CFER research news

Jeremy Kerr has been selected to join the Global Young Academy.

Dr. Shawn Leroux joins CFER as an NSERC postdoctoral scholar. His web page is here.

New models of malaria prevalence in children in northern Tanzania are published. This work was featured on the front page of Malaria World. Way to go Manisha and Rachelle!

Jeremy Kerr wins the Young Researcher of the Year at University of Ottawa.

With Camille Parmesan, Jeremy Kerr co-organized a symposium on butterflies and climate change at the 6th annual butterfly biology meetings, Edmonton, June 29-July 2, 2010.

Jeremy Kerr gave the closing talk at a symposium on conservation of species at risk at the 2010 meeting of the Society for Conservation Biology (Arne Mooers, Karen Hodges, John Reynolds, organizers).

Jeremy Kerr has recently completed invited talks at UBC on endangered species conservation, at the Entomological Society of Canada meeting in Ottawa on ecoinformatics approaches to detecting global change impacts on biodiversity, and a plenary talk in Tanzania and the GBIF annual science meeting.

Dr. Manisha Kulkarni and Jeremy Kerr have conducted field work in northern Tanzania to help build better models to predict distributions of malaria-transmitting mosquitoes. Perhaps a million children, or even more, die every year from malaria.

Macroecology and global change - Publication in Science, June 15 2007. Press release here.

Jeremy Kerr (CFER) wins an Early Researcher Award. Ottawa Citizen. Official announcement.

Public science efforts at CFER

The Rick Mercer Report came to University of Ottawa, where we raised more funds for anti-malaria bednets than any other university in eastern Canada. Through efforts in just two biology classes, we raised around $6500, enough for more than 600 nets to the Spread The Net program.

Magazine articles in Geographical and Innovation Canada will highlight CFER research.

The International Boreal Science Panel is assisting in the release of a report on carbon storage in boreal environments. Noted in the New York Times.

Work with World Wildlife Fund provides clear scientific justification to reduce carbon emissions.

Dr. Manisha Kulkarni has given an invited talk at the Institute of Population Health on the malaria research she leads at CFER. This will be the subject of a Department of Biology seminar on November 23.

Malaria research and teaching by Manisha Kulkarni, Rachelle Desrochers, and Jeremy Kerr is a feature article in the Toronto Star. A more specialized presentation of this story appears in the Faculty of Science newsletter.

Jeremy accepted an invitation to join the Pew International Boreal Science Panel, with David Schindler, Stuart Pimm, Terry Root, Peter Raven, Andrew Weaver, Gordon Orians, and others. This science panel advises the Boreal Songbird Initiative, Canadian Boreal Initiative, and International Boreal Conservation Campaign. A few members of the panel presented the science case for northern conservation to media and decision makers in Washington, New York, and Toronto, leading to extensive media coverage. Early work and selected media efforts (here, and here) with BSI have succeeded, helping gain a commitment from Ontario and Quebec to conserve at least 50% of their Boreal wilderness. Thanks to Premier McGuinty. If all leaders follow through, we believe this to be the largest conservation announcement in history.

Jeremy co-led province-wide scientific contributions to Ontario's new endangered species law, much stronger than the national law (letter to Ottawa Citizen) and possibly the best one in North America.

Jeremy (CFER) and Scott Findlay debate endangered species value for the Museum of Nature, June 12, 2007.

CFER people news

Adam Algar has been awarded an NSERC PDF, which he has taken to Harvard University to work with Professor Jonathan Losos. Congratulations Adam! Adam also won the departmental thesis prize.

Dr. Max Larrivee joins CFER as a postdoctoral fellow, joining Dr. Manisha Kulkarni (a Vision 2010 scholar) in that capacity. A third postdoctoral researcher is set to join the lab in the coming weeks.

Heather Kharouba has won the Department of Biology Thesis Prize and the University-wide prize for the best M.Sc. thesis for 2008. This is the highest honour a graduating student can receive.

Congratulations to our scholarship and award winning students - Adam Algar (NSERC CGS and OGS), Rachelle Desrochers (NSERC and OGS), Jay Fitzsimmons (OGS), Alexander Macdonald (CGS), Julie Nadeau (Pearl Weinberger award for conservation research), and Nora Szabo (CGS).

University of Ottawa's 2007-2008 Report to the Community includes a banner description of Heather Kharouba's contribution to global change research at CFER: "Solutions to biodiversity losses". Way to go, Heather!

Dr. Manisha Kulkarni joins CFER in January as a Vision 2010 Scholars, researching new approaches to predicting and mitigating malaria outbreaks. The Vision 2010 PDF program is our most prestigious postdoctoral program.

Research Perspectives highlights research and teaching from CFER. English or French links.