Steve Robinson
I am an M.Sc. Geography student under the supervision of Dr. Jesse Vermaire from the Aquatic Ecosystem and Environmental Change Lab. I completed a B.Sc. Environmental Science (Hons.) at Carleton, also under Dr. Vermaire’s supervision, and I hold an Environmental Technician diploma from Algonquin College. In my previous career, I was a sommelier and restaurant manager.
In many waterways, property owners are concerned about increasing boating activity and the emergence of water sport vessels designed to generate large, powerful wakes. My M.Sc. research aims to quantify the magnitude and energy of boat-generated wakes to identify the vessel types most likely to contribute to shoreline disturbance. Additionally, I will test whether ‘no wake’ zones effectively reduce boat wave energy to shorelines. My project is being conducted in the Rideau Canal Waterway in collaboration with Parks Canada, the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority, and Dr. Colin Rennie of the University of Ottawa. The outcomes of this project will support evidence-based waterway management and inform recreational boating policy at local, provincial, and federal levels.
Though I study motorboats, I am an avid canoeist. The Kichi Sibi/Ottawa River watershed has always been my home, and I hope to explore as many of its lakes, rivers, streams, and forests as possible.