{"id":65,"date":"2019-07-15T21:28:57","date_gmt":"2019-07-16T04:28:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/alpineplants\/?page_id=65"},"modified":"2025-12-07T14:18:14","modified_gmt":"2025-12-07T21:18:14","slug":"research","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/alpineplants\/research\/","title":{"rendered":"Research"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/alpineplants\/about-page\/\">I am a biogeographer<\/a> with research specializing in seed dispersal and colonization, ecosystem fragmentation, and species migration in human dominated landscapes under changing climate. I have enjoyed learning about ecosystems through field research, beginning with my undergraduate thesis work in the Truelove Lowland, Devon Island, where I compared Arctic plant populations on raised beach ridges to those of mesic meadows. I went on to work in temperate forest and savanna ecosystems in North America, in subalpine forests and alpine meadows of the Western and Central Karakoram-Himalaya, and most recently, the alpine ecosystems of the south coast mountains, BC (recent news about a collaborative project in the BC alpine here: <a href=\"https:\/\/geog.ubc.ca\/news\/ubc-researchers-co-launch-alpine-horizons-research-initiative-to-conserve-b-c-coast-mountains\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/geog.ubc.ca\/news\/ubc-researchers-co-launch-alpine-horizons-research-initiative-to-conserve-b-c-coast-mountains\/<\/a>). I aim to apply this research experience to assist with policy, management and to educate about these systems.<\/p>\n<h4>Awards and Honours:<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>Geography Student Association <a href=\"https:\/\/geog.ubc.ca\/news\/dr-nina-hewitt-honoured-with-geography-student-association-spirit-award\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Spirit Award<\/a>, Spring 2025<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ubctoday.ubc.ca\/news\/april-04-2023\/announcing-202223-killam-teaching-prize-recipients\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Killam Teaching Prize<\/a>, University of British Columbia 2022-23<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.arts.ubc.ca\/news\/deans-award-for-educational-leadership-supports-eight-new-pilot-projects-in-arts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dean\u2019s Award: Educational Leadership and Innovation<\/a> Pilot Project, \u201cAdvancing UBC\u2019s Interdisciplinary Climate Change Credential and Strengthening Teaching Networks among Arts and Science\u201d, UBC Faculty of Arts. 2021-2022<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>Select Publications:<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Refereed Publications<br \/>\n<\/span><br \/>\nS. Wittig-McPhee, <strong>N. Hewitt<\/strong>. 2024. Immersive Digital Technologies: A New Horizon in Geography Education. Annals of the American Association of Geographers. In Press (Accepted Jun 11, 2025)<\/p>\n<p><strong>Hewitt, N.<\/strong>, Mazabel, S., Lukes, L., Eaton, B., Bower, J., cn\u00fak. 2024. Fostering a Sense of Place and Partnership in Geoscience Field Education with Indigenous and Other Communities. In: Wessell, J.E. (eds) Experiential Learning in Geography. Springer Nature, Cham. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/978-3-031-82575-0_3\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/978-3-031-82575-0_3<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Chardon, N.I., P. Stone, C. Hilbert, T. MacLachlan, A. Damude, B. Ragsdale, A. Zhao, K. Goodwin, C.G. Collins, <strong>N. Hewitt<\/strong>, C. Elphinstone. 2023. Species-specific responses to human trampling indicate alpine plant size is more sensitive than reproduction to disturbance.<em> Plants<\/em>. 2(17), 3040. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/plants12173040\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/plants12173040<\/a><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Special issue: &#8220;Arctic and Alpine Plants: Ecology, Adaptations and Conservation Biology&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Parlee, B., W. Pascal, A.A. Churchill, G. Desmarais, M. Dicker, E. Gavenus, M.S. Garces, and J. Guo, <strong>N. Hewitt<\/strong> (+10 other contributing authors). 2023. Chapter 4: Gifts of the Mountains, pp. 179-235. In: G. McDowell, M. Stevens S. Marshall et al., <em>The <\/em><em>C<\/em><em>anadian Mountain Assessment<\/em>: <em>Walking together to enhance understanding of mountains in Canada<\/em>. University of Calgary Press, Calgary. Pp. 370.