Blue & Gold Campaign for Students

November 22, 2018

Blue & Gold Campaign for Students: Supporting Local and Global Students

UBC launched the Blue & Gold Campaign for Students with the goal of raising $100 million over three years to support students. Those who give to the Blue & Gold Campaign provide promising students access to a life-changing education — and perhaps more importantly — invest in the future of our province and our global community.

Born and raised in Kenya, Monicah Namu explains why she felt compelled to come to UBC for a Master of Food Science degree, a professional program within the Faculty of Land and Food Systems. Without donor support, she could not have made the journey to Canada.

“I was very interested in helping my community in terms of food security as my country experienced famine and crisis,” said Namu. “I could see the lack of good agricultural inputs and knowledge of how to process food after production, which included post-harvest loss of almost 40 per cent. I thought, if I can do something, now is the time.”

Namu was supported by the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, which gives students from Africa financial, social, and academic support to complete their education. After graduating, the scholars then use their learning and experiences to contribute to the economic growth and social transformation of their communities in Africa.

“Words cannot explain my gratitude to the Mastercard Foundation for having a program that supports students from sub-Saharan Africa to study at global universities like UBC. I could not have done this without their support.

I am so happy they gave me an opportunity to study here. There are so many other kids from Africa who have dreams, and because of financial constraints they can’t achieve those dreams and most of them give up along the way. Donor support to help someone achieve a dream goes a long way in changing society; the support doesn’t just benefit me, it benefits my community too.”

In the Faculty of Land and Food Systems, students in the professional programs sometimes experience financial hardship due to program costs and demands, especially when unpaid work experience is a requirement of the program. The professional programs include Master of Food and Resource Economics, Master of Food Science, Master of Land and Water Systems, and Dietetics.

These programs are training the leaders of tomorrow to find solutions to pressing problems in our global food system and in our natural resources.

UBC students such as Monicah Namu are ready to create meaningful change and tackle the challenges that affect us all. Supporting these promising students today — so they are equipped to build a better tomorrow — is more urgent than ever.

Please consider supporting the Blue & Gold Campaign for Students to change their world so they can change ours! Contact Alexa Class-Freeman, Development Officer, alexa.class.freeman@ubc.ca, to learn more.

If you are an alumni interested in getting involved with our students, please get in touch. We want to hear your story. Contact Niki Glenning, Alumni Relations Manager, niki.glenning@ubc.ca.

Milestones

November 22, 2018

Milestones

In this section:

Awards
Hires
Retirements

Awards

Maja Krzic Receives Award for Excellence in Open Education

Associate Professor Maja Krzic has been leading a transformation in online soil science education. She won an Award for Excellence for establishing the Virtual Soil Science Learning Resources (VSSLR) group which involves 30 Canadian soil scientists, media developers, students, and educators focused on developing open access tools. So far the group has created 18 open online tools, adopted by more than 27 Canadian and 15 international post-secondary institutions. Krzic has been developing open online tools in the areas of soil science, agriculture, forestry, land management, and natural resources since 2001. BCcampus, a provincial organization that supports innovations in post-secondary education, gave the award.

Crystal Karakochuk Receives Early Career Award

Assistant Professor Crystal Karakochuk received a Thrasher Research Fund Early Career Award. This program supports young researchers in developing their pediatric research. Karakochuk received the award for a project examining the pros and cons of using high-dose folic acid supplementation in children with sickle cell disease.

American Dairy Science Association Recognizes Marina Von Keyserlingk

Professor Marina von Keyserlingk won a DeLaval Dairy Extension Award from the American Dairy Science Association (ADSA) at their annual meeting in Knoxville, Tennessee. This award recognizes her valuable and long-term contribution to the dairy industry in the extended areas of production, manufacturing, marketing, and/or youth work.

