The call for proposals for Food Secure Canada’s 10th National Assembly is open now until January 30th. The Assembly will be held in Montreal from November 2-4th and will bring together Canada’s brightest food thinkers and most innovative organizations to share and develop practical solutions to national and global issues related to food – climate, equity, health and sustainability.

The Assembly will ​ be a great​ opportunity for researchers/students/professionals to ​share your work in​ conversation  with community perspectives, policy and practice.

If you have an idea for a panel or a workshop, definitely put in a proposal. Proposals don’t need to be finalized (i.e. speakers need not be confirmed, etc.), and depending on the proposals received FSC and the review panel may recommend collaborations where proposals are similar/complementary. At the moment the list of themes is very broad (below), but key themes will be narrowed/curated based on the proposals submitted. You can find additional details below and on the FSC website.

​____________________

We are seeking innovative proposals from food movement actors to lead sessions and tours to help us create a vibrant 10th Assembly program that will enhance the food movement’s capacity for policy and system change.

We strive to offer a diversity of thematic areas, and of session formats, to engage participants through stories, sharing tools and best practices, and also by creating opportunities for building skills, networks, and strategies.

Submissions are welcome on any area related to food systems and some of the Assembly focus areas will include:

Agroecology: Building resilient local food economies (infrastructure, hubs, institutional procurement); Climate change; Farm renewal; Food policy: national, provincial, municipal; Food security, justice, equity; Food waste; Healthy eating strategies and food environments; Healthy school food; Measuring impact; Northern and Indigenous food sovereignty; Food is a feminist issue.

—

Susanna Klassen

​, M.Sc, A.Ag

PhD Student, Liu Scholar

Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability & The Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at UBC Farm

University of British Columbia

Unceded xʷməθkʷəy̓əm Territory

Warkentin Prize 2018

 WarkentinPrize-2018-poster

Annually, Pacific Regional Society of Soil Science (PRSSS) accepts nominations and applications for the Warkentin Prize. The Warkentin Prize of $500 will be awarded to a student, or someone who has graduated within the last two years, that has published a peer-reviewed article in the field of Soil Science.

During the call for nominations and applications you can apply by directly sending us a copy or link to the publication as well as two letters of support and a statement explaining how the article has contributed to soil science advancement to prsssemail@gmail.com. You can also nominate a student by sending us a link or copy of their publication, along with a statement supporting your nomination.

The deadline to apply is March 2, 2018. The attached poster and our website (www.prsss.ca) have more details.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————

Regards,

Sidd

————————————————————————————————————

Siddhartho Shekhar Paul

President, Pacific Regional Society of Soil Science (PRSSS)

PhD Student | Faculty of Land and Food Systems

The University of British Columbia  | Vancouver Campus

Email: siddpaul@mail.ubc.ca; siddhartho.paul@gmail.com

Cell: 604 617 3242 | http://sal-lab.landfood.ubc.ca

The Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at the University of British Columbia is excited to announce that registration for the first half of our 2018 workshop series is now open! The UBC Farm hosts a wide range of workshops covering everything from permaculture and gardening to herbal medicine, weaving, fermenting, foraging, and much more. This year, we have added several new workshops and brought back many favourites. All of our workshops are beginner friendly and open to everyone, so please share with your networks! For more details and to register, visit our website, or view our list of workshops below.     

Please sign up early, as popular workshops sell out; and workshops with insufficient registration are cancelled five days prior.  To stay informed of new workshop offerings and other events at the UBC Farm, please sign up for our e-newsletter.       

Thank you for being a part of this community and we hope to see you at the UBC Farm soon!

