Dominika Czerwinska was an IRIS Graduate Assistant in the 2007-2008 academic year and is now continuing through the 2009-2009 year. She is a second-year Master's of Environmental Studies students in the Faculty of Environmental Studies. Dominika graduated with a B.Sc. Hons in Environmental Science, from Biology at York, has taken the lead on organizing three of our IRIS seminars last year and is organizing the Sustainable Built Environment Speaker Series this year:
- The Culture of Flushing: The Social and Legal History of Sewage
- The Social Benefits of Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology: Creating a Sustainable Infrastructure in the GTA
- The Social and Environmental Implications of Extractive Industries in the Global South
Dominika is currently working for the World Green Building Council as Coordinator of Council Development. The World Green Building Council believes that "through leadership collaboration, the global construction industry will transform traditional building practices and fully adopt sustainability as the means by which our environments thrive, economies prosper and societies grow to ensure the future health of our planet."
Tony Morris
As part of my Master's of Environmental Studies I am able to conduct field experience research to apply theoretical knowledge of sustainability. With my interest in the social, economic and political dimensions of sustainable development, IRIS is a perfect institute to work with projects and individuals conducting practical sustainability research. This summer I am assisting Andrea Smith in her work for the Ontario Biodiversity Forum on invasive alien species. This research involves examining the economic, ecological and social impacts of invasive alien species in Ontario, as well as the political responses to these issues. In light of various commitments to address Biodiversity concerns, concrete action has been limited, and thus Andrea is proposing to fill in these information gaps.
