Hello all,

Happy Friday – I hope that the week has treated everyone well and that a restful weekend is ahead!

I am very pleased to announce the second LFS Scholar Seminar of the series:

Dr. Christy Morrissey from the University of Saskatchewan will join us for a seminar titled, “Perennializing Marginal Agricultural Lands- A Solution to Boost Carbon, Biodiversity and the Bottom Line.”

Thursday, November 7th, 1:30pm – 2:30pm

Location: MSL 102

Mix and mingle social with coffee and cookies will follow!

Please register using the link.

Email risa.sargent@ubc.ca if you would like to schedule a meeting with Dr. Morrissey while she’s here.

Dr.  Christy Morrissey is a Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Saskatchewan. Her research focusses on issues related to agricultural pesticides and other chemicals and the use of birds and insects as indicators of ecosystem health.  Dr. Morrissey has published over 90 highly cited journal articles and book chapters and in 2020 was named to the Royal Society College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists. Her work has also been featured broadly in the national and international media and documentaries (CBC, BBC, National Geographic, Nature of Things, and The Messenger film). She is currently co-leading the NSERC funded Prairie Precision Sustainability Network Marginal Land Solutions project and the Bridge to Land Water Sky Living Lab to implement Nature-based solutions to improve sustainable agricultural production.

As provided by Dr. Morrissey a description of her talk:

Marginal croplands are defined as areas within fields that are consistently low yielding and unprofitable. These are often in sensitive higher biodiversity areas near wetlands or field edges but are subject to salinity, flood risk, soil erosion and can be agrochemical sinks. Given the need to address the dual crisis of biodiversity loss and climate change, there is urgent need to find solutions that provide multiple ecosystem benefits without affecting producers’ bottom line.  Our team is working with farmers across the Canadian Prairies to identify, map and model where the marginal cropland exists and target these areas for experimental conversion to tame and native perennial forage mixes to study the changes in agronomic, economic and environmental costs and benefits over the transition.

Please let me know if you have any questions, and we look forward to seeing everyone on November 7^th.

Warm regards,

Madison

Madison Johnstone (She, Her, Hers)
Graduate and Postdoctoral Program Assistant
Faculty of Land and Food Systems
The University of British Columbia | Vancouver Campus
291 – 2357 Main Mall | Vancouver BC | V6T 1Z4 Canada
Phone 604 822 8373 Ext. 28373
madison.johnstone@ubc.ca

The next IRES Seminar will be in the Beaty Museum Allan Yap Theatre:

October 24, 2024: IRES Professional Development Seminar with Helen Brown

Too Little, Too Much, Just Right: Navigating Information and Research with UBC Library 

Location: Beaty Museum Allan Yap Theatre (Basement, 2212 Main Mall). Please check in at front desk on main floor before going downstairs.

No food or drinks allowed in the Theatre.

Time: 12:30pm to 1:20pm

Click here to register for Zoom link. Zoom will be terminated if we encounter tech problems 5 to 10 mins into the seminar.

Talk summary:

Join us to learn more about UBC Library services and tips & tricks for finding environmental research and information that will save you time and energy. Bring your questions and find out more about anything from where to find Lego in the Library to how to publish a paper! The session will adapt to the questions and interests of the group but might include an intro to services and resources available at UBC Library and tips for finding the right research.

  Helen Brown, UBC Librarian, Woodward Science Library

Bio:

Helen is a librarian at the University of British Columbia’s Woodward Science Library, where she works with researchers and learners in environmental and biological sciences, including IRES. Helen’s research interests include climate action in libraries and knowledge synthesis methodologies. She also has a background in archives and rare books, and previously worked as a librarian in health and medicine.

See you on October 24!

Here are dates to know for November 2024 graduation.

Last day to apply for November 2024 graduation: Friday October 18 at 4pm.

• Students can apply here: G+PS Graduate Student application for November 2024 degree granting (November ceremonies) | Graduate School at The University of British Columbia (UBC)
• Thesis based programs will need to have their thesis accepted by 4pm on that day.
• Program completion memo’s need to be dated for Oct 18^th
• Deadlines link: https://www.grad.ubc.ca/deadlines
• There are NO LATE APPLICATIONS for this graduation period.

