News & events

We have a new Faculty position to fill!

Join us for this year's ES Seminar Series, designed to bring all of ENVI together with the larger community to share thought provoking discussions. Please see our full schedule details below.

Ten UVic researchers join the Royal Society of Canada, including our very own Dr Eric Higgs!

Professor Kara Shaw explains the new Transformative Climate Action program, offered by UVic's Continuing Studies and the School of Environmental Studies.

Ever wondered how scientists unravel the ecological mysteries of bygone eras, long before systematic record-keeping? Believe it or not, one part of the answer is in pirate journals.

Gerald Singh, assistant professor in UVic’s School of Environmental Studies, examines the intersections between environmental management, development and social equity.

Research Assistant or Post-doctoral Fellow Position: Social and social-ecological dimensions of ocean management changes in British Columbia, Canada. Length of term: Full-time, one year, renewable for a partial second year (until 30 June 2024, and possibly longer pending funding availability). Start date January 2nd 2023, or as soon as possible thereafter. Annual salary range: Canadian $60,000 to $70,000, depending on experience and qualifications. Supervisor: Dr. Natalie Ban. Location: University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada. Remote work is possible but not preferred. Some travel with in BC is required. Application deadline: 1 December 2022; Interviews anticipated the week of Dec 5.

Join UVic Instructor Andrew Elves for his presentation: Burns Bogs - Monitoring Restoration and Regeneration on June 17, 2022, 5:00 p.m. Register for this free webinar event. Andrew teaches Ecological Restoration courses with Continuing Studies, supervises graduate work and engages in important research in wetland ecosystems. Currently, he is working with Burns Bog Conservation Society. His research focuses on the role of light as both a biological input and as a diagnostic tool for studying ecosystems. As a guest lecturer in the RNS program, he has covered topics including: urban ecology, ecological field methods, and ecosystem classification. He will be discussing his work within bog ecosystems in the context of ecological restoration.

Hello Bicycle Enthusiasts! From May 30 to June 5, UVic will be participating in the annual Greater Victoria Go By Bike Week (previously Bike to Work Week)! GBBW is committed to raising the profile of commuter cyclists and celebrating cycling as a fun and sustainable way to get around our city. Last year, UVic’s participants cycled over 13,000 km over the course of the week! ANY bike ride counts. You can even log rides taken on smaller wheels like scooters and rollerblades!

Join us for a book launch celebration of Charlotte Coté’s new book A Drum in One Hand, a Sockeye in the Other: Stories of Indigenous Food Sovereignty from the Northwest Coast (University of Washington Press, 2022). March 18th, 2022 at 1:00 pm, First Peoples House, University of Victoria.

February is Black History Month, a time where we celebrate the many achievements and contributions of Black Canadians and their communities who, throughout history, have done so much to make Canada the culturally diverse, compassionate, and prosperous nation it is today. UVic would like to invite you to mark this occasion by joining our Everyday Black Excellence: Being Black on Campus event highlighting some of the Black talent that currently exists within our internal UVic and external community. Not only so, we would like to provide opportunities for attendees to brainstorm ways we can strategically address anti-Black racism in our shared community.

The challenges of today require problem-solvers who bring different perspectives and are willing to take risks. The United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration launched in 2021, and runs from 2021-2030, proclaimed by collective restoration action by over 70 countries. The declaration aims to halt the degradation of ecosystems and create a restorative mindset in our communities. The healthier our ecosystems are, the healthier the planet and its people! This Decade supports ecosystems on every continent and in every ocean. It can help to alleviate poverty, combat climate change, and curtail mass extinction. It will only succeed if everyone plays a part.

Where will you study this summer? Galiano Island? Angers France? Denman Island? Bamfield? Or all over Vancouver Island? Don’t miss your chance to take your learning outside the classroom this summer! The ES Field School Application deadline is February 1. You can direct general questions about field schools to ryzome@uvic.ca.

Loren McClenachan (History and Environmental Studies) was announced as one of the CRCs for the 2020-2 cycle, which includes 188 new and renewed chairs and approximately $151 million in funding at 43 research institutions.

