As governments around the world look for ways to reduce waste and enhance recycling, many are adopting policies known as extended producer responsibility, or EPR. These programs shift the cost of collecting and recycling packaging materials from municipalities and taxpayers to the companies that place them on the market.

Despite increasing adoption across continents, whether those systems reduce costs, improve recycling outcomes or encourage better packaging design remains difficult to determine. Data is often scattered across thousands of reports, studies and submissions, making comparisons challenging.

鈥淎 great deal has been written about packaging EPR. Almost none of it sits in one place,鈥� says Lakhan.

Fragments of information are spread across academic journals, government reports, industry studies and advocacy publications, often presenting competing interpretations of the same issue. Bringing those sources together and making sense of their findings can require significant time and expertise.

Lakhan is addressing this through the Circular Innovation Hub (CIH) by launching the Packaging EPR Library, a free online resource featuring evidence-reviewed articles and an interactive world map.

The library is the first of its kind to bring together research, policy analysis and international comparisons in one place. Organized around common questions, its articles are grouped into nine themes covering topics ranging from program governance and performance measurement to producer fees, packaging design and international policy differences. The aim is to give users a clearer picture of what the evidence says, where experts disagree and what remains unresolved.

鈥淚 wanted somewhere that gathered that material and set out every argument that can be supported by evidence, regardless of who is making it,鈥� says Lakhan.

One distinguishing feature of the Packaging EPR Library is its emphasis on context. Rather than compiling reports and statistics, the library attempts to reconcile and explain them. Recycling and recovery rates, for example, are frequently compared across jurisdictions even when they are calculated using different methodologies. For Lakhan, those differences can make seemingly straightforward comparisons misleading.

The CIH resource categorizes information based on its source and evidentiary basis, distinguishing between empirical findings, modelling results and stakeholder claims. According to Lakhan, the challenge is distinguishing evidence-backed conclusions from unsupported claims. The goal is to let users evaluate the strength of the published data for themselves.

鈥淚n this field, most of the circulating material was produced by someone with a stake in the answer 鈥� and that is true on every side, mine included,鈥� he says.

The library's searchable global map allows users to explore where packaging EPR programs exist, when they were introduced, what materials they cover and how they are administered. The map reflects the fact that many obligations are established at the provincial or state level, so users can compare approaches within countries such as Canada and the U.S.

Lakhan expects the tool will be used most by producers and compliance teams navigating obligations across multiple jurisdictions, as well as municipal and regulatory staff working through program design. Those groups need specific answers quickly, and the library can help efficiently answer practical questions like what producers pay per tonne, which U.S. states cover printed paper, who runs the compliance body in a given country and more.

Lakhan also hopes the tool will benefit students and researchers at 91亚色 by highlighting unanswered questions in the field. Several sections identify areas where research remains limited or where important policy debates have yet to be thoroughly examined, creating opportunities for future graduate research.

鈥淭hese are not crowded fields. There is real room to contribute,鈥� he says.

The library has room for contributions as well.

鈥淚 would rather the resource be shaped by what people actually need to know than by what I assumed they would,鈥� he says.

He expects the Packaging EPR Library to evolve alongside new regulations, court decisions and policy developments around the world. As responsibility programs continue to expand and change, the resource will be updated to reflect the latest evidence and developments.

Over time, he hopes the library becomes a trusted starting point for anyone seeking to understand packaging responsibility systems, whether they are designing policy, conducting research, evaluating claims or trying to understand how recycling programs work in different jurisdictions.

Despite the tool鈥檚 broad applications, Lakhan says his greatest goal is much more narrow.

鈥淚 would like people to check a claim before repeating it. A great deal of what circulates in this field is a figure that was true once, in one jurisdiction, on one methodology, and has since travelled a long way from its source," he says. "If the library slows that down, it has earned its place."

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Pollinators play a vital role in ecosystems and agriculture, yet many populations are under pressure from habitat loss, land-use change, pesticides and climate change.

As scientists work to understand the factors that affect pollinator health, microbial communities are receiving growing attention. These communities, made up of bacteria and fungi that live in and on animals, are known collectively as a microbiome. They can play important roles in nutrition, development and defence against disease. Some microbes may help support bee health, while others can contribute to illness.

鈥淭here has been growing recognition that an animal鈥檚 microbiome can be an important part of its biology,鈥� says Rehan. Important questions remain, however. 鈥淲e still know relatively little about where wild bees acquire their microbial communities.鈥�

Rehan explains that much of what scientists know about bee microbiomes comes from a relatively small number of well-studied species, particularly managed bees such as honey bees. Wild bees, by contrast, are far more diverse and may interact with microbes and their environments in very different ways.

