Trent’s Leadership in Ecological Research Shines at Wildlife 70
Trent University a key contributor at collaborative symposium
It was a busy four days at Trent University as 150 academic and government researchers and policy makers from across the country gathered for Wildlife 70, a joint symposium by Trent University, the Wildlife Conservation Society of Canada (WCS), and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF). Jeff Bowman, MNRF research scientist, adjunct professor at Trent and chair of the organizing committee for the conference, indicated that the symposium was held "in recognition of the 70th anniversary of the Wildlife Research and Monitoring Section" of the MNRF.
As a leader in wildlife and conservation biology research, Dr. Paul Wilson, Canadian research chair in DNA Profiling, Forensics and Functional Genomics, associate professor of Biology at Trent, and one of Wildlife 70s organizers explains that the University’s involvement with the MNRF and WCS strengthens Trent’s high profile among Canadian institutions.
“Trent is uniquely positioned in their relationship with MNRF,” explained Professor Wilson. “Dozens of students have ongoing studies on dozens of species in collaborations between Trent and MNRF with the formal synergy emerging with the housing of research staff from MNRF on campus. This synergy has seen the inclusion of MNRF Research Scientists in the Environmental & Life Sciences graduate program, and enhanced leveraging of opportunities for Trent staff and students, and MNRF researchers alike.”
The symposium, hosted at Trent May 1-4, 2017, brought together prominent ecologists from across the country for critical conversations about long-term ecological research in Canada. The event also featured Dr. Charles Krebs, professor emeritus at the University of British Columbia, and Dr. Marco Festa-Bianchet, professor from Université de Sherbrooke, as keynote speakers.