Thienpont teaches , a first-year course focused on Earth’s weather systems and the drivers of past and current climatic change. Through the course's learning lab activities, students conduct climate modelling to assess how human influence may contribute to different climate scenarios – and how those scenarios could impact biodiversity.

“I think it’s critical to understand the nuances of how the planet is going to change in the not-too-distant future as a result of anthropogenic activities, so I try to expose them to what is under the hood of computer models,” says Thienpont, noting each course iteration operates about five lab sections for a total of about 200 students.

To forecast how global warming will manifest by 2100, Thienpont’s students use the same sophisticated computer modelling as climate scientists, which draws on the laws of physics (conservation of mass, energy, momentum), fluid dynamics and chemistry and considers variables such as temperature, wind and humidity.

Using five CO₂ emissions scenarios from the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, students examine outcomes for each scenario, ranging from aggressive emissions cuts to high fossil fuel use. This data is used to analyze resulting risks, such as heatwaves, sea-level rise and species extinction.

“It’s a good way of taking things that are fairly theoretical and putting them into a real-world perspective,” Thienpont says. “Students see just how variable the climate really is … if we can manage our emission activities to the point where we’re getting closer to more conservative scenarios, then the outcomes are much less drastic.”

In another lab assignment, Thienpont asks students to consider how climate change might impact them directly by examining how a warming planet may affect one of the world’s most popular agricultural products: arabica coffee.

The bean grows best in a cool, stable tropical climate at a moderate to high altitude and needs plenty of rain and light shade. Global warming is causing dry spells and irregular rainfall, which diminishes the yield and quality of Arabica crops. Farmers must keep planting further upslope – but mountains only go so high.

Thienpont’s students map how the land suitable for growing the beans could shift under diverse climate scenarios in countries such as Brazil, Costa Rica, Hawaii, Honduras and Nicaragua.

“They learn how some of these countries, where coffee is one of their main domestic exports, have quite small land areas for cultivation, and that land size is expected to keep shrinking – in some cases significantly,” Thienpont says. “It demonstrates that the impacts of climate change are global. Everyone who enjoys a cup of coffee in the morning may feel this outcome.”

Thienpont says a nuanced understanding of climate change processes, outcomes and human influence helps prepare students for a range of science-related careers.

“The goal is to give them information that they’ll be able to use, whether they go on to do further scientific exploration or work in environmental policy or city planning,” he says. “They have a foundational understanding of the broad-scale environmental processes that impact us.”

With files from Sharon Aschaiek

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The annual Canada’s Greenest Employers list recognizes organizations across Canada that demonstrate a strong culture of environmental awareness, embedding sustainability efforts throughout their institutional DNA.

For 14 consecutive years, adjudicators have selected York for its successful and proactive leadership in reducing environmental impact across teaching, research and campus operations.

“York is proud to be recognized once again as one of Canada’s Greenest Employers,” says Narin Kishinchandani, vice-president, finance and administration. “This continued designation reflects the work taking place across the University and our deep institutional focus on climate action initiatives.”

The reasons York was again named one of Canada’s Greenest Employers this year were: campus projects that have been supported by the Sustainability Innovation Fund to advance climate action; the Faculty of Science’s ongoing development of a Sustainable Labs certification program that will ensure eco-friendly practices amongst lab teams; and reduction of infrastructure footprints through solar air heating, green roofs, solar panels, rainwater collection and more.

Adjudicators also highlighted the Office of Sustainability and Human Resources’ sustainability orientation module for employees, the ’s sustainable campus walking tours and the University’s support of the Sustainability Champions Network, a peer mentoring program that fosters environmental action on campus.

These initiatives are part of a broader suite of institutional efforts. Among them is the ongoing commitment to the Sustainability Strategy 2030: Positive Change: Connecting People, Planet and Purpose which includes a focus on reducing direct and indirect emissions by 45 per cent by 2030. That work has supported York’s accelerated goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2040 – a full decade ahead of its original target.

Across its campuses, York also continues to lead in environmental responsibility through efforts such as the upcoming annual  a�Ի� .

The University’s inclusion on Canada’s Greenest Employers adds to a growing list of accolades for York.