Researchers already know that pollinators can share microbes with flowers and that soil is an important source of microorganisms for plants. However, very few studies have examined all three together: bees, flowers and soil. To help fill that gap, Rehan led a research team that set out to understand where small carpenter bees get the microbes that live in and on them, and whether urbanization influences those relationships.

In this work, in Science of the Total Environment, researchers collected bees from 12 sites across the Toronto region between May and September 2025. The sites ranged from highly urbanized areas to more rural landscapes. Whenever a bee was collected, the researchers also collected samples from the flower it was visiting and from nearby soil.

Back in the lab, the team extracted DNA from the bee, flower and soil samples and used genetic sequencing to identify the bacteria and fungi present in each one. By comparing those microbial communities, the researchers found which microbes were shared across bees, flowers and soil, and how factors such as urbanization and season influenced those relationships.

鈥淥ne of the most striking findings was just how much overlap there was between the microbes associated with the bees and those found on their host flowers,鈥� says Rehan. Nearly all of the most common bacterial and fungal groups found on the pollinators also appeared on the flowers they visited, suggesting that flowers as major microbial source. Soil, on the other hand, appeared to be much less connected.

Even so, bees were not simply collecting microbes from flowers. The microbes they carried differed from those found on flowers, suggesting other factors determine a bee's microbiome. Soil may still contribute indirectly, the researchers say, through plants aquiring microbes from the ground.

The study also found that urbanization appeared to influence bee microbiomes. Bees from more urban areas tended to carry a greater diversity of bacteria but a lower diversity of fungi, a pattern not seen in flowers or soil. One possible explanation is that bees in cities encounter a wider variety of plants in parks, gardens and other green spaces.

Microbial communities found on bees and flowers also changed over the course of the growing season, while soil communities remained relatively stable. The study additionally detected fungi that include known bee pathogens, although the researchers did not find evidence that they were harmful. Rehan says the findings highlight the potential for monitoring bee microbiomes as a way to detect emerging threats to pollinator health.

鈥淭he next major question is what those microbes actually do,鈥� says Rehan. 鈥淯nderstanding their functions, how stable these relationships are over time and how environmental change affects them will be important next steps.鈥�

Rehan also points to several areas for future research. These include studying bees, flowers and their surrounding environments together rather than in isolation, paying closer attention to fungi, which have received far less research attention than bacteria, and improving understanding of how urbanization affects bee microbiomes.

Rehan says such work could ultimately help researchers develop a fuller picture of pollinator health.

鈥淯nderstanding these relationships could help us develop a more complete picture of what constitutes high-quality habitat for wild pollinators,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 hope this work helps broaden the way we think about pollinator health and conservation.鈥�

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Healthy lakes are essential to ecosystems and communities. They provide habitat for wildlife, support fisheries and recreation, help sustain local economies and, in many cases, serve as sources of drinking water.

Those benefits, however, are under threat from expanding clusters of algae that can spread across freshwater systems, block sunlight from reaching aquatic plants, disrupt oxygen levels and produce toxins that can affect wildlife, pets and people.

"Harmful algal blooms are an increasing concern in freshwater ecosystems around the world, including the Great Lakes," says Zhu, a professor in 91亚色's Department of Mathematics and Statistics and director of the Laboratory of Mathematical Parallel Systems (LAMPS).

As these outbreaks become more common, scientists are studying what causes healthy lakes to become prone to bloom. Improving that understanding could help researchers and policymakers develop more effective ways to predict, prevent or manage these events.

Scientists have long studied how nutrients, temperature and other environmental conditions contribute to bloom events. co-authored by Zhu suggests one overlooked driver may be dissolved oxygen, the oxygen naturally present in lake water that aquatic plants and animals rely on.

While dissolved oxygen is often used as a measure of water quality, Zhu felt it deserved a closer look because of the role it plays in aquatic environments. In particular, it influences the behaviour of zooplankton, tiny animals that feed on microscopic algae known as phytoplankton. When oxygen levels are low, zooplankton become less effective at feeding on algae. As that natural control weakens, algae can grow more rapidly, increasing the likelihood of a bloom.

Zhu, along with former LAMPS postdoctoral candidate Juan Li and Nanjing Normal University Professor Yongzhong Song, wanted to better understand that relationship by developing and using a mathematical model.

"Our work wanted to fill that gap by explicitly connecting dissolved oxygen, phytoplankton and zooplankton in one dynamical model," he says.

The researchers tested different environmental scenarios to explore what happens when oxygen levels rise or fall and identify conditions that could tip a lake from a relatively stable state toward an algal bloom.

Oxygen levels can be influenced by a range of factors, including temperature, water conditions and biological activity. Climate change can also affect levels by warming waters and altering ecosystems.

