William Leggett, professor emeritus in the Department of Biology and Queen's 17th principal, has received the H. Ahlstrom Lifetime Achievement Award from the Early Life History Section of the American Fisheries Society for his contributions to the fields of larval fish ecology.
The American Fisheries Society is the biggest association of professional aquatic ecologists in the world, with over 9,000 members worldwide.
"It feels good to be singled out by such large group of people who I respect so highly," says Dr. Leggett. "I didn't expect to receive this award so it's a big honour and thrill to get it."
Dr. Leggett's research focuses on the dynamics of fish populations and his work as a biologist and a leader in education has been recognized nationally and internationally. A membership in the Order of Canada, a fellowship from the Royal Society of Canada, and the Award of Excellence in Fisheries Education are just some of the awards he has received for outstanding contributions to graduate education and marine science.
The Early Life History Section of the American Fisheries Society recognized Dr. Leggett's "exceptional contributions to the understanding of early life history of fishes that has inspired the careers of a number of fisheries scientists worldwide and has led to major progress in fish ecology and studies of recruitment dynamics."
The award was recently presented in Quebec City at the 38th annual Larval Fish Conference held in conjunction with the 144th annual meeting of the American Fisheries Society.
The Queen’s community is invited to participate in virtual workshops and events on advancing the Sustainable Development Goals in higher education.
Post-secondary institutions across the country are coming together from March 6-10 to mark the first SDG Week Canada. This national collaboration is organized by the Sustainability Hub at UBC, Colleges and Institutes Canada, and SDSN Canada, of which Queen’s is a member. Through workshops, panels, and interactive programming, the week will showcase and accelerate the advancement of SDGs on Canadian university and college campuses in a coordinated and collaborative way. SDG Week Canada aligns with the global UN SDG Action and Awareness Week focused on promoting awareness of the SDGs among students, faculty, and staff in higher education with the goal to action them in their local communities. Queen’s is a member of several organizations, including the University Global Coalition, who are recognizing the week with events and activities open to members, as well as the launch of new initiatives.
Action and Awareness at Queen’s
Read the report: Queen's contributions to the UN Sustainable Development Goals: Advancing social impact | 2021-2022 [PDF Report 10 KB]
In 2023, the university is continuing to build on actioning the Queen’s Strategy. Earlier this year, the second annual social impact report was released, highlighting the university’s activities in research, teaching, outreach, and stewardship that support advancing the UN SDGs. The report and Advancing Social Impact website provide a snapshot through storytelling, videos, and other media of the collaborations and initiatives across the university that generate impact on our campuses and in our communities.
To build on this momentum, the Office of the Principal and Vice-Chancellor will soon be making an announcement regarding the appointment of a faculty member to the position of Special Advisor to the Principal on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. This new position will work to highlight and enhance all the important work happening across the Queen’s community to advance these global goals and further the university’s social impact. With an eye towards Queen’s partnerships and collaborations, Wendy Craig (Psychology) was recently appointed as Special Advisor to the Principal on Community Engagement. Dr. Craig will work to enhance community engagement learning and research opportunities while also bringing together the multiple facets of community service work, outreach, and training within the Queen’s Strategy.
Engagement and Outreach
The SDGs are also embedded in the university's draft Global Engagement Strategic Plan presented by the Office of the Vice-Provost, Global Engagement. Developed in response to the goals of the Queen’s Strategy and in consultation with more than 400 faculty, students, staff, community members, and global partners, the plan outlines six objectives to deepen the university’s global impact and work towards a more just, equitable, and sustainable society. Shared just ahead of SDG Week Canada, the draft plan will be open for feedback until March 17.
Following the success of last year’s re-imagined SDG-focused Art of Research, University Relations is continuing the theme with the 7th edition of the photo contest. Queen’s faculty, staff, students, and alumni are all eligible to enter the contest for a chance to win one of six prizes of $250 for sharing their research through compelling visuals. Alongside the five categories highlighting specific SDGs, the contest has expanded this year to include a special video category, “Research in motion.” Submissions will be accepted throughout SDG Week Canada until March 10.