John Volpe lead his class (ES 431) through the “History, Science and Culture of Wine” with classes and labs highlighting the historical, ecological, economic and cultural dimensions of wine production and consumption that uses terroir as a conceptual frameworks to challenge conventional sustainability narratives.

Thursday, 18 November | 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. | David Strong Building, Room C116 "Climate change is caused by human behavior, and can thus be reduced when more people more consistently engage in climate action. Many approaches to encourage climate action target extrinsic motivation, by offering incentives that change personal costs and benefits of behaviour. I will explain why such approaches are not always as effective as assumed. Next, I will discuss factors and strategies that can strengthen individuals’ intrinsic motivation to engage in sustainable behaviour. Intrinsically motivated people engage in climate action without being coerced or incentivised, even when these actions are somewhat costly, as doing so is meaningful and makes them feel good."

This year’s winner (2020-2021) of the Dr Ian and Joyce McTaggart Cowan Scholarship in Environmental Studies at the University of Victoria is Alina Fisher. Throughout her life, from childhood to motherhood, nature has played an important role in Alina’s life. She is now excited to be working on her PhD, which is focused on her interest in wildlife biology, ecology and science communication.

Environmental Studies Rising Stars!

Summer 2021 Field School Information Session Learn more about our Summer 2021experiential field courses! • ES 471/ER 412: Galiano Field Study with Eric Higgs • ES 473: Practical Permaculture Applications with Hannah Roessler • ES 481, A01: Challenges & Trade-offs from Farm to Plate with John Volpe • ES 481, A02: Ethnoecology Field Methods with Darcy Mathews When: January 25th @ 4pm Where: Zoom! Meeting ID: 841 1972 7912, Password: 762747 Questions: Contact laurelc@uvic.ca

The School of Environmental Studies invites applications for future sessional teaching opportunities. Interested individuals please submit a curriculum vita and a cover letter outlining relevant education, professional experience, a list of ES courses you would be able to teach and evidence of teaching effectiveness to esapps@uvic.ca, Subject line: Sessional Instructor interest. Preference will be given to those with a completed or nearly complete PhD in Environmental Studies or a related field and a combination of expertise and experience appropriate to the courses concerned.

A reminder that the UVic campus will be closed for the holidays from December 25 to January 3. The campus officially reopens on January 4, 2021. Classes for the Spring Term begin on Monday, January 11.

This Giving Tuesday, the Faculty of Social Sciences has chosen to raise funds for the Sellemah Scholarship, which was created in honour of Dr. Nancy Turner, who taught in the School of Environmental Studies and who has given her life energy to the reclamation of traditional wisdom. In order to pursue their education, many Indigenous students must leave their families and communities. Your donation today will break down financial barriers for outstanding Indigenous students pursuing a university education in UVic’s School of Environmental Studies. Your generosity will honour Dr. Turner’s legacy and create opportunities for Indigenous students to celebrate stories of community, culture, and natural restoration with their UVic classmates.

Orange Shirt Day at UVic goes virtual this year, featuring a conversation between UVic Chancellor Shelagh Rogers and Phyllis Webstad, whose story sparked the drive to recognize Orange Shirt Day. Join the virtual event on Wednesday, Sept. 30 at noon.

Each year, the Faculty of Social Sciences honours and recognizes excellent students who are making a difference! Congratulations to Environmental Studies third-and-fourth year students who were recognized at this year's Rising Stars 2020 ceremony.

The History Department and School of Environmental Studies at the University of Victoria invite applications for a Canada Research Chair (CRC) Tier 2 (early career) in Climate and/or Ocean History. For this CRC Tier 2 position, all geographical and temporal specializations will be considered. This CRC recruitment is part of a broad strategy to expand and raise the profile of research in climate change and environmental sustainability. The successful applicant will be nominated by the University for a CRC Tier 2 and, upon approval by the CRC Secretariat, will then be offered a position at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor, eligible for tenure. The anticipated start date is January 1, 2021.