The researchers found that when oxygen availability falls, the effects can spread through the ecosystem. A loss of this natural balance can cause lakes to become increasingly favourable for algae outbreaks.

The model also suggests why algal blooms can sometimes prove difficult to reverse once they appear. As oxygen levels decline and zooplankton become less effective at controlling algae, the balance of the ecosystem can shift leading to conditions that favour algal growth, making it harder for a lake to return to its previous state.

"The underlying system can cross a critical threshold and shift rapidly into a different ecological state," Zhu says.

While the research is theoretical, Zhu says the findings could explain how blooms develop and how they might be prevented. By identifying the conditions that make freshwater bodies of water more vulnerable to algae, researchers can identify which factors deserve the most attention before an outbreak occurs.

The study suggests that maintaining healthy oxygen levels, alongside efforts to reduce nutrient pollution, could improve the natural grazing activity of zooplankton and strengthen a lake's ability to keep algae growth under control. Over time, that knowledge could inform more targeted approaches to lake management and ecosystem protection.

Zhu emphasizes, however, that dissolved oxygen is only one piece of a much larger puzzle.

"Natural lake ecosystems are much more complicated than any single mathematical model," he says. "Our study provides one step toward understanding these interactions, but there is considerable opportunity to make the models more realistic by incorporating additional environmental factors and field data."

Future research could incorporate variables such as temperature, light, nutrient availability and water movement to build a more complete picture of how freshwater systems respond to environmental change. Zhu's team is also advancing related work through initiatives such as the Ontario Climate Data Portal, which supports research into climate impacts and environmental change.

"We hope this work contributes to a better mechanistic understanding of harmful algal blooms and ultimately supports more effective management," he says.

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Remmel did not set out to be the co-author of a paper tracing more than three decades of forest fragmentation research.

Even when Sanjana Dutt, a PhD candidate at the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Poland, first reached out seeking advice on her dissertation, co-authoring a paper was never part of the plan.

Dutt had come across Remmel's work on forest change analysis, landscape metrics and forest fragmentation, areas he has spent much of his career studying while developing new ways to map, quantify and compare changes in forest landscapes.

Seeking guidance for a section of her dissertation, she contacted him because of his expertise in the field and his extensive experience measuring and analyzing changes in forest landscapes. Dutt was looking for advice on how to organize and synthesize a large and growing body of research focused on forest fragmentation and the various techniques scientists use to analyze it.

The phenomenon occurs when large, continuous forests are broken into smaller, isolated patches, often because of roads, farming, resource extraction and development. As forests are divided, fewer areas remain deep within the forest, creating conditions that can affect wildlife habitat, biodiversity and ecosystem health. Because scientists and conservation planners rely on fragmentation research to understand those impacts and guide conservation efforts, accurately measuring fragmentation has become increasingly important.

Advances in satellite imaging potential, remote sensing algorithms, computing power and cloud-based analytical platforms have transformed how scientists study forests. Those developments have given scientists more ways than ever to assess fragmentation and track changes across landscapes, leading to a rapidly expanding body of research and analytical approaches.

Making sense of that increasingly complex landscape of methods was one of the reasons Dutt sought Remmel's advice. She wanted to better understand how the field's analytical techniques had developed over time, where they overlapped and how researchers could meaningfully evaluate their findings.

Remmel, meanwhile, saw value in how Dutt's aspirations would benefit not just her, but others.

鈥淟arge review and synthesis papers are useful ways to build visibility and benchmarks for burgeoning academics,鈥� he says.

Remmel, who teaches in the Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change, says they exchanged numerous messages, worked together to refine the study's methodology and identified areas where additional research and context were needed. As the collaboration developed, so too did the scope of the project, eventually leading to Dutt asking Remmel to be co-author on a comprehensive review of how forest fragmentation research has evolved over the past three decades.

The resulting paper, , examines how scientists have measured and analyzed forest fragmentation over the past 35 years while identifying opportunities to make future research more consistent and useful for conservation decision-making.

Dutt conducted a systematic analysis of 138 studies published between 1990 and 2025, grouping them into 12 methodological categories ranging from traditional measures of forest patch size and shape to more recent approaches involving connectivity modelling, remote sensing, time-series analysis and three-dimensional forest mapping.

鈥淭he work identifies a long history of metric development that has evolved to consider many parameters that influence the quantification of forest fragmentation,鈥� says Remmel.

The review found that research has expanded dramatically over time as advances in satellite imagery, remote sensing and computing created new ways of studying forests. Yet scholars have not abandoned older approaches in favour of a single better method, instead continuing to build an increasingly complex toolbox of techniques.