Next-Generation Pesticide Captures Ignite B.C. Award

Assistant Professor Juli Carrillo and research partners Terramera, a Vancouver company, and Zamir Punja, an SFU Professor, won an Ignite award from Innovate BC. They are developing a safer generation of plant-based pesticides derived from Neem and Karanja oils. Innovate BC, a Crown agency, supports researchers and industry in accelerating the commercialization of promising products through its Ignite program.

UBC Recognizes Parm Bains as an Outstanding Alumni

UBC has awarded Parm Bains (BSc Agr ’79) an Alumni Builder Award to recognize his mentorship, passion for agriculture and commitment to the excellence and sustainability of the Faculty of Land and Food Systems. Bains is President and CEO of Westberry Farms, and he provides leadership to LFS in his role as chair of the Faculty Advisory Board.

The Alumni Builder Award recognizes a cross section of alumni representing all faculties who have significantly contributed to the University and enriched the lives of others, and in doing so, have supported alumni UBC’s mission of realizing the promise of a global community with shared ambition for a better world and an exceptional UBC.

Global Resource Systems Alumna Receives Emerging Leader Award

Veronika Bylicki (BSc GRS ‘17) received the Emerging Leader Award from the Real Estate Foundation of BC. This award recognizes the impact that a new leader is having on land use, conservation, or real estate in B.C. Veronika is the co-founder and co-director of CityHive, a Vancouver-based organization that provides opportunities for civic-minded, city-shaping youth to get involved in their cities.

Roy Tam Joins Advisory Council of Alumni UBC

Roy Tam (BSc Agr ‘98) has recently joined the alumni UBC Advisory Council. Tam is Senior Director of Research and Development at Nature’s Path Foods based in Richmond, B.C. He leads a team of Food Scientists, Nutritionists, and Specifications team members. Tam develops innovation pipelines, drives margin improvement initiatives, and oversees consumer and market research to support the success of new product launches.

Emeritus Award Given to Eunice Li-Chan

Eunice Li-Chan, Professor Emerita, received a 2018 Emeritus Award from the Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology (CIFST). Li-Chan was recognized with an honorary title for contributing meritorius service to the food industry and the CIFST.

Caroline Ritter Receives Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship

Caroline Ritter, postdoctoral fellow, has won the most prestigious postdoctoral award in Canada, a Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship. This award attracts and retains top-tier postdoctoral students in Canada and helps position them as leading researchers of the future. She will be researching the social networks of dairy farmers with Professor Marina von Keyserlingk.

Hires

New Marketing & Communications Director in the Faculty of Land and Food Systems

Karen Lee is the new Marketing & Communications Director in the Faculty. She looks forward to promoting our alumni and student success stories, our outstanding programs and research, and finding opportunities to bridge our work with external communities. Prior to joining UBC, Lee worked in higher education for seven years, and has experience in the not-for-profit and private sectors. She graduated from UBC with a Bachelor of Commerce degree.

If you have an intriguing story, please connect at karen.lee98@ubc.ca.

Retirements

Murray Isman, Professor of Applied Biology and former Dean of the Faculty of Land and Food Systems, retired from UBC in June 2018

Isman first came to UBC as a student, receiving his BSc and MSc in Zoology in 1975 and 1977, respectively. He joined the Faculty as an Assistant Professor in 1983, and was promoted to full Professor in 1994.

He served as Dean from 2005 to 2014. Under his leadership, the Faculty launched three new professional master’s programs – Master of Food and Resource Economics, Master of Food Science and Master of Land and Water Systems – and the undergraduate program in Applied Biology. Undergraduate enrolment also rose by 40% during this time and 14 new faculty members were hired.

Since stepping down as Dean, he has served as the director of the Applied Biology program and is currently the interim director of the Wine Research Centre.

An internationally recognized scientist, he performed extensive research for over 35 years in the areas of insect toxicology and behavior, with particular emphasis on the discovery and development of botanical insecticides. He has authored over 200 refereed publications (cited more 16,000 times), including 28 book chapters, and co-edited two books. He also serves as a consultant to the biopesticide industry.

