News

Congratulations to the Class of 2022! Today we celebrated EOAS students who will graduate from UBC this week with a range of specializations. In addition to more than 100 undergraduate students, 24 graduate students will receive their degrees, including 5 Ph.D. students, 13 M.Sc., 5. M.Eng. and 1 M.A.Sc. students.

Catriona Breasley is a first year PhD student at the University of British Columbia under the supervision of Dr Lee Groat. Her research focuses on the lithium mineralization, remobilization and metasomatism at the Tanco pegmatite, Manitoba. Before moving to Vancouver in September 2021, she completed a MGeol Earth Science degree at the University of St Andrews, Scotland.

Kirsten Hodge (Director, Pacific Museum of Earth) & Laura Lukes (Assistant Professor, EOAS) teamed up with Sandy Eix, Director of STEAM learning at Science World to lead a session at the Canadian Association of Science Centres' Action to Impact conference that focused on Strategies for Expanding Science Centre/Museum Impact Evaluation Capacity Through Postsecondary Experiential Learning Partnerships. Session attendees explored how science centres, museums, and postsecondary faculty can develop mutually beneficial partnerships that increase a museum or science centre’s evaluation capacity and considered the advantages and challenges of such partnership models. Models currently underway at UBC between the Pacific Museum of Earth and Laura Lukes, a Discipline-Based Education Researcher, include: an independent undergraduate research project, a science communication course that includes a student-curated exhibit project, and an effort to develop a community-engaged research internship program at UBC.

Science centres and museums want to know who is (and perhaps more importantly, isn’t) visiting their spaces, how they felt about their visit, and whether they will visit again. Geoscience education researchers working in these settings seek to understand how people learn in such informal, self-initiated and self-directed environments, including how they develop attitudes about STEM and make choices about future engagement with STEM-related activities. Visitor activities in informal learning spaces are rooted in social interactions and perceptions of belonging in these environments. Evaluation and research therefore seek to understand who engages, why, and how their experience is in order to improve the visitor experience to be more accessible, inclusive, equitable, and just. Results from such work can then inform a museum or science centre’s ability to create new exhibits and programs that are more inclusive and accessible, broadening the museum or center’s audience.

Last week, the first installment of the PRODIGY field school on Quadra Island ran extremely well. A highly engaged group participated in the field school, including EOAS members Philippe Tortell, Rich Pawlowicz, Ross McCulloch, Michael Bostock, Susan Allen, computer scientist Charles Perin (University of Victoria), and graduate students and postdocs in oceanography, geophysics and computer science. The group visited a variety of laboratories and instrument sites at the Hakai Coastal Ecological Observatory and gained hands-on experience building and deploying a range of ocean sensors.

Photo credit: PRODIGY Team, 2022

Do you know how to estimate the amount of hydration of the subducting oceanic mantle? Watch our interview with EOAS seismologist Wasja Bloch to find out!

Since the 1950s, UBC students have been making the annual trek to Oliver, B.C. for geological field school. Thanks to $2.4 million in contributions from UBC Science alumni, friends, and Teck Resources Limited, this year's field school looks a little different. UBC Science and the EOAS department are proud to announce that students, researchers, and community groups are now welcome at the updated and expanded geology field station.

New staff and student accommodations, as well as a new 4,3000 square foot teaching facility, were made possible by a $1 million donation from Teck. 200 UBC alumi, donors, and friends also contributed to the cause. The new facilities will be used by UBC geology, earth science and geological engineering students to gain critical field skills and serve as a valuable new resource for other research and community groups in the south Okanagan.

Professor Ken Hickey, who teaches the senior field school, shares more details about the new facilities here.