Last year, York was designated a Living Campus by the World Wildlife Fund Canada (WWF-Canada) for the second year in a row. The designation recognizes colleges and universities that demonstrate leadership in engaging their communities in conservation action and education.

The Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2025 placed York second in Canada for its contributions to Sustainable Development Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production. York was also recognized in the  among the top academic institutions in the world for its impact with environmental leadership, education and research.

Nicole Arsenault, program director in the Office of Sustainability, says York’s continued recognition reflects a collective effort across the University.

“Students, faculty, instructors and staff all play a critical role in advancing York’s sustainability goals,” she says. “Through their engagement in teaching, research and campus operations, they help strengthen the University’s impact and support long-term progress on new and existing initiatives aimed at accelerating climate action.”

As York continues to advance its sustainability priorities through both new and ongoing programs, the University remains focused on building a more sustainable institution. That work spans infrastructure, academic leadership and community partnerships, with a shared goal of strengthening impact across its campuses, local communities and beyond.

“Building a more sustainable institution – across our buildings, research, teaching and community partnerships – strengthens York’s leadership and delivers lasting benefits locally, nationally and globally,” says Kishinchandani.

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Data centres – large industrial facilities that power cloud computing and AI – have become critical infrastructure supporting the world’s growing digitization. Everything from streaming video and online banking to scientific research and generative AI depends on their ability to store, process and move enormous volumes of data.

As demand for digital services continues to rise, these centres sit at the root of that growth. And, as they become more pervasive, conversations about broader implications are growing.

“Data centres are increasingly part of public debate because of concerns about energy use, environmental impact, local economic effects and data sovereignty in Canada,” says Lyndsey Rolheiser, an assistant professor at the .

Despite the growing significance, there remains a notable gap in publicly available information about these facilities.

“There is very little systematic evidence to inform that discussion,” says Alexander Carlo, a postdoctoral researcher at Schulich. “At a basic level, we do not have a clear picture of where data centres are located in Canada or where new ones are being developed.”

Rolheiser and Carlo set out to address that gap by creating the first comprehensive map of Canada’s data centre landscape. Their work, now and to be included in the forthcoming Schulich School of Business Real Assets Research Paper Series, documents both existing facilities and the growing pipeline of projects that have been announced or are under construction.

The authors built their analysis around a proprietary dataset from Aterio, a data intelligence firm that aggregates information on large‑scale infrastructure projects. Using permitting records, utility filings and company disclosures, they tracked facilities from initial announcement through construction to full operation, then layered in census and provincial electricity data to assess location, scale and energy implications.

Once completed, they mapped out a much clearer picture of how Canada’s digital infrastructure is changing. The analysis shows that while Canada’s current data facilities footprint remains relatively modest, the pipeline of planned facilities is nearly 10 times larger – and those new centres are far bigger than older ones, reflecting a shift toward hyperscale infrastructure designed to support AI.

Future development is also highly concentrated: Alberta alone accounts for more than 90 per cent of planned capacity, despite relying on a comparatively high‑emissions electricity grid. At the same time, new facilities are increasingly being built far from major cities, often hundreds of kilometres from urban cores. Meanwhile, provinces with cleaner electricity systems, including Quebec, Ontario and B.C., have begun restricting or carefully managing grid access for large new data centres.

These patterns reflect a set of broader concerns the authors explore in the paper. Data centres consume enormous amounts of electricity – often equivalent to tens of thousands of households per facility – while creating relatively few long‑term jobs compared with the scale of public infrastructure they require. Their expansion can reshape provincial power systems, raise emissions concerns and crowd out other users. The authors also point to questions of data sovereignty, since most large facilities are owned by foreign firms and to the risk that some projects could become stranded assets if AI demand slows or climate policy tightens.

While Rolheiser and Carlo do point to these risks, the aim of the research is to ground future discussions in evidence. “This is a necessary first step for any informed policy or public debate,” Rolheiser says.

“At a minimum,” Carlo adds, “the paper should help clarify what the current landscape looks like and where development is taking place.”

Both researchers hope their work contributes to more informed discussions about data centres in Canada, and provides a solid evidence base that helps policymakers and the public better understand these sites and their impacts on grid access, emissions and economic benefits.