In 2011 he received the Gold Medal for outstanding achievement from the Entomological Society of Canada and was elected a Fellow of both the Entomological Society of America and the Royal Entomological Society (London) in 2014. He also received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Professional Pest Management Association of B.C.

Karol Traviss, senior instructor and program coordinator of the Dietetics program, retired from UBC in August 2018

Traviss received her BHE Dietetics 1979 and MSc Human Nutrition 1998, both from UBC. She joined the Faculty in 2003 as an Instructor and was promoted to Senior Instructor in 2008. As the Dietetics Program Coordinator, she spearheaded substantial improvements and growth for the program, and has shared her dedication and passion in educating future dietitians.

Tagged with: 2018

Kelleen Wiseman to Lead Master of Food and Resource Economics Program

November 22, 2018

Kelleen Wiseman to Lead Master of Food and Resource Economics Program

Kelleen Wiseman is the newly appointed Academic Director and Manager of the Master of Food and Resource Economics (MFRE) program. With over 15 years of teaching and mentorship experience with LFS and other UBC faculties, and recognition in 2018 through a UBC Killam Teaching Award, Wiseman’s classes focus on food and agri-business entrepreneurship, finance and strategy. She was involved in the program for several years prior to assuming her leadership role in August 2018. In addition, Wiseman has industry experience in the agri-food business, banking and marketing sectors in North America. She has worked for Farm Credit Canada, the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture, and Oracle Corporation, and has managed her own business development consulting business.

Wiseman’s current research includes the economics of food quality and the role of regulation in supporting health communication and food manufacturing strategies. Wiseman received a BSc in Agriculture and a BComm from the University of Saskatchewan, an MBA in Agribusiness from Santa Clara University, California, and a PhD from UBC.

George Kennedy, the previous Academic Director and Manager, played a key role in the development of the MFRE program since it started 10 years ago. Kennedy has successfully grown the program to a current 2018 cohort of 35 students and an alumni network of more than 230 graduates from over 30 countries. Under his leadership, the MFRE program won the UBC Peter Larkin Student Development Award in 2017.

Tagged with: 2018, Faculty, Master of Food and Resource Economics

Connecting Communities Through the Culture of the Hive

November 22, 2018

Connecting Communities Through the Culture of the Hive

Sarah Common (BSc Global Resource Systems 2009) is the co-founder of Hives for Humanity, a non-profit society, based in Vancouver (www.hivesforhumanity.com). The organization works to connect people to nature, their community and to themselves, through apiculture (more commonly known as beekeeping).

What drew you to the Global Resource Systems (GRS) program and what did you choose to focus on?

After beginning my undergraduate degree abroad, I came back to Vancouver wanting to connect locally with community through land and food. The flexibility of the GRS program gave me the time to find my focus, and I ultimately chose the issue of food security in the downtown eastside (DTES).

Where did the idea for Hives for Humanity come from?

I continued working in the DTES after graduation and was looking for ways to give back to the community there. I started with creating wellness groups focused on food, to building kitchen programming opportunities, to connecting with community gardens. It was in the gardens that I felt something shift. I partnered with my mum, Julia Common, a Bee Master and B.C. Honey Producers’ Association certified instructor, to bring a hive of honeybees into one of the gardens. That first season was an immense success – the people, garden and bees all flourished. We co-founded Hives for Humanity after that, in September 2012, and have since

What’s the focus of the organization today?

The heart of our work is in therapeutic mentorship of at-risk communities in the art of beekeeping; we work to empower folks facing barriers to stability to alleviate poverty, foster self-worth and community pride, and to share and teach skills through experiential education. We currently have therapeutic apiaries (‘bee yards’) at 19 locations in the city, through partnership with other organizations and businesses. Each location’s apiary and programming is designed in collaboration with the staff and community members and responds to their specific needs and opportunities.