This has created challenges, the authors say. Differences in scale, data, methodology and reporting can make fragmentation studies difficult to evaluate side by side, making it harder to tell whether results reflect genuine differences in forest conditions or simply different ways of measuring them.

鈥淭his is an important reminder that just inventing new tools does not necessarily solve problems,鈥� Remmel says, 鈥渂ut that figuring out how to apply and compare results consistently carries tremendous weight and benefit.鈥�

Consistent results matter because forest fragmentation research is not only theoretical. Investigators, conservation planners and policymakers use it to monitor environmental change, assess ecosystem health and guide management decisions. If methods are not clearly documented or results cannot be compared, it becomes harder to translate research into repeatable and actionable results.

As a result, the authors argue that future progress will depend less on developing new metrics and more on improving consistency and transparency through clearer reporting of how studies are conducted.

Remmel's hopes for what impact the work will have are rooted, in part, from the way it helped Dutt make sense of a complex and rapidly growing field.

鈥淪he was forced to think about broad timelines, developments and contributions, and how they fit into the bigger picture,鈥� he says, resulting in a structured starting point for researchers looking to understand the forest fragmentation literature. 鈥淭his certainly benefitted her but also makes some of this foundational literature review work less strenuous for others who will read this work later.鈥�

Remmel says that value extends beyond this particular project. As academic literature continues to grow, he believes there is benefit in periodically stepping back to assess the state of a field, identify key developments and help researchers understand how current knowledge has evolved. Reviews such as this one can help clarify where a field has come from, where it stands today and where opportunities for future research may exist.

There was also personal value in the project for Remmel. Looking back over the review, he realized that the earliest period it covers coincided with his own graduate training. Over the decades that followed, he built a career studying forest change, spatial metrics and landscape pattern dynamics, adapting alongside the field as new methods and technologies emerged.

鈥淭his is a paper that I could have written based on my experiences,鈥� he says.

Instead, Remmel says he is grateful to have contributed to a project that brought together decades of study while helping a new generation of scholars navigate the field.

鈥淚 am thrilled that not only did someone else take on this responsibility but that they reached out to me for involvement too,鈥� he says. 鈥淭his is the circle of academic life in action and that makes me tremendously humble and thankful.鈥�

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Professor Eric Miller, along with lead author and PhD student Peri Dworatzek, has published a report titled which examines the protected natural and agricultural lands through the lens of biocapacity 鈥� the ability of land and ecosystems to provide resources and absorb environmental impacts.

Prepared by the for the Greenbelt Foundation, the report finds the Greenbelt provides significantly greater ecological biocapacity per hectare than the rest of Ontario, averaging 2.8 global hectares versus 1.02.

This, say the authors who worked with MES students Bumika Srikanthalingam and Kaitlin Pal, demonstrates the value of maintaining and strengthening protections for the region鈥檚 agricultural and natural landscapes.

The findings provide new evidence for policymakers and planners as they consider how future growth and infrastructure projects may affect the province鈥檚 environmental assets. The analysis indicates that increasing demand for land, food and fresh water could place additional strain on these systems if development is not carefully managed.

Miller and Dworatzek identified several actions that could help safeguard and enhance the Greenbelt鈥檚 ecological capacity. These include improving the collection and use of land-use data; expanding mapping of agricultural, water and natural heritage systems; and making geospatial information more accessible to support planning decisions.

鈥淟and cover and biocapacity data provide valuable tools for informing decisions that can help maintain protections for the Greenbelt and the ecosystems that support Ontario鈥檚 growing population,鈥� says Miller. 鈥淢easuring biocapacity helps governments track progress towards sustainability and other environmental goals.鈥�

The findings also emphasize the importance of restoring natural areas, supporting regenerative agricultural practices and improving soil health to strengthen long-term productivity. Researchers recommend integrating ecological capacity measures into municipal planning and natural asset management strategies.

Produced as part of the Greenbelt Foundation鈥檚 Visioning the Future of the Greenbelt series, the report positions the Greenbelt as a key component of Ontario鈥檚 response to environmental and resource challenges, Miller notes.

鈥淭he Greenbelt鈥檚 natural infrastructure provides significant value to Ontario. By quantifying those benefits, we can better inform planning and policy decisions that affect the region鈥檚 long-term sustainability,鈥� says Miller. 鈥淭his research demonstrates the measurable benefits natural systems provide to Ontario鈥檚 communities and economy, and offers a framework to support evidence-based planning.鈥�

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鈥淲hen we think of environmental sustainability, we often immediately think about newer energy-efficient technologies. Organic waste treatment becomes rather an afterthought,鈥� says Reema Kumar, a PhD candidate at 91亚色's and lead author of the study.

