LFS Today Mar 1, 2022

 News  

REMINDER: 2022 Summer TA positions – Application opens March 7

Yes, it’s already time to think about Teaching Assistant positions for the Summer terms of 2022…

The LFS TA Application will be open for 10 business days only, to accept student applications for TAships for all terms of the Summer 2022 Session.

• The TA App will be open from Mon., March 7^th, 2022 at 9:30am through Fri., March 18^th, 2022 at 4:30pm.

After it closes March 18^th at 4:30pm, application is by instructor or administrator invitation only.

If you are off-campus you will need to use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to access the website.
Check the UBC IT website for help at: https://it.ubc.ca/services/email-voice-internet/myvpn

Questions? Email Virginia Frankian at lfs.ta@ubc.ca

Pacific Agriculture Show – sign up by March 11

The Pacific Agriculture Show is coming up March 31 to April 2 at the Abbotsford Tradex Exhibition Centre.

The Faculty and the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at UBC Farm will have a 10×10 booth for the three days and we are opening the booth to showcase faculty research to the producers who attend. If faculty members, lab staff or graduate students would like to volunteer for a 3-4 hour shift to meet-and-greet agriculture show attendees, they are welcome to join the booth!

We’ve set up a sign-up sheet – please sign up for the booth by March 11:
https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8BPQRm2fE4wdjxQ

Your lab or research group can provide promotional materials – providing background about your work and/or including a call-to-action for show attendees – as well as research slides (up to 5) for our screen display.

If you have any questions, please contact Karen Lee (Karen.lee98@ubc.ca).

New Face in the Finance Office!

Please join us as we welcome Jessie Wu to the LFS Finance team as our new Research Financial Analyst. She will be responsible for the administration of contract and grant accounts for sponsored research and specific purpose funds, providing guidance to the Faculty’s research community. Jessie joins us from VP Finance and Operations, where she held the role of Financial Analyst and before that, she was a Finance Officer for Research Finance so she brings extensive UBC experience. Jessie holds a BSc from Wuhan University, an Accounting degree from BCIT and is CPA and CGA certified. Her first day will be March 7, 2022 so please come by and introduce yourself (either virtually or in-person)!

UBC Dairy Education and Research Centre Named One of the Best Herds in BC

Congratulations to the UBC Dairy Education and Research Centre on being named #3 in BC for best managed herd according to the Lactanet Herd Performance Index (HPI).

To calculate the HPI, Lactanet Canada looks at six indicators: milk value, udder health, age at first calving, herd efficiency, longevity and calving interval to give an indication about the sustainability and health of their dairy operation.

Read more here.

Tech Tip Tuesday: Adding extra time on Canvas Quizzes for students with accommodations

You can add time for students with accommodations via Canvas Quizzes. Create your Canvas Quiz and under the ‘Details’ tab, scroll down to the ‘Assign’ section. Create a new assignment group for the students with the time accommodations. While assigning the timing for the quiz, add the different time deadlines for the 2 groups (Accommodation students, everyone else).

For more information and assistance with Canvas Quizzes, please contact the LFS Learning Centre at it@landfood.ubc.ca

 Events  

Today – Info Session from Genome BC on Partnership Program

The latest round of the Genome Canada Genomic Applications Partnership Program (GAPP) has launched. GAPP funds downstream research and development projects that address real world opportunities and challenges identified by industry, government, not-for-profits and other “Receptors” of genomics knowledge and technologies. GAPP projects are collaborations between academic researchers and Receptor organizations and are funded by Genome Canada and co-funded by Receptors and other stakeholders.
Genome BC staff will deliver a brief presentation on the competition followed by a Q&A session. Interested applicants will have the opportunity to have one-on-one conversations with Genome BC staff to help develop ideas.

• Tuesday, March 1, 10-11:30am
• A Zoom link will be sent to registrants before the session

Full session details and registration: https://sparc.ubc.ca/announcement/genomic-applications-partnership-program-information-session

Mar. 3 – IRES Seminar Series

Title: Decarbonizing Canada’s Remote and Off-Grid Communities: Assessing the feasibility of Implementing Energy Storage Technologies to Reduce Fossil Fuel Dependency

Presented by: Celeste Pomerantz, MSc student, IRES

About: This research seeks to analyze multiple energy storage technologies to determine which will be the most feasible solution for implementation within Canadian remote communities to reduce fossil fuel reliance and provide potential long term cost savings.

—–

Title: From Food ‘Waste’ to Food ‘Cycle’: biocultural heritage and the sharing of oral histories for secure and sovereign communities

Presented by: Atlanta-Marinna Grant, Indigenous MA student, IRES

About: Her research aims to incorporate interdisciplinary approaches in the realm of Indigenous food sovereignty, governance, bicultural heritage and the preservation of Indigenous knowledge through oral histories and storytelling.

—–

Date: Thursday, March 3
Time: 12:30pm to 1:30pm (Pacific Standard Time)
Location: AERL Theatre, Room 120 (2202 Main Mall)
OR via Zoom: REGISTER in advance for this Zoom seminar.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing the Zoom link.

Learn more here

Mar. 4 – SOIL Seminar with Christophe Boyer

Title: Evaluation of N-urea fertilization to accelerate western redcedar growth, enhance soil carbon stocks and decrease greenhouse gas emissions on Haida Gwaii.

Presented by: Christophe Boyer, MSc student in Belowground Ecosystem Group at UBC Forest and Conservation Sciences

About: This seminar will report on pre-fertilization carbon pools (tree measurements and soil C) as well as closed static chamber GHG efflux measurements taken over 56 days (spring 2021) following N-urea fertilization.

Friday March 4, 3:00 pm

How to Join
In-person McMl 154 Please note that participation will be limited due to the capacity of the room. Email sandra.brown@ubc.ca to save your spot.
Livestreaming via zoom is available for this presentation; pre-registration required.
https://ubc.zoom.us/meeting/register/u5MvduurrT4oHNF6SJLdx8V34tYVfePOWLyj
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Learn more here

 Deadlines  

Mar. 11 – UBC Farm Undergraduate Research Competition 2022

The Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at UBC Farm Undergraduate Research Competition provides financial support for innovative, undergraduate-led research projects at the UBC Farm. In 2022, $6000 of total funding is available, while individual projects can apply for a maximum of $3000 in funding. Students need to identify a primary supervisor (UBC graduate student, postdoctoral researcher, or faculty member). Undergrads from any UBC Faculty are eligible.

Find out more and apply here: https://ubcfarm.ubc.ca/ubc-farm-undergraduate-research-competition/

Deadline to apply: March 11, 2022

Mar. 21 – Youth Employment and Skills Program (YESP) Now Accepting Applications

The Youth Employment and Skills Program (YESP) delivered by Agriculture and Agri-food Canada is now accepting applications for the 2022-2023 program year. Applications will be accepted between February 28, 2022 and March 21, 2022.

The Youth Employment and Skills Program will contribute approximately $3.7 million in wage subsidies to employers who hire youth (between the age of 15 and 30 inclusive) for agricultural jobs. Projects may start as early as April 1, 2022 and end no later than March 31, 2023.

New this year, the program will focus on youth facing employment barriers. The list of barriers is as follows:

• Indigenous
• living with a physical disability
• living with a diagnosed mental health disability
• visible minorities
• recent immigrant
• residing in a remote location
• living in a low income household
• single parent
• early school leaver

Applicants will be limited to 2 applications unless additional funding is received by the program.  Application intake will close midnight on March 21, 2022.

For additional information regarding the program and to apply, click here.