Physical processes and human activities change the landscape and increasingly these factors work in tandem on the Earth’s surface; these interactions are what inspire and drive my research.
I am engaged in questions of applied landscape ecology in rural and agricultural landscapes, including changes in landscape patterns and the consequences of those changes on biodiversity, water quality, and culture.
Immigrant families settling the land, quilting bees, and ploughing matches are examples of some of the social and economic topics of early Ontario that link my work to the larger expertise of this University concerning agriculture and rural communities.
My research interests include bullying and cyberbullying, policing, and victimization. I am particularly interested in the ways in which the peer, family, and school contexts influence adolescents' involvement in cyberbullying, and how groups of adults collaborate to prevent and respond to cyberbullying.
Graduate students joining my team at Guelph get unrivalled opportunities to work in the lab and field answering research questions at the cutting edge of science with direct environmental and societal relevance. This important research is exciting, challenging and rewarding for the student, for me as the supervisor and for everyone else in the team.
The central research goal of my research is to examine the concept of resiliency and sustainability within the context of resource-based communities to address the often problematic relationship(s) between resource reliance, community well-being, and adaptive capacity.
In the context of global challenges, I work in the area on communication and information for agricultural innovation and community economic development. I lead the Regional and Rural Broadband (R2B2) project.
