Here's how to start...
There are a number of ways that students can complete a Trent CBR research project. You either need to be enrolled in a Trent University or Fleming course that offers CBR. Current courses at Trent include but are not limited to: ERST 3080Y, ERST 3130H, ERSC 1010Y, ERSC 3160H, ERSC 3840H, ERST 4250H, BIOL 3890, FRSC 4890Y, GEOG 3820H, GEOG 4830Y, IDST 4220Y, and SUST 5901H.
There are a number of ways that students can complete a Trent CBR research project. You either need to be enrolled in a Trent University or Fleming course that offers CBR. Current courses at Trent include but are not limited to: ERST 3080Y, ERST 3130H, ERSC 1010Y, ERSC 3160H, ERSC 3840H, ERST 4250H, BIOL 3890, FRSC 4890Y, GEOG 3820H, GEOG 4830Y, IDST 4220Y, and SUST 5901H.
OR…
You can apply to do an independent project under the supervision of a faculty member. Most of our independent projects commence at the beginning of each semester, but opportunities may be available at any time throughout the year. Click here for an "Independent Student Application form for a CBR project"
OR…
You can complete a CBR project as your master’s thesis. A number of community-based projects are broad in scope, require a high level of academic skill and more time for completion. Review the project descriptions for proposals that suggest group work or graduate level work. If a project interests you, contact us directly to discuss. CBR is a unique opportunity to apply your research skills while also gaining valuable professional experience!
Available 2020 - 2021 U-Links Projects
#4976 - Planet Haliburton Radio Show Ideas NOTE: This project is available for the 2020-2021 academic year and can be completed remotely.
Planet Haliburton, a radio program of local radio station Canoe FM, puts an environmental, economic, and social justice lens on a wide range of issues; from climate change, to biodiversity loss, to toxic substances in our air, water and food. Radio show host Terry Moore is looking for students to do research on themes related to environmental justice that may be suitable for the show (i.e. food security, electromagnetic radiation, vaccine hesitancy and Covid-19, anti-biotic resistance; other topics as suitable.) This project is ideal for a small group of senior undergraduate students with interest in and experience with environmental justice issues. 
#4480 "The Missing Element": Stories of the Mountain Street Red Cross Outpost NOTE: This project is available for the 2020-2021 academic year and can be completed remotely. Canoe FM (local radio station) and Haliburton Highlands Land Trust (environmental conservation organization) are non-profit organizations working out of a historic building on Mountain Street in Haliburton that was once a Red Cross outpost. A small 1983 book by Martha Perkins,“A Hospital of our Own” was written about its history. The purpose of this project, hosted by Canoe FM, is to discover more about the building and the health professionals who worked there in order to develop a better understanding of the hospital’s connection to history and its contributions to the local community. Existing data will be augmented through oral history interviews with local community members and a visual media display intended for the office. This project is ideal for a small group of senior undergraduate students with a combination of graphic design and interviewing skills. 
# 4868 Financial Impacts of Gull River Flooding
NOTE: This project is available for the 2020-2021 academic year and can be completed remotely. Major flooding events in Minden Hills in 2013 and 2017 resulted in significant financial impacts for residents and business owners. These flooding events have negatively impacted housing values, increased costs to homeowners and disrupted small businesses.The floods have also had significant social and psychological impacts on residents living along the floodplain. The purpose of this project is to conduct a case study on the financial impacts of the flooding in order to better inform current and potential residents and business owners of the financial impacts of continued flooding. The study will provide a foundation for potential remedial action (that includes multi-level government, watersheds,citizens, etc.) The case study report that includes a focused literature review, analysis and discussion from interviews, and recommendations for next steps. This project is ideal for a single undergraduate or group of undergraduate students. 
#4910 Public Attitudes Towards Climate Change in Haliburton County
NOTE: This project is available for the 2020-2021 academic year and can be completed remotely. Established in 2003, Environment Haliburton (EH!) takes a comprehensive view of environmental issues in Haliburton County and provides a strong voice to encourage positive initiatives and oppose those that could have an adverse impact on the environment. This project will involve creating, distributing, and analyzing results of a climate change opinion survey aimed at community organizations and the public. Interviews with community organizations and/or municipal government representatives may also be included. This project will assist EH! and Planet Haliburton with understanding current public and community attitudes towards climate change and the health-climate change relationship. Results will also assist EH! and Planet Haliburton to frame their climate change programming, as well as assisting environmentally-mandated organizations in focusing their resources on activities most likely to help generate action across the community. It will help EH! and Planet Haliburton in making recommendations to local municipalities and stakeholders. This project will also build on past work that EH! has done to increase public awareness of climate change and its impacts. This project is ideal for an undergraduate student as a full-term or single term project. 