Beyond SDG Week Canada
For students looking to put the SDGs into action, DDQIC has partnered with the Centre for Social Impact at Smith School of Business to co-host the Queen’s edition of the World’s Challenge Challenge (WCC). Competing as multi-disciplinary teams and guided by the SDGs, students will pitch an idea to make our world a better place with the chance to win funding to put it into action. Winners of the Queen’s Regional Competition will represent the university at the WCC Global Final at Western University where they will have a chance to compete for $30,000. The Global Final will take place during a week-long conference where the winning Queen's team will have the opportunity to network with other teams from 20 institutions around the world. Applications for the Queen’s Regional Competition will be accepted until March 21 with the event on March 31 in Mitchell Hall.
To learn more about SDG Week Canada and to participate in virtual events held across the country, visit the Sustainability Hub at UBC.
University releases draft Global Engagement Strategic Plan for campus consultation.
The Global Engagement Strategy consultation is open for feedback until Friday, Mar. 17, 2023.
Queen’s is launching an online call for feedback on the draft Global Engagement Strategic Plan. Created to support the Queen’s Strategy, the plan outlines six objectives to deepen the university’s global impact and ability to help shape a more just, equitable and sustainable society.
“Our university community is driven by intellectual curiosity, passion, and a propensity for teamwork, positioning us as an institution capable of addressing society’s most significant global challenges,” says Patrick Deane, Principal and Vice-Chancellor. “With a new, comprehensive Global Engagement Strategic Plan to guide this work, we will continue to strengthen our impact on a global scale.”
The draft Global Engagement Strategic Plan aims to take a principled approach to global engagement grounded in I-EDIAA, mutual benefit and sustainability. It focuses on several areas for growth, among them: embedding Queen’s in the global community through mutually – beneficial partnerships, cultivating critical and innovative thinkers through global learning, advancing inclusive excellence in research, and creating a campus environment in which everyone can thrive.
The strategic plan has been built on extensive community engagement. The Office of the Vice- Provost, Global Engagement considered and incorporated input from over 400 faculty members, students, staff, Kingston community members, and global partners. Queen’s sought additional guidance from the International Association of Universities (IAU), whose representatives visited campus in May 2022 and shared comprehensive recommendations for how to enhance our international engagement.
“A spirit of partnership and collaboration animates the global engagement strategic plan. A plan is most promising when designed with the same collaborative spirit it seeks to encourage, so that has been our approach from the start,” says Sandra den Otter, Vice-Provost, Global Engagement. “We consulted widely in preparing our draft Global Engagement Strategic Plan, and we look forward to receiving further feedback to ensure that the plan resonates with the broader campus community.”
All campus community members are invited to review and submit feedback on the draft Global Engagement Strategic Plan before it is finalized. The consultation period ends on Friday, Mar. 17, 2023. To share your thoughts, visit the Global Engagement Strategic Plan consultation website.
Her Excellency Sabine Sparwasser engaged Queen’s leaders, faculty, and students to discuss research, collaboration, and global impact.
Germany's Ambassador to Canada, Sabine Sparwasser (centre) with Queen's Principal, Patrick Deane (right), and Vice-Provost (Global Engagement)
Germany’s ambassador to Canada visited campus recently, joining Queen’s University leaders, researchers, and students in wide-ranging discussions on international collaborations, research and funding, and knowledge sharing.
Her Excellency Sabine Sparwasser, alongside embassy colleagues and delegates from some of Germany’s top research organizations, including the German Research Foundation and the DAAD – German Academic Exchange Service, and universities, visited campus on Feb. 1, 2023, engaging in a day-long itinerary designed to highlight existing Queen’s collaborations with Germany and explore how new and current partnerships can be built and strengthened.
“It was a great pleasure to welcome Ambassador Sparwasser to our campus and to have her engage so deeply and enthusiastically with faculty and students on important topics like research and partnerships, graduate student mobility, and sustainability,” says Sandra den Otter, Vice-Provost (Global Engagement). “We look forward to building upon this connection and deepening our collaborations into the future.”
During the visit, the German delegation held two information sessions open to the Queen’s community designed to deepen collaborations in Germany. The first session, catered towards Queen’s faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and PhD students, highlighted the research landscape in Germany and opportunities for engagement. The second session focused on short-term mobility opportunities open to researchers and student researchers looking to conduct work there.