We also facilitate creative and welcoming workshops and mentorships that build skills, enhance teamwork, and provide wellness and connectivity, for communities ranging from after-school care groups to corporate volunteer groups.

Through all of this we aim to change the way we think about bees, people and ourselves. There is hope in the darkness; there is opportunity for inclusion, accessibility and sustainability. If we can connect through our shared humanity and listen to the voices of others, then we might honour the vast network we are all a part of, and build reciprocal relationships of respect and dignity for all.

Applied Biology Undergrad Makes the Case for Grooming Brushes in Barns

November 22, 2018

Applied Biology Undergrad Makes the Case for Grooming Brushes in Barns

That urge you get to scratch an itch? It turns out dairy cows have it too.

At the UBC Dairy Education and Research Centre in Agassiz, B.C. (dairycentre.landfood.ubc.ca), Emilie McConnachie (BSc Applied Biology 2018), designed and conducted a study that investigated dairy cows’ motivation to access a mechanical brush for grooming.

“In a naturalistic environment, cows will groom and scratch themselves on trees and other abrasive surfaces. Modern, indoor housing systems do not typically have access to similar resources with which they can groom,” said McConnachie. “It was previously unknown whether this mattered to them, and this study sought to find an answer.”

The study was made possible due to an Undergraduate Student Research Award (USRA) from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), which McConnachie received in 2016.

She set up mechanical brushes behind a weighted gate that the cows could push with their heads to gain access. The weights were gradually increased over time, meaning that cows increasingly paid a higher price to access the brush. An identical set up was used with fresh feed behind the gate.

“In this study, we found that cows were willing to work as hard to access the brush as they were to access fresh feed. This allowed us to conclude that cows are highly motivated to use a mechanical brush and that it is a very important resource to them.”

The study was published in Biology Letters in August, and was picked up by media outlets such as the New York Times, the National Post, and CBC News.

“My goal was to have a positive impact on improving the lives of animals. By pursuing research in farm animal welfare, there is tremendous potential to create change and consequently improve billions of animal lives.”

The following year, McConnachie received a Mitacs Globalink Research Award, which took her to Florianópolis, Brazil, for four months where she was part of a research collaboration investigating public attitudes towards genetically modifying agricultural animals to have better welfare. The findings of this study will be published next spring.

McConnachie went on to receive a second NSERC-USRA before graduating from the Faculty in 2018. She is currently in a doctoral law degree program at the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law in Chicago, IL.

Tagged with: 2018, Animal Welfare Program, Undergraduate

Patricia Hingston, Instructor

November 22, 2018

Patricia Hingston, Instructor

When she was younger, Patricia Hingston thought she would become a dentist but her interest in microbiology unexpectedly led her down a different path – and into food sciences.

She officially joined Land and Food Systems on July 1 as an Instructor, where she teaches food microbiology and oversees third- and fourth-year food science lab courses. Hingston was already familiar with the university as she just completed her PhD here in May. During her studies she worked as an LFS Sessional Instructor and as a Teaching Assistant in the courses Exploring our Foods and Microorganisms in Food Systems.

As an undergraduate student at Dalhousie University, she had planned to become an orthodontist. Her aptitude for research and ability to win NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Awards meant that she spent three summers working in a food microbiology lab. Her fate was sealed during those summers.

“My undergraduate research made me interested in food science and I ended up switching into the program and graduating with a Bachelor of Applied Science in Food Science. What I especially love about food science is that it applies the three main branches of science (biology, chemistry, physics) to solve issues surrounding food production and safety,” Hingston said.

After completing her bachelor degree, Patricia’s undergraduate research supervisor offered to arrange for her to participate in a research exchange at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, if she pursued a master’s degree in food science. Patricia took the bait and eventually obtained a MSc in Food Microbiology from Dalhousie University.