That perspective is beginning to change as researchers look for new ways to recover value from organic waste. Instead of sending food waste to landfill 鈥� where it can contribute to greenhouse gases and other forms of pollution 鈥� scientists are exploring how it can be converted into useful resources.

One promising approach uses microorganisms to break down discarded food and produce chemicals that are typically made from petroleum-based sources, creating an alternative to landfill disposal and fossil-based production.

While researchers have tested adding microorganisms to increase the production of useful compounds from discarded food, most of that research has focused on systems that operate at relatively warm temperatures. Much less is known about whether the same process can selectively produce compounds under colder, lower-energy conditions.

According to Kumar, maintaining warmer operating conditions can require significant energy input, particularly in colder climates. Seeking a more energy-efficient approach, Kumar and her colleagues turned their attention to lower-temperature systems.

鈥淲e were inspired to optimize this natural system of microorganisms using food waste to produce volatile fatty acids under lower temperature conditions to make it more energy efficient as well as provide a targeted approach for production,鈥� says Kumar.

They honed in on Clostridium butyricum, a bacterium known for generating butyric acid and a commercially valuable chemical commonly used in food, pharmaceutical and industrial products. Yielding such chemicals from organic waste could provide a more sustainable alternative to conventional manufacturing methods that rely on fossil-fuel-derived raw materials.

Their work questioned whether introducing the bacterium into a low-temperature food-waste fermentation system could increase production of butyric acid.

In a study published in , Kumar and her collaborators tested the idea using food waste and wastewater sludge. The research was co-supervised by Lassonde Professor Satinder Kaur Brar, along with Guneet Kaur, associate professor at the University of Guelph.

The team created a series of small-scale experiments using food waste collected from restaurants in 91亚色 Lanes and sludge sourced from the Humber Wastewater Treatment Facility. Together, the food waste and sludge created conditions that allowed naturally occurring microorganisms to break down the waste.

Clostridium butyricum was then introduced into some of the samples to see if the bacterium could steer the process toward producing more butyric acid.

鈥淲e wanted to show that you can 鈥榞uide鈥� a complex microbial community, made up of many different bacteria naturally found in wastewater sludge, toward a specific, useful outcome just by introducing one well-chosen microorganism,鈥� says Kumar. 鈥淚t's a bit like steering a crowd by adding a few people who know where they're going.鈥�

The approach worked even better than the researchers expected. The system that received the bacterium produced more than twice as many acids overall and more than five times as much butyric acid compared to the control.

鈥淲e didn't expect such a strong response at a temperature of 17 C," says Kumar. "That was a genuinely exciting result."

The findings, she adds, point to a future where discarded food can be viewed as a resource rather than waste.

Increasing the production of commercially valuable compouds at lower temperatures could pave the way for more energy-efficient waste-treatment systems that recover greater value from discarded food. Over time, it may help keep organic waste out of landfills while creating renewable alternatives to some petroleum-derived chemicals.

鈥淲e hope it helps move the needle toward low-cost, low-energy ways of recovering value from food waste, especially in colder countries,鈥� says Kumar. 鈥淥nce this approach can eventually be scaled up, it could support local biorefinery systems that turn organic waste into useful chemicals without requiring expensive heating infrastructure. That has real implications for both sustainability and economics.鈥�

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outlines priorities for higher education institutions as they work to advance sustainable development and contribute to discussions about sustainable development beyond 2030.

Introduced July 13 during the Global Higher Education Symposium at United Nations Headquarters in New 91亚色, the work was developed through a drafting process including global consultation led by Katrin Kohl, co-chair of the UNESCO Chair in Reorienting Education towards Sustainability at 91亚色.

The project brought together partners including UNESCO, United Nations Academic Impact, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), the International Association of Universities and the International Science Council to build consensus around the role of higher education as a catalyst for positive change.

鈥淯niversities have an important role to play in helping society respond to global challenges, including climate change, inequality and emerging technologies,鈥� says Kohl. 鈥淭his statement brings together voices from around the world to identify how higher education can contribute to building a more sustainable future."

Perspectives from higher education leaders, researchers, international organizations, students and policymakers shaped a shared vision for priorities in higher education. The priorities include integrating sustainability across teaching, research and operations; strengthening democratic values and public trust; advancing inclusion and decolonization; using science and emerging technologies responsibly; and supporting changes to governance and funding systems.

UNESCO Chairholder Charles Hopkins says the initiative originated at 91亚色 and grew into an international collaboration with UN agencies concerned with higher education that resulted in the consensus statement.

The final document emerged from a global consultation process involving participants from around the world to build agreement on higher education's role in creating more sustainable, equitable and resilient societies.