Ambassador Sparwasser met with German students enrolled at Queen’s, as well as those students who have studied in Germany, who provided insight into their experiences and highlighted their research areas. Nancy Ross, Vice-Principal (Research) and Vice-Provost den Otter also co-hosted a research exchange, featuring presentations by several Queen’s faculty members currently active in Germany and funded by German research bodies. Discussions that followed these research presentations identified areas for future engagement and development of the substantive research collaborations between Queen’s and universities and research centers in Germany.
The visit concluded with the ambassador’s attendance of a public lecture by Queen’s faculty member Cao Thang Dinh, of the Department of Chemical Engineering, about decarbonization of fuels and chemicals. Clean energy and climate change are topics of mutual importance to Queen’s, the Embassy of Germany in Canada, and German research funding bodies.
“For Queen’s, building and nurturing global relationships such as this one are invaluable steps toward fully realizing our vision of Queen’s as a globally active and impactful university,” says Patrick Deane, Queen’s Principal and Vice-Chancellor.
The German ambassador’s visit further aligns with Queen’s emerging Global Engagement Strategic Plan — slated to be shared with the campus community in the coming weeks for a final round of consultation. As part of the strategic plan, relationships with global partners are set to be bolstered through joint academic programming, research partnership, and knowledge sharing.
To learn more about Queen’s international engagement, partnerships, and more, visit the university’s Global Engagement website.
Improved functionality, visual presence, and user journeys align with updated visual identity guidelines.
Queen's has launched its new central website, aimed at improving user experience, aligning with the university’s refreshed visual identity guidelines introduced in 2022, and focused on supporting the Queen’s Strategy. With a contemporary design and updated brand elements, the site's user journeys support the university’s strategic priorities of global impact, research intensity, transformative education programming, while fostering a diverse and inclusive campus community.
“At Queen’s, we have a community of faculty, students, and staff committed to tackling society’s greatest challenges,” says Michael Fraser, Vice-Principal (University Relations). “Our updated website showcases these efforts and accomplishments with the wider world and to our key audiences, positioning our university as one committed to leading positive change.”
The new design brings research and international engagement to the fore, while facilitating improved user journeys that allow online audiences—both internal and external—to find the information they seek quickly and easily.
The site also features a newly designed program and department finder for prospective students, best-practice accessibility standards, improved search engine optimization, and a responsive design that allows for better mobile browsing. There is also a new ‘For You’ menu to help direct users to important content by audience type, and a ‘sign-in’ dropdown granting quick access to internal platforms and faculty websites used daily by employees and students.
The site’s launch follows months of consultation and collaboration with key campus partners and faculty units. Work to refine the site will continue post-launch, with University Relations monitoring usage analytics and user feedback to further adjust and streamline its design and functionality.
Visual identity and Brand Central
The look and feel of the refreshed website align Queen’s primary web property with its newly updated visual identity and brand standards, which aim to help campus community members present a unified and consistent Queen’s brand presence across all outreach and communications.
So far, University Relations has developed over 8,500 customized brand assets for faculties, schools, departments, and units, published six sets of brand and style guidelines, and created nearly 300 digital and social media templates.
Updated assets and standards are accessible to the Queen’s community via the recently launched Brand Central website. Refreshed logos, lockups, fonts, and colour palettes, as well as guidance on trademarks, licensing, merchandising, and brand voice, are only some of the many tools and resources it makes available.
Visit the new Queen’s University website at www.queensu.ca.
By Catarina Chagas, Research Outreach and Events Specialist
PhD researcher Evodius Rutta travelled parts of Tanzania to find out why delicate crops are spoiling before making it to market.
Dr. Evodius Rutta interviews a small-scale woman farmer in Tanzania. [Queen’s Art of Research]
Across Sub-Saharan Africa, small scale farming is a large and important industry, putting healthy food on tables across the region and employing millions of people. But the journey from the green fields to the marketplace is far from smooth in many areas. Recent statistics show small scale farmers in Africa lose more than 30 per cent of their produce due to a lack of efficient infrastructure for storage, transportation, and packaging.
