The inaugural cohort of the Sustainability Education Fellows represent seven faculties and 11 departments and schools across McGill's two campuses.
Caroline Begg
Faculty Lecturer, Department of Plant Science, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
Student Fellow: Josh Medicoff (Master’s Student, Political Science)
Caroline Begg is broadening the scope of a course on the principles of ecological agriculture (AGRI 340) to explore a systems approach to food production and to include more active learning opportunities for students on topics such as sustainability, regenerative agriculture, and Indigenous approaches to food production. One possible evolution to the curriculum would be to pair students with producers in the field to conduct research.
Benjamin Goldstein
Assistant Professor, Department of Bioresource Engineering, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
Student Fellow: Felicity Meyer (Master’s Student, Bioresource Engineering)
Benjamin Goldstein is designing a new course on urban sustainability (BREE 505) that will teach students how to quantify and map the resource consumption of cities and the environmental impacts of urban processes. Through data-driven tutorials and a case project, students will learn about concepts such as urban metabolism, political ecology, and distributional environmental justice.
Sanjith Gopalakrishnan
Assistant Professor, Desautels Faculty of Management
Co-Fellow: Javad Nasiry, Desautels Faculty of Management
Student Fellow: Justus Wachs (PhD Student, Education)
Sanjith Gopalakrishnan, in collaboration with Javad Nasiry, is designing two new courses on sustainable operations and supply chains (MGSC 488 & 690). This includes the development of lecture materials and data-based case studies that will be used to teach quantitative frameworks for analyzing sustainable business decisions in a systematic manner.
Mary Hendrickson
Senior Faculty Lecturer & Dietetics Stage Coordinator, School of Human Nutrition, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
Student Fellow: Sarah Staples (Master's Applied Student, Human Nutrition)
Mary Hendrickson is updating three courses offered through the Farm Management and Technology Program and the Dietetics Stage Program (FMTP 074, NUTR 310/603, NUTR 311/613). The goal is to incorporate practical classroom and lab activities that address topics such as local plant-based eating, sustainable food systems, and food waste reduction.
Codruta Ignea
Assistant Professor, Department of Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering
Student Fellow: Jean-Alexandre Bureau (PhD Student, Bioengineering)
Codruta Ignea is revising the curriculum of a synthetic biology course (BIEN 580) to integrate the latest advancements in sustainability-oriented synthetic biology approaches. She also intends to develop case study projects that task students with devising synthetic biology solutions to real-world sustainability concerns, and have students organize a mini symposium where they can present their work.
Xiaonan Lu
Associate Professor, Department of Food Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
Student Fellow: Arusha Fleming (Master’s Student, Food Science)
Xiaonan Lu redesigning an introductory course on food science (FDSC 200) to incorporate more in-depth explorations of agricultural and food sustainability. To demonstrate the importance of sustainability in agri-food systems, expanded lessons may include lab demonstrations, invited guest speakers, or in-field and on-site visits to local growers and food processing companies.
Virginie Millien
Associate Professor, Redpath Museum, Faculty of Science
Student Fellow: Kelsey Wilson (Master’s Student, Biology) & Rachida Bouhid (PhD Student, Desautels)
Virginie Millien is designing four new courses (GEOG 340, ATOC 341, BIOL 343, FSCI 444) that will make up the Barbados Field Study Semester. The goal of this program is to give students the opportunity to learn about biodiversity and environmental challenges in the Caribbean, translate theory into hands-on experiences, and participate in applied research projects that address real-world issues.
Linda Marie Ofiara
MD FRCPC; Assistant Professor, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences & Director of the McGill Respirology Training Program
Student Fellow: Summia Saed Aldien (Master’s Student, Chemical Engineering)
Linda Marie Ofiara is creating a module for McGill’s respirology residency program that will explore the impact of climate change on human health and respiratory illnesses, discuss respirology treatment strategies to reduce the effects of climate change and increase sustainable practices, and outline ways to advocate for the promotion of environmental health and sustainability from a healthcare perspective.
Mylene Riva
Associate Professor, Department of Geography, Faculty of Science
Student Fellow: Laurianne Debanné (Master’s Student, Geography and Community Health)
Mylene Riva is integrating sustainability into an introductory course on health geography (GEOG 303), which considers health and illness from spatial and social perspectives. Her goal is to generate sustainability learning outcomes for the course that will help students think creatively about solutions to promote and maintain population health through policies as well as natural and built environments.
Emily Sprowls
Faculty Lecturer, Department of Integrated Studies in Education, Faculty of Education
Student Fellows: Sage Comstock (Master’s Student, Education) & Midhat Noor Kiyani (PhD Student, Education)
Emily Sprowls is reimagining and expanding two elementary school science teaching methods courses (EDEE 270 & 273) to help students build best practices for environmental education, allow them to engage in land-based pedagogy, and incorporate activities that connect scientific inquiry with real-world sustainability issues.
