Student Achievements
See how students are addressing global challenges through conservation, geological exploration, and climate research projects.
An “honours” degree involves intense specialization in a single field or a combination of fields (see the Faculty of Science information, & UBC’s details). In EOAS, honours students are expected to complete a 2-term research project under the guidance of a Department researcher. Many make significant contributions to the Department’s research output.
These are often formative experiences for young scientists and professionals. This list of honours thesis topics shows the quality and diversity of EOAS students’ work.
Community and Industry Engagement
Faculty and students are grateful for all the generous time volunteered by our valued project sponsors from local industry, who make it possible for students to gain experience working on real-world geological engineering challenges.
ENVR 400: Research Project in Environmental Science
ENVR 400, “Research Project in Environmental Science” is a capstone course for Environmental Science students. Student teams work with community partners on guided, community-based environmental science projects. Teams articulate project questions and goals, devise methods, conduct research and communicate results.
Click the following dropdown to view projects from recent years. To find abstracts and reports from this course, search by title at the UBC cIRcle repository.
Students | Year | Project Title | Community Partner |
J. Lin, M. Marcus, T. Cui |
2020 | Electrification of the Sunshine Coast Transit System: A Feasibility Study. | 2 Degrees Institute |
Z. Zhang, P. Zhang, Q. Lyu., Y. Tang |
2020 | Evaluating municipal waste management strategies between Vancouver and world cities. | Society Promoting Environmental Conservation |
L. Faulkner, M. Liu, E. Newman |
2020 | Increasing Riparian Habitat and Ecosystem Function in Lost Lagoon through Shoreline Restoration. | Stanley Park Ecology Society |
J. Cheng, J. Mancer, R. Hernandez |
2020 |
Modelling the Impacts of Sea Level Rise on Suitable Dunlin Habitat in the Fraser River Delta. Abstract Accepted: Salish Sea Ecology Conference, April 2020; Cancelled due to Covid-19) |
Birds Canada |
Students | Year | Project Title | Community Partner |
R. Huang, X. Huang, Y. Xia |
2019 | Assessing the Policies and Processes of Waste Management in Four Canadian Cities. | Society Promoting Environmental Conservation |
T. Kapoor, G. Singh, R. Park |
2019 |
Place-Based Learning (PBL) at Riley Park: An Outdoor Educational Tool for BC Schools. External Funding: CCEL Community Partnership Grant |
Little Mountain Neighbourhood House |
M. Poblacion, G. Sharma |
2019 |
Energizing the Public: Designing and Installing a Renewable Energy Demonstration in Riley Park. External Funding: CCEL Community Partnership Grant |
Society Promoting Environmental Conservation |
O. Hester, E. Milne, K. Wang |
2019 | A spatial analysis of terrestrial salamander distributions and disturbance levels in Pacific Spirit Regional Park. | Metro Vancouver |
Students | Year | Project Title | Community Partner |
F. Ramsay, X. Tang, Y. Yuan |
2018 | Beyond Styrofoam: A Life Cycle Analysis and Eco-Efficiency Portfolio of Single-Use Containers (Polystyrene, Plastic, Biodegradable Plastic, Paper, and Aluminum). | Society Promoting Environmental Conservation |
L. Munwar, M. Niyaz, K. Sano |
2018 | Do Ponds on UBC Campus play a role in the well-being of Individuals? | UBC SEEDS |
M. Gray, R. Lewko |
2018 | The Impact of Experiential, Research- and Community-based Learning in Herbaria on First-year University Students. | UBC BIOL121 / UBC Herbarium |
C. Deduque, J. Huynh |
2018 | Physical Literacy and Nature Exploration (PLANE): Enhancing Connections Between Families and Nature. | Little Mountain Neighbourhood House |
EOSC 445: Engineering Design Project
EOSC 445 “Engineering Design Project” is a capstone course taken by all upper-year geological engineering students who work in small teams to solve complex, open-ended design challenges supplied by volunteer Project Sponsors from industry. Click the following dropdown for a summary of recent projects.