Dr. Evodius Rutta
Spoilage of highly perishable fruits and vegetables is the most dramatic. In Tanzania for example, the Ministry of Agriculture estimates that 50 per cent or more of the tomato crop rots before it can be purchased. It’s a persistent problem that caught the attention of PhD researcher Evodius Waziri Rutta. He received his degree last September from Queen’s School of Environmental Studies and this November he published his findings in the journal Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems.
"As researchers, we set out to identify and investigate societal problems and to find solutions that will have a positive impact on communities," says Dr. Rutta. "In this case, the horticultural sector is a critical part of the Tanzanian economy. The local fresh tomato sector alone employs around a million small-scale producers, with exports flowing to neighboring countries like Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and to the Middle East and Asia. But most Tanzanian farmers live in remote areas where access to electricity and cold storage facilities is very limited."
Small farms in off-grid areas often resort to traditional but inefficient practices like storing vegetables under the shade or covering them with dry grasses. But there is a promising solution at hand that is already having an impact in another African country. In Nigeria, some small-scale famers have access to specialized solar-powered cold storage units that have helped them save an estimated 5,000 tons of produce since 2018.
Wooden boxes commonly used by small-scale farmers for packaging tomatoes.
Yet, small farmers in Tanzania seem to know little about this innovation. Between March and June 2021, Dr. Rutta interviewed more than 50 farmers in villages where producing tomatoes is a primary source of income. He found most were open to the idea of solar powered storage technologies, but they lacked awareness of the availability of storage units and worried about the costs associated with installing and running them. The farmers were also apprehensive about how solar-powered technologies would work during heavy rainfall seasons, a time when they have a huge volume of tomato harvests.
Another concern brought up by the farmers is a socio-cultural preference across the region for non-refrigerated produce. Consumers may not understand that tomatoes from refrigerated facilities have the same quality, taste, and nutrients as fresh ones.
Transporting delicate produce to the wholesale markets is also a challenge for small-scale farmers.
After the interviews, Dr. Rutta spoke to a range of experts from local government, solar companies, other private sector stakeholders, and organizations that fund agricultural programs in Tanzania to find potential solutions.
"Through this research, I set out to bring into clearer focus the issues these small independent farmers are facing as they try to efficiently produce food and ship it to market," says Dr. Rutta. "As I travelled the country and spoke to stakeholders, it became clear that it’s going to take public and private sector cooperation and creativity to create real change."
In his published study, Dr. Rutta recommends that governments help lead the way by promoting policies and programs to attract investment into solar-powered cold storage units and the creation of flexible payment plans to make the units affordable for farmers. At the same time, public education campaigns are needed to help reassure consumers of the health benefits of refrigerated fruits and vegetables.
"This study helps fill an important research gap and provides valuable insights for decision-makers involved in postharvest agriculture and renewable energy programs in Africa," says Dr. Rutta. "The barriers to the deployment of solar-powered cold storage technologies are significant but small-scale farmers are motivated to partner with others to ensure much more of their precious fresh produce makes it to the communities who want and need it."
The university has released a social impact report, highlighting its activities in research, teaching, outreach, and stewardship that support advancing the UN SDGs.
Read the report: Queen's contributions to the UN Sustainable Development Goals: Advancing social impact | 2021-2022 [PDF Report 10 KB]
The United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a roadmap for how we can work together to create a better world for people and the planet. Queen’s alignment with the SDGs reflects the university’s vision that our community will solve the world’s most significant challenges with their intellectual curiosity, passion to achieve, and commitment to collaborate.
For the second year, Queen’s has released a social impact report, highlighting the university’s activities in research, teaching, outreach, and stewardship that support advancing the UN SDGs. A key focus of the 2021-2022 report is recognizing the efforts made by Queen’s faculty, staff, students, and alumni to confront COVID-19 and its unprecedented and unpredictable set of challenges.
Queen’s contributions to advancing social impact in our local, national, and international communities has been recognized by the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings, the only global performance tables that assess universities against the UN SDGs. In both 2021 and 2022, Queen’s was ranked among the top 10 universities globally in the THE Impact Rankings.