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are well known for protecting biodiversity, but their effects on people who use the oceans are debated. Now a new review—led by University of Victoria marine conservation scientist Natalie Ban and 12 co-authors—illustrates that these protected areas can also support human well-being. Urgent need for action to protect marine biodiversity and benefit people.

The School of Environmental Studies invites applications for future sessional teaching opportunities. Interested individuals please submit a curriculum vita and a cover letter outlining relevant education, professional experience, a list of courses you would be able to teach (listing of ES courses), and evidence of teaching effectiveness to: Director, School of Environmental Studies, David Turpin Building, B243b, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, V8W 2Y2. Submissions may be also sent by email to ses@uvic.ca.

Each year, the Faculty of Social Sciences honours and recognizes excellent students who are making a difference! Congratulations to Environmental Studies third-and-fourth year students who were recognized at this year's Rising Stars 2019 ceremony.

An Indigenous leader from Vancouver Island and a world-class athlete with deep Victoria ties have been named to the Order of Canada.

The School of Environmental Studies at the University of Victoria, located on the traditional territories of the Songhees, Esquimalt and WSÁNEĆ peoples, invites applications for a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Political Ecology.

2019 School of Environmental Studies Summer Field Schools: dates and applications deadlines.

The School of Environmental Studies at the University of Victoria, located on the traditional territories of the Songhees, Esquimalt and WSÁNEĆ peoples, invites applications for an Assistant Professor and Director, Restoration of Natural Systems (RNS) Programs. The interdisciplinary field of ecological restoration investigates the causes, consequence and remedies for ecosystem degradation. A joint project of the School of Environmental Studies and the Division of Continuing Studies, the Restoration of Natural Systems (RNS) program at UVic, since 1996, is a comprehensive training initiative for restoration practitioners in North America. The RNS program emphasizes a holistic approach that combines research and theory of the biophysical sciences with skills for effective collaboration with communities in restoration work. The program has evolved to include significant distance education as well as hands-on field-based learning, and has expanded to include Diploma, Certificate, and Professional Specialization Certificate opportunities. Ecological restoration is also now integrated into the undergraduate and graduate programs in the School of Environmental Studies. We seek a restoration ecologist who would like to combine their passion for research and training to continue and enhance the delivery of the RNS program.

Lansdowne Lecture: “‘a grate acation’: The Environments of Fort Victoria in 1847 according to ‘Bushway’ Paul Kane (aka Paolo Canoe, Red Porcupine) and unknown Others” Monday, October 22, 7:00 p.m. David Turpin Building, Room A102 Paul Kane has been rusticating in his fame for some time, a fame that Toronto, Montréal, and London fashioned after his return from travels across the continent to Vancouver Island and Fort Victoria. Who was this “Father of Canadian Art” while he was staying at Victoria and its environs in April and May 1847, and what cultural and other environments did he encounter when Fort Victoria was only four years old?

Walking along the foothills of the northern Peruvian Amazon, 14 UVic environmental studies students—along with instructors Ana María Peredo and Kate Turner and mentors Murdith McLean and Frederique Apffel-Marglin—embarked on a unique learning experience this spring that wove together ecology, economy and spirituality in an Indigenous setting.

New research aims to pick the perfect time to pluck wine grapes off the vine. A new study led by ecologist John Volpe has the potential to transform BC's wine industry at a time when climate change is threatening other wine making regions. As climate change threatens other wine making regions in the world, a new two-year study aims to pinpoint the perfect time to harvest grapes on the West Coast. And these findings may transform the emerging coastal industry, according to lead researcher and University of Victoria ecologist John Volpe.

Field school in ethnoecology, led by UVic ethnoecologist Dr. Darcy Mathews, is a partnership with the Songhees Nation, and offers a rare opportunity to learn about the cultural and ecological past of Tl’ches from Lekwungen Coast Salish elders and community members.

One of Canada’s largest pension fund’s continued and increasing investment in fossil fuels does not support the widely held goal of limiting global warming to 2°C above pre-industrial levels, says a new report by University of Victoria and University of British Columbia researchers affiliated with the Corporate Mapping Project, a six-year research and public engagement initiative.

