News
Blue Box Seminar Series
PRESENTS
a fascinating talk by Riley Cotter entitled: I hate bad numbers: Stories about microplastic research.
Riley Cotter is a recent graduate of Memorial University’s Department of Geography whose Master's thesis investigated plastics in Arctic surface waters using place-based analytics. Currently a Research Specialist at CLEAR, in this talk Riley will reflect on his early career as a marine microplastic researcher, highlighting opportunities he's found to produce “better numbers” in microplastics research through a critical interrogation of methods and analytics. The talk will conclude with a preview of Riley’s upcoming PhD work, which will aim to harmonize community-based approaches for marine microplastic monitoring in pursuit of more locally meaningful, comparable, and actionable research.
When: Friday April 10th, 2026 | 12-1pm
Where: Arts 2071
HSS Highlights
What happens to Newfoundland forests in drought conditions.
Dr. Carissa Brown, MUN Geography, speaks about the conditions which led to last year's wildfires.
"A lot of the species that grow on the ground of the boreal forest are actually able to resprout after a fire. But if the fire burned very deeply, then those underground roots that might have normally survived a fire might have been killed. So that could change what comes back after a fire"
HSS Highlights
Developing this province's mining potential, in a socially and environmentally responsible way
Dr. Arn Keeling (Geography) and Dr. John Sandlos (History) discuss the social, political and environmental realities of developing NL’s mining sector.
"The Newfoundland and Labrador Critical Mineral Strategy talks about hosting at least 31 of the 34 critical minerals on Canada's critical minerals list.
HSS Highlights
What may be lost with cuts to Memorial University
Josh Lepawski (Geography) and Barbara Lou Neis (Sociology) appear on The Signal to discuss the future of Memorial amidst cuts and downsizing.
"The standard talking point is that Memorial is only a cost centre. It's never treated as an investment, despite the evidence that it clearly is."
CBC (audio)
YouTube (video)