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As cities around the world grapple with mounting waste crises, researchers at the York Centre for Asian Research (YCAR) are exploring a critical but often overlooked question: who does the work of managing waste and under what conditions?

At �첥��Ƶ, this question is shaping an emerging area of interdisciplinary research that connects environmental change with labour, inequality and shared global priorities.

Research efforts led by Shubhra Gururani, a political ecologist, associate professor of anthropology and director of YCAR, examine how waste is a technical or environmental problem, but also a deeply political one, structured by histories of colonialism, race, caste and gender.

Waste is increasing at an unprecedented rate, expected to grow by around 80 per cent by 2050, according to the United Nations Environment Programme. “The systems that manage that growth still often rely on precarious labour performed by socially marginalized groups, including migrants, women and caste-oppressed communities,” says Gururani, who explores how these dynamics are embedded in broader processes of urban change and development. "This raises urgent questions about whether shifts to more environmentally sustainable systems may reproduce, rather than resolve, entrenched inequalities.”

A key contributor is Harsha Anantharaman, a postdoctoral Asian studies fellow at YCAR who focuses on informal waste workers – those who make a living by collecting and recycling waste outside formal, regulated systems – in urban India.

Drawing on extensive ethnographic and archival research across four cities for an ongoing book project – To Caste Away Waste: Racialized Labour and the Political Economy of Commodity Detritus in Urban India – Anantharaman studies how policies aimed at formalizing waste work often have contradictory effects. “As formalization policies reshape urban waste economies in India, the efforts to include marginalized groups can paradoxically deepen labour precarity and reproduce entrenched caste hierarchies,” he says.

His research shows that initiatives framed as inclusive, such as bringing waste pickers into formal waste management systems, can make working conditions more insecure. As municipal waste becomes increasingly controlled by governments and corporations as a private resource, informal workers are incorporated into systems that offer recognition without security. These processes reproduce caste-based hierarchies, reshaping labour relations. Anantharaman describes this as informal labour being absorbed into systems while caste-coded recognition continues.

By situating these dynamics within global political economic transformations in urban governance and political economy, his work highlights both the structural constraints faced by workers and the potential for more equitable alternatives. His findings suggest models such as the formal recognition and integration of waste pickers into municipal systems, cooperative-led recycling initiatives and policies that ensure fair wages, social protections and decision-making power for frontline workers.

Through these efforts, Gururani and Anantharaman’s work can contribute to a growing international conversation on the global politics of waste. It brings into focus how environmental governance, labour regimes and social hierarchies intersect in ways that challenge dominant narratives as municipalities and corporations transition to green and sustainable efforts.

“It is critical to remain cognizant of the ways in which such transitions often rely on the invisibilized labour of marginalized communities and reproduce existing inequalities even as they claim ecological progress,” says Anantharaman.

YCAR will continue this dialogue by hosting an international symposium in April titled . Organized by Gururani and Anantharaman, the two-day event will bring together scholars and practitioners working across regions, including South Asia, North Africa, Europe, Latin America and North America.

While the symposium is a closed academic gathering, it will feature two public keynote lectures that are open to the wider community. These talks will extend YCAR’s ongoing engagement with questions of labour, inequality and environmental change, offering an opportunity for broader public dialogue on the stakes of global waste economies. The symposium also contributes to a forthcoming special issue of Environment and Planning D: Society and Space.

“Through initiatives like this, YCAR continues to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and public engagement around some of the most pressing challenges of our time, highlighting how questions of waste are inseparable from questions of justice,” says Gururani.

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Caleb Morgan is the second York student accepted into the competitive international research internship at the National Institute of Informatics (NII) in Japan. The program offers graduate students the opportunity to conduct research at global partner institutions, enhancing international collaboration and research inquiry.

A final-year master’s of applied science candidate, Morgan will spend up to six months at NII working on AI systems that could accelerate the way scientists discover and design new tools, as well as inform real-world progress in AI applications for greener manufacturing, aerospace innovation and faster drug development.

Morgan will begin his internship in late March.

