The third cohort of the Sustainability Education Fellows represent six faculties and 10 departments and schools across 涩里番's two campuses.
Sidney Omelon
Associate Professor, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Mining & Material
Student Fellow: Jeffrey Opoku (PhD Student, Faculty of Engineering)
Sidney Omelon is a chemical engineer who will weave awareness of and strategies to improve sustainability in the fields of process and materials engineering design. Analyses of example industrial projects to improve sustainability will be created to compliment the core learning objectives for three undergraduate courses: Introduction to Extractive Metallurgy (MIME 250) and the fluid mechanics courses MIME 340 and MIME 356. A tutorial on energy and carbon accounting will also be developed that can be applied to the fluid mechanics course, and the capstone design course.
Irene (Rene) Gregory-Eaves
Professor, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology
Student Fellows: Grace Fedirchuk (Master鈥檚 Student, Faculty of Science) & Zoe Rabinovitch (Master鈥檚 Student, Faculty of Science)
Irene (Rene) Gregory-Eaves is a Canada Research Chair in Freshwater Ecology and Global Change, a mother and an artist. Rene is redesigning Essential Biology (BIOL 115), which is a course that many students who might otherwise not be exposed to sustainability science participate in. She has been on faculty at 涩里番 since 2004 in the Department of Biology and is an Associate Member of the Bieler School of Environment. She pursued a career in environmental science with the belief that this was the best way to bring solutions on how to protect our planet. She now fully embraces that science is only part of the answer and is excited to create dialogues with other disciplines to bring about a more sustainable future.
Pinar Ozcer
Faculty Lecturer, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering
Student Fellow: Michelle Pelletier (Master鈥檚 Student, Faculty of Engineering)
Pinar Ozcer is redesigning CIVE 225 Environmental Engineering. Her main objective is to provide civil engineering students with the competence to analyze environmental engineering concepts through the lens of sustainability. Throughout each module of the course, concepts such as optimizing resource use, reducing environmental impacts, and creating resilient systems that balance human needs with ecological health will be integrated into the curriculum. Case studies that highlight the broader economic and societal impacts of environmental engineering decisions will be used to connect technical engineering principles to sustainability practices and real-world problem-solving.
Raja Sengupta
Associate Professor, Faculty of Science, Department of Geography & Bieler School of Environment
Student Fellow: Duo Zhang (PhD Student, Faculty of Science)
My research has focused primarily on understanding interactions between human and their environment, with a view towards simulating spatially-explicit non-linear (complex) phenomenon like resource constraints and disease transmission using GIS data and analysis. I look to both agent-based models and spatial statistics to understand the patterns and processes of such phenomenon. More recently, I have been attempting to understand Urban Heat Islands using spatial statistics and pinpoint the factors within an urban fabric that gives rise to this phenomenon.
Anila Asghar
Associate Professor, Faculty of Education, Department of Integrated Studies in Science Education
Student Fellows: Azam Dashti Khavidaki (PhD Student, Faculty of Education) & Charles Yeboah (PhD Student, Faculty of Education)
Anila Asghar is redesigning two science and mathematics education courses to integrate Indigenous epistemologies and practices related to environmental sustainability. These courses present historical, philosophical, and sociocultural perspectives on the construction of knowledge in mathematics and science. Her goal is to enrich and deepen mathematics and science educators鈥� understanding of Indigenous pedagogies related to sustainability concepts and issues. Meaningful engagement with Indigenous sustainability practices and ways of knowing will enable them to develop comprehensive sustainability education competencies.
Senior Faculty Lecturer, Faculty of Science, School of Computer Science
Student Fellow: Jazlyn Hellman (PhD Student, Faculty of Science)
Giulia Alberini was raised in Italy and completed a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Mathematics at the Universit脿 degli Studi di Padova. She moved to Montr茅al to pursue a PhD in Cryptography at 涩里番, where she discovered a growing interest in teaching. Since being hired as a Faculty Lecturer in 2018, she has shifted her focus to undergraduate computer science education, teaching large introductory courses and developing inclusive and engaging learning environments.
She is particularly interested in equitable assessment practices and how course design can better support student learning and motivation. Eager to keep learning, she participates in several projects across the department, faculty, and university that aim to better understand and improve the undergraduate experience at 涩里番.
Alia Sajjad
Faculty Lecturer, Faculty of Science, Department of Mathematics and Statistics
Student Fellow: Jingrui Mu (PhD Student, Faculty of Science)
Dr. Alia Sajjad is a Faculty Lecturer in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at 涩里番. She holds a PhD in Statistics with research focused on optimality in block designs. Her current research interests lie at the intersection of discrete choice modeling, optimal experimental design and the teaching and learning of statistics. She is actively involved in curriculum development and pedagogical outreach, and her ongoing collaborations include work on best鈥搘orst choice models and their applications in health and industry. Dr. Sajjad has also led international mentoring initiatives to promote data science and statistical literacy among underrepresented students.
Julie Ricard
Assistant Professor, School of Continuing Studies
Student Fellow: Val Munoz Saavedra (Master鈥檚 Student, Faculty of Education)
Julie Ricard is an assistant professor and academic director of management and entrepreneurship at the School of Continuing Studies. Her research aims to contribute to sound organizational and improved management strategies in improved, balanced, and inclusive ecosystems. One of her current research projects includes sustainability supply networks in the field of health care. In the context of the Sustainable Education Fellows, her goal is to upgrade course content to make management practices more sustainable and sensitize managers and professionals to the financial
and non-financial risks associated with business practices. She is rethinking a supply chain course to integrate the latest sustainable management.
Alice Cherestes
Associate Dean Academic, Senior Faculty Lecturer, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Department of Bioresource Engineering
Student Fellow: Dennis Dankwa (Master鈥檚 Student, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences)
Alice Cherestes is an educator with extensive experience in teaching chemistry. Professor Cherestes incorporates active learning into her teaching and is always interested in increasing student engagement in her courses. She is passionate about increasing student agency in learning and empowering students to take ownership of their educational journey.
Currently, Professor Cherestes is focused on developing learning outcomes and learning activities for the introductory general chemistry course that align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). This initiative aims not only to increase student engagement, but also to introduce students to the concept of sustainability early in their academic careers by contextualizing chemistry within the broader framework of global challenges and solutions.
Their efforts in this area reflect a forward-looking approach to education, ensuring that students are equipped with the knowledge and skills to contribute to a sustainable future.
Kevin McDonough
Associate Professor, Faculty of Education, Department of Integrated Studies in Educatio
Student Fellow: Lucia Dikaczova (PhD Student, Faculty of Education)
I am a philosopher of education whose research and teaching interests lie at the intersections of political philosophy and citizenship education. I鈥檓 particularly interested in how philosophical reflection on principles of sustainability can inform the theory and practice of education for democratic citizenship.
Their efforts in this area reflect a forward-looking approach to education, ensuring that students are equipped with the knowledge and skills to contribute to a sustainable future.
Christophe Bedos
Professor, Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences
Student Fellow: Newsha Toreihi (PhD Student, Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences)
Christophe Bedos is a professor at 涩里番 Faculty of Dental Medicine, and co-director of the RiSBOd (R茅seau Qu茅b茅cois de recherche intersectorielle en sant茅 buccodentaire et osseuse durable). His research focuses on developing and promoting sustainable dental services that are not only inclusive and socially engaged but also environmentally responsible and resilient.
