Assistant Professor, Toronto Metropolitan University Dr. Mehak Bharti serves as an Assistant Professor of Marketing at Ted Rogers School of Management, Toronto Metropolitan University. Prior to this, she worked as an Assistant Professor of Marketing at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands. Specializing as a consumer behavior psychologist, Dr. Bharti holds expertise in Psychology and Consumer Behaviour, having earned her PhD from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, in 2020. Her experiences of living in different countries and cultures like Canada, India, France, Singapore, and the Netherlands have shaped her understanding of the influence of self across various consumption contexts, as reflected in her research interests. Her research primarily focuses on understanding Mindful and Sustainable consumption practices across different cultures. In addition to her academic pursuits, she is a meditation coach, traveling internationally to instruct in meditation and mindfulness.
PhD Candidate, Université Abdelmalek Essaadi My academic career began when I obtained my scientific baccalaureate in 2014, after which I joined the Higher Institute of Maritime Fisheries of Agadir, Morocco to follow my higher studies in the field of fishing, leading to me obtaining my professional fishing licence in 2017. In 2019 I obtained a master's degree in marine environment and aquaculture at the Faculty of Science and Technology Tangier Morocco. Currently I am working on my doctoral thesis on the study of bycatch of the coastal fleet in the Moroccan Mediterranean Sea, towards the award of a PhD in biology education. I am also president of the association of young people of the sea for sustainable development in Al Hoceima, Morocco. This association works on raising fishermen's awareness of the need to conserve marine biodiversity. I have published several articles on my research in international journals: a study of the bycatch of elasmobranchs which was published in the journal Thalassas: International Journal of Marine Sciences; a study of the interactions of bottlenose dolphins which was published in the African Journal of Marine Sciences; and a study of marine turtle bycatch which was published in the Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries. Publications: Impact of interactions between common bottlenose dolphins and purse-seiners in the Moroccan Mediterranean region: case study in the Al Hoceima fishing grounds This study examines the effect of common bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus on the purse-seine fishery for small pelagic fishes in the Mediterranean Sea and the economic consequences thereof. The investigation focused on the fleet registered at the port of Al Hoceima, Morocco, and used information collected from on-board observations and a semi-structured questionnaire with fishermen and ship-owners. A total of 121 dolphins were captured as bycatch during 48 fishing trips, with a mortality rate of 0.23 dolphins per fishing trip. In terms of damage to the fishing gear, the number of observed holes varied between 28 and 230 per net per incident. Though some tears were large, most were <35 cm in height. The cost of repairing the holes in the nets caused by these interactions was estimated at US$179.52 per mending event. The level of interaction between common bottlenose dolphins and the purse-seine fishery targeting small pelagic fishes is a challenge for both fishery management and dolphin conservation. Elasmobranch Bycatch in a Bottom Trawl Fishery at Al Hoceima Port in Morocco (Mediterranean Sea) This study focused on identifying and estimating the number of rays and sharks caught incidentally in the Moroccan Mediterranean Sea and their seasonal variation. In 2020, from 62 bottom trawl surveys, it was estimated that elasmobranchs represent 6.67% (25 kg) of the total catch (372 kg/trip) per trip in Al Hoceima Bay. Raja clavata and Scyliorhinus canicula were the most abundant species, representing between 27% and 21% of the total elasmobranchs captured, respectively, followed by Prionace glauca (19%) and Oxynotus centrina (13%). Single or sporadic captures of the threatened and protected Isurus oxyrinchus and Mobula mobular were further recorded, as well as of the endemic and threatened Raja radula. Elasmobranch bycatch rates vary with depth, season and fishing area. The current data indicate that the Moroccan Mediterranean may be an important breeding area for many elasmobranchs. They also emphasize the urgent necessity of better understanding the interactions between fisheries and elasmobranchs to develop management measures. Preliminary data on bycatch and stranding of marine turtles in Al Hoceima, Morocco. The area of Al Hoceima in Morocco occupies a strategic biological position concerning the trajectory of migratory species. Bycatch and standing data in this area are still lacking. However, knowledge of the number of stranded individuals/species and the bycatch rate/total catch for each fishing gear is crucial to adopting more effective conservation stratégies. Given this lack of information, monitoring of total standing and bycatch data was conducted from January To June 2021. Two different approaches were used in this study: on-board observation of longline, trawlers, and seiner vessels for bycatch rate and monitoring of the torture standing area through self- déclaration by sensitized fishermen. The results showed the existence of two species. Dermochelys Caracas (Vandelli, 1761) (1 individual) was stranded on Calabonita beach, and Caretta-Caretta (Linnaeus, 1758) was caught in longliners (two individuals) and trawlers (three individuals). No individuals were reported in purse seiners. For the first time, preliminary data on the bycatch and standing of tortures in Al Hoceima have been determined and this information is vital to implementing future conservation measures. Concerning my professional career, in 2017 I was elevated to officer and lieutenant on board a freezer trawler in Morocco, in 2019-2023 I was a trainer at the Institute of Maritime Fisheries Technology in Al Hoceïma Morocco. I taught trainees who are future fishing bosses. Currently I am an administrative executive at the maritime fisheries delegation in Boujdour in the south of Morocco.
