Invitation: UBC Sustainability Scholars Conference

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As you may know, the UBC Sustainability Scholars program offers graduate students paid opportunities to work with community partners on sustainability related projects over the summer. Students interested in sustainability or in applying to the program may be interested in attending the conference.  Students from your program may even be presenting! The conference takes place Wednesday September 27 from 1 to 5 pm, full details are below.

Thank you in advance for distributing this invitation.

Karen

 

Conference | RESEARCH TO ACTION: ADVANCING URBAN SUSTAINABILITY

 

What happens when you give bright and engaged students a real-world sustainability problem to solve?

UBC Sustainability and Greenest City Scholars are helping to make real change in the world. Join us on Wednesday September 27 to learn more about what our local governments and institutions are doing to future-proof our people, our cities, and our urban spaces. 

You will enjoy an afternoon of engaged discussion on a diverse range of applied sustainability projects produced by UBC graduate students under the mentorship of community partners including the City of Vancouver, Metro Vancouver, BC Hydro, Fraser Health, and UBC Wellbeing. 

Scholars will present their projects in concurrent themed panel sessions throughout the afternoon. Panels will be moderated by experts from UBC and Sustainability Scholars Program partners. 

Keynote Address:

“Vancouver’s Zero Emissions Building Plan:  Insights into Catalyzing Transformational Change” by Sean Pander, Green Buildings Program Manager, City of Vancouver.  

Panel Themes:

Climate & Energy | Green Buildings | Green Operations & Transportation | Innovation | Leadership & Behaviour Change | Procurement & Supply Chain | Social Sustainability: Building Resilience | Social Sustainability: People Spaces | Water & Stewardship Science 

When: Wednesday, September 27, 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Where: UBC Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS), 2260 West Mall, UBC
Registration: Free to all. Registration closes September 25.

 

Click here to register

 

UBC PDCE Online MOOCs

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The PDCE office at the UBC Faculty of Education is proud to be offering two online MOOCs this fall: 

·       Reconciliation Through Indigenous Education (100% free to audit, $50 for a verified certificate)

o   Next offering: October 17, 2017

o   See the Poster 

·       Bringing Mental Health to Schools ($20 registration fee)

o   Launches October 31, 2017

o   See the Poster 

A MOOC is a Massive Open Online Course. Our MOOCs are modular, self-paced and non-credit online courses offered by the University of British Columbia, and delivered on the edX platform.  

Please share the information about these MOOCs (below) with faculty, staff and students of the Faculty of Land and Food Systems, or with anyone else whom you feel would benefit and may find them of interest. We are excited to be offering these courses, and to be sharing them with you!  

For more information, please visit pdce.educ.ubc.ca/MOOC.    

All the best,

Milena                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

 

Milena Constanda
Communications Coordinator
Professional Development & Community Engagement
Faculty of Education
The University of British Columbia
1304 ­ 2125 Main Mall | Vancouver, BC, Canada. V6T 1Z4
pdce.educ.ubc.ca  

Please notify us if you no longer wish to receive direct emails from Professional Development & Community Engagement at UBC.

Reconciliation Through Indigenous Education
Online MOOC 

Next Offering October 17, 2017 | pdce.educ.ubc.ca/reconciliation 

Engage with Indigenous knowledge keepers, educational leaders, and resources to enhance your understanding and knowledge of practices that advance reconciliation in the places where you live, learn, and work.

This course will help you envision how Indigenous histories, perspectives, worldviews, and approaches to learning can be made part of the work we do in classrooms, organizations, communities, and our everyday experiences in ways that are thoughtful and respectful. In this course, reconciliation emphasizes changing institutional structures, practices, and policies, as well as personal and professional ideologies to create environments that are committed to strengthening our relationships with Indigenous peoples.

For educators, this means responding to educational reforms that prioritize improved educational outcomes for Indigenous learners. In addition, educators must support all learners to develop their knowledge and understanding of Indigenous people¹s worldviews and cultures as a basis for creating equitable and inclusive learning spaces. To support these goals, teachers, administrators, young people, school staff, and researchers will learn from Indigenous Elders, educational leaders, and culturally relevant learning resources as part of their experiences in this MOOC.

For others who want to build their own competence and the capacity of those around them to engage in relationships with Indigenous peoples based on intercultural understanding, empathy, and respect, this course will help get you started in this process.

