University of Winnipeg, Research and Graduate Studies

University of Winnipeg, Research and Graduate Studies

The University of Winnipeg contains several departments whose faculty members conduct research in order to solve environmental problems. Faculty researchers work together with other industry and government partners to create solutions in a 'real world' setting. Researchers in the departments of biology, chemistry, economics, environmental studies, geography, and the Institute of Urban Studies span a broad range of expertise including: forestry; polymeric compound synthesis; solid waste management and packaging stewardship; aquaculture; analysis of herbicides; pollutants in inland water systems; arctic and subarctic ecosystems; and sustainable development.


Projects Undertaken:


study of effects of clear-cut logging versus fire; canola oil as a lipid supplement in the diet of larval goldfish; annual smartweed in the prairie provinces; consequences of natural and manipulated climate changes on low arctic ecosystems; impacts of air pollution on terrestrial vegetation; the role of aquatic macrophytes in the cycling of heavy metals in lake ecosystems; the study of fish behaviour as it relates to aquaculture systems; comparison of physiological and reproductive effects of exposure to acid and aluminum in freshwater clams; behaviour of PCB's in the surface waters of lakes; packaging stewardship in Canada and the European Union; effects of herbicides on nitrogen cycling; synthesis of electrical and electrochemical studies of polymeric ethers and amines with pendant moieties; polyamide piping and valves.

Company Details

Company Information

Alaa Abd-el-aziz
Title: Associate Vice-President (Research and G
Telephone: (204) 786-9944
Fax: (204) 783-8910
Email: Click Here

Katherine Schultz
Email: Click Here

Products

Environmental Products And Services

Study The Differences And Similarities Among Policies Of Eu Countries
Packaging stewardship is a major issue in the OECD countries. Stewardship here means designing and selling packaging that has the minimum impact on the environment. It also means taking a portion of the financial responsibility for the waste management costs generated by used packaging. The European Union and its Member States, as well as Canada and its provinces are developing policies and programs encouraging or requiring the packaging chain to adopt packaging stewardship responsibilities. Packaging stewardship programs have practical interest: Will they result in a reduction of the environmental impact of packaging? Will they cause the environment costs of packages to be internalized in the price and profit structure of goods being marketed? How will the programs impact on the competitiveness of the European and Canadian internal markets? What opportunities will the Canadian program create for Canadian companies in Europe? What barriers will the European program create for Canadian companies wanting to sell into Europe? All of these questions are within the scope of the proposed research. The answers are significant to the Canadian packaged goods industry. Including the recently adopted Directive on Packaging and Packaging Waste, Packaging Stewardship policies of the European Union and its Member States will be investigated from the perspective of Canadian business. Structured interviews are conducted with industry and government contacts: the level of knowledge of Canadian and European programs; and the priority issues. The interview results inform the analysis of European stewardship policies. The research method includes: Review Summary and comparison of legislation; Structured interviews with stakeholders: industry, governments, environmental groups, consumers; Presentation of descriptive statistics on packaging and its environmental impact Project outputs include: a series of briefing papers designed to acquaint Canadian business with the European Packaging Stewardship programs; briefing papers identifying lessons for the Canadian 'internal market' derived from the European experience in the area of coordinating packaging stewardship policies in a federal system; a discussion paper written for public policy analysis highlighting the differences between Canadian and European Union policies and commenting on potential changes to the Canadian model.

Determine Impact Of Eu Policies On Canadian Business And Develop A Workplan To Solve Problems Which May Arise For Canadian Business.
Packaging stewardship is a major issue in the OECD countries. Stewardship here means designing and selling packaging that has the minimum impact on the environment. It also means taking a portion of the financial responsibility for the waste management costs generated by used packaging. The European Union and its Member States, as well as Canada and its provinces are developing policies and programs encouraging or requiring the packaging chain to adopt packaging stewardship responsibilities. Packaging stewardship programs have practical interest: Will they result in a reduction of the environmental impact of packaging? Will they cause the environment costs of packages to be internalized in the price and profit structure of goods being marketed? How will the programs impact on the competitiveness of the European and Canadian internal markets? What opportunities will the Canadian program create for Canadian companies in Europe? What barriers will the European program create for Canadian companies wanting to sell into Europe? All of these questions are within the scope of the proposed research. The answers are significant to the Canadian packaged goods industry. Including the recently adopted Directive on Packaging and Packaging Waste, Packaging Stewardship policies of the European Union and its Member States will be investigated from the perspective of Canadian business. Structured interviews are conducted with industry and government contacts: the level of knowledge of Canadian and European programs; and the priority issues. The interview results inform the analysis of European stewardship policies. The research method includes: Review Summary and comparison of legislation Structured interviews with stakeholders: industry, governments, environmental groups, consumers Presentation of descriptive statistics on packaging and its environmental impact Project outputs include: a series of briefing papers designed to acquaint Canadian business with the European Packaging Stewardship programs; briefing papers identifying lessons for the Canadian 'internal market' derived from the European experience in the area of coordinating packaging stewardship policies in a federal system; a discussion paper written for public policy analysis highlighting the differences between Canadian and European Union policies and commenting on potential changes to the Canadian model.

Gas Chromatography To Track Denitrification Effects On Soils, Flexibacter Canadensis And Cytophaga Johnsonae.
Bromoxynil (3, 5-dibromo-4-hydroxybenzonitrile) is extensively used in the United States and Canada as a herbicide on a variety of crops. In the past, the thrust of microbial research has been to isolate specific micro-organisms able to biodegrade bromoxynil in order to reduce its biotoxicity. However, the overall effect of this compound on essential microbe-mediated soil processes, especially those involving the nitrogen cycle, have not been examined. Denitrification (i.e. the anaerobic conversion of ionic nitrogen oxides to gaseous nitrogen compounds) plays an integral role in soil fertility because any inhibition or modification of this process affects the amount of fertilizer nitrate available for plant uptake. The research examines the effect of bromoxynil on denitrification by a variety of Manitoba soils, including soils which have consistently been exposed to high concentrations of this herbicide (i.e. disposal sites). Furthermore, it examines the effects of bromoxynil on the denitrifiying activity of Flexibacter canadensis and Cytophaga johnsonae grown in pure culture and in sterile soils. Denitrifcation in the absence and presence of bromoxynil is monitored using gas chromatography. Growth curve and respiration studies are performed in order to establish what effects, if any, bromoxynil has on the metabolic activity of denitrifying bacteria during aerobic and anaerobic growth.

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