Meet the members of Group 20!
Name: Timothy Lau
Greetings! My name is Tim and I’m a 3rd year dietetics student here at the University of British Columbia. I was born and raised in Vancouver, B.C. along with an older sister and an older brother. I was kind of the black sheep in the family in the way that I was always very passionate about cooking, food sustainability, and the science behind food. Being in the faculty of Land and Food Systems, my studies, as well as the environment in this wonderful faculty, has only ignited my passion for food even more. In my spare time, I enjoy playing ice hockey, cooking, and doing all you can eat buffets with my friends.
Name: Una Trevillion
I am in my third year at UBC pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Food, Nutrition and Health. From a young age I have been interested in our relationship with food, especially when considering the prevalence of diet related disease. Studying nutrition has led me to recognize the implications of our food choices, such as those pertaining to the environment, personal health, and animal welfare.
Working on a food truck the past few summers has also enabled me to become involved in the local food scene in Vancouver, such as through participating in farmers’ markets and collaborating with other small food vendors and producers. I am grateful to live in a city with a vibrant, dynamic food scene and a climate that facilitates using local, seasonal foods. I am looking forward to integrating what I learn about nutrition with my love for whole, plant based foods throughout my studies and thereafter. In my spare time you can find me practicing yoga, reading a novel, or experimenting in the kitchen!
Name: Aaron Sihoe
My name is Aaron and I was born and raised in this beautiful city we like to call Vancouver. I have been blessed with a loving family and they are the most important part of my life.
For as long as I can remember I have been fully immersed in a relationship with food and nutrition, which has enriched my life experience and shaped me into the person I have become. There is never a day when I am not thankful for the value of food and what it means to my relationships with my family, sport and community. In my spare time I enjoy playing hockey, skiing, and trying out new recipes in the kitchen.
Name: Eva Ni
Hello, My name is Eva Ni. I am a third year UBC Land and Food Systems student who have chosen an academic focus on Food Science and Nutritional science. At the same time I am pursuing my degree in this double major program, I am also enrolled in UBC Science Co-op program, hoping to be able to put the knowledge gained from classroom into practical use to help the development of our community. Food, nutrition and agriculture are my biggest enthusiasm. Recently, I’ve spend a lot of time reviewing the websites of some of the most reputable food organizations, such as Agriculture & Agri-food Canada. After learning about their recent research projects, (eg. crop protection biotechnology), I was really impressed by their initiatives and dedication to continuously generate technologies in order to promote sustainable production of wholesome food for both local and global community. Other than my academic interests, I am also passionate about traveling and photography. To combine both of my interest in food and traveling, I went to Costa Rica this summer and spent a great amount of time volunteering for a local organic chocolate farm inside a rain forest there, to assist the traditional chocolate processing.
Name: Steven Wu
Hi, my name is Steven Wu. I am a 4th-year student at UBC majoring in International Nutrition. The International Nutrition major provides the opportunities to fulfill my goals to assist malnourished children and people who are exposed to the risk of being nutrient deficient. In addition, I strive to contribute towards overcoming challenges that exist in poverty and rural area that hinder the proper development of children and adolescents. In my spare time, I have a passion for travel and learning different cultures. It helps me to acknowledge how diverse our world is and the wonderful things it can offer. We are all part of this global citizenship and hopefully, I can have a tangible impact on existing conflicts in poverty that leads to malnourished children.
Name: Veronica Ung
Hello and welcome! My name is Veronica and I’m a third year student at UBC in the faculty of Land and Food Systems majoring in Food Nutrition and Health. This year, I’m also taking on a Master of Management Dual Degree program, hoping to come to a better understanding of how industries and companies work and ideally be able to integrate that sort of knowledge into the themes of food, nutrition and well-being. During my spare time I like to do some simple research of my own to explore dessert recipes (yes, I’ve got a sweet tooth!) and brainstorm healthier alternatives to make these treats relatively “guilt-free”, often focusing on the aspect of choosing appropriate thickening/gelling agents. Although what I do isn’t exactly rocket science/formal laboratory work, it is definitely a small start to relating textbook knowledge into my daily life and fires up my interest!
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Group Interests and Goals
- Putting textbook knowledge into practical use. In conjunction with the hours each day spent in the classroom, we are keen on literally getting our hands dirty to supplement the knowledge acquired in the classroom. Hence, we are very excited for the opportunities that await us in our community project!
- Increasing public awareness about food and nutrition. As students in the Bachelor of Science in Food, Nutrition, and Health, we hope that our actions will contribute towards a more active and nutritionally cognizant society.
- Promote food citizenship through community engagement. Understand that choices have implications on the social, environmental, and economical level – important for the health and sustainability of our food systems.
- Have fun and learn from every opportunity. Everyone likes to have fun. Everyone likes free knowledge. We believe that this will be achieved through a community-based project.
Reasons for Choosing the Project
As a group, we can identify with many of our group goals and interests and implement them with this project. By the end of the project, we will have built stronger communities through knowledge exchange, connect community stakeholders, and have supplemented our classroom knowledge with a hands on project.
Take Away From LFS 350?
A component of LFS 350 that was not as prevalent in LFS 250 is our opportunity to learn and participate in the knowledge exchange between our group and the world outside. In LFS 250, we presented workshops and taught young members of our community the importance of food literacy skills. However, this year in LFS 350, we feel that the opportunity for a community based project will allow us to engage in meaningful knowledge exchange with stakeholders within the Vancouver community. Through this exchange we hope to gain experience in community centered project development that serves both the acute needs of the community while promoting continued long term growth and collaboration.
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First Impressions featuring – TED Talk: Ernesto Sirolli – “Want to help someone? Shut up and Listen!” and Asset Based Community Development (ABCD)
In his Ted Talk, “Want to help someone? Shut up and Listen!”, Ernesto Sirollo discusses difficulties that arise when enforcing aid in a community rather than collaborating with the locals to serve their interests. He proposes the alternative approach of addressing the needs of a community by listening to what the citizens want and their ideas, rather than arriving with a set of expectations. In our project we hope to emulate some of his principles, such as by collaborating with local stakeholders to hear their input and acknowledge individual strengths and assets that can enable us to work toward a common goal. This approach is especially relevant to our third project objective that aims to help promote recognition of small, local grocery stores, as it is imperative that we remain respectful of the views of the community partners involved and engage in active listening to establish a conscientious collaboration.
ABCD acknowledges that assets, be it relationships, institutions, or citizens themselves, in a community can all contribute to a shared goal and vision. With this in mind, we want to approach our project in this manner by highlighting the small businesses that are already there through creating an index to promote their existence. These community assets will encourage the growth of our three project objectives: contributing to more safe and secure access to food, connecting community stakeholders, and help recognize smaller local businesses.