4. Public Perceptions of Farming Systems and Associated Practices

Bio: Rae is an MA student working under the supervision of Dr. Terre Satterfield and Dr. Jiaying Zhao. Her research is focused on how perceptions of foods and farming systems affects consumer decision making. Rae completed her BA at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Environmental Science and Anthropology. After graduating, different avenues of work led her to an increasing interest in sustainable agriculture and food systems.

Ada Smith (MA Student):

Bio: Ada grew up on a small farmstead in rural Wisconsin where her family’s vegetable patch was surrounded by endless rows of corn and soybeans, sparking her interest in questions around food security, food sovereignty and food literacy. She completed her BA in Anthropology and Environmental Studies at Wellesley College where her honors thesis focused on food security and environmental justice on the small island of Vieques, Puerto Rico. Her current research as an MA Candidate at the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability at UBC expands upon her academic interests and real-world experiences in seeking to understand what key components or mechanisms are needed to successfully “operationalize” food sovereignty for remote First Nations communities in BC.

6. Understanding Carsharing Patterns for Effective TDM Policymaking: A Study of Municipalities in Metro Vancouver

Carsharing (CS) is a method of individual transportation more sustainable, efficient, and cost-effective than personal automobile ownership. Cities worldwide are exploring policies intended to encourage CS access and utilization with the goal of improving urban planning and human health through transportation sustainability. There is a need to understand and explain CS usage patterns to improve existing municipal policies.  This thesis surveys municipal policies for promotion of CS around Metro Vancouver.  A broadly held perception has emphasized the importance of CS vehicle visibility as critical to recruitment of members and utilization of vehicles. This belief is tested against visibility metrics and found to neither explain recruitment patterns nor utilization rates.  Additional data is gathered to partially explain observed patterns of CS membership recruitment patterns and vehicle utilization and their adoption as part of the menu of municipal policymaking for transportation demand management.

 Arielle Swett (MA Student):

Bio: Arielle Swett is a Master’s student in IRES with a background in public policy and international affairs. Within the policy realm, her expertise lies in federal and state energy policies, renewable portfolio standards, utility environmental compliance plans, and conventional electricity supply auctions throughout ISOs in the Northeastern and Midwest United States. At IRES she works with Drs. Hadi Dowlatabadi and Jiaying Zhao as part of a carsharing research team investigating various aspects of carsharing behaviours and policies in the Metro Vancouver region.

7. The role of Indigenous women in transforming fisheries governance

While the agency of individuals has been identified as a key factor in triggering governance transformations in social-ecological systems, little research has explored how the social position of the actors involved influence these transformation processes. My thesis contributes to an expanded understanding of these processes based on work that examines how Indigenous women positioned themselves and responded during a recent fishery crisis and conflict which led to changes in the management of Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) on the Central Coast of British Columbia. Through qualitative inquiry, I identified actions taken by Heiltsuk women that unified their community, created intergenerational solidarity and movement towards transforming fisheries governance. The findings of this study underscore the importance of Indigenous women as agents of change in their communities and that their leadership roles must be recognized and supported to navigate towards natural resource sustainability and social justice, globally, as well as reconciliation, nationally.

Bio: At the intersection of gender, fisheries, and economics, Sarah’s thesis work investigates the contributions by women to fisheries economies around the world. Her research is interdisciplinary and involves using both quantitative and qualitative approaches to identify women in the fisheries sector, their role and participation in fishing and related activities, including governance, at the local, national, and global level. Her project aims to raise the profile of women in fisheries by providing empirical evidence of the substantial contributions women make to fisheries economies in terms of labour and catch with implications for food and livelihood security and sustainability. A secondary goal of this research is to provide information necessary for developing fisheries policies that are more equitable and gender-sensitive.