Below are news items from the UBC IRES community.
Congratulations to the IRES 2018 Graduates!
Congratulations to our RES & RMES November Graduates! We wish you all the best in your future endeavors and can't wait to see what amazing things you'll go on to do. Click to see full list of students.
November 29, 2018: IRES Faculty Seminar with Dr. Matthew Mitchell
(Last Seminar for Term 1)
Join IRES on Thursday, Nov. 29th. Matthew Mitchell, an NSERC postdoc with IRES, will be presenting on "Managing landscapes for people and nature at multiple spatial scales."
Adaptation action and research in glaciated mountain systems: Are they enough to meet the challenge of climate change?
Graham McDowell, Rae Cramer, Vinni Ricciardi and colleagues highlight the shortcomings in adaptation action and research in mountain regions and identify measures needed to more fully meet the challenge of climate change.
November 22, 2018: IRES Professional Development Seminar with Panel Discussion
Join IRES on Thursday, Nov. 22 for a panel discussion presentation on "The nuts and bolts of the publishing-industrial complex."
The uncertain future of U.S. coal communities
IRES PhD student Sandeep Pai and Hisham Zerriffi explore the political power of coal communities in the United States in this op-ed published by The Conversation.
November 15, 2018: IRES Faculty Seminar with Sheryl Lightfoot
Join IRES on Thursday, Nov. 15 for Sheryl Lightfoot's presentation on "Global Indigenous Rights and Politics: A Subtle Revolution."
Global recognition of the right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment
In a report to the UN General Assembly, David Boyd notes the time has come to formally recognize the human right to a healthy environment.
The demise of caterpillar fungus in the Himalayan region
IRES PhD student Stephen Chignell and colleagues investigate the Himalayan caterpillar fungus—one of the world’s most expensive medicinal species—in a new publication.
Graduate applications now open! | Resources, Environment and Sustainability
Applications for the Resources, Environment and Sustainability (RES) program are now being accepted. Apply by December 31, 2018 to join one of the top ten global centres for the study of Environment and Sustainability.
November 1, 2018: IRES Faculty Seminar with Dr. Amanda Giang
Join IRES on Thursday, Nov. 1 for Amanda Giang's presentation on "Policy Evaluation Problems: Evaluating the effectiveness of a global mercury treaty"
October 25, 2018: IRES Professional Development Seminar with Dr. Justin Ritchie & Dr. David Shiffman
Join IRES on Thursday, Oct. 25 for a professional development seminar on "Communicating our research through creative media," presented by Dr. Justin Ritchie and Dr. David Shiffman.
October 18, 2018: IRES Faculty Seminar with Robin Harder
Join IRES on Thursday, Oct. 18 for Robin Harder's talk on "Five often overlooked aspects of closing nutrient cycles from human excreta to food and farming systems."David Boyd’s message for the Environmental Rights Initiative in Brazil
IRES Professor David R. Boyd, Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment, delivers a video message for the Environmental Rights Initiative in Brazil.
A National Plastics Pollution Strategy for Canada
Join us on Wednesday, October 17 for a lively panel discussion, hosted by Professor David Boyd, on a national plastics pollution strategy for Canada.
November 8, 2018: Seminar with Nathan Bendriem & Weildler Guerra Curvelo
Join IRES on Nov. 8 for Nathan Bendriem's talk on "Economic Analysis of Genomic Technologies used to Enhance Coho Broodstock" and Weildler Guerra Curvelo's talk on "Wayuu Ontology: a relationship between time, Wayuu people, and the non-human world."
Reflections from Mayor Gregor Robertson, City of Vancouver
Join us for an informal conversation reflecting on Gregor Robertson’s decade as Mayor of Vancouver. This event is hosted by Professor David Boyd (SPPGA and IRES) and is part of SPPGA’s Policy in Practice series.
