Current Students
Calyn Shaw
I am an MJ student at UBC’s Graduate School of Journalism. My specialization is reporting on climate change. My current work includes an investigation of hydraulic fracturing in northeastern British Columbia. I am looking at the impacts of unconventional natural gas extraction on people in local communities, and the implications for the province’s climate action objectives.
Prior to studying at UBC I received an MA in Politics and International Studies from the University of Warwick and a BA in Political Science from the University of Victoria. I augmented my studies with working in Africa, where I began to develop an affinity for writing and storytelling. It wasn’t until I returned to Canada following my graduate studies in the UK that I began working on issues of climate change. I worked as a climate policy researcher at the ISIS Research Centre at UBC’s Sauder School of Business in 2009/2010. It was during my time at ISIS that I developed the foundational knowledge about climate policy that has propelled me through my graduate studies in journalism.
I made communicating issues of climate change the focus of my journalism work at UBC because it is an area of great failure. The dissemination of false and misleading information about climate change has allowed the development and entrenchment of an ignorant and harmful culture of climate denial. Climate change mitigation requires focused collection action. Efforts to build consensus and drive action have been undermined by special interests, which have, using the media, been able to create uncertainty and stall action.
I believe programs like TerreWEB are crucial to overcoming the misinformation being propagated about climate change. The program is the perfect forum for collaboration and interdisciplinary learning around communicating issues of climate science.
Carmen Emmel
I am an international student in the Atmospheric Science Program at UBC. Currently, I am in my third year of my PhD studies with the topic of turbulence and turbulent exchange in Mountain Pine Beetle affected forest canopies.
Before coming to UBC, I earned a Diploma (German degree that includes Bachelor and Master Degree) from the University of Mainz, Germany in Meteorology / Atmospheric Physics and worked one year as a meteorologist in the daily weather forecast. Since I am passionate about so many aspects of Atmospheric Science and related other sciences, I tried to gain experience in different fields. I was involved in studies about physical and chemical properties of mineral dust (aerosols) and studied haboobs, which is very impressive type of sub-tropical dust storm. I took specialized courses on Arctic issues at UNIS (Spitsbergen, Norway) with the emphasis on sea-ice-air interactions.
These combined studies and my current studies of the micrometeorology of forests are all influenced by climate change and they themselves have an effect on climate change as well. I think it is very important that we as scientists communicate our results in a clear manner to the public, so that everyone can understand global change and impacts of climate change.
Claudia Goodine
I am pursuing a masters in journalism at the University of British Columbia with a specialization in sustainability. Born in Kenya, and having lived in Barbados, the Philippines, Washington, D.C. and Ottawa, the concept of global citizenship was instilled in me at an early age. After completing a BA in sociology at UBC, I blogged for a Vancouver-based NGO, Sawa World, where I helped showcase stories of grassroots leaders from the fifty poorest countries who are finding solutions to their communities’ problems. These are people living in extreme poverty who are inspiring hope in seemingly hopeless situations – true testaments to the human spirit. I’ve learned that solutions are often multidisciplinary, which makes the TerreWEB program extremely valuable for its proactive approach to addressing global change. As someone with an Arts background who is pursuing the scientific, economic and political nuances of environmental journalism, I appreciate the richness and challenges of interdisciplinary study. In the first year of my graduate studies I worked as a program coordinator for UBC Mix, a program that helps match professors from different but often overlapping fields who are eager to explore course integration. My thesis explores how Canada’s environmental policy could change if we recognized constitutional environmental rights, the way 193 other countries around the world already do. A keystone of environmental rights (the right to live in a healthy environment) is its emphasis on enabling greater public participation in decision making. I will be investigating the current extent of public consultation around increasing the number of oil tankers travelling through the Burrard Inlet and exploring the potential that environmental rights have for dealing with global change.
