Trent University
MyTrent
  • Academics
    • Undergraduate Programs
    • Graduate Programs
    • Trent Online
    • Summer Courses
    • Continuing Education
    • Study Abroad
    • Academic Calendar
    • Academic Timetable
    • Academic Skills Centre
    • Academic Advising
    • Library
    • Centre for Teaching and Learning
  • Admissions
    • Undergraduate
    • Thinking of Applying
    • Already Applied
    • Received an Offer
    • Accepted My Offer
    • Graduate
    • International
    • Indigenous
    • Returning to Trent
    • Transfer
  • Services & Support
    • Academic Advising
    • Academic Skills Centre
    • Administrative Departments
    • Alumni Services
    • Athletics
    • Campus Security
    • Careerspace
    • Colleges
    • Communications
    • Conferences
    • Financial Aid
    • Financial Services
    • Health & Wellness
    • Indigenous Services
    • Information Technology
    • International Students
    • Learning Support
    • Parking
    • Printshop
    • Recruitment
    • Registrar's Office
    • Residence & Housing
    • Student Clubs
    • TrentU Card
  • Research
    • Research at Trent
    • Research Centres
    • Find an Expert
    • Resources
  • Give to Trent
  • About Trent
    • About Trent
    • Careers
    • Giving to Trent
    • Governance
    • How to Find Us
    • Media
    • News & Events
    • President's Office
    • Staff Directory
    • Trent Facts
    • Contact Us
  • Campus Locations
    • Peterborough
    • Durham GTA
    • Online
  • Future Students
    • Undergraduate
    • Thinking of Applying
    • Already Applied
    • Received an Offer
    • Accepted My Offer
    • Graduate
    • International
    • Indigenous
    • Returning to Trent
    • Transfer
  • Current Students
  • Alumni
  • Trent Forward: COVID-19 Info
  • Apply
  • Visit
  • Give
  • Map
  • Careers
  • Directions
  • Library
  • Site Map
  • Bookstore

Trent Forward: Learn more about our response to COVID-19.

Skip to main content Home
  • Peterborough
  • Durham GTA
  • Online
  • MyTrent
MENU
Trent University

Environmental & Life Sciences

  • Welcome
  • The Experience
  • How to Apply
  • Faculty & Research
  • Careers & Alumni
  • Current Research Opportunities
  • Seminar Series
  • Contact
male student in water/stream holding up a test tube examining it while 2 other individuals out of focus are recording results

Environmental & Life Sciences

  • Welcome
  • The Experience
    • M.Sc. Program
    • Ph.D. Program
    • Forms for Students & Faculty
    • Student Research
    • Awards & Scholarships
  • How to Apply
  • Faculty & Research
  • Careers & Alumni
  • Current Research Opportunities
  • Seminar Series
  • Contact
TRENTU.CA / Environmental & Life Sciences / The Experience / Student Research

Student Research

Environmental & Life Sciences

Environmental & Life Science students benefit from a variety of exciting opportunities both in the field and laboratory. Take a look below to learn more about past and current student research.


Students in the Field

lab student, Jasper, is holding net checking and replacing minnow traps wearing rubber boots with pond infront of him Patrick Heney, MSc candidate working on antipredator responses in larval salamanders, and his lab partner Jasper (LAST NAME) (pictured), are checking and replacing minnow traps, looking for blue-spotted salamanders that breed in ponds on the Trent campus. Once captured, the salamanders are kept in captivity for a few days to determine the maternity of the eggs that are laid by each female. This has implications for research involving the ploidy levels of specific larvae that hatch from each egg. Photograph taken April 2017.

 


student Kristi Goulet standing in laboratory wearing pink dress and lab gloves smiling at camera "I recently graduated from the Honours Forensic Science undergraduate program at Trent University in 2012, as one of the top students in my class. I was excited about studying at Trent at the graduate level in the Environmental & Life Sciences (EnLS) program. Trent has always been a place I can call home. I was delighted that the EnLS program offered a specialization in cell biology and genetics, as I have always had a keen interest in pursuing a career in forensic biology. I joined the Dr. Barry Saville lab in the summer of 2014, where my research focused on functional RNA molecules in a model fungal pathogen of corn. The EnLS program has provided numerous educational and social opportunities for me, as well as some lifelong friends. I have been awarded scholarships directly through this program, based on academic achievements. I am currently finishing writing my Master's thesis, while concurrently working as a Forensic Service Technologist at the Ontario Forensic Pathology Service in Toronto. I hope to finish writing and have defended my thesis before the new year! I am thankful for all opportunities that the EnLS program has provided, and can honestly say that I have had a very positive and rewarding graduate experience."