At NII, he will work under Associate Professor Mahito Sugiyama on knowledge graphs – a way of organizing information so AI models can understand individual data points and the relationships between them, much like the the relationship between list of names and a family tree.

Morgan shares an example of how this is applied in practice: in disease prediction, a knowledge graph allows a model to connect a patient's medical history to their location and a specific time period. This produces more accurate results than a model working from isolated data, says Morgan.

"If you throw data into a model without any knowledge graph, the model might learn about people and situations but not be able to relate them to each other," he says. "When we construct a knowledge graph, the model understands that this person was related to this event or this place, and that gives us a more generalized, more insightful output."

He will also work with transformer models – the same foundational architecture behind well-known AI tools like ChatGPT – to decode the language of chemical structures and materials. The goal refining AI systems to make reliable predictions even when data is scarce – a significant bottleneck in scientific research and engineering, notes Morgan.

NII's environment, he says, is what makes it the right place for this research. The institute draws researchers who develop novel AI architectures grounded in advanced mathematics – exactly the kind of computer science apporach he wants to bring back to engineering.

Morgan’s foundation for this field was cultivated at York. In the Lassonde-based Processing Structure Property Performance (PSSP) Lab, supervised by Associate Professor Solomon Boakye-Yiadom, he has been developing AI models to predict defects in metal 3D printing for high-entropy alloys – a newer class of metal blends engineered for extreme environments like aerospace and high-corrosion applications.

Representing atomic compositions as knowledge graphs has already improved prediction accuracy, he notes, and he has presented these findings at several conferences. This combined effort in research and knowledge sharing shaped his successful NII application.

Getting there took persistence, however. Morgan applied to the NII program once before and while he was not selected, he applied again with a sharper, more focused application – one that advocated for why an engineer should cross into computer science.

"I had to steer my application to say ‘Yes, I'm an engineer, but I want to delve into computer science to develop architectures for my domain,’" he says. "I was much more intentional about the second application."

Behind the scenes, York International has been closely involved in his preparation, helping with documentation and accommodation planning in Tokyo – support Morgan says has made the process seamless.

Day-to-day at NII, his work will largely be behind a desk: writing code, reading papers and running experiments with datasets and models to test how well they can extract meaning from structured knowledge.

He will return to York later this year with new collaborations, novel methods and a sharper way of thinking.

"I'm going to have the mindset of a computer scientist and keep my domain knowledge as an engineer and be able to merge them to do new things,” he says.

For York students eyeing similar opportunities, Morgan's path offers its own message.

"Be intentional, tailor your application," he says, "and don't be discouraged by rejection."

With files from Mzwandile Poncana

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How can retailers maintain the flow of goods during climate change-driven disruptions such as flooding, wildfires and severe storms?

Three MBA students earned top place at this year’s Sustainable Supply Chain Case Challenge for their practical, tech‑driven strategy to address this challenge.

The question was at the core of the competition, which brings together graduate students from business schools across Canada to tackle a real-world sustainability case involving retail logistics.

Hosted by the George Weston Ltd. Centre for Sustainable Supply Chains at Schulich, the event requires teams to submit a written proposal and deliver a final live presentation to industry judges for cash prizes and recognition.

When Schulich student Abdel Rahman Elakrat heard about the challenge, he was eager to participate and learn more about the impact of climate and weather in real-life scenarios. He formed a group with friends and fellow MBA students Rabie Tarakji and Harinder Kumar, and they got to work on the case study, which asked participants to propose solutions for a hypothetical $30-billion grocery retailer seeking to strengthen its resilience during severe weather events.

The team – called Chain Reaction – began by examining how climate disruptions affect Canadian supply chains. They were surprised by what they discovered.

“The amount of money lost in the Canadian market every year due to extreme weather conditions was eye-opening,” says Elakrat, noting that 2024 was the most expensive year in Canadian history for weather-related damages, at more than $8 billion. “I had no idea it was that bad.”

That insight helped the three students understand that climate volatility is no longer occasional – it is constant.

“It’s not just a temporary or once-in-a-while operating condition,” says Tarakji. “We realized that companies need to be predictive so they can accommodate unexpected turns.”

