BIORESOURCE ENGINEERIN0G SEMINAR

Item 1: Seminar by Ehsan Khodapanahi
Development of an Oil Seed Pea

In temperate regions of Canada protein and vegetable oil production is mainly achieved by growing soybean (Glycine max) as a dual purpose crop.  In cooler regions canola (Brassica napus) and field pea (Pisum sativum) fulfill the same functions. The field pea cultivated area has been expanding since 1977, but this crop has never been considered as a serious source of lipids.
The aim of this project is to develop field peas into a novel oilseed crop that for oil and protein production in the less temperate areas of Canada.

Ehsan completed his undergraduate degree in Agricultural Engineering (crop science and plant breeding) in Iran and his MSc in Plant Genetics in the Ukraine. He then moved to Canada and is currently an MSc srudent in Bioresource Engineering.


Item 2: Seminar by Justina Amissah
AKWAABA

‘AKWAABA’ is the first word foreigners are likely to hear when they visit Ghana. It means ‘welcome’ in the Ghanaian language Twi. This expresses the warm and friendly nature of Ghanaians and their eagerness to entertain as well as share their culture with their guests. Justina is going to give a short tour of Ghanaian culture and a few tips to foreigners need to know when they get the opportunity to visit this West African country.

Justina Amissah is a Ghanaian who graduated from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana where she studied Biochemistry. She is an M.Sc. student in the Bioresource Engineering Department and has Dr. Prasher and Dr. Simpson (Food Science Department) as her supervisors.


Item 3: Seminar by Yashi Huang
Mandarin vs. Cantonese

Mandarin and Cantonese, the two main Chinese languages, have significant differences and unique development trends. These differences will be the focus of this presentation as well as providing suggestions to those who are new to the language and are interested in learning Mandarin or Cantonese.

Yashi Huang was born and raised in Southern China where she graduated from the South China Agricultural University.


Item 4: Seminar by Muhammad Azher Baig
Seawater Greenhouses

Climate change, rising world population and unsustainable farming practices are depleting world fresh water resources day by day. This leads mankind to think about alternative resources for meeting the demands of following generations. In this presentation a relatively cheap and new desalination technology for seawater greenhouse will be discussed. It is mostly suitable to the hot and arid regions of the world such as deserts.

Muhammad Azhar Baig comes from Pakistan. He did his Master’s in water resources engineering at the University of Engineering, Lahore. He worked as a groundwater modeling consultant for three years. Later he joined one of the public sector universities of Pakistan as an assistant professor. Currently he is enrolled as a PhD student in the department of Bioresource Engineering under the supervision of Dr. Shiv Prashar.


Item 5: Seminar by Sarah Mendelsohn:
Cape Verde Love

Cape Verde is an archipelago just off the coast of West Africa.  The compelling history and rich culture of Cape Verde give it a unique character that everyone should know about.

Sarah grew up in the US and graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a major in Psychology and a concentration in Business.  The past three years she worked in Cape Verde with The US Peace Corps.  She is currently enrolled in the MSc Integrated Water Res