Team | Year | Student Names | Project Sponsor | Project |
A | 2023 | Chris Chan, Dylan Chua, Jozi Sebanc, Christian Kyle | BGC Engineering | Jura Creek Risk Assessment and Mitigation Design |
B | 2023 | Mark Grandberg, Kyle Gounder, Kaleb Mailey, Salman Syed | Klohn Crippen Berger |
Tailings Dam Remediation Report |
C | 2023 | Farah ElAmir, David Sadelski, Nakul Sharma, Sacha Vinciguerra | Hatch | Metro Vancouver Coquitlam Main No.4 Tunnel Section – Preliminary Design Report |
D | 2023 | Liam Kramer, Rajan Brar, Jacob Stevenson, Satkaran Kang | Knight Piesold | Purple Canyon Mine Project – Geotechnical Engineering Report |
E | 2023 | Jarod Finnie, Griffin Brown, Angus Wong | Tetra Tech Canada | Pre-Feasibility Pit Slope Stability Assessment |
F | 2023 | Charles Barrett, Michael Uzunov, Alex Barth | WSP | Gold Mining Corporation Gucci Gold Project – Prefeasibility Open Pit Geotechnical Design |
G | 2023 | Ahmin Ahmed, Windson Hau, David Matson, Juan Pablo Torres | Piteau Associates | Cobre Dorado Open Pit Slope Desig |
H | 2023 | Maiya Callister, Taylor Chisholm, Clarisse Owen, Kamila Sadyrgazhy | WSP | Conceptual Closure Design of White Sullivan Pond Tailings Storage Facility |
I | 2023 | Katrijn Bjornson, Julia Costa, Luke Komisarski, Matthew Liew | Klohn Crippen Berger | Landslide Mitigation for CN Rail |
Team | Year | Student Names | Project |
A | 2022 | Adrian Tam, Evelyn Dina, Kyla Boersma, Tristan Campbell |
2022 Scoping Study for an Open Pit Coal Mine |
B | 2022 | Anda Cen, Alexander Cunha, Mitchell Karppa, Stephen Siska |
Eureka Mine Tailings Storage Facility Design |
C | 2022 | Andrew Tongol, Cynthia Lee, Emmanuela Ambah, Sacha Vinciguerra | Steep Creek Hazard Mitigation Design |
D | 2022 | Caleigh MacDonald, Owen Perfect, Gurjap Grewal, Abeer Lamba | Conceptual Closure Design for the White Sullivan Prospecting Mine Tailings Storage Facility |
E | 2022 | Eason Xu, Jade Graham, Justin Hunter, Kristin Gage | The West Coast Way Pedestrian Tunnel |
F | 2022 | Mark Gharghouri, Yulia Hung, Will Raleigh-Smith, Kaden Sadownyk | Tailings Management Facility Site Selection and Conceptual Design |
G | 2022 | Erfy Adeshi, Aurgha Das, Paul Papadoulis, Albert Setiapoetra |
Gucci Gold Mining Project |
Team | Year | Student Names | Project |
A | 2021 | Lucy Myrol, Justin Fuhr, Joshua Kemper, Gareth Jones | Jura Creek Risk Assesment & Mitigation Design Report |
B | 2021 | Émile Fretier-Gauvin, Jordan Fu, Yohann Rurange, Natalie Yim |
St. Cyr Landslide Final Report |
C | 2021 | Sammy Baumgartner, Ashley Chang, Ethan Enns, David Johnson |
Capstone Creek Crossing |
D | 2021 | Alice Xu, Josh Cheng, Hussein ElBanhawi | Tailings Storage Facility (TSF) Siting Study and Conceptual Design |