<br \/>\n&#8211; I wrote section 4.3 \u201c<u>Gifts of Teaching and Pedagogy<\/u>\u201d, pp, 187-83. Chapter available online <a href=\"https:\/\/ucp.manifoldapp.org\/projects\/9781773855103\/resource\/chapter-4-gifts-of-the-mountains\"><strong>here<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>McDowell, G., M. Stevens S. Marshall et al. (+ numerous other contributing authors, alphabetized by last name, incl. <strong>N. Hewitt<\/strong>) 2023. <em>The <\/em><em>C<\/em><em>anadian Mountain Assessment<\/em>: <em>Walking together to enhance understanding of mountains in Canada<\/em>. University of Calgary Press, Calgary. Pp. 370. Available online here: <a href=\"https:\/\/ucp.manifoldapp.org\/projects\/9781773855103\">https:\/\/ucp.manifoldapp.org\/projects\/9781773855103<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Hewitt, N<\/strong>., S. Wood and B. Wilson. 2022. Ecosystem education with Augmented Reality: A flexible tool for in-field learning. <em>Professional Geographer<\/em>. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1080\/00330124.2022.2134151\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1080\/00330124.2022.2134151<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Ullah, R, N Khan, <strong>N. Hewitt<\/strong>, K. Ali, D.A. Jones, M.E.H. Khan. 2022. Invasive species as rivals: invasive potential and distribution pattern of <em>X. strumarium<\/em> L. <em>Sustainability<\/em>. 14:7141. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2071-1050\/14\/12\/7141\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2071-1050\/14\/12\/7141<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Hewitt,<\/strong> <strong>N<\/strong>., G. Larocque, D. Greene, M. Kellman. 2019. A model of hardwood tree colonization among fragments: predicting migration across human-dominated landscapes. <em>Ecoscience<\/em> 26: 35-51. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1080\/11956860.2018.1515596\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1080\/11956860.2018.1515596<\/a><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Our photo of tree colonization at a forest edge featured on the journal cover<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Dinh, T., <strong>N. Hewitt<\/strong> and T.D. Drezner. 2015. Fire history reconstruction in the Black oak (<em>Quercus velutina<\/em>) savanna of High Park, Toronto. <em>Natural Areas Journal<\/em>. 35:468-475.<\/p>\n<p>Smith, A.L., N. Klenk, S. Wood, <strong>N. Hewitt<\/strong>, I. Henriques, N. Yan, D.R. Bazely. 2013. Second generation biofuels and bio-invasions: an evaluation of invasive risks and policy responses in the United States and Canada. <em>Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews<\/em> 27:30-42.<\/p>\n<p>Smith, A.L., <strong>N. Hewitt<\/strong>, N. Klenk, N. Yan, D.R. Bazely, I. Henriques, S. Wood, C. Lipsig-Mumme and J.I. MacLellan. 2012. The effects of climate change on the distribution of invasive alien species in Canada: a knowledge synthesis of range change projections in a warming world. <em>Environmental Reviews <\/em>20:1-16.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Third most downloaded article in the history of the journal, ER as of winter 2014.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Hewitt, N<\/strong>., N. Klenk, A.L. Smith, D.R. Bazely, N. Yan, S. Wood, J.I. MacLellan, C. Lipsig-Mumme and I. Henriques. 2011. Taking stock of the assisted migration debate. <em>Biological Conservation<\/em> 144:2560-2572.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Most downloaded article from the journal, last quarter of 2011; Favourable blog review: &#8220;Hewitt et al. have done a great job of giving an authoritative overview of many relevant arguments. I highly recommend their paper!&#8221; Dr. Joern Fischer, <a href=\"http:\/\/ideas4sustainability.wordpress.com\/2011\/09\/26\">http:\/\/ideas4sustainability.wordpress.com\/2011\/09\/26<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Hewitt, N<\/strong>. 2010. Forest fragmentation. <em>In<\/em> B. Warf (ed.) <em>Encyclopedia of Geography, <\/em>Sage,<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Encyclopedia won \u201cOutstanding Reference Source\u201d award, American Library Association, 2011.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Richart, M. and <strong>N. Hewitt<\/strong>. 2008. Tree species diversity and size structure in the Backus Woods forest preserve and surrounding forest remnants, southern Ontario. <em>Landscape and Urban Planning<\/em> 86:25-37.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Hewitt, N<\/strong>. and M. Kellman. 2004. Factors influencing tree colonization in fragmented forests: an experimental study of introduced seeds and seedlings. <em>Forest Ecology and Management<\/em> 191:39-59.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Hewitt, N<\/strong>. and M. Kellman. 2002. Tree seed dispersal among forest fragments. I. Conifer plantations as seed traps. <em>Journal of Biogeography<\/em> 29:337-349.