For Faculty and Staff: Teaching Award Reception – 4:00-6:00, Wednesday, November 13, Teaching Commons, LI 5014 and the Orillia Alumni Commons

· A celebration of this year’s winners of teaching awards with a keynote by the winner of the 2018-19 Distinguished Instructor Award (winner to be announced at the Nov 4th Senate). Refreshments and an opportunity to enjoy the company of colleagues follows. Please RSVP by Nov 11th to teachingcommons.lakeheadu.ca

The university community is invited to the NRM Seminar Series presentation by Joe Silva, MSCF candidate from the University of Alberta.

WHEN: Wednesday, Nov. 13 at 2:30 pm
WHERE: BB-1006
Light refreshments served

The influence of forest fires and lichen abundance on woodland caribou ecology

Forest fires are constantly changing the mosaic of caribou habitat across Canada’s Boreal Shield, and the prevailing assumption is that burns contribute to reduced population viability. This assumption has been challenged in recent research, but further studies are required to better clarify the mechanisms involved. A large portion of the caribou diet consists of ground lichens, which are usually consumed in forest fires. Thus, forest fires can exert a strong influence on lichen abundance and alter the habitat selection patterns of woodland caribou. We set out to quantify lichen abundance across a fire-driven landscape and determine how caribou selection for lichen abundance changes throughout the year. We used field sampling to quantify the biomass of ground lichens in upland forest stands near Red Lake, ON. Combining our field measurements with forest structure, topographic and remote sensing covariates, we used spatial modelling to generate a map of lichen abundance for our study area. We investigate differences in seasonal habitat selection for ground lichens using GPS collar locations of ten female caribou. Our results suggest that ground lichen abundance is a strong predictor of habitat selection in winter, and there appears to be a minimum threshold of lichen biomass in forest stands selected by caribou. Lichen abundance was a poor predictor of habitat selection in the snow-free seasons, suggesting predator avoidance behavior and/or shifting diet. In our future work, we intend to study the short-term response of caribou to forest fires. We will analyse GPS locations of caribou before and after large fires in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario to determine whether caribou shift the location of their home range in response to disturbance. We also hope to quantify the amount of time animals spend in burns and whether they disproportionately select for unburned patches of residual forest when within the fire perimeter.

In connection with GIS Day 2019, GoGeomatics Thunder Bay is hosting a presentation by Dr. Muditha Heenkenda, a new Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography and the Environment. The talk is titled: A transition from traditional mangrove remote sensing to recent advances: Mapping and monitoring. After the presentation and an opportunity for questions, the GoGeomatics event will continue, transitioning to the Outpost for snacks and refreshments!

Muditha has completed her PhD in Remote Sensing and GIS at Charles Darwin University in Australia and her Masters in Geo-information Science at Wageningen University in the Netherlands. Her research interests include the use of remote sensing technology and information extraction for problem solving, actively collaborating with researchers in forestry, social science, environmental and wildfire management.

International GIS Day 2019 is being hosted by the Department of Geography and the Environment. RC-2003 and RC-2005 will have booths and presenters showcasing how geomatics tools and geospatial technology are being leveraged in various commercial firms and government ministries. These include the Lakehead Region Conservation Authority, Synergy North Hydro, tbaytel, KBM Forest Resources, the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, the Ontario Ministry of Northern Development and Mines, the Faculty of Natural Resources Management and the Department of Geography and the Environment. All are welcome!

A workshop by Dr. Christina Hendricks from UBC introducing SoTL (the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning), its core components, and its relationship to conventional academic scholarship.

Join us for the following Teaching Circles. Not workshops, Teaching Circles are instead a time for instructors across the disciplines to get together casually for 30-45 minutes to share their best strategies (and sometimes their greatest frustrations) around a range of common teaching issues. All instructors are welcome to attend!

For more info please head to http://libcal.lakeheadu.ca/event/3520804.

Enjoy a night of wine, cheese, and delving into the brain of infamous serial killer, Ted Bundy. It's free to attend, so make sure to bring a friend! Snacks & beverages will be provided. Must be 19+ to be served wine.

Join us in the Makerspace@Paterson to learn the ins and outs of 3D printing on the Makerspace printers. This 30-minute session will include a general introduction to 3D printing, basic features and operation of the printers and safety guidelines. Attendance at a 3D Printing Orientation is required for anyone wanting to use the printers.

Additional sessions are scheduled for the month of November.

Event registration: http://libcal.lakeheadu.ca/event/3526863

Join us in the Makerspace@Paterson to learn the ins and outs of 3D printing on the Makerspace printers. This 30-minute session will include a general introduction to 3D printing, basic features and operation of the printers and safety guidelines. Attendance at a 3D Printing Orientation is required for anyone wanting to use the printers.

Additional sessions are scheduled for the month of November.

Event registration: http://libcal.lakeheadu.ca/event/3526864