This year’s report references a wide variety of Queen’s programs, partnerships, and infrastructure that align with the values of the SDGs. A few examples include the work of the Campus and Community Engagement Sustainability Sub-Working Group to advance SDG 13: Climate Action, Queen’s Women in Science and Engineering (WiSe) student-run organization which is advancing SDG 5: Gender Equality to promote and encourage women to pursue STEM studies, and the launch of the Graduate Inclusivity Fellows initiative aligned with SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities where graduate students and postdoctoral fellows are contributing to strategies and programs to improve the learning experience related to equity, diversity, inclusion, and Indigeneity.
Housed on the Advancing Social Impact website, in addition to the report, users can find further information on key initiatives and engage with additional images and video that illustrate the community’s action and impact.
To learn more about Queen’s commitment to the SDGs and to read the report, visit the website.
Bader College at Herstmonceux Castle has welcomed Janine Griffiths-Baker as its new Vice-Provost and Executive Director to start off the new year.
Dr. Griffiths-Baker took up her position last week. She has also been appointed as an adjunct professor to the Faculty of Law at Queen’s University.
Dr. Griffiths-Baker joins Bader College from CILEx Regulation Limited, one of the largest legal regulators in England and Wales, where she was Chief Executive. She brings more than 25 years of experience in higher education, having held several leadership positions at various public and private institutions across the United Kingdom.
She will lead Bader College’s senior management team to deliver ambitious plans for the future of the college campus and the wider Herstmonceux Castle Estate. In addition to offering an outstanding study abroad opportunity for approximately 200 undergraduate students each year, Bader College sits on 600 acres of land containing medieval parklands, ancient woodlands, meadows, ponds, marshlands, and formal gardens.
“I was absolutely delighted to accept the role and I am incredibly excited at the prospect of leading Bader College into the future” Dr. Griffiths-Baker says. “I was drawn to the position by the extraordinary potential of the estate, as well as by Queen’s University’s exciting plans to expand its international footprint. I’m new to the area myself, but hope to form strong ties locally, as well as with our partners around the globe. I sincerely hope that under my leadership, Bader College becomes even more instrumental in bringing Alfred Bader’s vision for the Castle to fruition.”
The ‘We Stand with Ukraine’ concert is being held at the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts to raise funds for humanitarian aid.
The Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts is hosting an exciting event to raise funds for humanitarian aid for those affected by the war in Ukraine.
On Dec. 8, more than 100 Kingston professional musicians and youth ensembles, including the Kingston Symphony, DAN School of Music faculty, PALENAI piano duo, Bridge Wolak Duo, Jan LeClair, and guest Ukrainian soprano, Nataliia Temnyk will be featured. The Maky Ukrainian Dance Ensemble will welcome the audience in the colourful Pryvit dance. Young musicians representing Canta Arya School for Strings, Kingston Youth Orchestra, Cantabile Youth Singers and soloist Mathieu Roberge will also perform in the concert, which supports the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal Fund through the Ukrainian Canadian Congress and Canada-Ukraine Foundation.
Photography of Ukraine, Ukrainian art, and powerful images from the war by frontline photojournalists will add a multi-dimensional element to the evening.
All proceeds from the event will be donated to the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal Fund of the Ukraine Humanitarian Relief committee – a joint partnership of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress and the Canada-Ukraine Foundation. Those who are unable to attend the concert but still wish to donate can donate online, and are asked to quote “Kingston concert” under the ‘private message’ section.
The benefit is being organized by Drs. Joy Innis and Adrienne Shannon, who have taught as adjunct professorsat the Dan School of Drama and Music and were responsible for the creation of the Music & Digital Media program at St. Lawrence College. For the past several months they have been working on a concert to support humanitarian efforts in Ukraine. They say as soon as the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in February, their colleagues, fellow musicians, and local youth ensembles jumped on board.
“The number of Kingston musicians involved – more than half of them youth – show how the generations are coming together for one common cause. That really is the heart of the event,” says Dr. Shannon.
Dr. Shannon says interest for the concert comes not only from the musical community, but from those who have experienced the conflict firsthand, adding “there will be many new Ukrainian nationals in the audience, and we get calls every day from others.”
