Sync into the Earth

Episode produced by Whistler Brown, Lauren Daniels, Michael Homsi, and Flaka Zahiri. On this episode of Sync into the Earth, the hosts discuss the ongoing struggle to strike a balance between infrastructural development and environmental protection, considering the proposed Ontario Highway 413 as an exemplary case of this struggle. They are joined by Dr. Ryan Norris from the Department of Integrat...

Episode produced by Chloe Fortune, Ava Shultz, Meera Mohindra and Alicja Zator. In this episode of Sync into the Earth, we explore the topic of human-wildlife conflict in urban environments with a North American perspective. Encounters with wildlife are nothing out of the ordinary in urban city centers like Toronto and Edmonton, but do we ever stop to think about how our actions are impacting the...

Episode produced by Gurpreet Bedi, Madeline Loman, & Sully Nessa We have all seen bees. We have all heard bees. But how much do we actually understand these buzzing pollinators and the relationship we have with them? In this episode, we took a slightly different approach to our fuzzy friends’ crisis by focusing on the narrative, the story, and the relationships. We decided to speak to Dr. John...

Episode produced by Maia Mortimer, Victoria Mushka, and Annika Wong In this episode of Sync into the Earth, we discuss the concept of “wild cities” and what it means for the future of conservation. As urban sprawl continues to cover our Earth, we need to start thinking about how we can incorporate conservation into cities rather than treating it as a separate issue. Wild cities, an idea based on “...

Episode produced by Phillipe Edde, Jeanine Fernandes, and Yuying Chen. This episode explores potential solutions for climate change, focusing particularly on the topic of seaweed farming as an innovative method for carbon sequestration. We are joined by experts in the field, Dr. Lisa Levin and Dr. Thierry Chopin, to delve into the complexities surrounding ocean-based climate interventions (OBCIs)...

Episode Produced by Huiting Luo, Kayla Higgins, and Matthew Ditta.  This episode of Sync into the Earth dives into the issue of food insecurity in northern Canada and explores what is being done about it. We are first joined by Steph Gerend, a MSc Epidemiology student at the University of Alberta. Steph is a non-indigenous researcher whose work addresses a significant research gap on traditional c...

A taste of what's to come on Season 2 of Sync into the earth!

Join us – Holly Easton, Angie Wang, Saranka Yogendren – and special guest Mike Lavin for an honest and personal discussion about light pollution and our disappearing darkness. Mike Lavin is a park naturalist and teacher living in Southern Ontario who has garnered a deep connection with the night sky through his experiences stargazing, watching the aurora borealis when he lived in the North, and wa...

Episode produced by Grace Bowen-MacLean, Andre Sanchez, and Amenda Hong In this episode of Sync into the Earth we investigate the impact of invasive species on Canadian Agriculture and discuss management strategies being employed, as well as the aspects of integrated pest management in Canada. We explore three different invasive species: a trickily managed pest, the spider mite; a current focus of...

Episode produced by Angelina Campbell, Andrea D’Souza, and Guangrui Li (Rui) This episode of Sync into the Earth explores the fascinating global topic of urban sustainability. Given the breadth of the topic, we focused on sustainability efforts that we, and likely our audience, are familiar with here in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). We begin by defining urban sustainability, because this concept...

Episode produced by Lidor Levy, Kaitlyn Magyar, and Sophie Tan. For this episode of Sync Into the Earth, we explore the topic of biological control. Specifically, how it is used, and its relevance in today's world. Biological control has been used for centuries, with one of its most notable applications being Australia's infamous cane toads. Today's practices scarcely resemble that of...

Episode produced by Abiraam Selvakumar, Kirsten Scott, and Tyler Dender This episode explores new technologies available to conservation scientists for monitoring and protecting wildlife and their habitats. In the rapidly changing tech world, it can be hard to follow what’s possible, so each of our speakers focuses on recent peer-reviewed research on a conservation technology of interest. Abiraam...

Episode produced by Morgan McMullen, Paige Van Rooy & Harlow Wood. The study of microplastic pollution is fairly new to the world of environmental science, yet this emerging field is gaining traction. These plastic pollutants are pouring into both marine and freshwater systems, mistakenly being eaten by aquatic species, and accumulating as they make their way up the food chain. But what legisl...

Episode produced by Leah Hannah, Sarah Zhao, and Franny Fu. We’re spending more and more time on social media, but what does that mean for the biodiversity crisis? This episode of Sync into the Earth explores the nuances of using social media for wildlife conservation. Our discussion dives into questions such as: How can social media be used to promote activism? What are some downsides of using so...

Episode produced by Julia Harper, Kevin Tsang, and Shameem Nasrabadi. This episode of Sync into the Earth is an introduction to an Indigenous ethic and approach to invasive species management. The dominant western scientific characterization of invasive species has become prevalent even outside of scientific circles, and includes regular use of exterminationist, warlike, and xenophobic metaphor an...

Episode produced by Jess Harriot, Dale Moskoff & Joseph Kawalec. In this first episode of Sync into the Earth we discuss definitions of intelligence, how they can be applied to identify intelligence in the animal kingdom and known examples of animal intelligence. We began with various definitions of learning and intelligence and explain the distinction between classical conditioning and creati...

A taste of what's to come!