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The University of Guelph is internationally recognized for its interdisciplinary research
and graduate program options. The School of Environmental Sciences provides diverse opportunities
for cutting edge graduate studies. The Masters of Science program affords students the ability
to chart their own course of study based on their interests and career goals.
"My particular thesis project is about designing specific light recipes for growing plants
in extreme environments. Plants will behave very differently and develop very differently
depending on what light you give them. Whether it be a higher concentration of blue light,
red light, green, etcetera. So it's really just about tailoring the light recipes to
whatever it is that you want to achieve. Specifically, in harsh environments, whether
that be way up in Canada's north where there are a lot of small communities that have trouble
producing their own food or in the deserts of Kuwait for example, again, a pretty harsh
environment where they can't produce a lot of food.
But down the road these lighting systems that we're building will be put into place on the
international space station, and potentially on Mars settlements. You know, I would say
the sky's the limit but it's really not. Really space is the limit.
The best word to sum up what my lab is like is probably "futuristic". It's hard to walk
through it and not be sort of taken aback just by all of the things that are happening.
I chose to come to the University of Guelph because they offered some pretty unique programs.
And as for my graduate degree it became very apparent that this facility, in terms of developing
life support systems, was more advanced than anywhere else in the world.
At the end of the day the world does have a growing population and there are going to
be numerous issues that come with that once we reach a certain carrying capacity. But
in the meantime the best thing that we can do is produce food where no one is producing
food right now. And in that way I think that our lab contributes to the world in a fantastic
way." Mentored by world leading faculty, Masters
of Science graduate students in the SES are making a difference. The Masters of Science
program affords students the ability to chart their own course of study based on their interests
and career goals. "The independent study courses are great because
you get to design them yourself. You`re not limited to a curriculum. If you want to do
a presentation versus, like, a poster, versus a paper, that sort of thing, it`s really flexible.
What makes SES unique is really the diversity of faculty that you`ve got going on. You`ve
got the plant scientists and the earth and atmosphere scientists and the environmental
biologists so it really helps give you a whole ecosystem perspective on what your problem
is." Graduates will possess a strong foundation
on which they can be highly successful in science related positions in government, industry
and consulting.
"I just graduated this February from the School of Environmental Sciences. This program as
well as this University is highly recognized and graduates from this program are also highly
sought after. And that was my experience as I was able to obtain full-time employment
as I was still finishing my degree here." The SES Masters of Science program comprises
a true integration of the life and physical sciences to address important environmental
problems in forest, aquatic and agro-ecosystems. "I'm in my first year of a Masters of Science.
I'm researching spiders. I want to find out what they're eating and I'll be using the
DNA of different prey organisms to elucidate that.
Spiders are what I'm interested in. They're everywhere. They're very unique. There's lots
of diversity in spiders -- all sorts of two different kinds, all sorts of two different
strategies that they have. I've been interested in insects a very long
time. It's a whole new world out there when you look at the small things.
What I like most about doing my grad work here at SES is the amount of freedom that
comes with the graduate project. What I put into it is what I'm going to get out of it.
So, I did particularly enjoy the seminar class that we had to take. It gave a good opportunity
not only to practice writing but also being able to talk to other scientists. You have
to do a presentation. That's all part of science, that's all part of being a graduate student.
Guelph was an easy choice me. The city is very friendly. I really like that it's very
green here. You know, everyone's very conscious about recycling and not producing waste and
I really admire that in a city." To find out more about more about the Masters
of Science program at SES, contact the graduate secretary.