Vice-President of Nigeria, Professor Yemi Osinbajo delivers public lecture on climate justice in Africa and meets with university senior leaders.
Vice-President of Nigeria, Professor Yemi Osinbajo delivers public lecture on climate justice in Africa at Queen's.
Nigeria’s Vice-President visited Queen’s this week, where he met with senior university leaders and delivered a public lecture on environmental sustainability and climate justice in Africa.
His Excellency, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, addressed a live audience of 80 campus community members and over 500 virtual attendees during his talk, highlighting the need for strategies that not only advance international decarbonization strategies but that also help alleviate poverty.
“We need to recognize that climate change is an inherently social issue with important social justice implications,” says Vice-President Osinbajo, who fielded questions from attendees following his remarks. “In particular, the poor and the vulnerable largely in developing countries will be the first to suffer and of course are already suffering. So then we need to reframe our climate action paradigm from merely a technical effort to cut emissions to an approach that places people and addressing social inequality at the centre of our efforts.”
The Vice-President and his traveling delegation met with Queen's senior leaders in a series of meetings held throughout the visit.
The visit began with a meeting between the Nigerian delegation and senior figures from Queen’s, St. Lawrence College, KEDCO and UNESCO. Together they discussed shared goals of advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and how collaborations and partnerships between the two could enhance these aims. Vice-Principal (Research) Nancy Ross and Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences Jane Philpott each outlined areas of collaboration, including low carbon research, global health, and global oncology (SDG 3, 7, 10, 13).
Associate Dean (Teacher Education) of the Faculty of Education Peter Chin, and Smith School of Business alumnus Hakeem Subair, each spoke to the Faculty of Education’s collaboration with 1 Million Teachers, which pertains to SDGs 4 and 5 and aims to improve education and gender equality.
Meanwhile, Director of the Centre for Social Impact, Jean-Baptiste Litrico, spoke to the Advanced Leadership for Social Impact Fellowship. The program, which was launched earlier this year, counts Dr. Mariam Masha, Special Assistant to the President on Humanitarian Interventions and part of the visiting delegation, as part of its inaugural cohort.
“We are honoured to have Vice-President Osinbajo and the Nigerian delegation with us here today,” says Sandra den Otter, Vice-Provost (International), whose office hosted the Vice-President’s visit. “We had some excellent discussions about ways we can pursue bidirectional collaborations that benefit our communities and generate truly global impact. We’re looking forward to continuing our partnerships to support girls’ education in the region, as well as advancing new areas of potential collaboration around global health, low carbon research initiatives, and other priorities.”
Following his public lecture, Nigeria's Vice-President (centre) and his delegation greeted Queen's students, staff, faculty, and other attendees.
Among the other delegates who accompanied the Vice-President during his visit, was Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Canada, His Excellency, Adeyinka Asekun, as well as Abby Asekun (Communications Director, Nigeria-Canada Investment Group), Hakeem Subair, and others—many of whom came to campus in June 2022 to attend an on-campus art exhibition called Muna Taro. That event, which underscored the need to improve and support quality learning for children and youth—especially girls—in Nigeria and across Africa, was a joint production by three Nigerian organizations, including 1 Million Teachers.
In the new year, the Queen’s Faculty of Education will be collaborating with UNESCO for a project on innovative pedagogy within a global competencies framework. The Office of the Vice-Provost (International) is also planning a panel event exploring further research and community engagement in West Africa. Learn more about Queen’s global engagement work on the Vice-Provost (International) website and watch the Vice-President’s full public lecture.
Dr. William Leggett.![[Report Cover: Queen's contributions to the UN Sustainable Development Goals: Advancing social impact | 2021-2022]](/gazette/sites/default/files/assets/stories/2020/UN%20SDG%20Report_Cover_2021-2022.jpg)
![[Art of Research photo collage; Text: Art of Research Photo Contest]](/gazette/sites/default/files/assets/stories/2020/2023%20Art%20of%20Research%20Photo%20Contest_Distributed_Gazette_1000x667_VisualIdentity_0.jpg)
![[Janine Griffiths-Baker in front of Herstmonceux Castle wearing a blue blazer]](/gazette/sites/default/files/assets/TW%20Janine%20Griffiths-Baker.jpg)
