Labile Organic Carbon as a controlling factor of PCB Bioavailability from sediments. NSERC Discovery Grant 2022-2027.
This project will examine how microbial respiration of labile organic carbon affects chemical partitioning to pore water and or biomagnification in invertebrates based on consumption of microbial biofilms. The study involves field work, analytical chemistry, mesocosm experiments, and environmental genomics applications.
Seeking prospective MSc and PhD students.
Effect of Detroit River sediment restoration actions on Sportfish consumption advisories.
This project is using artifical intelligence and neuro-network approaches couped with GIS to better extrapolate high resolution sediment contamination in the Detroit River Area of Concern. This will be used in conjunction with food web bioaccumulation models to generate simulation scenarios to determine what the effect of U.S. EPA and Michigan EGLE sediment restoration targets will have on fish contamination and fish adivsories.
Currently 1 PhD student is tied to this project.
Bioaccumulation of POPs in fish from Winam Gulf, Lake Victoria, Kenya
This project is working with the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI) to determine bioaccumulation of POPs in nile perch and tilapia as a function of fish size. This project is supporting 1 MSc student.
Fish Consumption Beneficial Use Assessments in Areas of Concern
This project is in collaboration with Ontario Ministry of Environment Conservation and Parks. and Environment and Climate Change Canada. We have revised and set up a guidance document for a tiered BUI #1 Restrictions of Fish Consumption Assessment Framework. We are currently working through the framework across a number of Canadian Areas of Concern including Detroit River, St. Clair River, Toronto and Region and Pennisula Harbour.
Microbial controls of sediment phosphorus retention
This project is completing an NSERC-SPG project to determine how microbial communities impact phosphorus retention and release from sediments. We generated a novel dynamic mesocosm system to measure equilibirum phosphorus concentrations in intact sediment cores and tested how manipulation of microbial communities affects sediment P release. This study supported 2 Phd and 1 MSc student.
Cloth masks as pandemic personal protective equipment
During the 2020-2021 pandemic I colleborated with University of Windsor’s WE-SPARK Health Institute, McMaster University and the Windsor-Essex Sewing Force (WESF) - a volunteer community group - to help design, test and optimize cloth masks for protection against airborne virus transmission. We used GLIER’s Environmental Electron Miscroscope and N95 Mask Testing Infrastructure (McMaster’s TSI Portacount and TSI NaCl particle generator) to test different cotton materials, mask designs and ‘mask hacks’ to improve fit and performance of non-medical masks. Download our 2022 Plos One publication HERE