Assistant Professor of Communication, University of Evansville Dr. Fahad Humayun is a journalism researcher and educator who earned his PhD in Media Research and Practice from University of Colorado Boulder. His research has been published in prestigious journals such as Digital Journalism and Journalism Practice and he is also a recipient of research awards from International Communication Association (ICA) and Association for Education in Mass Communication and Journalism (AEJMC). He has taught journalism at multiple universities and brings experience of teaching both undergrad and graduate students. Dr. Humayun is an avid sports fan and as a child he used to stay up all night to watch NBA games while living in Pakistan.
Senior Researcher in Emergency and Risk Communication, University at Albany, State University of New York Micki Olson, Ph.D., is a risk communication expert who specializes in how to design alert and warning messages for risks ranging from natural hazards to public health emergencies. She studies how communication shapes people's reactions to risks. She is passionate about helping experts and public safety officials write concise, understandable, and impactful messages for the public.
Postdoctoral Researcher, Karolinska Institutet My research focusses on modifiable dementia risk factors such as stress and sleep disturbances. I investigate the mechanism underlying the associations between the aforementioned risk factors and dementia/cognition, e.g., neuroimaging correlates (brain MRI markers), Alzheimer's disease biomarker measures in cerebrospinal fluid (beta amyloid, tau), and inflammatory markers.
Professor, Head of School of Learning Development and Professional Practice, Faculty of Education and Social Work, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Professor Marek Tesar is Head of School of Learning Development and Professional Practice, and the Associate Dean International at the Faculty of Education and Social Work, University of Auckland. He is also the director of Centre for Global Childhoods, and the Chair of Early Years, Childhood Studies and Child Development Research and Teaching Hub. His award-winning scholarship is focused on early childhood education in both New Zealand as well as in cross-country contexts. His academic work and consultancy focuses on educational policy, philosophy, pedagogy, methodology and curriculum, and draws on his background as a qualified teacher. Currently, Marek serves as a leader of two leading learned societies in his fields; he chairs the Steering Committee of the Reconceptualizing Early Childhood Education (RECE), and is elected President of Philosophy of Education Society of Australasia (PESA). Marek’s scholarship and activism merges theoretical work with a practical focus on the everyday lives of children and their childhoods in Aotearoa New Zealand and overseas. He has published 200 peer-reviewed publications, and his scholarly work has received many prestigious national and international awards and accolades. He edits 4 educational book series with renowned publishers, is Editor of 6 academic journals, and sits on over 20 international editorial boards. In 2016 Marek led a team of international and local experts in Indonesia to establish a research centre of excellence for early childhood education, care and parenting, that serves the South-East Asia region (SEAMEO). While his research is mainly focused on the early years, he has substantial experience and knowledge of educational systems more generally. Since 2018, Marek has been leading a team of New Zealand early childhood experts to deliver a curriculum framework, and teaching and parenting programmes in China. In 2020, Marek was appointed as a Research Fellow at SEAMEO to provide expertise on future research and development initiatives and programmes, and enhance cooperation in education, science and culture in Southeast Asia.