Deon Louw
I am an MSc student in the Forestry Department at UBC. My background includes work in operational forestry (road and cut block layout, silviculture surveys), applied biology (bioengineering/restoration, monitoring) and environmental science (mine tailings containment). I hold a diploma in applied environmental science and a degree in English literature. I currently live in Squamish, BC, where I take advantage of superb outdoor recreation opportunities as often as possible. I have spent a good deal of my life in mountain environments and hope to contribute to their understanding through my research. Alpine ecosystems face threats from climate change and the consequences of limited function or disappearance of vegetation communities in the high country present challenges for resource management. This challenge and others posed by climate change must be met by managing in accordance with principles of ecosystem integrity. I hope my graduate work furthers our understanding of these principles and enables appropriate decisions in a demanding future. The multidisciplinary approach of TerreWEB allows researchers such as me a more diverse network within which to develop and deliver our research, to the hopeful ends of alerting broader society to the fact that we are indeed all in this thing together.
Federico Osorio
I have been a student at UBC since 2004 and currently live in Revelstoke, BC. My first degree is in Forest Resource Management and as a Co-op student I worked in parks, industry and the BC Government. The diversity in my summer jobs helped me understand – from different perspectives -the challenges that BC faces and this background has helped me grow personally and professionally. My diverse background has also been useful in pursuing my Ph.D (Forest Science Department) since I’ve integrate elements from all my previous jobs. For example, I’ve combined the knowledge gained as a research ecologist (for the Ministry of Forests) with the analytical skills developed during my GIS technician job (for the Integrated Land Management Bureau), with the physical endurance and discipline that were enhanced during my placement with International Forest Products and at Wells Gray Provincial Park.
My passion is closely related to mountain environments, their diversity, complexity and unpredictable nature. Most of my hobbies involve outdoor pursuits (hiking, skiing, mountain biking, gardening) but most recently I’ve begun to develop interest in social and intellectual endeavours. I am leading the effort to establish a non-profit organization: Columbia Mountains Resource Policy Council (www.cmrpc.ca) which I hope to incorporate within the next month.
I expect to contribute to TerreWeb by learning and helping others learn how to effectively communicate scientific research to governments through the Legislative Assemblies and Parliament. This is an addition to my current research which focuses on understanding the vegetation at high-elevations in the northern Columbia Mountains (Cariboo Mountains). I’d be glad to show others an example of the field work that is used world-wide to monitor the effects of climate change on vegetation in alpine ecosystems.
In terms of Climate Change I think people need to understand that while it is an important issue, it is simply an expression of a wide variety of problems that have been exacerbated by human activities since the Industrial Revolution. If we can see Climate Change as an ‘umbrella issue’ its acceptable, but its unacceptable to neglect other issues that are just as important (eg. Ecosystem health and Endangered Species)
That even when we are trying to ‘study’ and ‘resolve’ Climate Change we can be as bad or worse as others. It is important not to become self-righteous when we are trying to help.
Terre Web provides researches an opportunity to overcome the tunnel-vision that often results from becoming experts in highly specific subjects
Sandra Banholzer
I am originally from Switzerland, born in a little town outside of Zurich. I moved to Vancouver a year ago to pursue a master degree in Geography at UBC. At the beginning, I struggled with the lack of cheese and chocolate but in the meantime I discovered sushi. I really enjoy being in Vancouver and after one year, I also got used to queuing for the bus…
I am currently doing my MSc at the Geography Department at UBC. I am researching the impacts of different types of El Nino on climate in the North American west. Furthermore, I’m trying to detect possible connections between those different climate impacts and forest fire patterns along the west coast.
Since I am in my second year of my Masters program, I have already spent a year reading a broad amount of existing research. Unfortunately, this has been quite frustrating, as the way some scientific results are presented and communicated is not exactly ‘user-friendly’.
Scientific communication does not have to change entirely, but if it comes down to communicating scientific results to the public or to politicians and journalists, effort has to be made to minimize current miscommunication.
Changing the scientific communication practices is definitely a challenge but it is overdue and I think TerreWeb is a great program that tries to achieve just that. It combines different scientists from a variety of fields and trains them to teach and communicate their knowledge more effectively. The program tries to train what can be called ‘All-in-one scientists’: Scientist who have expertise in their domain science and are also able to communicate to multiple audiences.
The focus of the program lies on global change. During the last decades, this word has become a buzz word and it tends to be a little overwhelming due to its complexity. Therefore, it is especially important that science about global change is communicated effectively.
