Web cookies (also called HTTP cookies, browser cookies, or simply cookies) are small pieces of data that websites store on your device (computer, phone, etc.) through your web browser. They are used to remember information about you and your interactions with the site.
Purpose of Cookies:
Session Management:
Keeping you logged in
Remembering items in a shopping cart
Saving language or theme preferences
Personalization:
Tailoring content or ads based on your previous activity
Tracking & Analytics:
Monitoring browsing behavior for analytics or marketing purposes
Types of Cookies:
Session Cookies:
Temporary; deleted when you close your browser
Used for things like keeping you logged in during a single session
Persistent Cookies:
Stored on your device until they expire or are manually deleted
Used for remembering login credentials, settings, etc.
First-Party Cookies:
Set by the website you're visiting directly
Third-Party Cookies:
Set by other domains (usually advertisers) embedded in the website
Commonly used for tracking across multiple sites
Authentication cookies are a special type of web cookie used to identify and verify a user after they log in to a website or web application.
What They Do:
Once you log in to a site, the server creates an authentication cookie and sends it to your browser. This cookie:
Proves to the website that you're logged in
Prevents you from having to log in again on every page you visit
Can persist across sessions if you select "Remember me"
What's Inside an Authentication Cookie?
Typically, it contains:
A unique session ID (not your actual password)
Optional metadata (e.g., expiration time, security flags)
Analytics cookies are cookies used to collect data about how visitors interact with a website. Their primary purpose is to help website owners understand and improve user experience by analyzing things like:
How users navigate the site
Which pages are most/least visited
How long users stay on each page
What device, browser, or location the user is from
What They Track:
Some examples of data analytics cookies may collect:
Page views and time spent on pages
Click paths (how users move from page to page)
Bounce rate (users who leave without interacting)
User demographics (location, language, device)
Referring websites (how users arrived at the site)
Here’s how you can disable cookies in common browsers:
1. Google Chrome
Open Chrome and click the three vertical dots in the top-right corner.
Go to Settings > Privacy and security > Cookies and other site data.
Choose your preferred option:
Block all cookies (not recommended, can break most websites).
Block third-party cookies (can block ads and tracking cookies).
2. Mozilla Firefox
Open Firefox and click the three horizontal lines in the top-right corner.
Go to Settings > Privacy & Security.
Under the Enhanced Tracking Protection section, choose Strict to block most cookies or Custom to manually choose which cookies to block.
3. Safari
Open Safari and click Safari in the top-left corner of the screen.
Go to Preferences > Privacy.
Check Block all cookies to stop all cookies, or select options to block third-party cookies.
4. Microsoft Edge
Open Edge and click the three horizontal dots in the top-right corner.
Go to Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Cookies and site permissions.
Select your cookie settings from there, including blocking all cookies or blocking third-party cookies.
5. On Mobile (iOS/Android)
For Safari on iOS: Go to Settings > Safari > Privacy & Security > Block All Cookies.
For Chrome on Android: Open the app, tap the three dots, go to Settings > Privacy and security > Cookies.
Be Aware:
Disabling cookies can make your online experience more difficult. Some websites may not load properly, or you may be logged out frequently. Also, certain features may not work as expected.
Three fully funded graduate positions in Arctic Restoration Ecology (1 PhD. and 2 MSc.) are available in the Departments of Soil Science and Plant Sciences at the University of Saskatchewan. This is a unique opportunity to join an interdisciplinary project spanning the fields of restoration ecology, soil science, and plant ecology. We will be examining the potential for using biological soil crusts and tundra surface organic layers to foster the recovery of arctic plant community assemblages and essential ecosystem functions following mining disturbance. Fieldwork will be conducted at a working mine site in Nunavut, Canada with opportunities to work closely with mine company staff. We will also be heavily involved in the development and delivery of an on-site education program for Nunavut youth integrating soil science, plant ecology, environmental monitoring, restoration and traditional ecological knowledge. MSc. Project 1. This student will examine the establishment and recovery of actively restored biological soil crust communities on drilling waste. You will initiate a trial to test active soil crust restoration techniques, identify bryophyte and lichen species in the crusts to characterize crust community composition in relation to site micro environmental conditions, and measure ecosystem services such as photosynthesis and nitrogen fixation rates. MSc. Project 2. This student will examine the active restoration of tundra vascular plant communities from locally collected propagules. You will initiate a trial to test the use of locally collected material on drilling waste sites, and will track the survival and establishment of vascular plants in relation to site micro environmental conditions. PhD. Project 1. This student will examine how active restoration techniques influence the recovery of soil community structure. You will examine the belowground plant, bacterial, fungal, and archaeal communities in restoration treatments in relation to site micro-environmental conditions. You will use next generation sequencing techniques to characterize belowground communities, develop niche models for important species, and will link soil community structure to key soil ecosystem services. You will have opportunities to expand your work to additional questions, and to lead collaborations with other project members. These projects have an anticipated start date of either September 2018 or January 2019. Project 1 will be supervised by Dr. Katherine Stewart and Projects 2 and 3 will be co-supervised by Drs. Lamb and Siciliano. For more information: Eric Lamb: http://homepage.usask.ca/~egl388/index.html Katherine Stewart:https://agbio.usask.ca/faculty-and-staff/people-pages/katherine-stewart.php Steven Siciliano:https://www.usask.ca/toxicology/people/faculty/steven-siciliano.php Requirements: PhD. Project. A thesis based (research) MSc. degree with evidence of scientific productivity through the publication of one or more peer reviewed manuscripts. Graduate level experience and training in one or more of the following fields: plant ecology, soil science, soil microbial ecology, bioinformatics, restoration ecology. MSc. Projects. A BSc. or BSAg degree with a concentration in one or more of the following fields: bryology, plant ecology, soil science, or restoration ecology. Application Procedure Apply via e-mail to Eric Lamb (eric.lamb@usask.ca) with a package including: • Cover letter describing your background and research experience and indicating which project you are most interested in. • an up-to-date CV • unofficial transcript(s). A scan or .pdf copy is sufficient. • an example of your writing (e.g. a paper, extract from a thesis, or class project).