The launch marks the latest contribution from 91亚色's UNESCO Chair in Reorienting Education towards Sustainability, established in 1999 as the first UNESCO Chair dedicated to education for sustainable development. For more than two decades, the Chair has worked with governments, international organizations, educators and institutions around the world to advance sustainability through education.

Hopkins says the statement represents an opportunity to strengthen the role of universities as partners in addressing complex issues beyond 2030 as conversations are beginning to emerge.

鈥淭he challenges the world faces do not exist in isolation, and neither can the solutions,鈥� says Hopkins. 鈥淯niversities have an important role to play as conveners, collaborators and catalysts for change.鈥�

The statement is expected to inform ongoing international discussions about the future of higher education and sustainable development and provide a framework for institutions seeking to strengthen their contributions to social, environmental and economic well-being.

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When聽Dorin was a doctoral student in the Faculty of Environmental & Urban Change and began discussing potential PhD research projects with Colla, her supervisor and one of Canada's leading pollinator conservation scientists, she already knew the questions she wanted to pursue.

With a background in wildlife biology, Dorin had followed growing concern about bee declines and understood the significance of the issue given the critical role pollinators play in maintaining healthy ecosystems and supporting food production.

鈥淟ike many others, I was deeply concerned about the declines we were seeing,鈥� Dorin says. She considered such question as: 鈥淲hat does effective pollinator conservation look like? How can we engage landowners in taking action to protect pollinators?鈥�

For many doctoral students, refining broad interests into a focused dissertation project can be one of the most challenging parts of the process. Dorin says Colla鈥檚 guidance was instrumental in helping her navigate that challenge.

鈥淪he had an incredible ability to ask the right questions and encourage me to think more deeply about the science,鈥� says Dorin.

With Colla's mentorship, those questions eventually led Dorin to explore what she saw as an overlooked area.

She explains that while a lot of research focuses on crops that depend on animal pollination, such as apples and blueberries, crops that do not require pollinators cover larger areas of agricultural land.

鈥淚f we assume those landscapes don't matter because the crops themselves don't need bees, we're overlooking millions of acres that pollinators may still use,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 wanted to understand what role these pollinator-independent crops play in supporting wild bee populations across agricultural landscapes.鈥�

That realization led Dorin and Colla to take a closer look at vineyards. Although grapes do not require animal pollination, vineyards represent large agricultural infrastructure and could provide important habitat for wild bees.

To explore that possibility, Dorin and Colla studied wild bee communities in 26 commercial vineyards in Niagara Region over two growing seasons. In addition to sampling bees, they examined factors including vegetation between vineyard rows, surrounding land uses, soil characteristics and topography.

The approach reflected one of Dorin's guiding principles throughout the project.

鈥淏ees don't recognize farm boundaries or distinguish between crop types,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hey move freely across the landscape 鈥� nesting, foraging and dispersing where suitable habitat and resources exist.鈥�

For Dorin, taking that broader perspective is essential to developing conservation strategies that reflect how pollinators experience the landscape. The findings, now published in , reinforce that outlook.

鈥淥ur research found a very high abundance and diversity of wild bees in vineyard agroecosystems, showing that these independent crops can support thriving bee communities,鈥� says Dorin.

The study found that bee communities were shaped by a combination of local and landscape-level conditions. Bee abundance and diversity were typically higher in vineyards surrounded by semi-natural habitats such as forests and treed areas. Taller vegetation between vineyard rows was also linked to healthier bee communities.

Another finding involved nesting habitat. Soil conditions were linked to different types of bees, suggesting conservation efforts must consider not only where pollinators find food, but also where they live and reproduce.

The results were the culmination of years of work for both Dorin and Colla.

Finishing the project, however, was not without its challenges. Examining wild bee communities across vineyard environments from multiple angles was an ambitious undertaking. But Dorin says Colla never made anything feel impossible for her students.

鈥淪he genuinely believed we were capable of succeeding,鈥� says Dorin. 鈥淪he trusted her students with meaningful responsibility, but she was always there when we needed guidance.鈥�

And because research rarely goes exactly as planned, she says, there were plenty of moments when that support was needed. Dorin recalls that whether challenges emerged during fieldwork, in the lab or during data analysis, Colla consistently offered advice, reassurance and a fresh perspective.

That commitment to her students remained unchanged, even as Colla faced significant health challenges.

By then, much of the project's fieldwork had been completed and the focus had shifted to data analysis and writing. Dorin says Colla remained actively involved throughout that stage of the research, continuing to meet with her to discuss results and provide feedback.

鈥淓ven during such a difficult time, she was still thinking about her students,鈥� says Dorin. 鈥淭hat says a great deal about the kind of mentor she was.鈥�

After Colla's death in 2025, finishing the project 鈥� even though much of the work had already been completed 鈥� was difficult for Dorin. She says it was impossible not to think about how much Colla would have enjoyed seeing the final dissertation and the resulting publications.

