Aurora

Employment & Opportunities

Internship Opportunity - UNEP North America Office

The United Nations Environment Programme's (UNEP) North America Office, based in Washington D.C, is now looking for a full-time Communications Intern to start 3 May 2022. The ideal candidate is social media savvy, has exceptional writing skills and is interested in environment-related topics. To qualify, they must be enrolled in a graduate program or in the final year of a Bachelor’s program; or within one year after graduation from a Bachelor’s, Master’s or Ph.D. program. The position may remain remote due to the pandemic, at least for the short term. 

Applications are due by 7 April 2022. Link to apply.

Job Opportunity for GEOG, ATSC, OCGY Grad Students - UBC, EOAS

The EOAS OCESE (Opensource Computing for Earth Science Education) project is looking for a student to work with us during the summer.

Tasks could involve some Python programming, educational materials development, software workflow documentation, and possibly other tasks.

This part-time job would ideally involve 20hrs per week between early May and end of August, but we are prepared to be flexible to accommodate your availability. We also understand that taking on a job will require agreement with your supervisor, and we would be happy to discuss how this job will benefit you as a grad student.

If you would like more details - OR - if you know someone who might be interested, please contact Francis Jones (fjones@eoas.ubc.ca). We would be happy to discuss all the options regarding type of work, hours available, and any other aspects, as needed.

News & Events

MSc Thesis Defense: Robert McMillan  

Title: Empirical Analysis of Brittle Rock Mass Failure in Response to Cave Advance for Preventative Support Maintenance

Date & Time: Wednesday, April 6, 2022 at 10:00 am

Location: ESB 5104

MSc Thesis Defense: Shumin Li  

Title: Tidal Influence on the Fraser River Plume

Date & Time: Tuesday, April 12, 2022 at 9:00 am

Location: Zoom

BSc Honours Thesis Presentation and Poster Session, ENVR/EOSC 449 - EOS Main Lobby

Thesis Poster Presentation: April 6, Wednesday: 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Poster Session: April 6-7: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM

11:00 AM - Derek Xu: “Blueschist-Greenschist Facies metamorphism in the Bridge River Complex, British Columbia, Canada”, Supervisor: Simon Peacock

11:20 AM - Graydon Gillies: “Examining the biological underpinnings of demographic stochasticity in Bromus hordeaceus”, Supervisor: Rachel Germain

11:40 AM - John Xu: “A textural and chemical study on Sphalerite from the giant Howard’s Pass Zn-Pb deposit: Mechanisms of mass transfer and upgrading of ore during Cordilleran orogenesis”, Supervisor: Kenneth Hickey

12:00 PM - Zoe Zhang: “Postfire greenhouse gas exchange of three vegetation types in a restored bog ecosystem over one non-growing season”, Supervisor: Sara Knox

BREAK (sandwiches / snacks / coffee / tea / juice will be served)

12:45 PM - Katica Naude: “Using imprints of large-scale Southern Hemisphere climate variability on Antarctic ice cores to reconstruct historical Antarctic climate conditions”, Supervisor: Anais Orsi

1:05 PM - Krystal Xiao: “The metamorphic history of Shulaps Ultramafic Complex, B.C. Canada”, Supervisor: Simon Peacock

1:25 PM - Caleb Isaac: “Classification of the intrusive and alteration signatures of the Kwanika Cu-Au porphyry deposit in North-central British Columbia”, Supervisor: Shaun Barker

1:45 PM - Dilan Sunthareswaran: “Using marine fatty acid data to estimate the nutritional value of micronektonic organisms in the B.C. coastal ocean”, Supervisor: Brian Hunt

Biodiversity Days - May 2022

What is Biodiversity Days?

It honors the International Day for Biological Diversity (May 22) and aims to showcase local biodiversity action by individuals, organizations and communities. Hosted by UBC Botanical Garden in collaboration with SEEDS Sustainability Program and CCUB Climate Crisis in Urban Biodiversity Initiative, the celebration features family nature walks, a student showcase, virtual events, practical workshops and more.

Why host Biodiversity Days?

Biodiversity is integral to culture, environment, economy and society; it is threatened by mass extinction. The world is losing ecosystems, species and genes faster than we can account for them.

As an annual event, our goals are to:

• Raise awareness of biodiversity and its importance;
• Mobilize action to stop the loss of biodiversity; and,
• Build a generation of stewards, scientists and citizens that actively protect and restore biodiversity.

When are Biodiversity Days?

As a month-long celebration, events will be hosted throughout the month of May, both online and at various locations across campus. With a student research showcase kicking off the celebration in early may, as well as family walks and citizen science events anchoring biodiversity days throughout the month, the event provides a framework to bring together other events, organizations and groups under the Biodiversity Days umbrella.

2nd Annual Biodiversity Days 2022

• Biodiversity Days Social Media Kick-Off May 1 - Online through social media channels. Kick off our learning and exploring related to the realm of biodiversity.
• Biodiversity Student Research Showcase May 4 - Online through Zoom. Meet student researchers and learn about what they have learned related to biodiversity on campus over the past year.
• Bird Count and Tour May 4 - in-person at the UBC Botanical Garden. Take a tour of the garden and learn how to participate in a bird count.
• Shrub Crawl Date TBD - in-person on campus. Take a tour to learn about shrubs and their role in campus biodiversity.
• Citizen Science - Part 1 Date TBD - Workshop online through Zoom. A showcase of citizen science and how to get involved in activities on campus.
• Citizen Science - Part 2 Date TBD - In-person on campus. Get out in the garden or elsewhere on campus and participate in citizen science!
• Family Nature Walk at the UBC Botanical Garden May 21 - 22 In-person at the UBC Botanical Garden. Participate in a self-guided showcase of biodiversity through a series of education stations.
• Architectural and Artistic Engagement with People and Plants TBD - in-person on campus. Learn how design and art connect people and plants.
• Wellbeing Walk Date TBD - In-person on campus. Take a guided walk and learn about connections between nature and wellbeing.
• Butterfly Bioblitz in BC Schools Date TBD - in schools throughout BC. Kickoff with David Suzuki Foundation.

How can you get involved?

Planning is underway for 2022 and includes both virtual and in-person events. We would welcome other biodiversity-enthusiasts! There are two ways to get
involved:

• Share a biodiversity-related event that your group is already planning on our umbrella website to connect with even more biodiversity-enthusiasts!
• Plan and host a new event related to biodiversity. We will include it on our website and advertising to help reach even more participants. Key topics include climate, biocultural diversity, human health & wellbeing, food, forests, and citizen science.

Interested? Reach us at: garden.programs@ubc.ca