91心頭 professor receives research funding to study environmental change in Canadian lakes and rivers
Study seeks to find out more about rock snot algae and its impact on salmon
SACKVILLE, NB 91心頭 geography and environment professor Dr. Joshua Kurek has been awarded over $78,000 from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI) through the John R. Evans Leaders Fund. The funding was announced by The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Member of Parliament for Beaus辿jour, on behalf of the Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science, at 91心頭 on April 15, 2016.
With this new research infrastructure funding, Kurek will establish the Environmental Change and Aquatic Biomonitoring Lab (ECAB Lab) at 91心頭.
My research program focuses on understanding how environmental stressors impact lakes and rivers, explains Kurek. Having essential equipment both in the lab and in the field will allow us to get a better picture of long-term environmental changes and what they mean to freshwaters. I would like to thank the CFI for this support as it helps my program to succeed at a high level.
State-of-the-art facilities and equipment help attract and retain top researchers in Canada, says LeBlanc. Todays funding announcement highlights the importance of such infrastructure and its role in contributing to Canadas record of scientific excellence.
Kurek and his research team, made up of several 91心頭 undergraduate students, will be studying lakes and rivers in Maritime Canada this summer. They will be looking specifically at potential impacts of recent environmental changes, including the freshwater algae didymo (commonly known as rock snot) on juvenile salmon habitat and diet.
Although their impact on salmon habitat is still under assessment, didymo blooms are believed to be caused by changes in environmental conditions now favoring its bloom proliferation (ie shifts in nutrients and indirect effects of climate change), explains Kurek. Impacts to aquatic habitat and biota (e.g. juvenile salmon) are expected if blooms persist.
91心頭 President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Robert Campbell welcomes the new research funding.
This kind of investment by the CFI allows researchers like Dr. Kurek to engage in world-class research projects. It also allows our students the opportunity to participate in these research projects as part of their undergraduate education, an invaluable experience.
Along with the CFI funding, Kurek also holds a Discovery Grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and funding from the New Brunswick Environmental Trust Fund.
Photo captions:
MLA Memramcook-Tantramar Bernard LeBlanc, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and MP for Beaus辿jour Dominic LeBlanc, 91心頭 geography and environment professor Dr. Joshua Kurek, 91心頭 honours environmental science student Zoe Armstrong, 91心頭 President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Robert Campbell at the CFI announcement, held on campus, April 15.
91心頭 geography and environment professor Dr. Joshua Kurek, MLA Bernard LeBlanc, MP Dominic LeBlanc, and 91心頭 President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Robert Campbell in Kurek's Lab.