Dorin also believes Colla would have been especially excited by opportunities to share the findings with farmers, land managers and policymakers.

鈥淪he recognized that good science alone isn't enough,鈥� says Dorin. 鈥淪he believed that meaningful conservation requires research, but also policy, community engagement, education and action.鈥�

That way of thinking continues to shape Dorin's own approach to conservation and her goals for this latest study. She hopes the findings will help bridge the gap between science and on-the-ground land management, and encourage new ways of thinking about how wild bees can be supported 鈥� even in landscapes not traditionally considered pollinator habitat.

The work also contributes to a more nuanced understanding of pollinator conservation. Ontario is home to hundreds of species of wild bees, each with different nesting and foraging requirements, making a one-size-fits-all solution for supporting pollinators unlikely. Instead, Dorin says, understanding how different habitats benefit different species can lead to more informed conservation decisions across agricultural ecosystems.

That includes, she says, thinking beyond individual farms. Pollinator conservation occurs at the landscape scale, meaning it is not only how a vineyard is managed that matters, but also how nearby forests, hedgerows, roadsides, neighbouring croplands and even soils are managed.

Dorin sees those ambitions as a continuation of Colla's influence.

鈥淭hroughout her career, she showed us that conservation is not something achieved in isolation. It requires connecting science with communities, research with action and people with the ecosystems they depend on,鈥� says Dorin.

Dorin was among the many students, researchers and conservation advocates influenced by that philosophy. The vineyard study 鈥� and the hopes she has for its impact 鈥� reflect lessons Colla instilled throughout her career.

鈥淐ompleting this project without her was bittersweet. I wish she could have been there for my defence and to celebrate these publications, but I feel incredibly grateful that I had her mentorship for so much of this journey,鈥� she says. 鈥淪heila was simply one of the best people I've ever known.鈥�

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Scientists in environmental geophysics and geotechnical engineering study underground conditions that influence groundwater resources, landslide risks and the stability of critical infrastructure.

As climate change increases flooding and other extreme weather events, understanding what goes on beneath the Earth's surface is becoming more important.

To do that, researchers collect large volumes of information using seismic surveys, ground-penetrating radar, environmental sensors, satellite observations and borehole testing. Each source provides different information. Integrating and interpreting those datasets, however, can be a complex and time-consuming challenge.

"We now collect large amounts of geophysical, geotechnical and environmental data, but these datasets are often analyzed separately," says Akingboye, whose research in EUC focuses on climate-related hazards and infrastructure resilience.

That is one reason AI is steadily being applied in the field, he says. The technology improves how researchers merge datasets, analyze results and identify patterns. This provides a clearer understanding of subsurface conditions to assess landslide risks, monitor infrastructure and evaluate groundwater systems.

With AI expanding into environmental geophysics and geotechnical engineering, Akingboye paused to assess how the technology was being used.

"A question I had been thinking about for some time was, with the rapid growth of artificial intelligence, are we actually using it in the most meaningful way in environmental geophysics and geotechnical engineering?" he says.

That question became the starting point for a new co-authored by Akingboye and Professor Adeyemi Oludapo Olusola, who supervises his work in EUC. The paper examined hundreds of recent studies to assess how AI is being used in environmental geophysics and geotechnical engineering, evaluating both the progress being made and the challenges that remain.

鈥淭he sheer range of AI applications was surprising. We found AI being used for subsurface imaging, groundwater assessment, soil-rock characterization, landslide and slope instability prediction, and infrastructure monitoring, among many other applications,鈥� says Akingboye.

The review shows AI improves subsurface research by integrating multiple data streams to deliver detailed underground maps and efficient estimates of soil, rock and groundwater properties.

For Akingboye, documenting AI's growth was only part of the story; it was also about whether the technology could be trusted in environmental and engineering decision-making.

鈥淎 high-performing model is not automatically a useful or trustworthy one. We wanted to ask broader questions: Does the result agree with what we know about the subsurface? Can we explain it? Can we account for the uncertainty?鈥� says Akingboye.

The answer, the review found, is not always clear-cut. Across studies from around the world, researchers encountered recurring challenges including limited data, uncertainty, difficulty applying models across different geological settings and understanding how AI systems arrived at their conclusions.

Akingboye notes the challenges identified in the review are not simply technical problems. Inaccurate or poorly understood predictions can influence decisions about environmental hazards and critical infrastructure, making reliability as important as performance.

