Scannell: Grad medalist defines our ‘love of place’

“I was shocked to be nominated and to win,” says Leila Scannell, who has received the Lieutenant Governor’s Silver Medal for her thesis on place attachment. “A lot of people at UVic are doing great things.”

According to her supervisor, environmental psychologist Dr. Robert Gifford, Scannell is very deserving of this honour. “I believe everyone can change the future,” he says. “Leila will change it by inspiring students and advancing this newer field of environmental psychology.”

Scannell received her undergraduate degree from the University of British Columbia with a double major in English literature and psychology. The following year, she taught English in Taiwan and then was drawn back to her home province and the University of Victoria to do graduate studies.

“I was excited by the opportunity to work with Dr. Gifford, who is such a well-known and established researcher in environmental psychology. I was also attracted to UVic by the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions, located on campus.”

Her thesis examines how the people of Trail and Nelson, BC, feel about where they live and if those feelings influence their actions in preserving and protecting their environment. She discovered that even though Trail has a lead zinc smelter in the town as opposed to Nelson’s pristine natural setting, the residents of each town feel that the environmental quality of their area is acceptable. In addition, those who are more attached to the natural aspects of either place are more likely to recycle, reuse and reduce environmental hazards in their community.

“My research indicates the longer you live in a place, the more attached you are,” concludes Scannell. “And that when you are attached, you are more likely to believe your environment is better than may be perceived by non-residents.”

Previous research on place attachment has provided mixed results. Gifford adds enthusiastically, “This is an award-winning thesis because it clarifies the relationship between place attachment and environmental behaviour.”
“The medal gives me momentum to keep going,” says Scannell.

With a graduate fellowship at UVic’s Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions, she is now working toward her PhD. She also considers herself very lucky to have received a three-year Joseph-Armand Bomdardier Canada Graduate Scholarship from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

She will use the scholarship to conduct research on people’s thoughts about climate change as well as the effectiveness of positive messages in climate change communication.

In the future, she would love to teach and continue doing environmental research anywhere in the world, but she notes she does have a fond place attachment to Victoria.
Scannell thanks her supervisor, Dr. Robert Gifford, and her committee members Dr. Frederick Grouzet and Dr. Naomi Pope.