A guide for vegetable producers farming one acre or hundreds of acres, One Level at a Time combines the latest science-based research with real-world stories from farmers to illuminate the challenges and benefits of organic transition. Full of practical information about organic standards, ecological and agricultural principles (agro-ecology) and marketing to set you on your path to successful organic production.

Learn Outside The Classroom! SOSC 300 combines a semester long placement in a local non-profit with skill-building and reflection through on-campus classes.

Excellence in Graduate Student Supervision and Mentorship: Brian Starzomski, Environmental Studies. https://www.uvic.ca/news/topics/2018+reach-awards+news#graduate

Congratulations JCURA winner Michael Graeme, ANTH & ES Major!

The School of Environmental Studies at the University of Victoria, located on the traditional territories of the Songhees, Esquimalt and WSÁNEĆ peoples, invites applications for a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Political Ecology. Application deadline: May 1, 2018.

The School of Environmental Studies invites applications for future sessional teaching opportunities. Interested individuals please submit a curriculum vita and a cover letter outlining relevant education, professional experience, a list of courses you would be able to teach (listing of ES courses), and evidence of teaching effectiveness to: Dr. Karena Shaw, Director, School of Environmental Studies, David Turpin Building, B243b, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, V8W 2Y2. Submissions may be also sent by email to ses@uvic.ca.

What kind of leader could you be? What tools do you need to get there? This is a 5-day intensive course where you'll learn personal and group communication skills, alternative and community-focused decision-making techniques, presentation and facilitation skills, ethics and self-awareness for leadership.

Congratulations, Julie! Julie’s three-minute thesis Landscape Change Through Before and After Pictures is a finalist in the 5th Annual Three Minute Thesis competition. She placed first in the 3MT competition heats! Congratulations, Stefania! Stefania’s Diving in for Conservation (social media category) has been shortlisted and will be screened at Research Reels Video Showcase as part of IdeaFest. The judges have made their choices and winners will be announced at the end of the evening’s program.

March 1, 2:30 - 3:30, David Turpin Building, B255.

Robin W. Kimmerer is a plant ecologist and Distinguished Teaching Professor of environmental and forest biology at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF) in Syracuse, New York. Robin holds a PhD in Botany from the University of Wisconsin and she is the founder Director of the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment at ESF.

Associate Professor Natalie Ban’s project collaborates with Alejandro Frid, ES adjunct professor, and PhD student Lauren Eckert, lead on the rockfish study.

Read all about this exciting research in the Ring!

Professor Higgs’s project is highlighted in a number of media interviews leading up to International Mountain Day on Dec. 11, 2017.

Join us at the first Environmental Studies Undergrad Café of 2018 for an awesome Field School Information Event! Enjoy tea & snacks, chatting with other ES students and professors,and learning about neat opportunities to take your education outside of the classroom. David Turpin Building, B255, 3:00-4:30 p.m.

Giving Tuesday is a global day of giving. After the sales of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday is a time to celebrate and encourage activities that support charities and non-profits. UVic is taking part in Giving Tuesday for the second time this year; sharing the spirit of philanthropy with all members of our campus community.

Wondering what you can do with your ES degree? Join us for an awesome opportunity to network, chat with ES alumni working in the field, and learn more about the co-op program! Monday, November 6, 3:00 - 4:30 David Turpin Building, B215 - Geography Boardroom. For more information email enviundergrads@uvic.ca.

Donor Relations wrote a summary article about the Living Classroom Donor Event last Thursday, October 26, 2017. Link: https://www.uvic.ca/givingtouvic/home/news/current/living-classroom-donor-event.php?utm_source=donors-digest&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=fall17enews

Leadership Skills for Change ES 378 - A01 CRN 23508 Intensive: Feb 12 – 16, 8:30 – 4:30 Instructor: Ryan Hilperts Environmental History of the Past Ten Years ES 380 - A01 CRN 23799 Instructor: Jeremy Caradonna M/Th, 8:30 – 9:50 a.m. Integral Systems Theory: Philosophy and Practice ES 415 - A01 CRN 21517 Instructor: Duncan Taylor Friday, 9:30 a.m. – 12:20 p.m. Introduction to Data Analysis ES 482, A02, CRN 21528 Instructor: Allan Roberts Tuesday, 11:30 a.m. – 2:20 p.m.