Graduation Ceremonies: are from Wed November 27 – Friday November 29.

G+PS is processing this graduation outside of the student’s systems, this means we have no flexibility to handle late applications or approvals.

For May 2025 graduation the application and processing of graduation will happen in Workday.  Hopefully this means more graduation information will be visible to both program staff and students.  Graduation training in the new system will happen in early 2025.

Dear LFS graduate students,

The Applied Biology Program will be interviewing 3 candidates for a faculty position in Soil Science (see Ad). We would like to invite all graduate students to lunch with the candidates on October 21, 28 and November 4, from 12:00-1:00pm in McM 350.

Please RSVP to Sasha Pollet (sashapol@student.ubc.ca) and include any dietary restrictions by 2pm on Thursday, Oct 17.

You are also invited to attend their research and teaching seminars. We would welcome your feedback following the interviews as per forms below. Note the seminars will be in person only but we will have recordings available afterward.

Dr. Henry Chau (Oct 21-22)

Henry Chau is a Research Scientist in Soil Conservation and Land Resilience at the Lethbridge Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. His current research examines how environmental stressors and agricultural management practices impact soil resilience and ecosystem services.  Henry earned his Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences with a Specialization in Microbiology at the University of Alberta in 2007. He completed a PhD in Soil Science (Soil Physics) at the University of Saskatchewan in 2014. He previously worked as a Lecturer (2014-2018) & Senior Lecturer (2018-2022) in Soil and Environmental Physics in the Department of Soil and Physical Sciences at Lincoln University, New Zealand. In his academic role, he was actively involved in the understanding of the impacts of land use and management on soil physical and hydraulic properties, processes and related ecosystem functions that are essential for addressing global societal challenges of water and food security, sustainable land management, economic development, weather uncertainty, and climate adaptation.

 

Research Seminar: Soil’s Dichotomy Dilemma: Balancing Productivity with Ecosystem Services and Climate Mitigation

October 21, 9:30-11:00am

MacMillan 158, 2357 Main Mall

 

Teaching Seminar: Soil Water Flow

October 22, 1:00-2:00pm

MacMillan 160, 2357 Main Mall

 

Feedback Form: https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5zEGdPBKLsRmdP8

 

 

Dr. Cynthia Kallenbach (Oct 28-29)

Cynthia Kallenbach is an Associate Professor at McGill University in the Natural Resource Sciences department. Her research group integrates soil ecology and biogeochemistry to understand soil organic matter turnover and accumulation and microbial-plant interactions affecting carbon and nutrient cycling under land use and global change. She has two MSc from the University of California-Davis in International Agriculture Development and in Soil Biogeochemistry and completed her PhD from the University of New Hampshire in Earth and Environmental Science. Before coming to McGill, she was a United States Department of Agriculture postdoctoral fellow at Colorado State University.

 

Research Seminar: Microbial-Organic Matter Interactions and Responses to Changing Soil Moisture

October 28, 9:30-11:00am

MacMillan 158, 2357 Main Mall

 

Teaching Seminar: Soil Physical Properties:  Impacts on the Soil Environment

October 29, 1:00-2:00pm

MacMillan 160, 2357 Main Mall

 

Feedback Form: https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1IaLOLGXuTMeMx8

 

 

Dr. Nan Li (Nov 4-5)

Nan Li is a soil scientist with a Ph.D. in Environmental Management from the University of New South Wales. Her research integrates remote and proximal sensing technologies with digital soil mapping to promote sustainable soil and water management in agriculture. Currently, she is an Assistant Project Scientist at the University of California, Riverside. Nan’s ongoing work focuses on using artificial intelligence and big data from high-resolution imagery and ground sensor networks to optimize irrigation, fertilization, and soil salinity management. With a passion for promoting sustainable agricultural practices, Nan aims to bridge the gap between cutting-edge research and practical field applications.

 

Research Seminar: Farming the Data: Leveraging Sensing Technologies and Digital Soil Mapping Method for Sustainable Soil Management

November 4, 9:30-11:00am

MacMillan 158, 2357 Main Mall

 

Teaching Seminar: Soil Texture and Electromagnetic Induction

November 5, 1:00-2:00pm

MacMillan 160, 2357 Main Mall

 

Feedback Form: https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_b7LPWuIjSfNNudM