First cohort of McGill Sustainability Systems Initiative Fellows to tackle an ‘inspiring’ range of problems   

Developing a smart insecticide, assessing protective coatings in marine environments and measuring space allocated to active transport are among the projects undertaken by the inaugural cohort of McGill Sustainability Systems Initiative (MSSI) Fellows. 

The Fellowship allows interdisciplinary teams of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to work on co-designed sustainability research projects while cultivating a shared learning experience. The five funded teams include a total of 15 graduate and postdoctoral students, who come from eight departments and programs across five faculties. They will work on their projects over a nine-month period, meeting monthly to share progress, challenges and provide feedback Each project will receive $10,000 in funding. 

“Today’s global problems are too complex to be tackled using the traditional departmental structures of universities,” said Evan Henry, MSSI Director. “At the MSSI, we want to train and equip the next generation of sustainability leaders and researchers with the know-how and practical experience to conduct interdisciplinary research. The breadth of projects selected in this inaugural cohort is truly inspiring and makes me excited to see how this fellowship evolves throughout the years.”  

Here are the 2024 McGill Sustainability Systems Initiative projects and Fellows: 

Evaluating McGill’s Sustainability Education Fellowship 

Using McGill’s Sustainability Education Fellows program as a case study, this project examines whether, how and to what extent sustainability training initiatives are an effective way to support education for sustainable development.

Laurianne Debanne (Geography), Stephanie Leite and Justus Wachs (Integrated Studies in Education), Christopher Luederitz (Management)

Protective coatings to prevent materials degradation in marine environments 

This project explores the synergistic effects of mechanical and chemical degradation in materials. It will study the mechanical wear and corrosion of high entropy alloy coatings — an emerging class of materials — and aid materials selection for energy technology in marine environments. Lin Wu (Mining & Materials Engineering), León Zendejas Medina (Chemistry).

Smart insecticide 

The project aims to develop a smart biopesticide targeting caterpillar pests by exploiting their unique, highly alkaline gut pH. This approach improves pesticide specificity, thereby reducing health impacts from accidental exposure and environmental impacts from excessive pesticide use.

Mohammad Jamil Kaddoura and Unnikrishnan Kannan (Food Science and Agricultural Chemistry), Yintin Chen (Plant Science).

Replacing glass with novel biodegradable polymeric composite 

The aim is to address the environmental and economic challenges posed by non-biodegradable glass waste by developing a novel biodegradable polymeric composite and introducing a superior sustainable alternative that biodegrades naturally.

Hardik Singla (Biological and Biomedical Engineering), Pouria Tirgar Bahnamiri (Bioengineering).

Measuring inequity in active transport infrastructure

Today, many cities are redesigning their streets, transforming roads into pedestrian spaces or bicycle paths. This often meets resistance from car advocates. This project seeks to improve public communication about street redesign and address backlash by designing a measure to capture the imbalance in transport infrastructure.

Jose Arturo Jasso Chavez, Alexandra Kinman, Daniel Romm, and Pegah Salsabilian (Geography).

Over the next nine months, these teams will benefit from personalized guidance and support from MSSI. This includes cohort meetings, progress tracking and assistance in navigating unforeseen challenges. Next spring, a final showcase will be held for teams to present their completed projects. 

The McGill Sustainability Systems Initiative supports interdisciplinary sustainability research at McGill through funding projects and building community. To learn more about opportunities for McGill students and faculty members, visit www.mcgill.ca.mssi.