#4939 Understanding the Levels and Opportunities for Environmental Protection at the Municipal Level, in The Land Between Bioregion - Southern Ontario’s Last Intact Wilderness Landscape
NOTE: This project is available for the 2020-2021 academic year and can be completed remotely. Understanding the levels and opportunities for environmental protection at the municipal level, in The Land between bioregion- southern Ontario’s last intact wilderness landscape The Land Between region extends from the Georgian Bay Coast to the Ottawa Valley. The Land Between charity is a grassroots non-government organization. It’s the first and only organization to represent this unique and significant ecological region in Ontario. The charity also focuses on 7 program areas: bioregionalism, landscape and natural systems conservation, water and fisheries, society and economics, cultural heritage, education and awareness, and future leaders. The purpose of this project is to research municipal- and county-level bylaws related to maintaining ecological biodiversity and natural capital/nature in the Land Between region. This will inform a summary of the current state of local policy and bylaws in this region. The report will provide The Land Between with a summary of protections in place for local biodiversity and review best practices. It is hoped that the summary report will be presented to select municipalities in the region and that the report will have a ‘trickle-down’ effect, resulting in increased awareness of the existing legislation and potentially strengthened enforcement, as well as create the impetus to address gaps through new planning guidelines, bylaws, or efforts. This project is ideal for an undergraduate student as a full-term project. 
Long-Term Monitoring of Benthic Macroinvertebrates
Click title for a list of available projects Benthic macro-invertebrates (or “benthics” or “benthos”) are aquatic, spineless organisms that live on the bottom of water bodies. Since the late 1980’s they have been used as biological indicators for common aquatic pollutants as they spend part or the entirety of their lives in the water. Due to this long-term contact with the water around them, certain groups of benthics are more sensitive to stressors such as organic pollution (including excess phosphorus and nitrogen). This makes the presence or absence of certain groupings of benthics indicative of the overall ecological health of the water body in which they reside. The use of benthics as an indicator of water quality is now used throughout the world and has been widely used in Ontario since the early 2000’s. These projects are ideal for an undergraduate student as a full-term project. In 2019 U-Links, Trent University, and Sir Sanford Fleming College participated in a pilot project involving six lakes within Haliburton County in order to determine if a program like this was possible. All six projects were successful and it was determined in early 2020 that the program would continue and expand to more lakes throughout the Haliburton region. A number of projects are available under this program: click here to learn more. 
#4964 Kennisis Lake History Book: Part 1 NOTE: This project is available for the 2020-2021 academic year and can be completed remotely. In the fall semester, student(s) will work with the Kennisis Lake Property Owners’ Association (KLPOA) to develop an outline, storyboard, and other planning materials for the creation of a Kennisis Lake History Book. In the winter semester they will also help to compile a list of existing resources and contacts on the subject. Interviews may also be conducted during this time. Depending on the area of expertise of the student(s) and their faculty supervisor, the area researched most heavily may vary and could include environmental history, sociocultural history, and/or Indigenous history, with other areas being left for future projects to explore. This project is ideal for a small group of undergraduate students, or as a single project for a graduate student. 
#4966 Factors in Securing Employment in Haliburton County & the City of Kawartha Lakes
NOTE: This project is available for the Fall 2020 semester and can be completed remotely. The Haliburton and Kawartha Lakes Poverty Reduction Roundtable is interested in exploring a) the impact of the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) on service participants’ quality of life in CKL and Haliburton County and b) how access to technology and job seeker expectations/ beliefs factor in participants' search for employment. An additional research question will consider how the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic has affected the efficacy of participants' job search (i.e. access to technology and internet services, employment services, job seeker beliefs. etc) This project involves a focused literature review and service participant interviews/surveys, and is ideal for a single student or small group of undergraduate students. 
#4955 Long-Term Bird Monitoring: Haliburton Highlands Land Trust NOTE: This project is available for the Fall 2020 semester and can be completed remotely. Birds are a critical component of monitoring biodiversity and have been identified as key indicators in past reports for the Haliburton Highlands Land Trust (HHLT). This project will aim to determine which bird species have been sighted on HHLT properties, what species could be present, and how the HHTL should go about monitoring for bird species on their properties. The HHLT properties to be included as part of this project include the Fred and Pearl Barry Wetland, Barnum Creek Nature Reserve, Dahl Forest, Smith Forest, and Norah’s Island. This project is ideal for an undergraduate student over the course of a single term. 
#4956 Long-Term Frog Monitoring: Haliburton Highlands Land Trust
NOTE: This project is available for the Fall 2020 semester and can be completed remotely. Frogs are a critical component of monitoring biodiversity and have been identified as key indicators in past reports for the Haliburton Highland Land Trust (HHLT). This project will aim to determine which frog species have been sighted on HHLT properties, what species could be present, and how the HHTL should go about monitoring for frog species on their properties. The HHLT properties to be included as part of this project include the Fred and Pearl Barry Wetland, Barnum Creek Nature Reserve, Dahl Forest, Smith Forest, and Norah’s Island This project is ideal for an undergraduate student over the course of a single term. 
