Former L1 ResNet postdoc Lara Cornejo has led a tremendous new paper, out open access this week in Ocean and Coastal Management. The paper, Decision-making and ecosystem service dimensions of managed dyke realignment in the complex coastal landscapes of the Bay of Fundy, updates the simplified one-way flows we conceived for ecosystem service tradeoffs in our baseline 2021 Facets paper. Lara used system dynamics modelling to co-create with a range of experts–from universities, federal and provincial government departments, consulting firms, an ENGO and Indigenous organization (all co-authors)–models showing the decision-making processes leading to managed dyke realignment and the ecosystem service outcomes that result. The models drew on lots of published papers and student theses, and allowed trade-offs and synergies to be synthesized. But she didn’t stop there! She and McGill PhD candidate Elson Galang used the four scenarios that emerged from our environmental futures workshop in late 2022 as thought experiments for the models (see below). It is a great read. Bravo!
Month: April 2025

External assessors Christopher Ling and Michelle Gray with me as they finish up their site visit to SRES.
We hosted some important visitors into the SRES suite last week. First, on April 1 and 2 we hosted Christopher Ling (of Royal Roads) and Michelle Gray (of UNB), who are the external assessors for SRES’ unit and program review this year. I’m not sure that it is supposed to be fun when your unit is being reviewed, but thanks to Drs Ling and Gray, ours really has been. We are looking forward to hearing what they have to say about SRES, MES and MREM after their 360-degree enquiries during their stay.

Federal Liberal candidate and 2004 MES alumnus, Shannon Miedema, visits the SRES suite, April 3, 2025
Also great fun was the visit of 2004 MES alumnus Shannon Miedema to the suite on April 3. She is the current Liberal candidate for Halifax, and visited the SRES student society’s coffee break. The students were interested to see her hard-bound MES thesis about her work in Palau, which seemed like an ancient document given they only submit online these days. Was glad to host, and ‘launch’ our new SRES stickers with her and the students. They went like hotcakes! Happily we’ll have to re-order soon.