E | 2021 | Daniel Alphonso, Aaron Arcadi, Nicolas Mejia, Aniko von Wahl | Yoho National Park Trans Canada Twinning Project |
F | 2021 | Matthew Weiss, Christian Valerio, Paul Brezanoczy Edwards | Gucci Gold Pre-Feasibility Open Pit Slope Design |
G | 2021 | Zaara Hussain, Chris Sarrazin, Tavjot Dhanoa, Sanjay Shankar | Pit Slope Design for Phase 3 Expansion at Barro Gold Mine |
Team | Year | Student Names | Project |
A | 2020 | Andrew Funk, Arnaud Dione, Gemma Ferland, Karina Stapleton, Nandini Bulusu | Jura Creek Risk Assessment and Conceptual Mitigation Design |
B | 2020 | Abbas Haider, Alexandra Nagy, Mark-Antoine Berthiaume, Zai Chern Cheng | |
C | 2020 | Justin Kelly, Kendra Mercer, Logan Haubrich, Rian Watanabe, Stephanie Tarnai | Mine Water Management Upgrade Project |
D | 2020 | Andrew Cleghorn, Charles Xia, Ciaran Robinson, Jeremy Young, Raphael Bayaban | Deep Excavation for Residential Tower - Shoring and Water Management Solutions |
E | 2020 | Heya Gupta, Kshitijendra Thakur, Omar Farahat, Piradeepan Uthayakumar, Rachel Choboter | Capstone Creek Highway Widening Design Project |
F | 2020 | Jacob Ong, Jordan Fu, Matthew Ng, Nodir Musaev, Vincent Wong | Burebista Open Pit Slope Design |
G | 2020 | Arlena Kamuzima Musinga, Danielle Bridle, Morgan Weller, Teri Herbert | Gucci Gold Project Pre-feasibility Open Pit Slope Design |
H | 2020 | Gavin Anderson, Matt Doricic, Nouran ElAmir, Youhan Ding | Buchanan Lake Groundwater Supply Feasibility Study |
Geological engineering project competitions
Faculty of Applied Science Design & Innovation Day
Through interactive exhibits and hands-on demonstrations, Design and Innovation Day showcases challenging design projects completed by upper-year UBC students in all disciplines of engineering.
2024 (23W) Design and Innovation Day Winner:
TEAM I: Landslide Mitigation for CN Rail (read about their project here)
Project Sponsor: Klohn Crippen Berger
Project members: Katrijn Bjornson, Julia Costa, Luke Komisarski, Matthew Liew
The Canadian Geotechnical Society’s Student Competition
Funded by the Canadian Foundation for Geotechnique, the nationwide annual Canadian Geotechnical Society Student Competitions recognize excellence among undergraduate and graduate engineering students at Canadian universities. In recent years, UBC geological engineering teams have placed first or second in the CGS competition. We celebrate all participants for their hard work and tremendous achievements! Most recently:
2023 (22W) CGS Undergraduate Report Award (Group) – 2nd Prize:
Project title: Conceptual Closure Design For The White Sullivan Prospecting Mine Tailings Storage Facility
Project members: Gurjap Grewal, Abeer Lamba, Caleigh MacDonald, Owen Perfect
Click the accordion below for a summary of recent UBC entries.
