LFS Today Apr 20, 2021

Animal Welfare has two Postdoctoral positions available. Please share with your network!

We are looking for a Postdoctoral Fellow to lead research activities related to stakeholder views of gene editing technology. This research project will focus on potential animal welfare enhancing gene-edited technologies as applied to dairy and beef cattle, and will examine perceptions, trust and adoption in interested groups varying from farmers to consumers. A better understanding of perceptions towards gene-editing technologies may inform future policy and communication efforts that can enhance trust in the food system, and help Canadian food businesses more confidently predict which gene-editing technologies are likely to find societal acceptance. For full details please see the posting:
https://www.landfood.ubc.ca/postdoctoral-research-fellow-animal-welfare/

We are also looking for a Postdoctoral Fellow to lead research activities related to the history of breeding technologies and animal welfare in cattle. This research will contribute to the historical portion of a larger interdisciplinary project that examines perceptions, trust and interest in gene-editing technology among and within the milk and beef supply chains from farmers through to consumers. The historical research will focus on understanding perception, trust, and adoption of historical breeding technologies among all interested groups from farmers to consumers. As a result, the benefits of this project are as diverse as the stakeholders involved. A better understanding of the history of perceptions towards breeding and gene-editing technologies will allow for improved interdisciplinary work within the project, will aid communication efforts, and potentially enable enhanced trust in the food system.
https://www.landfood.ubc.ca/postdoctoral-research-fellow/

Tech Tip Tuesday by LFS Learning Centre

Setting up a backchannel for communications between instructor and TAs can help ensure online exams run smoothly. UBC recommends and approves of using Microsoft Teams for this (unofficially we’ve also heard of people using Slack, WhatsApp and other messaging services).

To set up a backchannel, open the chat on Teams and click on ‘New Chat’ (Ctrl+N/Command+N). Enter the names of all the members on the invigilation team and send a message. You can also rename the group chat for clarity.

Climate Justice Webinar Series: Hannah Wittman panel speaker

Take Nature as the Measure: The Search for Sustainability is the next topic of this webinar series. Speakers include Wes Jackson, one of the founders of the sustainable agriculture movement, author Robert Jensen, and UBC professors Hannah Wittman and M.V. Ramana. In more than four decades as president of The Land Institute, Wes Jackson became widely known as one of the founders of the sustainable agriculture movement for his work on perennial grains and Natural Systems Agriculture. Learn about Jackson’s ideas to advance sustainable agriculture and the other dramatic changes necessary if we are to effectively address climate change and other ecological crises and create a sustainable and just society for all to thrive.
Everyone is welcome.

Date: Wednesday, April 21
Time: 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm
Register: Click here 

Presented in partnership with: The School of Public Policy and Global Affairs; Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at UBC Farm; Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability; Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences; and UBC Sustainability

Share Your Experiences Navigating Change

In order to work well, we must be well. At UBC, we are committed to strengthening the resilience and wellbeing of our workforce while increasing capacity to navigate change.  During the past unprecedented year, LFS has continued to collaborate with central HR and the LFS Mental Wellbeing Working Group to support staff and faculty resilience and wellbeing amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

We want to hear from you. We invite you to take five minutes to complete the Change and Wellbeing Survey. Your responses are confidential and your input will help us get create better support systems and resources for faculty and staff members at LFS.

The Change and Wellbeing Survey is open from April 13-27.

Take the survey:
https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6gpZ8KelnhGxdpc

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Barbara Hsiao at Barbara.hsiao@ubc.ca.

Media coverage – Martina Clausen

Martina Clausen (MSc, Integrated Studies in Land and Food Systems, 2017) was quoted in the Victoria News about protecting wild bee populations by creating safe nesting spaces in gardens. Clausen is a research scientist with UBC’s BeeHIVE Research Cluster, board member with the Native Bee Society of B.C., and works as a lab manager in Juli Carrillo’s Plant-Insect Ecology & Evolution Lab.

Advancing Climate Change Science and Technology Request for Proposals

Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Climate Action and Awareness Fund (CAAF) has opened a request for proposals (RFP) for Advancing Climate Change Science and Technology Research. More information about CAAF can be found at the link above.

This RFP will fund projects that will strengthen Canada’s science capacity to understand, identify, accelerate, and evaluate actions towards achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The total envelope of the RFP is to $59M.

To be eligible for funding under this request for proposals, lead applicants must be one of the following:

• not-for-profit non-government organizations (NGO, e.g., environmental community groups),
• Indigenous organizations, or
• universities and academic institutions.

Lead applicants are encouraged to develop collaborative proposals and partner with other academic institutions and organizations, including federal, provincial, territorial, or municipal government partners. While supporting applicants or partners are not required as part of the proposal, their participation will be treated as an asset, or additional strength, as it reflects the opportunity and potential for knowledge transfer.

There is a two-step application process, consisting of a Letter of Intent (LOI) phase open to all eligible applicants, followed by an invitation-only full proposal phase. The applications will be accepted only through the Grants and Contributions Enterprise Management System. The deadline to submit a LOI is June 10, 2021.

ECCC will be hosting a webinar session to share information on the Advancing Climate Change Science and Technology request for proposals.

Date and time: April 22^nd, 2021 1:00 p.m. EDT
Registration is required for webinar sessions. Please register here