TRANSECTS program wins international prize for sustainability education
An innovative sustainable education and research training program spearheaded by the University of Saskatchewan (USask) has earned gold on the global stage.
By Ashley TraskThe Transdisciplinary Education Collaboration for Transformations in Sustainability (TRANSECTS) program, offered through USask’s School of Environmental and Sustainability (SENS), received gold in the Sustainable Education Literacy Award at the QS Reimagine Education forum in London, U.K.
One of 18 categories, the award celebrates programs that embed sustainability into learning and empower students to lead as informed global citizens.
Marlis Merry, program manager for TRANSECTS, said she was “thrilled” to learn their first-time application had earned the top honour earlier this month. The recognition comes on the heels of USask ranking in the top 10 per cent globally in the 2026 QS Sustainability Rankings.
As program manager for TRANSECTS, Merry oversees the project’s international operations alongside partner hubs in Germany and South Africa, as well as its Canadian network. Her involvement dates back to the project’s early development in 2021.
“Being recognized among such outstanding initiatives reinforces our commitment to advancing sustainability education, transforming practice and empowering learners to lead as sustainability changemakers,” said Merry, who is also an alumnus of SENS.
TRANSECTS outshined 1,600 submissions worldwide and passed four evaluation rounds by demonstrating “exceptional innovation, impact and scalability,” the certificate reads.
“I extend my heartfelt appreciation to everyone who helped with the application, video and presentation, as well as the ongoing support and involvement of those within the TRANSECTS network,” Merry said.
TRANSECTS is a six-year project that started in 2022 and is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). It offers a comprehensive training portfolio – from hands-on learning and transdisciplinary research foundations to micro-credentials – designed to equip learners to tackle sustainability issues like climate change, water insecurity, persistent poverty, rising authoritarianism, and militarism.
“For example, we know a lot about the science of climate change. We know a lot about the science of water security, but we don’t know how to get along with each other and work together to tackle those problems,” said TRANSECTS Project Director Dr. Maureen Reed (PhD).
The goal is to instil professional, relational and intercultural competencies with students who come from diverse cultural and disciplinary backgrounds, says Reed, who is a distinguished professor and UNESCO Chair in Biocultural Diversity, Sustainability, Reconciliation and Renewal at SENS.
One way the program does that is through Transdisciplinary International Learning Labs, or TILLs, where graduate students, spanning biology to kinesiology and beyond, come together to learn with partner organizations across three continents.
“It is incredibly rewarding to hear students say that our program offers meaningful learning experiences, connecting them with individuals and communities to collaboratively address complex sustainability challenges and often serving as a call to action following their participation,” said Merry.
A recent TILL hosted by Vancouver Island University and the Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region in 2024 gathered students to study ways to address invasive plant species.
“In this case, they were using a two-eyed seeing model. It’s important to address both Indigenous and non-Indigenous perspectives when making change on the landscape,” Reed explained.
The pilot TILL examined local perspectives on a greenbelt proposal that is being designed to commemorate what happened following the Second World War. Subsequent TILLs have focused on forest management by small-scale landowners in Germany and ocean management in South Africa. The latter was officially endorsed as an activity of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-30).
In her QS Reimagine Education showcase presentation on December 1, Merry shared that TRANSECTS has supported the learning of 142 students from over 20 countries since 2022 and expects this number to double by the end of 2025. The project has secured $1.2 million in financial and in-kind support from 44 additional individuals and 24 partner organizations, as well as significant financial support from other granting agencies in Canada and Germany.