In 2013, she travelled across the country to UBC Vancouver to start her PhD in Food Science. She won an Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate scholarship and studied under Associate Professor Siyun Wang. Her research focused on explaining stress survival mechanisms used by the human foodborne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes to survive in food and food processing environments.

She brings an enthusiasm to teaching that stems from the joy of bringing real-world examples into the classroom and showing the application of science. She also enjoys helping her students navigate career pathways in the field.

Making a Community Impact at the Greater Vancouver Food Bank

November 22, 2018

Making a Community Impact at the Greater Vancouver Food Bank

In an era of using data to gather business intelligence, an alumnus from Land and Food Systems is making a difference at the Greater Vancouver Food Bank. Kevin Elsaputra (MFRE 2016) is the organization’s first-ever data analyst.

Elsaputra made a major impact on operations: he is building strong data protocols, practices and reports to make evidence-based decisions that help improve food quality.

Aart Schuurman Hess, CEO of the Greater Vancouver Food Bank (GVFB), places a high priority on measuring the organization’s impact and said they are close to achieving a goal of having 70 per cent of the food they share be wholesome or fresh.

“Kevin has played an instrumental role in helping us develop methods that accurately measure food quality,” said Hess. “These methods have been a critical component for us in charting our overall progress around the quality of food here at the food bank.”

Elsaputra became a full-time employee in February 2018 and he supports many areas of the organization, such as predicting fluctuations in GVFB member visits across their distribution sites each week.

“I really enjoy being able to help the other departments with new and customizable solutions in Excel.”

Elsaputra began working with the GVFB while he was a student in UBC’s Master of Food and Resource Economics program back in 2016. His initial project was under the supervision of Professor James Vercammen. Initially, they were refining an existing database at the GVFB that catalogued food donation information – name, UPC code, ingredients, nutrition, etc.

That project grew in leaps and bounds with support from Land and Food Systems’ Learning Centre. The Learning Centre provided two UBC IT staff who augmented the database with a nutritional ranking program based on fields already captured. This custom-built program is still in use today and is tracking over 9,500 different food products with a user-friendly interface.

Elsaputra has worked closely with nutritionists to set food quality standards. The GVFB is a progressive organization and has elevated monitoring the nutritional value of incoming and outgoing food to new heights.

In 2016, the GVFB began developing nutritional rankings using BC’s Guidelines for Food and Beverage Sales in Schools and the Canada Food Guide then modifying them for a food bank-specific setting.

Throughout this work, GVFB members have shared that they have noticed an improvement in food quality and appreciate that they can access more nourishing foods.

Interested in Food and Resource Economics (FRE) research? Check out the website here!

Ambassadors for Elephants

November 22, 2018

Ambassadors for Elephants

This past August, four UBC undergraduate students took part in a new field study program on Asian Elephant Compassionate Conservation in Thailand (LFS 302D). The goal of the program was to explore how the science of animal well-being can be used in conservation to improve outcomes for animals, people and the environment.

For four weeks, Maria Chen, Maya Weston, Laurelie Menelon (all in the Applied Animal Biology program), and Mikaela Gerwing (in the Natural Resources Conservation program in the Faculty of Forestry) were welcomed into the homes of local families in the remote village of Huay Pakoot, in northern Thailand. They participated in an on-going research program with the Mahouts Elephant Foundation (MEF), in collaboration with the Institute for Compassionate Conservation, that is studying the behavior, social dynamics, bioacoustics and food ecology of a group of re-wild elephants.

“The elephant tourism industry in southeast Asia draws people into having experiences with them that are often harmful to the animal, in a way that is not always evident to the tourist,” said Chen. “The habitat created by the Mahouts Elephant Foundation provides for an eco-centric relationship between us and the animals.”

Elephants in the tourism industry can be forced into activities such as giving tourists rides on their backs or painting with their trunks, which can be detrimental to their welfare.

The field course works collaboratively with the MEF, a UK-based charity (mahouts.co.uk). MEF is dedicated to improving and protecting the lives of Asian elephants, who have often been forced into the tourism industry, by re-introducing them into a conserved natural habitat.

