Graham McDowell Awarded Sumaila-Volvo Graduate Prize in Environmental Sustainability
The Sumaila-Volvo Graduate Prize in Environmental Sustainability is a $3,850 prize has been made available through an endowment established by Dr. Rashid Sumaila upon being named the 2017 Volvo Environment Prize laureate for a Master’s or Ph.D. student whose peer-reviewed publications to date are expected to have the most significant impact on the field of environmental sustainability.
Congratulations to Graham McDowell for winning the Sumaila-Volvo Graduate Prize in Environmental Sustainability!
Click here to see Graham’s full portfolio of publications.
Gidiku Vapathu: Going to the Forest
Gidiku Vapathu is an ethnographic research documentary about the Indigenous Kattunayakan (Nayaka) people of India co-directed by Helina Jolly and Priya Thuvassery as a part of Helina’s PhD research. It was supported by the Institute for Resources Environment and Sustainability and UBC Public Scholars Initiative.
In Kattunyakan language, ‘Gidiku Vapathu’ means ‘Going to the forest’ (Gidiku – Forest; Vapathu – Going). A term commonly used by the community members to invite their friends and family as they start their daily walk into the forest. With around 700 ethnic groups, Adivasis (translated in the Sanskrit language as Original Inhabitants) of India forms the world’s largest Indigenous population. Kattunayakans are one such Adivasi community living within the sub-tropical forests of Southern India. They belong to a particularly vulnerable group of hunter-foragers of South Asia and speak a Dravidian dialect (a combination of three Dravidian languages – Malayalam, Tamil and Kannada). Characterized by animistic belief systems, deep-rooted relationships with the local forest ecosystem, they believe they are the true ‘leaders of the forest.’ Set in Kattunayaka settlements in and around the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary in rural Kerala, the documentary is an attempt to understand how these traditional societies perceive and interact with forest and non-human beings. It unfolds through the storylines of a Kattunyakan child, an octogenarian ethnobiologist, and a middle-aged chief. We hear them speak about the joys of living in and with forests interlaced with their anticipations and anxieties. Gidiku Vapathu also brings forward the ‘uncomfortable’ conversations on ‘what constitutes development and conservation?’ by acknowledging how several Indigenous and traditional societies across the world continue to live in fear of getting displaced from their lands. It highlights the different ways in which Indigenous people perceive their local ecosystems, both as their home and as the means to understand lived experiences, memories and future aspirations.
AERL ROCR (Return to On-Campus Research) Protocols: Phase 1
Dear IRES Community,
Apologies for the delay in getting this update out but we’ve been working very hard on getting the protocols for Phase 1 of the AERL ROCR (Return to On-Campus Research) finalized.
Note that “In Phase 1, all Science faculty, staff and research personnel who can work off campus must continue to do so.”
Friday morning we received word that the executive has approved occupancy for AERL for Phase 1 effective June 10 2020. At this point, access to AERL is through one of 3 processes:
- Research personnel who are working on time-critical projects for reasons including: grant deadlines, time-sensitive papers, and students close to degree completion. (this refers to personnel requiring lab access only)
- Equity considerations for faculty and other research personnel who have been granted special exemptions from their Head or Director.
- “In and out” access to pick up a book or piece of equipment – 10 minutes max.
How to request access to AERL:
Laboratory Research
- Research; requires 4 key pieces to be in place –
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- Science Safety Plan for the ROCR
- AERL Safety Plan for the ROCR
- Approval of individual PI’s Request to Return to Research and Safety Plan (see attached AERL Research Resumption Form v2 and AERL Access Agreement Form (VPRI))
- COVID-19 specific training by all individuals before they return to campus. Should be available online soon. More info to come.
Office Space
- Exemptions for office use; must be approved by the Director. The Supervisor/PI of any approved supervisee will need to complete c. and d. of above. In addition all personnel using AERL will need to complete an online Fire Warden training. The Dean has made it clear through various messaging that she expects each Director may approve 1 or 2 exceptions. An excerpt from her email to the Heads & Directors:
I have heard from some of you regarding special exceptions that you would like to make, often to provide a better working space for your faculty than their home environment provides. As I mentioned to you during our collective meeting on Research Resumption on 13 May, you are all authorized to make a few exceptions of this sort, although the underlying principle that has been articulated by UBC Central is that those who don’t need access to campus should – in the overwhelming number of cases!- continue to work at home.
Please be aware that these exceptional individuals must also complete the PI form for building access and have it approved, just as those who are seeking access to their labs. The exception that you would grant would extend only to that person, and not to their group members or others. And their presence in the building counts towards the agreed-up occupancy (1/3 typically), and is not in addition to it.
More or less, you have the freedom to prioritize these exceptional people above the groups listed above who need access to their labs, in the sense that the exceptions would reduce the number of other researchers and staff that would be permitted in the building.
Please be aware that these exceptional individuals must also complete the PI form for building access and have it approved, just as those who are seeking access to their labs. The exception that you would grant would extend only to that person, and not to their group members or others. And their presence in the building counts towards the agreed-up occupancy (1/3 typically), and is not in addition to it.
More or less, you have the freedom to prioritize these exceptional people above the groups listed above who need access to their labs, in the sense that the exceptions would reduce the number of other researchers and staff that would be permitted in the building.