Drawing on technologies already being piloted or used by companies such as Costco and Walmart, Chain Reaction developed a three-pronged resilience strategy that uses advanced digital tools to anticipate disruptions before they happen.

The first element was inspired by the way wildfires increasingly shut down highways and rail lines, leaving trucks stranded and store shelves empty. To address such scenarios, the team proposed a logistics “control tower” system driven by AI that connects truck GPS data with live weather monitoring. The system would allow dispatchers to reroute shipments up to 48 hours before storms or fires block major transportation routes.

Their second strategy involved installing wireless IoT (Internet of Things) temperature sensors inside refrigerated trucks and cold-storage facilities. These sensors would constantly monitor conditions and immediately alert managers if temperatures rise, helping prevent food waste while reducing energy costs. The approach addresses the growing risk of extreme heat, which can cause refrigeration systems on delivery trucks to fail thereby spoiling meat and dairy before they reach stores.

Finally, recognizing that many disruptions originate deeper in the supply chain – such as droughts affecting farms supplying key ingredients – the students proposed a supplier-risk mapping software. The tool would track where products originate and flag climate risks early, allowing companies to secure alternative suppliers to get ahead of potential supply shortatges.

A key philosophy behind the team's proposal was practicality. Although the hypothetical case study company was a multibillion-dollar enterprise, the team wanted their approach to remain realistic, cost-effective and scalable.

“Instead of pitching really expensive physical infrastructure that would require billions of dollars and years to build, we went with something easy to implement and cost-effective,” says Elakrat. “Our solution was estimated at about $1.5 million – which is minuscule for a $30-billion business.”

Chain Reaction submitted their proposal for the competition's first round and was selected to advance to the final round, where they presented their strategy to a panel of industry judges.

On the day of the finals, the team watching the other presentations while waiting for their turn. They were impressed by the quality of the competition but, aside from a few nerves, remained confident in their pitch. “We have nothing to lose, so let’s just enjoy it,” Elakrat recalls thinking.

Over the course of the project, the three students had independently tackled different parts of the project – market research, solutions and implementation – each of them becoming experts in their assigned area. They made time every day to meet for at least 30 minutes, forming a collaborative chemistry.

By the time they reached the finals, their presentation was polished and they were feeling confident.

Tarakji says that during the presentation, they "realized quickly that we were doing well and that we had a good flow.”

Despite feeling positive after taking the stage, the students weren't expecting to take the top-place finish. When the second- and third-place teams were announced – and Chain Reaction’s name had not yet been called – they began to refelct on what a valuable experience the competition had been.

Then, Chain Reaction was announced as overall winner.

Afterwards, members of the judging panel offered feedback, and said their work stood out for being both innovative and practical – and as a solution that could be applied immediately to help companies navigate climate risks.

Beyond the recognition, the three students walked away with a valuable experience. The process of designing a strategy rooted in SDG‑focused practices showcased what is possible today, and how they can contribute to sustainability efforts in the workplace moving forward.

“The problems we were solving in these cases are the same challenges companies face today, and in the future, when we’re working in those companies, the solutions we developed now can help shift the dynamic there too,” says Tarakji. “That’s exciting.”

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CIFAL York is expanding its work in climate innovation with a new focus on how AI can support real‑world solutions to some of the most pressing environmental challenges.

Since its establishment in 2020, CIFAL York, part of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) global network, has been at the forefront of climate change, disaster management and sustainable development. It offers innovative approaches to climate challenges, including training on emergency management, workshops on disaster risk reduction and programs that help local leaders prepare for both climate and health crises.

With the rapid evolution of emerging technologies showing great potential to support efforts in climate solutions, the centre is now expanding its mandate. “We want CIFAL York to be a leader in exploring the intersection of AI and climate change,” says Ali Asgary, CIFAL director and professor of disaster and emergency management in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies.

Its first step toward that work is the launch of the Climate AI Innovation Hub, an initiative designed to explore how AI can support creative approaches to addressing climate challenges. Its goal, says Asgary, is to create a network for knowledge sharing, innovation and collaboration that can achieve real-world impact.

The hub’s first initiative – a monthly speaker series running until November – sprang from the idea of leading conversations that explore what is possible with AI.