The habitat, which currently houses four elephants, is 3200 hectares of forest and mountainous terrain. Since it would be impossible to have fully wild elephants in Thailand today, MEF is working toward a competing model of ecotourism, which includes an autonomous life for the elephants while still being watched over by traditional elephant keepers or guardians, called mahouts. This allows for a sustainable, welfare-focused tourist experience that supports the livelihoods of mahouts and the community, while also providing a sanctuary for the elephants.

Each student was responsible for conducting research projects focused on an individual topic of interest:

Maria looked at the relationship between mahouts and their elephant(s). Mahout-elephant relationships are formed over many years and with only one mahout at a time.
Maya looked at juvenile play behavior, between the youngest elephant in the herd, Sunti, and the other elephants, as well as with the mahouts. Sunti is the first and only elephant to be born in the MEF habitat.
Laurelie looked at the foraging behavior of the elephants, such as food harvesting, food processing, and how much time the elephants spent looking for food.
Mikaela looked at object manipulation by the elephants, in relation to food processing, grooming, and movement, by observing different occurrences and trends among individuals.

Data collection for their project involved long hikes into pristine bamboo and tropical evergreen forests, assisting traditional mahouts, assessing forest habitats and surveying other wildlife.

In addition to their course-related activities, the students participated in local activities such as rice planting, foraging, language lessons, and fabric and basket weaving.

Kristen Walker, an instructor in Applied Biology and for this field course, is looking forward to the growth of this program. “This is a unique hands-on opportunity for UBC students to be a part of an immersive learning experience in the field of compassionate conservation.”

Since their return to UBC, the students have been presenting the findings of their research to their peers within the Faculty, and encouraging different discussions on animal welfare.

Feeding Growth Dishes Out Ideas for Growing Young B.C. Food Businesses

November 22, 2018

Feeding Growth Dishes Out Ideas for Growing Young B.C. Food Businesses

Earnest Ice Cream, Spread ‘Em Kitchen, and Nuba have something in common. They all received help scaling their businesses through workshops offered by Feeding Growth.

Launched in 2015, Feeding Growth has helped more than 300 food entrepreneurs grow their sustainable food businesses. It’s where entrepreneurs turn to gain expertise in branding, marketing, sales, distribution, manufacturing, growth and sustainability.

“Feeding Growth is a collective of progressive food business leaders striving for social, environmental and economic sustainability,” says Véronik Campbell, Feeding Growth’s Managing Partner. “Our workshops offer the tools and the supporting network businesses need to grow their impact.”

Feeding Growth is an LFS initiative led by the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at UBC Farm, and partners include Vancity and Fluid Creative.

B.C. food industry veterans give back to the rookies, presenting their insights in the five-workshop series Scale Your Progressive Food Business as well as its Coffee Series dialogues. Feeding Growth experts impart the wisdom of someone who has been there, made mistakes, and found a path to success.

Feeding Growth alumni and the experts that support them have formed a community that is working to transform the B.C. food industry.

Melissa Mills of Spread ’Em Kitchen is a Feeding Growth success story: her vegan dips are now sold in over 100 stores in four provinces. But it wasn’t always easy. She started with a blender and a bicycle selling at Farmers’ Markets without a plan or knowledge about how to scale up.

“All of the Feeding Growth classes were exactly what I needed to hear and learn about. You get all your questions answered and learn about questions that you didn’t even know you had,” said Mills.

Mills shared her story with the group of 40 hopefuls at this year’s sold out workshop session on sales and distribution, with attendees such as Rocky Mountain Kitchen coming from as far as Fairmont Hot Springs for the workshop.

“As an entrepreneur you are so alone, trying to grow your business,” added Mills. “Feeding Growth blew my mind, it’s the best thing to happen to the small progressive food system in Vancouver.”