- “In and out” access: send a request to Gillian or Bonnie with at least 1 day working notice and a time slot that you plan to attend. This should be a one-hour window Monday through Friday between 7:00am and 6:00pm.
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask Milind or Gillian.
The Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability is proud to stand in solidarity with UBC’s Black Student Union and all people protesting police violence against Black people in Canada and the United States.
IRES Statement of Solidarity
The IRES community categorically denounces the recent events of anti-Black racism and police brutality in North America. We denounce the excessive use of police and military force by the United States government against those protesting police brutality towards Black Americans and people of colour. Black lives matter. The lives of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Michael Brown, Regis Korcinski-Paquet, David McAtee and countless others who have died during interactions with the police matter. Canada shares these problems. On June 4th, Chantel Moore, a woman from the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation in British Columbia, was killed by police in New Brunswick during a wellness check. In addition, Black and Indigenous people are disproportionately incarcerated and killed by police in Canada.
Some events, like the verbal attacks and threats made against birdwatcher Christian Cooper in New York’s Central Park, by a Canadian-born woman, illustrate how racism is still firmly entrenched in our own fields of conservation and sustainability. The racial profiling of Shelby McPhee during the 2019 Social Sciences Congress held on the UBC campus underscores the racism that Black scholars face in university settings. These events remind us of the importance of standing up against racism not only on social media, but also in the workplace, in our research and writing, and in our classrooms.
To the Black Students Union (see the UBC Black Student Union’s statement here) and Black community who are a part of IRES, UBC, across Canada, and beyond: we stand with you in grief, anger, and solidarity against the injustices aimed at you. Black communities have experienced direct acts of violence at the hands of police, but just as often (and in subtler ways) they have experienced racism from others, including institutional racism, which has systematically excluded Black voices for generations. We recognize that racism is experienced especially acutely by Black communities, and that it is also often felt by First Nations, Inuit, and Metis communities, and other racialized groups.
IRES will continue to institutionalize and strengthen anti-racism policies and practices. We recognize that solidarity is not enough. Beyond supporting the institutional actions outlined in UBC President Santa Ono’s letter, we commit to working together as a department to address not only individual bias but structural realities that silence and deeply under-represent voices, particularly those of Black and Indigenous Peoples. Within and beyond UBC this includes:
- Forming an IRES Anti-Racism Working Group to articulate our commitments and ensure continued engagement and work on this topic. This will include addressing problems of white fragility and the curse of assumed good intention therein.
- Examining our existing course content and assumed canon to diversify the scholarly voices that our students hear, while fostering equity competency as a learning outcome.
- We strive to invite and hear from diverse voices in our seminar series but will now require it in more explicit terms. We will invite speakers with lived and/or professional experience doing anti-racism work. And we will explicitly engage scholarship that addresses deep historical and contemporary structural inequalities.
- Ensuring best practices for equity, diversity, and inclusion in: faculty hiring; recruiting and training research teams, research design and implementation (in the field, in the lab, in communities, at our desks).
- Creating an archive of books, movies, documentaries, podcasts and videos to learn about racism, and create an open study group surrounding these resources.
- Connecting IRES students and faculty to opportunities to take part in activism and learning, and revisiting such practices as citation habits (Citations Practices Challenge).
The IRES Student Society will continue to assemble a “living” catalogue of resources on anti-racism.
Black Lives Matter resources: https://blacklivesmatter.com/resources/
This page contains several useful toolkits that range in application from dismantling white supremacy personally and internally, to resources for community organizers, and guides for direct action.
Anti-racism resources: https://docs.google.com/document/u/2/d/1BRlF2_zhNe86SGgHa6-VlBO-QgirITwCTugSfKie5Fs/mobilebasic?urp=gmail_link
This page is titled “Anti-racism resources for white people” but also contains important reading, podcasts, articles, movies, social media pages and etc. for all non-Black folks (including other people of colour with different lived experiences) who would like to better understand the Black Lives Matter movement and the history and context of Black oppression in North America.
Campaign Zero Proposed Solutions: https://www.joincampaignzero.org/solutions#solutionsoverview
Campaign Zero is a call to action to end police violence and brutality. Their organizers provide several specific and well-articulated policy requests which can be found at the link above. We recommend that members of the IRES community who engage in activism on this topic familiarize themselves with these, since clear requests can provide a roadmap for change.
Lab heads should learn to talk about racism: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-05646-4
An op-ed in Nature about the responsibility that senior academics have to learn about and discuss racism with their students.
Incorporating Anti-Racist Pedagogy in the College Classroom: https://soundideas.pugetsound.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1045&context=rpj
A study describing barriers, strategies, and lessons learned by white faculty who tried to integrate anti-racist pedagogy in their teaching.
Decolonize Your Mind: https://bookshop.org/lists/decolonize-your-mind
An anti-racist reading list.
We also acknowledge that these events are stressful, emotional, and even traumatic for many. We encourage compassion and conversation about racism and the harm it causes within and beyond our community, but also refer to the following resources for more formal support.
Resources and events for Indigenous, Black, and People of Colour at UBC: https://equity.ubc.ca/ibpoc-connections/
Mental health, wellness, and advocacy resources for UBC Students from Equity & Inclusion Office: https://equity.ubc.ca/resources/students/
In solidarity,
The Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability (IRES)