“These computational powers can help us understand and analyze changes in climate. Maybe they can even prevent them by allowing for proactive – more than reactive – approaches,” says Maleknaz Nayebi, associate director of CIFAL and assistant professor in the . “It’s not that there is one answer that can be given. For us, it’s about raising those questions. That’s how we came up with the speaker series.”

The series will showcase, for example, how AI, IoT (the Internet of Things) and satellite technologies are being used to tackle pressing environmental risks – from predicting and managing wildfires to designing low-waste, circular buildings. It will introduce participants to the broader climate innovation ecosystem and highlight the role of innovators and entrepreneurs creating scalable solutions for sustainability, resilience, circular economies and low-carbon transitions.

The series will raise awareness about climate entrepreneurship, explore sector opportunities and obstacles, and empower students, early-career professionals, founders, researchers and community innovators to take an active role in environmental research leadership.

“Our goal is to help people understand how these technologies are being developed and used, and to encourage the sharing of innovations,” Asgary explains. “We hope to inspire the next generation of climate innovators and show potential users – particularly government agencies – what tools and solutions are available to them.”

The speaker events are the hub's first step in engaging the community, and Asgary says past CIFAL series have served as a foundation for building networks of researchers and practitioners through live group discussions. Recorded content available on also becomes a knowledge repository that draws in new audiences.

“Many of our research projects in recent years have been fed by our speaker series,” says Asgary. Other outcomes have included white papers, book chapters, courses, certificate programs, short courses, community events and more.

Feedback from the first session in February suggests the new series is cultivating projects informed by the insights and networks it generates, highlighting the promise of what CIFAL aims to achieve.

“The hub is about creating connections, sparking new ideas and ultimately applying AI responsibly to make a tangible difference,” says Asgary. “At the end of the day, the goal is to contribute to solving climate change.”

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Mars has been a focus of space exploration for more than six decades, with multiple international exploration expeditions studying the planet’s geology, atmosphere and potential habitability using spacecraft, rovers and orbiters.

As more missions are planned, new research from York highlights an important risk: the possibility that Earth's microbes – tiny forms of life such as bacteria – could travel aboard spacecraft and survive on Mars.

Preventing this type of contamination is a central goal of international planetary protection guidelines, which aim to avoid this contamination between Earth and other planets.

“Keeping the Martian environment in pristine condition is crucial for proper scientific characterization,” says Bischof, a PhD student and researcher in York’s Centre for Research in Earth and Space Science. “If Earth microbes are able to survive on Mars, they could potentially confound Martian biomarkers, lead to false positive detections of life and/or alter the environment itself.”

To better understand the risks, Bischof worked with Moores, an associate professor and planetary scientist who studies the environmental conditions of planets, to develop the Mars Microbial Survival (MMS) model. The research was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), including a Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship for Bischof and an NSERC Discovery Grant for Moores, as well as funding from NASA’s planetary protection program and �첥��Ƶ’s Research at York program.

The idea was inspired by the Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission, a joint NASA and European Space Agency effort designed to retrieve geological samples collected by the Perseverance rover and return them to Earth for analysis.

“At the time we began creating the model, the mission was expected to land on Mars in the early 2030s, so understanding the potential for contamination beforehand was important,” says Bischof.

Using the bacterium Bacillus subtilis – a common soil microbe often used in research – Bischof and Moores applied their model to estimate how microbial populations might decline under Mars-like conditions such as intense ultraviolet radiation, extremely low atmospheric pressure, cold temperatures and the planet’s dry surface environment.

The researchers then used the model to analyze past Mars expeditions and landing sites, simulating how microorganisms might behave – and how long they might survive – if carried on spacecraft that land on the Martian surface.

The tool was used to examine microbes in two main locations on spacecraft: exterior surfaces, such as outer shells or exposed hardware; and interior surfaces, including instruments or sheltered components.

Their findings, published in , suggest that Mars presents harsh conditions for Earth-based microbes. Unlike Earth, the planet lacks a thick atmosphere and protective ozone layer, leaving the surface exposed to strong ultraviolet radiation from the sun.

Results showed that exterior spacecraft surfaces would likely be sterilized relatively quickly due to this radiation. In many cases, ultraviolet exposure alone would rapidly destroy most microorganisms.

