Jaya Fahey receives the Bay of Fundy Ecosystem Partnership meeting student award, May 11, 2018.

Jaya Fahey receives the Bay of Fundy Ecosystem Partnership meeting student award, from DFO scientist Blythe Chang, May 11, 2018.

I spent Friday at the 12th Bay of Fundy Ecosystem Partnership meeting, held every two years. This year’s conference featured a theme on dykelands and salt marshes, convened by new collaborators Danika van Proosdij and Tony Bowron. I presented my 2014/2015 Q-method research that identified discourses around dykeland futures, which is getting long in the tooth but is helping to inform my new work in those landforms. The largely natural science audience was quite receptive to social science messages, including my suggestion that their outreach is heavily based on the ‘deficit model’ of environmental communication, which has been proven not to work. I missed MES student Jaya Fahey’s presentation on the Thursday about her work on Space to Roost, but was pleased to hear she won the student award, which included a research volume and certificate as well as a $100 cash prize. I saw some pretty great student presentations, so it was stiff competition. Congratulations, Jaya!