Time: 12:30pm to 3:00pm
Location: AERL Theatre Room 120 (2202 Main Mall)
No food or drinks allowed in the IRES Student Symposium.
If you would like a Zoom link, please contact Bonnie Leung (bonnie.leung@ubc.ca) or Hannah Wittman (hannah.wittman@ubc.ca).
Speaker Order:
12:30pm to 1:30 pm – Samantha Blackwell and Anaïs Pronovost-Morgan
2pm to 3pm – Renata Rovelo and Valerie Zimmermann
1. “Birding is like a gateway drug”: The role of bird observation in urban human-nature relationships
Talk summary:
We are facing a wicked triple planetary crisis, fuelled in part by the growing disconnection between humans and nature. If someone doesn’t have a relationship with nature, what compels them to care for and protect it? This is especially challenging in urban areas, where opportunities to connect with nature are limited, a phenomenon known as the “extinction of experience.” This led me to ask: what kinds of interventions might be transformative? In this talk, I’ll walk through my Master’s thesis, centred on a community-based bird nest monitoring program called NESTigators. Using interviews and questionnaires, I explore whether NESTigators was transformative, and if so, which aspects of the program helped make that happen. Together, we’ll explore how I ended up with one clear takeaway: we need to get more people bird-watching!
Bio:
Sam Blackwell is an MSc student in the CHANS Lab supervised by Dr. Kai Chan. Her work focuses on social-ecological systems, relational values and transformative change, driven by a commitment to leave a positive legacy. She also contributes to CoSphere through the Small Planet Heroes podcast and a microplastic pollution campaign called Plastic Sunset. Sam earned her Honours BSc in Biology from the University of Windsor, where she was the 2024 President’s Medallist, and completed an honours thesis on acoustic variation in Savannah sparrow song under Dr. Dan Mennill. Outside research, Sam enjoys exploring nature, crafting, reading, swimming, and spending time with her cat, Boots.
2. Exploring Non-Indigenous City Employees’ Emotions and Responsibilities in the Implementation of Vancouver’s UNDRIP Strategy
Talk summary:
The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) provides a framework for reconciliation that can be implemented within different levels of government in Canada. Scholarship highlights how reconciliation requires emotional, as well as intellectual and action-based engagement at individual and national scales. Using the City of Vancouver as a case study, this research explores what non-Indigenous municipal employees think about their responsibilities surrounding the implementation of the city-wide UNDRIP Strategy. It asks: What are the emotions tied to the implementation of UNDRIP in Vancouver, and how can educators work with them to encourage learning and moving towards decolonization? Drawing on scholarship about Canadian identity, decolonization, and emotions, this project addresses this question through arts- and dialogue-based methods. Ultimately, it invites non-Indigenous Canadians to explore their responsibilities toward Indigenous Peoples with whom they share both present and future.
Bio:
Anaïs Pronovost-Morgan (she/her) is an MA student at IRES, supervised by Dr. Gunilla Öberg. As a settler of French and Scottish descent, she is interested in understanding how emotions shape individual and collective action when navigating climate change and Indigenous-settler relationships. Her research explores what emotions are tied to the implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) in Vancouver and how educators can harness these emotions to promote decolonial learning in government employees. She also completed an MPhil in Arts, Creativities, and Education at the University of Cambridge, researching how youth cope with climate emotions.
3. Listening to the River: Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Relationships with Water
Talk summary:
My research explores Indigenous water governance through a case of the Ch’iyákmesh (Cheakamus) River in Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) territory. It examines the non-material dimensions of water—its spiritual, cultural, and relational meanings—and how these can guide Indigenous-led approaches to governance. Guided by Indigenous methodologies and developed in collaboration with the Squamish Nation, the project draws on walking conversations and sharing circles to understand how people relate to the river. Through this work, I aim to contribute to broader conversations on water governance that move beyond resource management toward Indigenous relational accountability and renewed relationships with water.
Bio:
Renata Rovelo Velázquez is a Master’s student at UBC’s Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, supervised by Dr. Leila Harris. Her research focuses on Indigenous water governance and the non-material dimensions of freshwater relationships, with a case study on the Ch’iyákmesh (Cheakamus) River in Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) territory. Drawing from Indigenous research methodologies, Renata’s work bridges community-based research and place-based storytelling. She also serves as Senior Climate Action Advisor for the Squamish Nation, where she supports implementation of the Nation’s Climate Legacy Strategy.
4. Assessing the Impacts of Organic Farming Practices on Farm Economics and Climate Resilience in British Columbia
Talk summary:
Agriculture in British Columbia both drives climate change with greenhouse gas emissions and is impacted by climate change-related shifts in weather and ecosystems. Farmers must use the limited information available to make rapid decisions about their farm that can hold wide-ranging implications. A central concern for B.C. farmers is farm profitability year-to-year and feasible longevity over generations. Organic farmers are leading change in B.C. by working with research institutions such as UBC to adapt to changing physical, social, and economic climates.
We are assessing the impacts of organic nutrient management activities, including cover cropping and targeted compost use, on farm profits year-to-year and farm resilience in the long term. We use quantitative cost-benefit analysis methods to assess the impacts of varying activities on crop yields and farm profits and to compare farmer benefits between multiple possible actions.
Bio:
Valerie Zimmermann (she/her) is an MA student in the IRES program supervised by Dr. Hannah Wittman. Her research focusses on the barriers and opportunities that B.C. farmers face as they make decisions that will shape their business, community, and planet. In particular, Valerie is assessing the ways that organic nutrient management activities affect farm economics and farm resilience to the impacts of climate change. Valerie previously completed an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Governance at the University of Guelph. She grew up in Northern Ontario and continues to be inspired by the natural beauty of wild places.