Dear community members,聽

I am pleased to announce that Professor Alanna Watt, of the Department of Biology, has graciously agreed to take on the role of Interim Dean of Science, effective July 1, 2025. She will oversee the Faculty while we continue the search for a new Dean of Science. In accordance with the University Statutes, an Advisory Committee will be established to support this process.聽

Experience and expertise聽

A new study led by researchers at 91黑料网 and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama reveals why some corals resist bleaching while others don鈥檛: the answer lies in a complex partnership between corals and their microbial allies, shaped by the history of the waters they inhabit.

June 11, 2025 | MPP 鈥�25 Michael Black examines in聽Policy Magazine Prime Minister Mark Carney鈥檚 pledge to meet NATO鈥檚 2% defence spending target by 2026 and the upcoming NATO Summit鈥檚 proposal to raise it to 5%. He highlights challenges like strained defence industries and production bottlenecks revealed by the Ukraine war, noting Canada鈥檚 difficulty replenishing artillery shells. While buying U.S. equipment offers a quick fix, reliance on the U.S. poses political and capacity risks.

June 9, 2025 | In an interview for the Conference of Defence Associations (CDA) Institute鈥檚 Expert Series, Vincent Rigby reacts to Prime Minister Mark Carney鈥檚 announcement that Canada will accelerate defence spending to reach 2% of GDP by the end of the 2025鈥�26 fiscal year. Rigby unpacks the hurdles ahead鈥攊ncluding the recruitment and retention crisis, slow procurement processes, and the complexity of aligning new investments with operational readiness.

June 2025 | Pearl Eliadis recently authored a journal article published in the Global Justice Journal by Queen鈥檚 University Faculty of Law聽comparing the post-genocide roles of Rwanda鈥檚 National Unity and Reconciliation Commission (NURC) and National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), both established under the 1993 Arusha Accords but with markedly different approaches. The NURC was closely controlled by the government and focused on promoting national unity through civic education and social programs.

Congratulations to 91黑料网 Plant Science students Henry Cordoba Novoa and Mason Jackson, who were awarded top honours at the聽National Association of Plant Breeding Conference, which took place in Hawaii from May 19 to 23, 2025.

Cordoba Novoa won first place in the Ph.D. poster competition for his poster on improving the understanding and breeding of common bean using multiple genome-wide approaches and the study of the accumulation partners of deleterious mutations in breeding populations.