Gesa Meyer
I, Gesa Meyer, studied meteorology at the University of Bonn in Germany. As of January 2012 I will be a PhD student at the Faculty of Land and Food Systems at the University of British Columbia. I will be working on a project that investigates the potential of bioenergy, specifically how to promote healthier carbon stores in our forests and forest product streams.
The increased interest in biological sources of energy is a global phenomenon driven by concerns over energy security and climate change in recent years. This development can also be observed in British Columbia (BC), where different sectors, from the government and independent power proponents, to forest companies and industry associations have increasingly advocated the production of energy from wood. Assuming that the least-carbon intensive and most sustainable forest management should be the policy objective, it remains to be questioned whether the current policy framework is an adequate response to the complexities associated with a forest’s carbon budget.
The aim of our research is to collect and evaluate the data that can serve as the basis for better informed policy decisions in this context. In addition to the question of the carbon footprint of different approaches to managing interior forest and potential bioenergy supplies, economic, technological, ecological and social constraints will be considered.
Findings collected in BC will offer valuable insights on climate change that can be applied in other regions of the world. Climate change is a global phenomenon but its effects can be observed locally and adaptation strategies to climate change often need to start on a local level.
My awareness of climate change issues has definitely heightened ever since I started my studies. It is watching the news, that I am reminded of various related issues and possible effects of climate change world wide, every day. It is unlikely that the process of climate change can be reversed, but as a young researcher I hope to contribute to developing adaptation strategies to climate change. Joining TerreWEB as a PhD student gives me advanced opportunities in pursuing that goal and becoming a responsible academic.
In my leisure time I meet with friends, go shopping or do sports. I like to spend the time outside and play tennis, go skiing, biking or windsurfing.
Ryan Davis
I have a masters in applied anthropology and a masters in environmental health. I am a PhD student in the Resource Management and Environmental Studies (RMES) program. I enjoy reading, climbing, sailing, and spending time outdoors
I am doing work on biochar and its ability to sequester carbon while also improving soil fertility. Part of the research is working with stakeholders in the community (farmers, business peoples, policy makers) to increase awareness and acceptance of biochar for uses in a variety of ways.
Mitigation will only get us so far. To adequately address the environmental crisis we face we must look at behavioral change. Our current consumption pattern is unsustainable and this behavior is the reason why we are in the midst of this environmental crisis.
There are many people working hard to create a better future. It is up to you to build upon our legacy.
A collective effort will be needed to address the issue of climate change. TerreWEB’s mission is unique because it seeks to build this collective by encouraging communication between researchers and the public.
Blog: http://blogs.ubc.ca/biochar/
Twitter: @BioCharUBC
Facebook account name – Ubc Biochar
Amanda Mathys
I am currently in my second year of a MSc in Soil Science at the UBC Faculty of Land and Food Systems. Originally from Switzerland, I moved to Canada to complete a BSc Honours in Environmental Science at Queen’s University. The multidisciplinary field helped me understand the importance of communication among stakeholders with different backgrounds and I became interested in climate change as an emerging global issue.
I really enjoy living in Vancouver for its many outdoor opportunities such as hiking, camping, skiing etc. I am also interested in traveling and other cultures which led me to pursue a CIDA internship with IOCARIBE-UNESCO on the effects of climate change on marine environments in Colombia. My current research with the Biometeorology group looks at forest management responses to the mountain pine beetle (MPB) outbreak and how they affect carbon and water balances in British Columbia. The goal is to determine whether partial harvesting is a viable management response that can improve carbon sequestration of the disturbed forest ecosystem. The research findings can be used for policy adaptation that maximizes forest productivity and at the same time reduces the effects of global change. By communicating the results, forest practitioners will be able to make an informed decision on the selection of a management response to MPB that enables forest recovery and enhances forest C stocks in BC.
In terms of climate change, I think we need to communicate our scientific findings to a wider audience and better inform the public and policy makers on the important subject matter. Our current knowledge has moved beyond the question of whether climate change is real and our research efforts should focus on policy adaptation and mitigation strategies. TerreWEB provides an opportunity to educate us on the much needed subject matter, enabling scientists to learn how to reach out to the broader community with their research findings.