- Kristi Goulet, M.Sc. graduate student


student, Vaughn Mengal, crouching under large rock near stream with snow around him Vaughn Mangal, PhD candidate, explores how organic materials chemical makeup and concentration can influence mercury’s ability to be uptaken by bacteria at various times of the year. Mercury is a toxic metal of increasing importance that can travel in both the water and the atmosphere from various parts of world. Once in aquatic systems, mercury can be converted to the neurotoxin methylmercury by bacteria. Methylmercury magnifies up the food chain, resulting in greater concentrations in predatory fish and mammals that many Northern communities rely on for food. Vaughn received the prestigious W. Garfield Weston Award for Northern Research with a value of $50,000.


male student, michael brown, in a forest holding a field mouse with gloves smiling at camera"The EnLS program at Trent University is a unique environment where many graduate students have the opportunity to collaborate on research projects with a variety of government agencies and organizations. This allows students to not only network with professionals in the field, but also to gain practical career experience. My research on functional genomics and ecology of hybridization in flying squirrels, supported by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) and Trent University's ENLS program, has provided me with interdisciplinary training in bioinformatics and landscape ecology, along with valuable networking opportunities that will help me to succeed to in the field of natural resource science and management."    

- Michael Brown, M.Sc. graduate student 


student, Meagan, wearing toque, holding a large lynx in her arms!Meagan Hornseth, M.Sc. graduate student, focuses her research on determining the impacts of habitat fragmentation and landscape connectivity on Canada lynx at multiple spatial scales.  Lynx are declining in the southern boreal forest, which is becoming increasingly fragmented due to forestry and road development.  Meagan is examining the implications of habitat fragmentation on the behavioural plasticity of lynx across its range and determining the effects of habitat fragmentation on broad scale movements and developing a sustainable harvest model for lynx in Ontario.

 

 

 


female student, Samantha Morin, kneeling in snow holding wild feline“I was drawn to Trent because of its close-knit community and collaborative atmosphere, as well as the beautiful campus setting. Trent has helped me find my footing through providing various resources, as well as a welcoming and inspiring research environment.” Samantha Morin says that it was the support she received at Trent that equipped her with the resources necessary to bring her research project to a reality. Ms. Morin’s passion for wildlife sparked a focus on the Canada lynx and bobcat, studying the interactions between the two species and understanding more of their ecology. She says that she has found her place here at Trent University, and a group of colleagues that have provided the time, resources and opportunities necessary to carry out this exciting assignment. 

- Samantha Morin, M.Sc. graduate student 


female grad student wearing bright orange coveralls holding an adult brook trout in a laboratory, smiling at cameraChantelle Penney, PhD candidate, investigates transgenerational plasticity and epigenetic inheritance in lake trout and brook trout by examining their physiological and behavioural responses to a warmer environment. This involves measurements of metabolic rate, temperature preference and gene expression to determine whether there is potential for future generations of these fish to cope with the anticipated warming associated with climate change. 

 

 

 


student, Abby Wynia, holding a fish with a huge grain on her fice smiling at the camera wearing sunglasses"The passion that the students have for their research is both contagious and inspiring"

-Abby Wynia, M.Sc. graduate student

 

 

 

 


Melanie Boudreau, PhD candidate, focuses on the non-consumptive effects of predation in snowshoe hare populations. "I am grateful for the opportunities I have had through the Murray lab, from being able to work in the beautiful remote wilderness of the Yukon for 18 months to building and being a part of an amazing supportive and productive collaborative network; all of it has been an exceptional experience to date."

 

 

 

 


 

Three Minute Thesis Presentations

Hannah Mackellar - First Runner Up - "Characterizing Migration in Hudson Bay’s Whimbrel Population"

 

Megan Aoki - "The Role of Plant Hormones in the Social Amoeba, Dictyostelium"

 

Rachel Dillon - "Ophidiomycosis: A Forked Road in Snake Conservation"

 

Sam Sonnega - "Snowshoe Hares in a Changing Environment"

 

student and scientific excellence

Awards & Scholarships

Internal and external awards and scholarships for graduate students.

Please visit the Graduate Studies scholarship page for all Trent Graduate Studies Scholarship and their Deadlines.

Awards & Scholarships

The Experience

  • M.Sc. Program
    • Accelerated Masters
      • Why do an Accelerated Masters?
  • Ph.D. Program
  • Forms for Students & Faculty
  • Student Research
  • Awards & Scholarships
    • Featured Winners

Related Links

  • Forms for Students & Faculty
  • Graduate Studies
  • Trent Career Centre
  • Trent School of the Environment
  • Trent Biology
  • Trent Chemistry
  • Trent Community Research Centre
  • Trent Forensics
  • MNRF Aquatics
  • MNRF Wildlife
Trent University logo
Challenge the Way You Think

Trent University respectfully acknowledges it is located on the treaty and traditional territory of the Mississauga Anishinaabeg. We offer our gratitude to First Peoples for their care for, and teachings about, our earth and our relations. May we honour those teachings.

Peterborough

1600 West Bank Drive
Peterborough, ON Canada, K9L 0G2

Toll Free: 1-855-MY-TRENT

Campus Map

Durham Greater Toronto Area

55 Thornton Road South
Oshawa, ON Canada, L1J 5Y1

Phone: 905-435-5100

Campus Map

Social Media Directory
  • Contact
  • Directions
  • Site Map
  • Accessibility
  • @ Copyright 2022 Trent University