• Learning the Basics of Herbal Medicine on February 21, 2018 6:30 pm
• Make Your Own Basket: Basketry with Invasive Species on February 27, 2018 5:30 pm
• The Art of Herbal Medicine Making on March 3, 2018 10:00 am
• Kombucha-Making Workshop on March 7, 2018 6:00 pm
• Making Leather from Salmon Skins on March 13, 2018 5:30 pm
• Growing Food in Small Spaces: Balconies, Containers, and Small Patios on March 17, 2018 2:00 pm
• Fermentation Fundamentals: Sauerkraut & Pickled Vegetables on March 21, 2018 6:00 pm
• Make Your Own Basket: “Egg” Baskets on March 27, 2018 5:30 pm
• Winter Foraging Workshop on April 14, 2018 2:30 pm
• Cultured and Vegan Cheesemaking Workshop on April 21, 2018 2:30 pm
• Composting with Worms: Vermicomposting 101 on April 26, 2018 6:00 pm
• Bringing Your Soil to Life: Soil Biology and Compost Tea on May 5, 2018 9:30 am
• Composting Demystified: Six Methods of Composting on May 5, 2018 1:30 pm
• Soil Fertility: Nutrients and Soil Testing on May 12, 2018 2:30 pm
• Growing Microgreens for Home Consumption on June 9, 2018 2:30 pm
• Ginger Beer and Wild Fermented Sodas on June 14, 2018 6:00 pm
• Introduction to Safe and Fun Canning on June 23, 2018 2:30 pm
• Medicine Collective Workshop: Salve Harvest on July 10, 2018 12:00 pm
• Summer Foraging on July 14, 2018 10:00 am
• Herbs for Longevity and Vitality (Herbalism Series #1) on July 21, 2018 9:00 am
• Herbs for Culinary and Medicinal Uses (Herbalism Series #2) on July 21, 2018 1:00 pm
• Introduction to Permaculture (Sustainable Design Series #1) on July 22, 2018 9:00 am
• Food Forest Design (Sustainable Design Series #2) on July 22, 2018 1:00 pm
• Medicine Collective Workshop: Salve Making on August 8, 2018 11:00 am

A PDF version of our workshop series poster can also be supplied on request.  

Rachel Spruston

Food Skills Education Intern 

Faculty of Land and Food Systems | Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at UBC Farm

The University of British Columbia | Unceded xʷməθkʷəy̓əm Territory

rachel.spruston@alumni.ubc.ca | www.ubcfarm.ubc.ca

Dear UBC graduate students, 

Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (G+PS) is undergoing a consultation process to develop a five-year strategic plan for graduate education and postdoctoral studies at UBC.  We believe graduate education is critically important to the university and to society, and we are very excited to develop a plan that will further advance our already outstanding programs and research. This has been happening at the same time as the broader strategic planning underway at the university, allowing us to delve into the domain more deeply and to inform and complement the university’s overall plan.  

Our consultations to date have included sessions with faculty, student leaders, deans, associate deans, and staff.  We now invite you to share your thoughts on what is working well at UBC, what could be better, and where you would like to see the university go over the next 5 years.  I’ve attached a short document that provides some context for the discussion, that highlights the areas we currently view as a priority, and that focuses on a few key questions.

We would very much appreciate if you could join us for a discussion on any of these dates:

• Thursday, February 1, 3:00-4:30pm – room 200, Graduate Studies Building, 6371 Crescent Road
• Friday, February 2, 3:00-4:30pm – DHCC 2267, Diamond Health Care Centre, Vancouver General Hospital
• Monday, February 5, 3:00-4:30pm – LSC 1312, Life Sciences Centre, 2350 Health Sciences Mall  

Please click on the following link to rsvp: RSVP to Graduate Student Input for UBC Graduate Education Plan

We look forward to seeing you there! 

Sincerely, 

Susan Porter  PhD
Dean and Vice Provost | Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
Clinical Professor | Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
The University of British Columbia | Vancouver Campus
170-6371 Crescent Road | Vancouver BC | V6T 1Z2 Canada
Phone 604 827 5547
susan.porter@ubc.ca
http://www.grad.ubc.ca

Are you interested in sharing your experiences about being a graduate student?

The LFS ACE Team are looking for current graduate students to join their event called Is Grad School Right for You?, on Tuesday, January 23^rd, 2018. This event is designed to encourage undergrad students who are interested in applying for grad school to explore whether it is the right option for them and to provide chances for students who have already applied to grad school to know more through talking with our panelists.

Here are the event details:

Date: January 23, 2018
Location: Brock Hall Concourse
Event Schedule: 5:30pm – 7:00pm

What to Expect at the Event

This event is a mingle-style event, including panel and mingle sessions. For the panel session, we will have a panel of speakers to share, discuss, and answer questions about the concerns students usually have when deciding whether they will go to grad school. After that, we will have a mingle session to allow students to talk directly to program advisors, graduate students and guests.

If you are available and interested in participating in the mingle portion of this event please RSVP to lfs.aceteam@ubc.ca by 12 pm on Friday, January 19th. 

 Emma Rowbotham  MA
Student Engagement Officer
Faculty of Land and Food Systems | Student Services
The University of British Columbia | Vancouver Campus
344 – 2357 Main Mall | Vancouver British Columbia | V6T 1Z4 Canada
Phone 604 822 2989 | Fax 604 822 4400
emma.rowbotham@ubc.ca
http://landfood.ubc.ca | https://blogs.ubc.ca/lfsundergrads