Shrisha Mohit (MSc student, Biology, Queen’s University) et al. – Preventing the spread of aquatic invasive species: what is the efficacy of decontamination practices for recreational watercraft? | Abstract |
- 12:05-12:20 pm. Wenxi Feng (PhD candidate, Biology, Queen’s University) et al. – New approaches to monitoring Canadian at-risk species and aquatic biodiversity using environmental DNA | Abstract |
12:20 pm -12:50 pm. Lunch
12:50-1:45 pm. Breakout sessions (focused on each of the following questions)
- How can institutions in Eastern Ontario and the Caribbean region deepen their research collaborations, and more specifically those of UWI Mona and Queen’s University. Drs. Brian Cumming (Queen’s) and Mona Webber (UWI)
- What are the most pressing water-related issues in Jamaica and Eastern Ontario, and how can the expertises at our respective institutions be harnessed to address them? Drs. Shelley Arnott (Queen’s) and Leighton Ellis (UWI)
- What student exchange and teaching opportunities can we create to benefit our respective institutions? Drs. Yuxiang Wang (Queen’s) and Dwight Robinson (UWI)
1:45-2:00 pm. Break
2:00-3:00 pm. Round table. Moderators: Drs. Dwight Robinson and Stephen Lougheed
Moderators from each Breakout Session will deliver their findings and we will synthesize this information for dissemination and planning.