To find out about upcoming events, visit feedinggrowth.com.

Drawing from the Land to Transform Indigenous Food Systems

November 22, 2018

Drawing from the Land to Transform Indigenous Food Systems

Researchers in the Faculties of Land and Food Systems and Education are examining how Indigenous land-based teaching and learning can inform Indigenous food security, and support the development of food sovereignty frameworks grounded on self-determination, Indigenous knowledge, and a decolonized food system.

What is Indigenous land-based learning? It recognizes the deep connection and relationship of Indigenous people to the environment: knowledge and learning occur when people engage with their surroundings and strengthen their appreciation of the land.

Few studies exist on adapting Indigenous land-based pedagogies to urban place-based learning. This study can reveal how to implement culturally appropriate frameworks to mobilize Indigenous knowledge, deliver cross-cultural education, and help to transform Indigenous food systems.

Leading the research is Associate Professor Eduardo Jovel, in collaboration with Professor Hannah Wittman from LFS, and Associate Professor Tracy Friedel from the Faculty of Education. Much of the initial research is taking place at xʷc̓ic̓əsəm Garden (Indigenous Health Research and Education Garden) at UBC Farm. Later stages of the project will include selected Indigenous communities in the province.

The project, funded by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Insight Grant, has several objectives including the development of protocols for engagement with Indigenous communities and maintaining reciprocal beneficial relationships.

Other investigators from LFS include Postdoctoral Researcher Alannah Young, focussing on land-based pedagogies and community protocols, and PhD student Wilson Mendes, exploring how Indigenous learning at xʷc̓ic̓əsəm Garden impacts Indigenous youth knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions related to Indigenous food sovereignty in urban spaces.

David Robinson (pictured), an LFS master’s student in Integrated Studies in Land and Food Systems, is also part of the research team. His research is focussed on understanding how land-teachings emerge through carving, orality, and relationality.

Robinson, from the Timiskaming First Nation in northwest Quebec, is the first artist in residence stationed at xʷc̓ic̓əsəm Garden where he spent 17 months carving a sculpture from red cedar. Throughout the creative process, Robinson engaged with hundreds of visitors to the garden, drawing upon their Indigenous knowledge about the land and sharing a dialogue about traditional teaching.

“At a time when reconciliation is on the foremost Canadian agenda, I have found a personal way to integrate First Nations art and education on the land,” said Robinson. “Art and tools, ceremony and community, and the commitment to creating encounters between all citizens who are invited to touch the cedar piece, form a memory.”

Robinson’s carving features a Thunderbird, twisting wood representing tension, and a lightning snake. Youth visitors envisioned the forms and Robinson translated these into his sculptures.

Shane Pointe, xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Elder, and Knowledge Keeper shared the history of the Thunderbird and lightening snake for cross-cultural knowledge exchange. Through ceremonies, he formally honoured the roots of the red cedar’s origin and then welcomed the final, transformed piece to xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) land.

According to Jovel, Robinson’s creative process contributed to the ongoing research by capturing the educational process and pedagogies rooted in traditional learning practices including orality, language, ancestral knowledge, and land genealogies.

“Our research approach respects Indigenous worldviews and research methodologies and aims to enhance teaching and learning by shifting toward the inclusion of diverse perspectives and ways of knowing for all learners,” said Jovel. “This project formalizes community-university partnerships between UBC Farm’s xʷc̓ic̓əsəm Garden and other stakeholders. Also, it will provide support to policy-makers, institutional representatives, educators and Indigenous groups interested in advancing land-based Indigenous pedagogical practice.”

Over the last 13 years, Indigenous land-based knowledge has been mobilized at the UBC Farm, located on unceded ancestral and traditional territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) people. Elder Larry Grant from xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) gifted the name xʷc̓ic̓ əsəm: The Place Where We Grow to the Indigenous Health Research and Education Garden in 2016.

Blue & Gold Campaign for Students