Learning Objectives:

·     Explore personal and professional histories and assumptions in relationship to Indigenous peoples histories and worldviews.

·     Deepen understanding and knowledge of colonial histories and current realities of Indigenous people.

·     Engage with Indigenous worldviews and perspectives that contextualize and support your understanding of the theories and practices of Indigenous education.

·     Develop strategies that contribute to the enhancement of Indigenous-settler relations in schools, organizations, and communities.

·     Explore Indigenous worldviews and learning approaches for their application to the classroom or community learning setting.

·     Engage in personal and professional discussions in an online environment with others committed to understanding and advancing reconciliation. 

 

Bringing Mental Health to Schools
Online MOOC 

Launches October 31, 2017 | pdce.educ.ubc.ca/mentalhealth 

Mental health literacy is the foundation for mental health promotion, prevention and care and can be successfully implemented through classroom based curriculum interventions that have been scientifically shown to improve mental health related outcomes for students and also for their teachers. A Canadian-developed, nationally and internationally-researched resource, the Guide ­ previously delivered only through face-to-face training ­ is now available online through this UBC-supported program.

In this course, educators will learn how to apply this classroom-ready, web-based, modular mental health curriculum resource (the Guide) as well as upgrade their own mental health literacy. Educators can then use this curriculum resource in their schools to successfully address mental health related curriculum outcomes designed to be delivered by usual classroom teachers to students in grades 8 ­ 10.

 

Learning Objectives:

·     How to apply a variety of first-voice and knowledge based classroom activities that have been shown to significantly, substantially and sustainably decrease mental health related stigma.

·     How to apply a variety of video and knowledge based classroom activities that have been shown to significantly, substantially and sustainably increase knowledge related to mental disorders and treatments

·     How to apply a variety of knowledge based classroom activities, personal exercises and other evidence based interventions that have been shown to significantly and substantially improve: health and mental health self-care; stress understanding and management; mental health help-seeking capacity.

·     Better understanding of all aspects of mental health literacy that can be applied not only in the classroom but to all aspects of an educator¹s own circumstances: understanding how to obtain and maintain good mental health; understanding mental disorders and their treatments; decreasing stigma; increasing help-seeking efficacy.

 

Visit our website for more detailed information, and program contacts
pdce.educ.ubc.ca/MOOC

 

Ecological Farming Short Course – Sep 29-30 (UBC Farm) & UBC Farm Practicum

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The UBC Farm Workshops Series is pleased to announce our upcoming: 

Ecological Farming Short Course: Sep 29-30  

Helen Atthowe & Carl Rosato, farmers with a combined 55+ years of  farming experience, are coming  from Oregon to offer three special workshops in ecological farming.  Starting Friday, Sept 29th, Carl will be teaching, “Orchard Eco-Organic Management”.  On Saturday, Sept 30th, Helen and Carl will collaborate to teach “Managing Ecological Relationships Instead of Crops: Strategies to Blend Food Production and Wild Places.”  Also on Saturday, Sept 30th, Helen will teach “Feeding the Soil: The Science and Practice of Soil Organic Matter Systems Management.”  Advanced registration is required.  As with all our workshops, sign up early, as registration is subject to closure five days before the workshop.  To learn more, or to sign up, visit: http://ubcfarm.ubc.ca/workshops/ 

For 35 years, Carl was owner of Woodleaf Farm, a certified organic fruit farm in California. In 2012, Carl was recognized with a Steward of Sustainable Agriculture Award, at the 32nd Annual EcoFarm Conference.  Helen farmed organic-certified vegetables and tree fruit at her own Biodesign Farm (Montana, 1993-2010), Woodleaf Farm (California, 2012-2015), and presently co-owns with her husband Carl a new farm in Oregon.  Helen studied natural farming with Masanobu Fukuoka in Japan and at The Land Institute in Kansas. Her on-farm research focuses on reduced tillage, soil and beneficial insect habitat building, and high carbon soil management systems. 