However, microbes located in interior or shielded areas of spacecraft could experience different conditions and may survive for extended periods, Bischof says. The model predicts that other factors – including low atmospheric pressure and temperature fluctuations – would gradually reduce microbial populations over time, but at a much slower rate than on exposed surfaces.

The fact that some microorganisms may persist for decades on Mars, Bischof says, “is important to consider when making policy decisions regarding the sterility of spacecraft pre-launch.”

Although the Mars Sample Return mission that inspired the research is currently on hold, Bischof says the work remains highly relevant. The researchers say their innovation can inform spacecraft design and cleaning strategies by identifying components that pose the greatest contamination risk and where additional precautions may be needed.

“Human-led missions to Mars remain a high priority for NASA, and these results can be applied to any future mission landings on Mars’ surface,” she says.

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�첥��Ƶ will play an integral role in a national initiative supporting long-term energy and climate decision-making.

The (EMH) is designed to strengthen Canada’s analytical capacity around energy systems transitions.

Mark Winfield, a professor at York’s (EUC), will help guide Canada’s future in energy as one of five academics serving on the hub’s executive committee.

The investment of nearly $5 million was awarded to a consortium of �첥��Ƶ, the University of Calgary, Carleton University, the University of Victoria and École Polytechnique to establish a national energy modelling network to support evidence-based decision-making around the sustainable decarbonization of Canada’s energy systems.

Funding is provided through the Natural Resources Canada’s Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways Program. Additional funding for EMH is provided through the Trottier and Ivey Foundations.

Working together over the next four years, academics and industry experts will improve access to energy models, data and analytical tools so governments and stakeholders can better understand the implications of different pathways to decarbonization and energy sustainability.

“The Energy Modelling Hub serves as an independent enabler and capacity builder in Canada,” says Winfield, who also co-chairs EUC’s Sustainable Energy Initiative. “Its work focuses on connecting researchers and decision-makers, supporting open-source tools, improving access to data and providing opportunities for training and knowledge sharing.”

Long-term planning, he says, will look at how to decarbonize energy systems while ensuring affordability and advancing sustainability.

EMH’s current work includes exploring the potential roles of connections between provincial electricity grids.

Contributing as York’s representative on the EMH executive committee, Winfield will help guide the strategic direction of the hub. Drawing on his extensive research on climate change, energy sustainability, and environment and energy law and policy, he will be part of a national effort to “advance the transition in the direction of sustainable energy systems.”

In 2023, Winfield co-edited Sustainable Energy Transitions in Canada (UBC Press) exploring the technical, economic, political and policy dimensions of decarbonization and energy transitions. Winfield’s work with EMH builds on his participation research networks around energy storage, smart grids, distributed energy resources and community energy planning, He is currently co-editing Carbon Federalism: Canadian Climate Governance in a Disrupted World for the University of Toronto Press.

The December 2025 funding announcement builds on previous $5 million federal support for EMH and strengthen Canada’s momentum towards net-zero and decarbonizing its energy systems.

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SDG Month feature

As Earth’s orbits grow increasingly crowded with satellites and space debris, �첥��Ƶ researcher Zheng Hong (George) Zhu is developing technologies to keep space safe and sustainable.

In addition to the more than 11,500 operational satellites orbiting Earth, according to the Satellite Industry Association, tens of thousands of pieces of space junk – including retired satellites, discarded rocket components and metal fragments – now occupy Earth’s orbital environment.

Managing orbital debris has become central to the long‑term sustainability of space activity, as NASA prepares new crewed missions to the moon, cargo vehicles continue servicing the International Space Station and companies such as SpaceX’s Starlink deploy thousands of satellites.

“In the past, we thought of Earth’s orbit as having infinite space, but it doesn’t,” says Zhu, professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at York’s and Tier 1 York Research Chair in Space Technology. “If you don’t clean up, eventually it becomes very risky.”

As waste accumulates, the risk of collisions with satellites and spacecraft rises. This can eventually lead to the so-called Kessler Syndrome, where collisions trigger a chain reaction that produces more and more fragments which, in turn, cause additional collisions.

