School of Environmental Studies Undergraduate Theses
In ENSC 501 and 502, students work on their own independent research projects under the supervision of a faculty member in the School of Environmental Studies. In this course, students gain experience in the full range of activities involved in doing research, including project design, data analysis and interpretation, literature review, scientific writing, oral presentation and interactive collaboration with colleagues. Assessment is based in part on the submission and defense of a thesis.
Recent Submissions
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The Environmental Implications of Transportation Corridors in Northern Canada: A Survey Assessment of the Grays Bay Road and Port Project
(2020-12)Road network expansion plays a significant role in shaping the environment, contributing to the current ecological crisis and climate emergency. Roads provide beneficial transportation services to communities, access to ... -
Assessing the Usefulness of DNA Barcoding at Biological Field Stations
(2020)DNA barcoding is an effective tool for discovering and documenting biodiversity and can also provide insights into species origins, and within species, evolutionary patterns. In animals, DNA barcoding involves using a 648 ... -
American eel (Anguilla rostrata) prey consumption in the Upper St. Lawrence River, the Ottawa River and Eastern Lake Ontario: Stomach Contents in a Declining Population
(2020-05-01)In their peak abundance, the American eel, Anguilla rostrata, comprised 50% of the nearshore fish assemblage in the upper St. Lawrence River and Eastern Lake Ontario. Since the 1980s the population has faced rapid decline ... -
Using Historical Vertical Aerial Photography to Map Landscape Change Through Time in the Central Subarctic
(2020-05-12)In the era of climate change, landscape features and their systems are becoming altered in unpredictable ways. In sensitive areas such as the arctic, it is important to monitor these landscape features and develop protection ... -
Baseline Analysis of Microplastics in Remote Boreal Lake Sediments at the Experimental Lakes Area
(2020-05-11)Microplastics have become a contaminant of emerging concern because they have been characterized as a ubiquitous and persistent pollutant. At < 5mm in size, these particles have proven to generate a multitude of physical ... -
Hatching Success, Growth and Development of Larval Wood Frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus) Exposed to Naphthenic Acids in Outdoor Microcosms
(2020-05-11)Wood frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus) inhabiting the Athabasca oil sands region in northern Alberta, Canada, are at risk of exposure to contaminants from oil sands mining. The extraction of bitumen from oil sands produces ... -
Effective Incorporation of Indigenous Knowledge into Biological Field Stations/Place-based Research Institutes
(2020-05-11)Indigenous Knowledge (IK) has emerged as a valued source of information for many non-indigenous researchers and practitioners. Until recently, the use of IK has been sparse and, in many cases, used with little respect, and ... -
Exploring Canadian Undergraduate Environmental Science/Studies Programs’ Engagement with The Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, Indigenous Epistemologies and Climate Change
(2020-05-08)Since settlers began colonizing this country, Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit, and Métis) person have been excluded from Canadian society, including educational institutions, and they are facing disproportional impacts ... -
Drowned Out: How Marine Vessel Noise Impacts the Southern Resident Killer Whale Population in the Salish Sea
(2020-05-07)The endangered Southern Resident killer whale (SRKW) population that consists of a total of 73 members, concentrates in the Salish Sea off the coast of British Columbia, Canada and Washington, USA during the summer. The ... -
Effects of dispersal on the response of zooplankton communities to salt contamination
(2020-04)The application of road de-icing salts has become associated with elevated chloride concentrations in freshwater environments. The response of ecosystems to road salt may be dependent on the spatial exchange of organisms ... -
An Analysis of the Feasibility of Circular Economies as a Method of Reducing Waste from Hospital Operating Rooms
(2020-05)Operating room (OR) waste accounts for a large proportion of total hospital waste. Current consumption, use and disposal techniques are highly standardized and regulated. This thesis investigates the possibility of reuse ... -
International Investment Law and Environmental Justice Movements: The Price of Justice in Latin America
(2020-04-20)Investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) exists in over 3,000 trade and investment treaties. It allows foreign investors to challenge any government action, in private arbitration, that limits the profitability of their ... -
Green Buildings in Singapore: Assessing the Feasibility of an Energy Transition in the Building Sector under the Current Policy Approach
(2020-05)Singapore is widely recognized as a global leader in affairs pertaining to sustainable urban development. Green buildings that boast visually spectacular vertical gardens and feature technology to increase resource use ... -
Establishment of an in vitro model using immortal cell lines derived from trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) to assess the epigenetic toxicity of the flame retardant triphenyl phosphate
(2020-05)Since the banning of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), the use of alternative flame retardants such as triphenyl phosphate (TPP) has greatly increased. TPP is an organophosphate flame retardant that is added to a ... -
Coral Reef Management: Analysis of the Management of the Coral Triangle Initiative within the Coral Triangle Region
(2020-05-04)The Coral Triangle (CT) Region has the highest concentration of marine biodiversity. Anthropogenic stresses have been threatening the status of all coral reef systems worldwide. Reefs are in rapid decline, with marine ... -
A Comparison of Reclamation/Closure Plans of Three Mine Sites in the NWT
(2020-04-20)Mining in the Northwest Territories is a profitable industry that provides employment opportunity for local communities and resources required for everyday use, however mining is a source of environmental stress on the ... -
Embryotoxicity of Naphthenic Acid Fraction Components to Fathead Minnow (Pimephales promelas)
(2020-04-30)The extraction of bitumen from Alberta’s oil sands region generates large volumes of oil sands process-affected water (OSPW) that are stored in tailings ponds. New policy directives are planning to intentionally release ... -
Life Cycle Assessment of a Glass Beer Bottle in Ontario, Canada
(2020-04)The glass beer bottle return program known provincial-wide as the Bag it Back program (a branch of the Ontario Deposit Return Program) began as a partnership between the Beer Store and Ontario’s Ministry of Finance in 2007. ... -
Understanding Institutional Responses to Fossil Fuel Divestment Campaigns at Canadian Universities
(2020-05-02)Fossil fuel divestment has been a growing movement in the fight for climate justice, with college and university campuses as a key platform for the movement. While a great deal of literature has studied various aspects of ... -
Evaluation of a Biomass-to-Biooil Supply Chain Using Forestry Products in British Columbia, Canada
(2020-05-01)As one of the top ten emitters of carbon dioxide in the world, Canada has a crucial role to play in helping to meet the global emissions reduction target of 50% by 2050. In the past few decades, renewable energy sources ...
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