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Hewitt, N<\/strong>. and M. Kellman. 2002. Tree seed dispersal among forest fragments. II. Dispersal\u00a0abilities and biogeographical controls. <em>Journal of Biogeography<\/em> 29:351-363.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Hewitt, N<\/strong>. 1998. Seed size and shade\u2011tolerance: a comparative analysis of north American temperate trees. <em>Oecologia<\/em> 114:432\u2011440.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Remains a key citation on the topic of phylogenetic analyses to examine character traits in temperate trees.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Hewitt, N<\/strong>. and K. Miyanishi. 1997. The role of mammals in maintaining plant species richness in a floating <em>Typha<\/em> marsh in southern Ontario. <em>Biodiversity and Conservation <\/em>6:1085\u20111102<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Nominated for the Canadian Botanical Association&#8217;s J.S. Rowe Award.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Lab Manuals (Peer-reviewed)<\/span><\/p>\n<p>MacKinnon, S., K. Burles F. T. Day, F. de Scally, <strong>N. Hewitt<\/strong>, C. Huscroft, G. Krezoski, A. Lutz, C. Nichol, A. Perkins, and T. Redding, I. Saunders, L. Tang, C. Welch.\u00a0 (2021) Laboratory Manual for Introduction to Physical Geography, 2nd edition. Eds: S. MacKinnon and C. Welch. BC Campus Faculty Pressbooks.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Hewitt, N.<\/strong> (2021). <em>Lab 10: BC Soils and Relationships to Vegetation and Climate<\/em>. And accompanying Instructor Notes. In <em>ibid. <\/em>Available online at: <a href=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/geoglabmanualv2\/chapter\/lab-10-bc-soils-and-relationships-to-vegetation-and-climate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/geoglabmanualv2\/chapter\/lab-10-bc-soils-and-relationships-to-vegetation-and-climate\/<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>Hewitt, N.<\/strong>\u00a0 (2021). <em>Lab 12: Coastal Forest Virtual Field Trip\u00a0<\/em> and Instructor Notes. In <em>ibid. <\/em>Available online at: <a href=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/geoglabmanualv2\/chapter\/lab-12-biogeography-coastal-forest-virtual-field-trip\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/geoglabmanualv2\/chapter\/lab-12-biogeography-coastal-forest-virtual-field-trip\/\u00a0<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Other Publications:<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Lyon, K. L., S. R. McPhee, <strong>N. Hewitt<\/strong>, B. Wilson. 2020. <a class=\"nova-legacy-e-link nova-legacy-e-link--color-inherit nova-legacy-e-link--theme-bare\" href=\"https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/341945420_Real_World_Classrooms_at_the_University_of_British_Columbia_In_M_Brown_M_McCormack_J_Reeves_DC_Brooks_and_S_Grajek_Eds_2020_EDUCAUSE_Horizon_Report_Teaching_and_Learning_Edition_pp_29_Louisville_CO_ED?_sg%5B0%5D=ya2fS2VD2XkwKDSp-q-nyBFFeEur1CryVAx7cXSzdNKFh5cPGHMKwJV6qh-0jksFq1Cc89p5OPG-AzSfpoL5vBlSQPePsDGS9ecQe5AR.T0bbl0ecETKr_d1LCLI8sgMbrJ5eclgwJOyQqkwxrd3d7lKr6bGD6N-HanyACsYEvpXpFIsA1Cwbm48AWvvISA\">Real world classrooms at the University of British Columbia. <\/a>In M. Brown, M. McCormack, J. Reeves, D.C. Brooks, and S. Grajek (Eds.) <em>2020 EDUCAUSE Horizon Report: Teaching and Learning Edition<\/em> (pp. 29). Louisville, CO: EDUCAUSE.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p class=\"post-excerpt\">I am a biogeographer with research specializing in seed dispersal and colonization, ecosystem fragmentation, and species migration in human dominated&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":50391,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template-fullwidth.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-65","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/alpineplants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/65","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/alpineplants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/alpineplants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/alpineplants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/50391"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/alpineplants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=65"}],"version-history":[{"count":50,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/alpineplants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/65\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4788,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/alpineplants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/65\/revisions\/4788"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/alpineplants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}