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2018 UBC Farm Practicum in Sustainable Agriculture – ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS 

**Come to our OPEN HOUSE, Saturday, Sept 16th to learn more and meet current practicum students and staff (details below)** 

The UBC Farm Practicum can be taken as either a six-month (April – October), or as a four-month (April – August), experiential-learning program.  The program is part-time (approximately 20 hours per week), and is designed for aspiring farmers, urban gardeners, environmental educators, and students with an interest in applying their learning about sustainable agriculture and food systems. The program may be taken as a non-credit Certificate program, or 6-9 academic credits are available.

Participants gain a deeper understanding of agricultural management and small-scale farming, and a network of incredible people to support them along the way.  The main approach to learning within the program is hands-on practice.  Participants carry out seasonal farming activities with leadership provided by UBC Farm staff in the greenhouses, gardens, fields, orchards, and at our farmers’ markets. In addition, the program includes numerous guest speakers, field trips to various farming operations within the province, and access to a plot at the UBC Farm for individual and shared production. 

The UBC Farm is a 24-hectare gem, the largest urban farm in Vancouver, British Columbia, and situated on a site with numerous research, educational, and community outreach activities.  Please see the  UBC Farm Practicum website for detailed information: http://ubcfarm.ubc.ca/community/practicum-in-sustainable-agriculture/.  All applications received by October 2nd will be considered for Early Admission.  All applications for the Regular Deadline pool are due by November 5th.  Please note: You do not have to be a UBC student or post-secondary student.    

A Practicum Open House at the UBC Farm is scheduled for September 16th, 12 pm – 2 pm to provide you with a forum to ask questions, meet current practicum students, and receive a tour of the site.  No registration is required.  Events also occurring at the Farm on Sept 16th include a special themed Farmer’s Market at the UBC Farm between 9 am – 1 pm, as well as a workshop on Soil Biology (10:30 am – 12:30 pm, advanced registration required: http://ubcfarm.ubc.ca/workshops/).  To stay informed of our latest updates regarding UBC Farm Programming (including the Practicum Program), please sign up for our weekly newsletter: http://ubcfarm.ubc.ca/get-involved/get-involved-2/ubc-farm-newsletter/. 

Seth Friedman, MS

Practicum Coordinator

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

The University of British Columbia | Unceded xʷməθkʷəy̓əm Territory

3461 Ross Drive (location)

2357 Main Mall (mail) | Vancouver, BC Canada V6T 1Z4

Phone 604 822 5092 | Fax 604 822 6839

seth.friedman@ubc.ca | www.ubcfarm.ubc.ca

LFS Graduate Office Hours of Operation

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LFS Student Services Hours of Operation Are Changing!

Please be aware, effective Wednesday, September 20th, LFS Student Services (both graduate and undergraduate) will be moving to new hours of operation as follows:

  • Graduate Advising: Mondays to Fridays, 9:30am to 4:00pm*
    Work schedule:
    Lia – Monday to Friday 8:30 to 4:30
    Shelley – In office:  Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays 8:30 to 4:30;  Working off campus:  Tuesdays and Thursdays
  • Undergraduate Advising: Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 9:30am to 4:00pm and Thursdays, 9:30am to 2:30pm

 

*If you need to meet with Lia or Shelley outside of advising hours between 8:30 to 4:30, please email or call to make arrangements.

 

Don Rix Distinguished Keynote – Sharon Terry

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Genome BC is pleased to present Sharon Terry as the 2017 Don Rix Distinguished Keynote speaker. Please join us on Thursday, October 19th for Sharon Terry’s compelling keynote: “If you are not at the table, you are on the menu: participatory science in health.”

Come hear the fascinating story of how this citizen scientist took the medical research community by storm when she forged a path to address the rare genetic condition that affects her children. Sharon Terry’s story will inspire you as she takes us through her lifelong quest to transform systems that would accelerate treatments for her children’s disease, as well as many others.  Today, Sharon Terry is at the forefront of consumer participation in genetics research, services and policy and leads the Genetic Alliance in providing programs, products and tools for ordinary people to take charge of their health.

Terry will describe the impact genomics have on society and the growing influence of public engagement reminding us to look outside the traditional research box and get involved in the process! A Q&A session with the audience and a reception with light refreshments will follow the talk. This event is free of charge but seating is limited and will reach capacity. Early registration is recommended.

Registration link: http://www.genomebc.ca/drdk

Thank you so much!

Sincerely,

Evelyn

Community Events Coordinator

 

Email: community@ublts.com

Website: www.ubclts.com

Twitter: @ubclts