Itching to get out of the classroom? Come learn about 2018 ES field courses! Ethnoecology in Peru • Redfish School of Change Sail in the Gulf Islands • Field Methods in Ethnoecology • Permaculture • Urban Ethnoecology ...and more! Friday October 20 12-1:30pm DTB B 255

These are exciting times in British Columbia for those interested in building sustainable, just and climate-friendly energy systems. The recent change in government could mean a shift away from a corporate agenda driven by the needs of a massively energy-intensive fracking and LNG industry towards one that prioritizes action on climate change, First Nations’ self-determination and community-scale economic development. Indeed, First Nations-led renewable energy generation offers a promising path forward for each of these.

In the villages where University of Victoria biologist Natalie Ban works on BC’s central coast, Indigenous Elders tell stories of the 80 cm-long yelloweye rockfish they once caught routinely. These days, the fish are half that size.

Come join faculty, staff, undergraduate and graduate students and friends of the school at our ES Annual Fall Celebration as we welcome new students, mingle with friends and colleagues, and celebrate the accomplishments and innovations of our school and our people.

The Envi Undergraduate Newsletter is published every two weeks and keeps the ES community up to date about jobs, events, and opportunities for undergraduates in the School. This week, we share ways to study in Peru, work on Galiano Island, brush up your resume, and more! It’s by subscription: visit http://eepurl.com/ckJyaX to subscribe. Here is a link to our first Undergraduate Newsletter for Fall 2017: http://mailchi.mp/21904a35c563/welcome-back-to-es-jobs-events-and-opportunities

ES 380, Environmental History of the Past Ten Years, CRN 23799, January - April, 2018. The course is structured around five issues of current significance: 1) The building of the Site C dam; 2) The proposed Kinder Morgan natural gas pipeline; 3) The Paris Climate Accord and international climate policy; 4) Soil depletion, soil erosion, and the challenge of sustainable agriculture; 5) Conflicts over water in South America and India. Methodologically, the idea is to learn how to use cultural and historical analysis to make sense of environmental problems.

There are spaces for registration in ES courses for the Fall 2017 term (September - December).

The School of Environmental Studies is very pleased to announce the first Lansdowne Early Career Scholar recipient - Associate Professor Natalie Ban.

Prepared by: Dana Cook, MA Candidate,Eryn Fitzgerald, MA Candidate,Dr. Judith Sayers, Adjunct Professor, and Dr. Karena Shaw, Associate Professor and Director, School of Environmental Studies,University of Victoria

John Ralston Saul People in place: the worldview we need Wednesday, May 3, 2017 7:00 p.m. David Lam Auditorium, MacLaurin Building, UVic

Natalie Ban receives Outstanding Early Career Research Award

Dr. Nancy Turner – Celebration! April 13, 2017, Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. First Peoples House - University of Victoria Working Together: Celebrating Stories of Culture, Community & Natural Restoration

The majority of the world’s ecosystems have been profoundly altered by human activities in ways that are essentially irreversible. Global population growth will place ever greater demands on ecosystems and the services that they provide. Using examples from waterway management in Australia, I will discuss the issue of how we manage ecosystems within the bounds of what society demands from them, and in the context of regional factors such as climate change, habitat fragmentation and species invasions. I will argue that restoration is most often an unrealistic goal, and that rebuilding and managing ecosystems for a range of values is the challenge that ecologists truly face. Using data from major environmental management interventions including landscape-scale revegetation, invasive animal control and environmental flow provision I will describe the challenges in restoring, remediating and re-engineering natural ecosystems.

Environmental Studies third and fourth year students who were awarded scholarships in 2016 were honoured at the Rising Stars 2017 awards celebration held on January 31. ES faculty, staff, and alumni join ES students for a photo (above).

