CFUR Presents: The Abstract

Dr. Michelle Venter has studied forests across the globe but now turns her focus to British Columbia as part of the Conservation Solutions Lab at UNBC. We talked about what makes forests so important in the fight against climate change and how and where they store and capture carbon (hint, it's not just the trees!) Michelle also talked about forest practices that we see across northern BC as well as her incredible field work in the super remote and rugged forests of Papua New Guinea. If you care about forests and you care about climate change, this is the episode for you!

On this episode we spoke to PhD candidate Rahim Jafari about his research on how to reduce scouring around bridge piers, a problem that can lead to bridge collapse! Rahim also talked about other work he has done in water resources in Iran and the differences between water scarce Iran and water rich Canada. Finally, we got to hear some fun stories about living at a remote research station and what it was like to move to northern BC from a large city in Iran. 

This week we talk with our friend Cale Babey who is completing a masters thesis at UNBC. Cale's research investigates the predation of juvenile endangered white sturgeon by river otters in the Nechako watershed. His research aims to support the efforts of the Nechako White Sturgeon Recovery Initiative (https://www.nechakowhitesturgeon.org/) by improving the understanding of predation of hatchery fish upon release and investigating preventative measures. Cale's work has been showcased on CBC and CKPG news and his mastery of the subject shines in each interview. 

On a somber note, we also pay respects to our friend Dan Larson who passed away this last year. Cale shares a classic Dan story from when they lived together and talks about ongoing tributes to a great character.

CBC Article: Otter dung reveals secrets of missing sturgeon in B.C. river

CKPG Article: Otters munching on sturgeon released for conservation purposes, says study led by UNBC grad

In our first episode of the second season, we speak to Dr. Karine Pigeon. Dr. Pigeon is a post-doc working with the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative and UNBC. Her current work focuses on the intersection of environmental factors and wildlife behaviour, while trying to help humans and wildlife coexist. She is also a bear expert who has worked on caribou recovery projects in Alberta and thus, we talked about all things hibernation, conservation, and her ski-bum life prior to joining the research world! 

http://www.karinepigeon.ca/

Tune in for discussions with three inspiring female members of the UNBC Community to gain a deeper understanding of microaggressions and unrealistic beauty standards, and the effect these have on women and visible minorities. This episode is being released as part of IWAU 2020 virtual event series. More on IWAU, including upcoming events, can be found at IWAU.ca.

For our final episode of this season, we speak to Dr. Joseph Shea. Dr. Shea is a professor at UNBC using remote sensing data to get a better understanding of BC's snowpack and the impact of the snowpack on water resources. We talked about his past work across the globe, the work his new Mountain Snow Hydrology Lab (MOSH) will be doing at UNBC, and the importance of creating music in keeping a balanced life. All of the music on today's show comes from his band Trundled's new album High Water, which you can find on bandcamp. (https://trundled.bandcamp.com/)

Dr. Erin Baerwald joined UNBC in January of 2020 to bring her knowledge of ecology and bats to the research community. Tune in to learn a wide range of facts about bats and the struggles that these incredible creatures face across the Canadian Prairies as wind energy projects are increasingly being adopted as much needed low carbon energy resources. We also learned about how her research is shifting to fit the landscape and industries of her new home in British Columbia. 

Ann Duong is a recent graduate and soon to be master's student at UNBC who has a wide range of research experience. We chatted about her work using zeolites, which occur naturally, to fight toxic microcystins associated with blue-green algae. We also talked a lot about why Ann is so passionate about research and how she got involved in so many different projects throughout her undergraduate degree. Ann is a UNBC Research Ambassador and talked about what this program is designed to do, what her cohort of ambassadors accomplished over the past year, and how students can get involved both in research at UNBC and the ambassador program itself.

Dr. Mark Groulx is an assistant professor in the School of Environmental Planning who does research in topics ranging from food security to smart growth, all within the context of northern cities. In this episode, we talked to him about some of the tenets of urban planning, a project focused in Prince George that he is undertaking with Dr. Ben Bryce that blends historical research and planning research, and why he is so passionate about our unique university in Northern BC. 

This week we speak to David Breault, a recent graduate of the NRES program who currently works as a wildlife research analyst. Tune in to learn about diving surveys of seabed invertebrates off the coast of Haida Gwaii, terrestrial wildlife surveys, using nitrogen isotopes to determine an animal's diet using samples of fur, and a discussion of science communication and education.