#4957 Long-Term Dragonfly Monitoring: Haliburton Highlands Land Trust
NOTE: This project is available for the Fall 2020 semester and can be completed remotely. Dragonflies are a critical component of monitoring biodiversity and have been identified as key indicators in past reports for the Haliburton Highlands Land Trust (HHLT). This project will aim to determine which dragonfly species have been sighted on HHLT properties, what species could be present, and how the HHTL should go about monitoring for dragonfly species on their properties. The HHLT properties to be included as part of this project include the Fred and Pearl Barry Wetland, Barnum Creek Nature Reserve, Dahl Forest, Smith Forest, and Norah’s Island. This project is ideal for an undergraduate student over the course of a single term. 
4958 Long-Term Club Moss Monitoring: Haliburton Highlands Land Trust
NOTE: This project is available for the Fall 2020 semester and can be completed remotely. Club Mosses are a critical component of monitoring biodiversity and have been identified as key indicators in past reports for the Haliburton Highlands Land Trust (HHLT). This project will aim to determine which club moss species have been sighted on HHLT properties, what species could be present, and how the HHTL should go about monitoring for club moss species on their properties. The HHLT properties to be included as part of this project include the Fred and Pearl Barry Wetland, Barnum Creek Nature Reserve, Dahl Forest, Smith Forest, and Norah’s Island. Club Mosses are one of the oldest living plants on Earth and have been used globally as an indicator of historical changes in climate. If HHLT was able to monitor club moss populations on their properties they could be alerted to slow but significant changes that could be remedied before they impact the ecosystem as a whole. This project is ideal for an undergraduate student over the course of a single term. 
#4959 Long-Term Invasive Species Monitoring: Haliburton Highlands Land Trust
NOTE: This project is available for the Fall 2020 semester and can be completed remotely. Invasive species are critical components of monitoring biodiversity and have been identified as key indicators in past reports for the Haliburton Highlands Land Trust (HHLT). This project will aim to determine which invasive plant species have been sighted on HHLT properties, what species could be present, and how the HHTL should go about monitoring for invasive species on their properties. The HHLT properties to be included as part of this project include the Fred and Pearl Barry Wetland, Barnum Creek Nature Reserve, Dahl Forest, Smith Forest, and Norah’s Island. Invasive plant species are a growing threat to native biodiversity and local economics. In short periods of time invasive species can alter ecosystems and community dynamics within a forest. If HHLT was able to monitor invasive specie populations on their properties they could be alerted to significant changes that could be remedied before they impact the ecosystem as a whole. This project is ideal for an undergraduate student over the course of a single term. |
Completed 2019 - 2020 Projects:
#4481 Calculating the Impact of the SIRCH Thrift Warehouse Haliburton
#4804 Glebe Park Stewardship Plan
#4838 Gull Lake Benthic Zone Assessment
#4877 Haliburton Forest Revitalization Project: Integrative Report
#4884 Youth Retention and Engagement in Minden Hills: Insights, Opportunities and Challenges
#4885 Kawagama Lake Calcium Decline Mitigation Cost Benefit Analysis
#4891 Environmental Monitoring - Experimental Pilot
#4897 An Investigation into Plastic Consumption and Alternatives for the Haliburton County Farmers Market
#4900 QEII Species Summary – Eastern Moose
#4901 Restoration Plan for QEII – Recommendation to naturalize decommissioned ATV trails
#4920 Kawagama Lake Benthic Assessment
#4921 Halls Lake Benthic Assessment
#4927 Kashagawigamog Lake Benthic Assessment
#4933 Haliburton Lake Benthic Assessment
#4935 Haliburton Highlands Art Centre Foundation Feasibility Study
#4938 Haliburton Highlands Land Trust Salamander Monitoring Project
#4940 Growing Beautiful - Garden Tourism in Canada
#4941 Abbey Gardens Educational Interpretive Trail
Kennisis Lake Benthic Assessment
Children's Water Festival
#4804 Glebe Park Stewardship Plan
#4838 Gull Lake Benthic Zone Assessment
#4877 Haliburton Forest Revitalization Project: Integrative Report
#4884 Youth Retention and Engagement in Minden Hills: Insights, Opportunities and Challenges
#4885 Kawagama Lake Calcium Decline Mitigation Cost Benefit Analysis
#4891 Environmental Monitoring - Experimental Pilot
#4897 An Investigation into Plastic Consumption and Alternatives for the Haliburton County Farmers Market
#4900 QEII Species Summary – Eastern Moose
#4901 Restoration Plan for QEII – Recommendation to naturalize decommissioned ATV trails
#4920 Kawagama Lake Benthic Assessment
#4921 Halls Lake Benthic Assessment
#4927 Kashagawigamog Lake Benthic Assessment
#4933 Haliburton Lake Benthic Assessment
#4935 Haliburton Highlands Art Centre Foundation Feasibility Study
#4938 Haliburton Highlands Land Trust Salamander Monitoring Project
#4940 Growing Beautiful - Garden Tourism in Canada
#4941 Abbey Gardens Educational Interpretive Trail
Kennisis Lake Benthic Assessment
Children's Water Festival