2024 Undergraduate Summer Research Projects Biology
These scholarships include NSERC USRAs and support undergraduate students wanting to do research with a Biology Faculty member. They include Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) USRA Awards as well as Endowed awards administered by the Faculty of Science. The scholarships are valued at approximately $9,000 (inc. supervisor contribution).
Student Eligibility:
- Have completed (by May) at least 52 credit hours of university courses
- Have no more than one PASS grade for credit-bearing courses during Winter and Summer 2020, and no more than one PASS grade during Fall/Winter 2020-21
- Note that you will be asked to submit photocopies of transcripts for all post-secondary institutions that you have attended.
- Students that are graduating in May will have to submit a letter from their supervisor indicating the quality of the student's research ability and the contribution that the work will make toward bridging them to grad school.
The Faculty of Science deadline for applying is January 26, 2024. Information is available and application can be made via the following links:
Faculty of Science general Information:
https://dalu.sharepoint.com/sites/science/SitePages/summer-research.aspx
Direct link for supervisor application:
https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=mRm4YH8LLUGSo-F9iunj4EyCEtP7BUxAmc0V6fr6Dl5UM05DV0NZVTBRNTBKSEtDVzZWWE0yRzhTNi4u
Direct link for supervisor application:
https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=mRm4YH8LLUGSo-F9iunj4EyCEtP7BUxAmc0V6fr6Dl5UOFQ5MEFGQUM4WUpOT0NUVVBRWFhGU0xRSi4u
List of Projects:
Dr. Cindy Staicer and Dr. Boris Worm
We are interested in recruiting one or two students to conduct an honours project next year. The student(s) will need to spend the summer in Halifax in order to conduct field work at a nearby conservation area, near Williams Lake. The project will focus on the Common Nighthawk, a species at risk, and its insect prey. The student(s) will conduct their research between mid-May and late-August 2024, supervised by Drs. Cindy Staicer and Boris Worm in collaboration with a local conservation organization, the Backlands Coalition http://backlandscoalition.ca/?p=6087. Due to the location and the need for extensive field work, access to a vehicle would be useful.
The student(s) should be in their third or fourth year and meet the GPA and course requirements for acceptance into the Biology honours program for 2024-2025. The successful student(s) will be encouraged to apply for a Summer Research Award early in the new year
Interested students should send a copy of their CV, academic transcripts and a short cover letter explaining why they are interested Cindy Staicer Cindy.Staicer@dal.ca
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Summer 2024 Undergraduate Research Award Project opportunities in the School for Resource & Environmental Studies
Faculty Lead to Contact: Dr. Alana Westwood of the School for Resource & Environmental Studies (SRES)
Project Title: Forest disturbance and freshwater ecosystems in Nova Scotia’s transition to ecological forestry
Short description:
Clearcutting has been the predominant form of forest harvesting in the Wabanaki forest of Nova Scotia, which led to young, regenerating stands across the province. Cumulative watershed modification through timber harvesting and road building has impacted freshwater species in Nova Scotia, cited as wide-ranging threats that contributed to the ‘endangered’ statuses of several native species, including Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). In June 2022, Nova Scotia transitioned to an ecological forestry model that eliminated clearcutting on Crown lands, barring certain high production areas. However, knowledge gaps remain related to watershed planning and freshwater habitat in this transition.
The Research Assistant (RA) will join a team that is seeking to better understand how to mitigate impacts of forestry activities (harvesting, and road use) on freshwater habitat, including species like Atlantic salmon and wood turtle, in the Wabanaki forest. The RA will join the Ecological Forestry Research Initiative (EFRI) and will have an opportunity to assist with research to understand the impacts of forest disturbance on freshwater habitats because of harvesting techniques and road networks. The RA’s responsibilities include developing GIS maps, acquiring and maintaining equipment, and organizing fieldwork logistics. The RA should be prepared to spend portions of the summer working long hours in inclement weather in remote areas while staying at field camps (in cabins or tents). Field methods include stream temperature monitoring site configuration, physical stream habitat surveys, and biodiversity sampling using invertebrates (CABIN) and/or fish (electrofishing or eDNA). Fieldwork will be augmented with lab and administrative work as necessary.
Funding available:
$6,000 from Faculty + $3,300 from faculty member + $2,000 from School= $11,300 ($20.17/hour for 16 weeks of work at 35 hours/week).
Faculty Lead to Contact: Dr. Alana Westwood of the School for Resource & Environmental Studies (SRES), E-mail Address: a.westwood@dal.ca
Please send a cover letter and CV to Dr. Westwood as soon as possible to express your interest in this project. Please also indicate if you are interested in extending this project to an Honour’s thesis in the BIOL/MARI 4901&4902 Honour’s Thesis courses in the 2024/25 academic year
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Faculty Lead to Contact: Peter Tyedmers of the School for Resource & Environmental Studies (SRES)
Project Title: Updating the Fisheries Energy Use Database to improve future estimates of greenhouse gas emissions from commercial fisheries.
Short description:
The Fisheries Energy Use Database (FEUD) is the leading global digital repository of commercial fishery energy-use and related fishery characteristics data. Data in FEUD are drawn from diverse sources including peer-reviewed studies, government reports/datasets, etc. With almost 2,000 entries, FEUD is the basis for almost all global studies on the energy use and resulting greenhouse gas emissions of commercial fisheries. It is also used by NGOs and others to inform the public on emissions from fisheries products (see for example http://seafoodco2.dal.ca/). FEUD, however, needs updating as many studies from the last 5+ years are not represented.
The student supported will work under the direction of Prof. Peter Tyedmers in the School for Resource and Environmental Studies, the founder and co-owner of FEUD. The student will divide their time on two primary tasks: searching for studies and datasets not currently represented in FEUD; and carefully mining sources for their fuel-use and landings related data, along with other details of the fishery, and entering these into FEUD. Contacting study authors can also be a source of additional information. This work requires someone that is comfortable working largely independently and is very details-oriented and careful when reading papers and recording and entering data. Comfort converting between units and being able to undertake basic arithmetic calculations accurately is essential. Historical data that could also be explored if time permits are records held in the NS Archives. Aspects of the work could be used to support an honours thesis for students so motivated.
Funding available:
$6,000 from Faculty + $3,300 from faculty member + $2,000 from School= $11,300
Faculty Lead to Contact: Peter Tyedmers of the School for Resource & Environmental Studies (SRES), E-mail Address: peter.tyedmers@dal.ca
Please send a cover letter and CV to Dr. Tyedmers as soon as possible to express your interest in this project. Please indicate ‘FEUD summer research project interest in the e-mail subject line.