The More Who Die, the Less We Care: Confronting the Deadly Arithmetic of Compassion, with Paul Slovic
Join us for this talk and Q&A on Friday, September 28th with special guest, Paul Slovic, on how publics respond or not to humanitarian crises.
IRES welcomes Interim Director Navin Ramankutty
Please welcome Navin Ramankutty, Interim Director for IRES until July 2019.
How to conserve half the planet without going hungry
New research by Zia Mehrabi, Erle C. Ellis and Navin Ramankutty explores the "Half-Earth" project and how it would affect our food supplies.
Hannah Wittman promoted to Full Professor
Congratulations to Dr. Hannah Wittman on her promotion to Full Professor, effective July 1, 2018.
David Boyd appointed UN expert on human rights and the environment
This August, IRES Professor David Boyd takes on the role of Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment for the UN Human Rights Council. In this Q+A, he discusses priorities for his three-year mandate, and where Canada fits into the international context.
Mark Johnson Promoted to Full Professor
Congratulations to Dr. Mark Johnson on his promotion to Full Professor, effective July 1, 2018.
What can other cities learn about water shortages from “Day Zero”?
In this op-ed in The Conversation, Lucy Rodina and Kieran Findlater discuss water shortages in Cape Town and the importance of creating water-resilient cities.
Congratulations to the 2017/2018 Freda Pagani Award Winners
Liz Williams and Kieran Findlater are the 2017/2018 recipients of the Freda Pagani Award for Outstanding Master’s Thesis and the Freda Pagani Award for Outstanding PhD Dissertation
Congratulations to the 2017/18 Les Lavkulich Award Winners
Megan Callahan and Lucy Rodina are the 2017/2018 recipients of the Les Lavkulich Graduate Student Fellowship and the Les Lavkulich Outstanding Leadership and Service award
Recycling may be confusing but volunteers help get it right
RES PhD Candidate Ivana Zelenika explains the effectiveness of different recycling and waste sorting methods, and the impact trained volunteers can have on reducing contamination in waste streams
Why the G7 must take bold action on plastic pollution
IRES Professor David Boyd discusses the ubiquitous nature of plastic waste and the urgent need for a global solution in an op-ed for the Ottawa Citizen.
Congratulations to our May 2018 RMES/RES graduates!
Congratulations to Nicole Wilson, Mollie Chapman, Justin Ritchie, Arielle Swett!
Congratulations to our May 2018 RMES/RES graduates!
Congratulations to Michaela Neuberger, Michael Lathuillière, Ada Smith, and Kalifi Ferretti-Gallon!
New environmental assessment law is an opportunity to put public trust back into the process
In this Q&A, Jackie Lerner and Kai Chan offer insights on how to improve environmental assessment reviews.
Volunteer opportunity with IRES
IRES is seeking enthusiastic and outgoing volunteers to engage and interact with international students attending its Vancouver Summer Program (VSP) courses.
Damage from flooding doesn’t have to be inevitable
Op-ed by Alexa Tanner and Scott McKenzie in The Conversation.
Hummingbirds ‘sing’ with their tail feathers to impress the females
Emily Mistick discusses her research on Costa's hummingbirds and their unique dive trajectory during courtship with CBC Radio.
UBC G+PS Supervisor Appreciation Week, May 7-13
Coming up in May, G+PS will be presenting the second annual Supervisor Appreciation Week! From May 7-13, UBC graduate students are invited to tell the world about their great supervisors through social media and an online submission form. Graduate students can offer kudos using #GreatSupervisor #UBC on Twitter and Facebook. Don’t forget to tag @IRES_UBC in your […]
Evan Bowness named finalist in SSHRC 2018 Storytellers Challenge
Evan Bowness, an RES doctoral student, is among the 25 finalists of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)’s 2018 Storytellers challenge. SSHRC’s annual contest challenges postsecondary students from across the country to tell the story—in three minutes or 300 words—of how SSHRC-funded research is making a difference in the lives of Canadians. The Top 25 Storytellers represent […]