Local researchers will present how ship traffic is changing in the western Canadian Arctic, how marine mammals are getting exposed to and impacted by this traffic, and how we can move forward with managing this growing threat to marine mammals.
Assistant Professor at YukonU, Tara Howatt, will speak to her research using underwater robots to study the impacts of ocean conditions and underwater noise on marine mammals in the Arctic. Conservation Scientist William Halliday will discuss underwater passive acoustic monitoring network in the eastern Beaufort Sea and Amundsen Gulf of the Inuvialuit Settlement Region (Northwest Territories and Yukon) and using these acoustic data to monitor marine mammals and measure underwater noise from ships. Co-hosted by YukonU and Yukon Science Institute
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Speakers: William Halliday and Tara Howatt
Doors open 6:30PM, tea and coffee and cookies will be served.
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Past Lectures
Microplastics in the Yukon
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Local Raven ReCentre sponsored our microplastics event in December at Yukonstruct in Whitehorse. Yukon research scientists presented their findings and preliminary observations regarding the breadth of cumulative effects of plastics growing saturation on human and wildlife health. One of the presenters, Dr. Tara Stehelin, discusses what this means for the future of humankind in the clip above.
Presenters:
Mary Gamberg (she/her) is a research scientist, based in Whitehorse, specializing in contaminants in the Arctic Environment. She will discuss two long-term monitoring programs in the Yukon measuring contaminants in the Porcupine caribou and Lake Trout in Lake Laberge and Kusawa Lake. Tara Stehelin (she/her) is a researcher and faculty member at YukonU with a long history of research and field work focused on biodiversity and conservation in the North. With students helping, she has a long-term project investigating microplastics in Yukon snow.
Paul McCarney (he/him) is an conservation scientist working at Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation and YukonU. He will talk about research monitoring plastics in wild food in Nunatsiavut, a project which is co-led by Inuit. Questions? Contact The Research Services Office at [email protected] |
Co-hosted by YukonU and Yukon Science Institute, and sponsored by the Raven ReCentre. Click on Raven's logo below to see the special presentation made by the staff at Raven for the event.
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Adapting Southern Bioengineering for Northern Rivers
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YSI and YukonU provided a free lecture to the public at this year's Yukon GeoScience Forum!
Dr. Paul Villard discussed how fluvial bioengineering concepts proven in southern regions translate (or don’t) when we move north. The talk was about how Dr. Villard and his team apply design concepts from the south to the north, and what that really means for channel-bank stabilization with plant material. Featuring field observations from various Yukon watercourses, Villard's discussion included vegetation dynamics in cold climates, the key climatic and geomorphic constraints that affect plant-based bank stabilization in northern rivers, when southern bioengineering techniques transfer well, when they need modification, and when hybridization is preferable. Co-hosted by YukonU, Yukon Science Institute, and the Yukon GeoScience Forum |
Power System Impact Studies in Remote Communities
On October 28, 2025, YukonU's Northern Energy Innovation presented their research on advancing community-led energy projects in remote regions.
Speakers were: Erika Tizya-Tramm; Simon Kerkhof; and Simon Geoffroy-Gagnon.
NEI applies industry-driven research in partnerships with First Nations, Utilities, and Government Agencies to develop energy solutions that address local priorities and operational realities. Researchers discussed Community Relationship Building, Local Capacity Building, Power System Impact Studies, and how these analyses support assessments of reliability, adequacy, and security for energy systems.
Co-hosted by YukonU and Yukon Science Institute.
Protecting HEÉN/TŪ Together: Community-based Water Monitoring
Through the Indigenous Observation Network, carried out with the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council, the Carcross/Tagish First Nation Water Team has been collecting multi-year water quality data across the Southern Lakes. These community-based monitoring efforts provide baseline conditions, track long-term trends, and provide insight into watershed wellbeing.
In parallel, Carcross/Tagish First Nation is partnering with Yukon University on the Yukon River Headwaters Project, which expands this work by examining water quantity, chemistry, contaminants, and aquatic ecology in greater detail, from glacial melt and watershed processes to sediment cores and aquatic communities. Together, these initiatives bring Indigenous knowledge, community-based monitoring, and scientific research into one conversation, helping us understand how changing landscapes and climate will affect the headwaters and guide decision-making for water protection across the Yukon River Basin.
In parallel, Carcross/Tagish First Nation is partnering with Yukon University on the Yukon River Headwaters Project, which expands this work by examining water quantity, chemistry, contaminants, and aquatic ecology in greater detail, from glacial melt and watershed processes to sediment cores and aquatic communities. Together, these initiatives bring Indigenous knowledge, community-based monitoring, and scientific research into one conversation, helping us understand how changing landscapes and climate will affect the headwaters and guide decision-making for water protection across the Yukon River Basin.
The Taku River Tlingit First Nation Salmon Resiliency Project
The first lecture of Yukon University and the Yukon Science Institute's exciting new partnership, the Research in Progress Series— students, faculty and the public attended a lecture on the Taku River Tlingit First Nation Salmon Resiliency Project at Yukon University over a lunch hour in September.
The Research in Progress Series will spotlight ongoing research by YukonU faculty and students, alongside other northern projects in both the sciences and social sciences.
Groundwater Quality in Whitehorse and the Southern Lakes
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On June 26th the public heard presentations made by groundwater scientists for the Assessing Groundwater in the greater Whitehorse Area (AGWA) project.
Speaking at the Beringia Centre on behalf of this project were: Yukon government’s Cole Fischer, and Dr. Elliott Skierszkan (Carlton University), and Dr. Matthew Lindsay (University of Saskatchewan). The panel of researchers presented what they have been learning about groundwater quality and quantity in the Greater Whitehorse Area, particularly the levels of naturally-occurring metals and metalloids including uranium and arsenic. The project involves sampling both private domestic water wells and environmental monitoring wells. The panel was joined by Dr. Jeffrey McKenzie who presented his own research on groundwater movement in the Southern Lakes and Northern Canada. If you would like to be part of the AGWA testing which is looking at metals content in groundwater wells (arsenic and uranium, for example), please contact: [email protected] or [email protected] Fact sheet: Water Testing – Private Well Owners |
A special presentation on the craft and science of making glass
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Leading the discussion at Lumel Studios on June 4th, 2025, about glassblowing, and its intersections within craft, science, and social sciences (and stardust), were Mireille Perron, Professor Emeritus at Alberta University of the Arts, and Luann Baker-Johnson, the founder of Lumel Studios. Mel Johnson, Natali Rodrigues, and Sheila Mahut also spoke. |