鈥淭hese are important gaps because a wrong interpretation can have serious consequences for environmental and engineering decision-making,鈥� says Akingboye. 鈥淭he impacts can be catastrophic and are often felt most severely by vulnerable and marginalized communities with fewer resources to prepare for, respond to and recover from environmental or infrastructure failures.鈥�

As well as identifying challenges, the authors also sought to outline a path forward. They advocate for future AI-driven tools that merge diverse environmental and geological datasets, account for uncertainty and respect established scientific laws governing geological systems.

To advance AI tools, the authors recommend developing systems with more robust prediction rationale and stronger validation benchmarks. They also call for closer collaboration between researchers, industry and policymakers to ensure future models combine sensor and monitoring data to provide near real-time pictures of changing underground conditions.

Ultimately, the review argues that the next step lies in engineering complex AI models capable responding beyond the datasets and conditions on which they were trained.

鈥淭here is still a significant gap between a model that performs well in a research study and one that can be trusted and applied in real-world practice,鈥� says Akingboye. 鈥淚 think closing that gap, while ensuring that these technologies ultimately support safer, more resilient and equitable communities, is one of the most important areas for future work.鈥�

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The approval allows Aretek to move ahead with a three-storey student housing project at the University of Windsor, expected to be the largest 3D-printed concrete building in North America by volume.

Researchers at 91亚色鈥檚 have been working with the company to test materials, monitor performance and generate the technical evidence needed to bring an emerging construction method closer to real-world use.

Liam Butler, associate professor in the Department of Civil Engineering, has been working alongside Aretek 鈥� formerly known as Printerra 鈥� through a multi-year research partnership anchored at the Keele Campus. Aretek is one of the few Canadian companies specializing in additive concrete construction, commonly known as 3D-printed concrete.

The collaboration involves developing lower-carbon concrete mixes, full-scale structural testing, performance monitoring, long-term durability testing and the kind of technical evidence regulators need before approving an entirely new way of building.

"This is definitely putting 91亚色 on the map as a key collaborator," says Butler.

The road to that approval, however, was not straightforward. Unlike conventional construction materials, 3D-printed concrete has no formal building code or standard anywhere in the world.

"Aretek has had to overcome the fact that there is no template for how to evaluate these new systems. They've had to create their own through demonstration and testing," says Butler.

Rather than wait for new regulations, Aretek worked within existing masonry standards to design and test a 3D-printed wall system. It applied for code approval through a regulatory pathway that allows builders to prove a new method can meet safety and performance requirements, even when it is not yet covered by existing building codes. Butler was directly involved in that process, called on by Aretek to support discussions with the Building Materials Evaluation Commission on behalf of these new innovative materials.

"We've been asked as academics to join these conversations with building officials to help support their application for these regulatory approvals," he says.

That support was possible because of what 91亚色's Keele Campus offers. Aretek conducts research and development out of 91亚色's Climate Data-Driven Design (CD3) facility 鈥� a civil engineering lab that gives access to full-scale industrial 3D printers. For Butler, that full-scale capacity is one of the partnership鈥檚 most important advantages.

"Most research around the world in 3D-printed concrete is at the lab scale, using lab-sized printers or even printers that fit on a desktop," says Butler. "We actually have access to a full-scale industrial-size printer. The acceleration from lab scale to adoption is greatly shortened. New mixes we design can be immediately tested at the full scale. That is a very unique aspect of this research project."

One of the partnership's central research objectives is reducing cement content in 3D-printed concrete mixes. Cement is essential to the rapid-hardening properties that 3D printing requires but it is also one of the construction sector's most significant environmental liabilities. The cement and concrete sector accounts for around seven per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

"Reducing that cement content in mixes, even by 20 or 30 per cent, could have a large-scale impact across the sector," says Butler.

The partnership also extends into workforce training. As Aretek trains construction workers in 3D-printing methods, those workers need a new skill set: learning to operate robotic printing systems, manage material preparation, read digital files and follow safety protocols specific to additive construction equipment.

"Like any sector that is evolving and changing, there's always a degree of upskilling that's going to have to be involved," says Butler.

The Windsor project, once complete, could also make it easier for future projects to move through approval processes elsewhere.

"Once one solution has been approved by a certain jurisdiction, it sets an important precedent," says Butler. "It will open the floodgates to a lot of other projects and jurisdictions."

Looking ahead, Butler expects 3D-printed construction to grow rapidly with hybrid structures that combine 3D-printed concrete and mass timber or precast concrete. This could lead to more sustainable material mixes and an increasing number of companies entering the space. He hopes 91亚色 remains at the centre of that evolution.

For Butler, that close connection between university research and industry application 鈥� such as the Windsor project 鈥� is what makes the partnership significant.

"It's a wonderful mechanism for creating positive impact," he says, "being able to upscale directly from research to new real-world applications."

With files from Mzwandile Poncana

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