Dr. Sigrid Adriaenssens from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Princeton University, presenting Lansdowne Lecture: Resilient and Sustainable Structural Forms. Tuesday, 7 February | 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. David Turpin Building, Room A110

The School of Environmental Studies invites applications for future sessional teaching opportunities. Interested individuals please submit a curriculum vita and a cover letter outlining relevant education, professional experience, a list of courses you would be able to teach (listing of ES courses), and evidence of teaching effectiveness to: Dr. Karena Shaw, Director, School of Environmental Studies, David Turpin Building, B243b, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, V8W 2Y2. Submissions may be also sent by email to ses@uvic.ca.

ES Professor and PICS Director, Sybil Seitziner Times Colonist article.

Every Thursday 2:30-3:30 in the David Turpin Building Room B247 join our ES UG Advisor for conversation, advise, study or just to hang out. Come enjoy free coffee, tea and cookies while connecting with other ES Undergrads.

Mosqoy Textile Fair, David Turpin Building, B247, November 17 and 24, 2016, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Please come to buy your holiday presents and winter wares! You'll find unique, fair-trade, hand-woven products made with alpaca wool and natural plant dyes. Everything from bracelets and wallets to scarves, toques, and table runners!

The School of Environmental Studies has just launched a newsletter for undergrad students! Keep up do date on School events, job postings, volunteer opportunities and more. Sign up here to join the mailing list, and it will come to your inbox every two weeks. If you have something you’d like included in the newsletter, send it to enviundergrads@uvic.ca Also follow ES Undergrads UVic on Facebook for more content!

A short, informal welcome from faculty and staff to new Environmental undergraduate students.

The Starzomski Lab in the School of Environmental Studies has developed a new app to identify over 700 species in the Great Bear Rainforest helping to deepen our appreciation of the biodiversity along BC's central coast.

The School of Environmental Studies invites applications for future sessional teaching opportunities. Interested individuals please submit a curriculum vita and a cover letter outlining relevant education, professional experience, a list of courses you would be able to teach (listing of ES courses), and evidence of teaching effectiveness to: Dr. Karena Shaw, Director, School of Environmental Studies, David Turpin Building, B243b, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, V8W 2Y2. Submissions may be also sent by email to ses@uvic.ca.

The Canada Prizes are awarded annually to the best scholarly books in the humanities and social sciences. The winning books make an exceptional contribution to scholarship, are engagingly written, and enrich the social, cultural and intellectual life of Canada. Dr. Nancy Turner was awarded the 2016 Canada Prize in Social Sciences: http://www.ideas-idees.ca/events/canada-prizes

Congratulations to Environmental Studies Professor and PICS executive director, Dr. Sybil Seitzinger, on receiving an honorary doctorate from Utrecht University in the Netherlands. Dr. Seitzinger was one of four recipients of honorary doctorates at an awards ceremony held in the Domkerk cathedral on March 29. The university said the doctorate has been given in recognition of Dr. Seitzinger’s research into the causes and consequences of climate change, in particular on life in coastal waters and freshwater. Prior to joining PICS and the University of Victoria as a Professor in November 2015, Sybil Seitzinger was for many years the director of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Program at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which focuses on climate change.

Spring is in full swing, and summer is just around the corner! Please join us for the Environmental Studies Summer Send-off! All members of the Environmental Studies community are invited to celebrate the end of term with free food, games, awards and prizes. Meet your fellow ES students and hear what everyone will be up to this summer. Drop in for a quick snack and chat, or stay for the whole time! Environmental Studies Summer Send-off Wednesday, March 30 3:30-5pm David Turpin Room B247 Hope to see you there!

Environmental Studies Field School Info Session Summer 2016. Come and learn about our summer field programs! Tuesday, Feb. 23rd 3-4pm David Turpin Building, Rooms B247/255.

Redfish School of change article in The Ring newspaper: http://ring.uvic.ca/news/studying-sea-learning-land-and-leadership

The discovery of a decades-old collection of children’s paintings gives new perspectives on the residential school experience — and adds hope for making things right. UVic visual anthropologist, Andrea Walsh, works in collaboration with First Nations on Vancouver Island in a community-led research project that focuses on the children’s paintings from the Alberni Indian Residential School, 1959 to 1966.