Even small objects travel at extreme speeds: a fragment no larger than a bolt can disable a satellite that supports services people rely on every day, from global communications and weather monitoring to navigation and emergency response.

Without effective strategies to reduce and remove debris, humanity’s ability to safely operate in space may be compromised.

Zhu has spent more than a decade developing solutions to that challenge.

His interest in space debris mitigation goes back to 2010, when he says few researchers were focused on the issue. Two high‑profile events sharpened his attention: China’s 2007 antisatellite missile test – which destroyed one of its own aging weather satellites and scattered thousands of fragments – and the 2009 accidental collision between an operational U.S. communications satellite and a defunct Russian satellite, the first known crash between two intact satellites in orbit.

“It was a wake‑up call that caught my attention,” says Zhu.

He began exploring how a technology he was studying, called electrodynamic tethers – long, thin conductive wires that interact with Earth’s magnetic field – could help address the problem. Originally investigated as a way to generate electricity in orbit, Zhu realized the technology could also act as a brake, slowing satellites and objects so they safely re‑enter Earth’s atmosphere.

This helps address a major contributor to space clutter. Most satellites are not designed to return to Earth at the end of their missions. Once they run out of fuel or stop working, they can drift in orbit for years or decades before gravity and atmospheric drag eventually bring them down. By slowing these satellites with an electrodynamic tether, Zhu’s system accelerates their orbital decay, helping them re‑enter the atmosphere far sooner than they would naturally.

Since 2010, he has been pursuing this technology as a way for satellites and spacecraft to be pre‑emptively equipped with disposal systems, allowing them to safely remove themselves at the end of their missions without adding new refuse or relying on costly clean up efforts. This approach could make sustainable orbital management the default, rather than the exception.

One of his projects, called DESCENT, put this concept into practice as Canada’s first on‑orbit test of space debris removal technology. Launched from the International Space Station, the Canadian Space Agency–funded mission consists of two CubeSat satellites connected by a 100‑metre electrodynamic tether, which will deploy in orbit to demonstrate how the system can actively lower a satellite’s orbit.

Complementing this work is Zhu’s research in autonomous space robotics, which he pursues alongside his efforts in keeping space clean. His lab develops systems capable of tracking, approaching and manipulating free‑floating and tumbling objects, using advanced perception, robotic dexterity, AI‑enabled decision‑making and control strategies to rendezvous with and grasp challenging targets. While these systems are developed primarily for on‑orbit servicing – such as repairing, refuelling or upgrading satellites without human spacewalks – Zhu believes they also have important applications for active debris removal, where autonomous robots can identify and capture defunct or tumbling objects in orbit.

Building on the autonomous robotic work, Zhu is exploring advanced swarm‑based approaches. He swarms of small satellites that autonomously coordinate to locate and interact with the waste. “My concept is very cheap, small satellites that can be mass‑produced, launched into space and then work as a swarm,” he says. “It’s decentralized control – more like ants. When one satellite finds a target, it shares the information so others can approach without collision among themselves and coordinate to dock onto or push the debris.”

Each satellite is designed to nudge or influence space litter using tethers or contact‑based mechanisms, rather than complex robotic arms, and the swarm is intended to deorbit along with the debris after interaction.

Currently, as part of his Tier 1 York Research Chair in Space Robotics and AI (2024-29) and as director of the NSERC CREATE Program in Smart Autonomous Robotic Technology for Space Exploration (SMARTART), Zhu is actively publishing and presenting on these concepts while nurturing the next generation of engineers and researchers who could bring them to fruition. Through SMARTART, students gain industry‑oriented training in AI, autonomous robotics, computer vision and systems engineering, equipping them with the skills needed to tackle challenges like coordinated spacecraft swarms and active debris removal.

Seeing his students embrace these ideas and contribute to the field, Zhu notes the growing global engagement with space debris issues.

As someone who once felt he was among the few raising concerns about space debris in 2010, Zhu is encouraged by the reception and interest his work now receives, as well as the efforts he sees worldwide from researchers and organizations.

“My reward is seeing more people following my path to do this,” he says. “I’m glad to see more people paying attention and recognizing the importance of this issue.”

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