Competition Year | CGS Competition Results | Project Sponsor | Student Names | Report Titles |
2022 | First | Golder Associates | Christian Valerio |
Gucci Gold Pre-Feasibility Open Pit Slope Design |
Matthew Weiss |
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Paul Brezanoczy Edwards |
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2020 | Second | Golder Associates | Ethan Alban | Gucci Gold Project: Pre‐Feasibility Gucci Open Pit Design |
Lucas Fabbri | ||||
Erica Forkheim | ||||
Maddy Hughes | ||||
2019 | First | BGC Engineering | Mat Stephenson | Tailings Storage Facility Prefeasibility Study |
Stephen Marks | ||||
Shawn Matthies | ||||
Jesse Zonneveld | ||||
2018 | First | Piteau Associates | Margie Banda | Abundante Open Pit Design |
Dazy Gosal | ||||
Adam Mickey | ||||
Casey Watamaniuk | ||||
2017 | First | Piteau Associates | Erik Cernik | Feasibility Geotechnical Evaluation: Slope Design Criteria for the Phase II Bafour Open Pit Project |
Lea Johnston | ||||
Takako Miyochi | ||||
Eric (Suqi) Zhou | ||||
2016 | First | Tetra Tech | Roxanne Hasior | Long Lake Tunnel & Surface Cut: Pre‐Feasibility Design & Comparison |
Michael Kraitman | ||||
Jacob Nicklen | ||||
Jacob Nikl | ||||
2015 | Second | Tetra Tech | Gavin Black | Long Lake Project: Tunnel Versus Rock Cut Design Option Analysis |
Savanna Herman | ||||
Shammai Ugalino | ||||
Aron Zahradka | ||||
2014 | First | Piteau Associates | Matthew Gray | Unobtainium & Eludium Mining Ltd Inperfecto Project Pre‐Feasibility Level Slope Design |
Carlin Horkoff | ||||
Jaimie Loughlin | ||||
Robert Kaplen | ||||
2013 | Second | UBC | Jenna Bowling | Foundation and West Approach Embankment Design of the New Fraser River Crossing |
Ryun Humenjuk | ||||
Crystal Lei | ||||
Adam Woods | ||||
Xiao Qin Yang |
EOSC 212: Topics in the Earth and Planetary Sciences
Each year, students in EOSC 212 practice scientific thinking, information synthesis, and communication within the context of a variety of important and relevant topics related to earth, ocean, atmospheric, environmental or planetary science. Their capstone research project involves producing posters and presenting them in public, emulating a scientific convention. Projects are started by posing a question emerging from some feature in a data set of their choice. Then critical thinking, basic data analysis and conceptual or quantitative models are applied to address their interesting and timely topic. Click below for titles of posters created in EOSC 212.
- How does earthquake magnitude and frequency help predict eruptions on the Reykjanes peninsula?
- What is the correlation between oil spill frequency and the long-term ecological consequences on coral reef systems?
- How does climate change affect volcanic effects on climate?
- How does a weakening in the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation affect biological productivity in the southern hemisphere?
- How do atmospheric rivers impact overall precipitation in the southern Sierra mountain range?
- How has global warming impacted the melting of Himalayan glaciers since 1977?
- How does earthquake depth affect earthquake frequency and magnitude?
- How does chlamydomonas invalid affect snow albedo
- What are effects of micro plastics on soil and plant health?
- What caused the mass extinction at the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary?
- Why is rainfall increasing in South America?
- How is hypsographic demography affected by sea level rise?
- Has climate change affected the streamflow of BC’s glaciated watersheds in the past 30 years?
- How and to what extent did COVID-19 affect greenhouse gas emissions?
- What drives tropical cyclones and what is the sensitivity of drivers to global warming?
- Does “fracking” affect groundwater resources significantly?
- How does ozone depletion affect Earth’s ecosystems?
- Can atmospheric rivers affect the stability the Larsen Ice shelf
- How has glacial retreat in central Asia affected slope stability?
- How is the history of seafloor spreading and subduction expressed in the age distributions and chemistry of rocks?
- How is the accelerating instability of Greenland ice affecting human settlements?
- What is the spatial character of recent extreme melting events on Greenland?
- How will sea level rise affect Vancouver?
- Is climate change going to shred tourism in Vancouver?
Highlighting individual past and present EOAS students
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Geological Engineering alumni profiles in Faculty of Applied Science's “Student & Alumni Stars" |
More inspiring profiles in Faculty of Science’s “Alumni Field Notes” |
EOAS alumni profiles in Faculty of Science’s “Gain career experience” |
See the EOAS Alumni page |