Global Food Ethics Project

Global Resource Systems Alumna Receives Gates-Cambridge Scholarship

May 11, 2015

Congratulations to Jodi Gustafson on receiving a Gates Cambridge Scholarship!

Jodi, an alumna of our Global Resource Systems program, is one of three Canadian students – and the only UBC student – selected among 54 Gates Cambridge Scholars who will begin their postgraduate studies at the University of Cambridge this September. Gates Cambridge Scholarships are prestigious, highly competitive full-cost scholarships awarded to outstanding applicants from countries outside the UK.

Jodi will pursue a Master of Philosophy in conservation leadership. While in the Global Resource Systems program, she produced a documentary, Qikiqtaruk- Herschel Island: Yukon’s Vulnerable Arctic Treasure, which highlighted the impacts of climate change on Inuvialuit communities in Canada’s Western Arctic.

She was also recently named one of Canada’s Top 25 Environmentalists Under 25 for 2015 as listed by The Starfish.

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LFS Centennial Session | Genetics vs Food: Are we truly what we eat?

May 4, 2015

Part of the Faculty of Land and Food Systems Centennial Dialogues, Critical Issues in Land and Food Systems series 

On April 29, Alumni UBC, in partnership with the Faculty of Land and Food Systems, and the Heart & Stroke Foundation, held a panel discussion exploring the effect of diet and genetics on chronic disease.

What’s more harmful: fat or sugar? Should I drink a glass of red wine every day, or abstain from alcohol altogether? We spend a lot of time worrying about how our dietary choices are impacting our health. In fact, hardly a day goes by where we’re not hearing about how the “latest studies” suggest that we make immediate dietary changes. But some experts suggest that our genetic predisposition for disease is actually the most significant factor in our overall health. So how vigilant do we really need to be about our diet?

Moderator

• Rickey Yada, BSc(Agri)’77, MSc’80, PhD’84 – Dean and Professor, Faculty of Land and Food Systems, UBC

Panelists

• Dr. Susanne Clee, PhD’01 – Assistant Professor, Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, UBC
• Desiree Nielsen, BSc(Food, Nutrition and Health)’06 – Registered Dietitian and Owner, Desiree Nielsen Nutrition Consulting
• Brad Popovich – Chief Scientific Officer, Genome BC
• Yves Potvin – Founder and President, Gardein

Listen to a podcast of the discussion here:

This discussion was recorded April 29, 2015, at the York Theatre in Vancouver.

Photos

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In Memoriam: Gary Rolston (BSc Ag. Economics ’81)

April 29, 2015

Gary D. Rolston was born September 2, 1956 in Oliver, B.C. The third of twelve children, Gary was a farm boy through and through. He carried his passion for agriculture into his professional life, graduating from UBC with a BSc in Agricultural Economics in 1981. After university, Gary worked in farm land property management in Alberta and the Fraser Valley. He moved to Comox in 1987, and spent twelve years as District Agriculturist with the BC Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

In 1997, Gary founded From the Ground Up, an agricultural consulting business in Courtenay, B.C.

Gary co-authored a handful of publications relating to agricultural planning and land-use in Comox and the Fraser Valley. He worked tirelessly on his own career, as well as volunteering for numerous boards and committees advocating for local agriculture.

Gary is survived by his wife Joan, children Erik, Abby, Jodi (Tyler) and grandbuddy Edgar, his fantastic father, Dave, and siblings, Grant (Lauralee), Rick (Marcie), Barb (Doug), Judy (Chris), Terry (Colleen), Rob (Cheryl), Kevin, Ryan (Jen), Ken (Karen), Andrew (Korrie), as well as many nieces and nephews, friends, and colleagues.

A celebration of life will be held at the Native Sons Hall (360 Cliffe Ave, Courtenay, BC) on May 9th from 1pm to 4pm and the family requests that donations be made to the Young Agrarians in lieu of flowers.

With files from the obituary for Gary Rolston.

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Q & A with Kyly Whitfield, PhD Candidate in Human Nutrition

April 24, 2015

Kyly Whitfield is a PhD Candidate in UBC’s Human Nutrition program. Her current research combines food science and nutrition as she tests the efficacy of thiamin-fortified fish sauce to combat infantile beriberi in Prey Veng, Cambodia. (Watch Kyly present her 3-Minute-Thesis on this study at the UBC 3MT Finals.)

What’s something you think is unique/special about LFS?

Diversity is a major strength of our Faculty. Interdisciplinary and collaborative research is the way of the future, and I think we are well aligned in LFS to continue in this direction.

What’s your favourite holiday?

Christmas! It brings together everything I love – music, family and friends, and LOTS of delicious food!

Is there a book that has changed your life?

Cambodia’s Curse has been extremely helpful in my doctoral research. This book, written by international journalist Joel Brinkley, gives a journalist’s perspective on the modern history of Cambodia. I read it right before my first trip to Cambodia, and it highlighted so many important historical, social, and cultural issues that, in my view, have the potential to affect nutrition right from agricultural and growing practices, to food preparation, to food choices and cooking methods.

What made you want to become a part of LFS?

I was drawn the International Nutrition research team. I saw a PhD in Human Nutrition as an opportunity to fuse my passions for research and travel. Did I ever make the right choice! I am surrounded by grad students and faculty mentors who are curious, intelligent, open-minded, hard-working, and full of amazing research ideas!

Where do you see yourself in five years?

I hope to stay in academia, and in a perfect world see myself as a faculty member in a thriving nutrition department conducting international research (hopefully in Cambodia and elsewhere) and teaching about nutrition and food security.

What’s your favourite part of doing research/being a student at UBC?

I feel so lucky with my doctoral research because I get to live in two worlds. In Canada I am surrounded by bright, curious, and enthusiastic grad students, undergrads who are eager to learn, and amazing faculty mentors. In Cambodia, I work with programmatic experts in nutrition at Helen Keller International and spend my days working with local government or nutrition NGOs, or with study participants in rural villages. Living in academic and programmatic worlds surrounded by passionate experts has been an unbelievable training experience.

If you won a free plane ticket to go anywhere in the world, where would you go?

Istanbul is at the top of my bucket list. I am dying to wander the Grand Bizarre surrounded by spices from around the world!

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Toasting Five Successful Years of the Think & Eat Green @ School Project

April 2, 2015

The Think & Eat Green at School Project is a research partnership led by the Faculty of Land and Food Systems (LFS) at the University of British Columbia (UBC). It is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council  (SSHRC) of Canada. For a full list of project partners, please visit the project website.

Earlier this month, UBC researchers, students and community members were welcomed to the Think&EatGreen@School (TEGS) closing conference, a full day celebration of the five-year Project, featuring presentations related to food, sustainability and education at Vancouver Technical Secondary School.

The TEGS initiative aims to create healthy and sustainable food systems at elementary and secondary schools throughout the Lower Mainland.

The conference welcomed various speakers – including professors, community partners and students – who engaged in discussions of the program, and the importance of food system, ecological and healthy food education at a grade school level.

Past student participants spoke about how they have been positively impacted by the program’s focus on the importance of healthy eating and sustainable food production; many of these students have since become leaders in food, sustainability, environmental, nutrition and health education in the UBC and Vancouver community.

The conference also featured presentations from City Councilor Andrea Reimer, a representative of Vancouver’s Greenest City Initiative; UBC Professor Emeritus Lee Gass, Former Canada’s Professor of the Year; and Zenobia Barlow, Director of Berkeley’s Centre for Ecoliteracy, who framed the event within a larger context of ecological education and sustainability on a global scale.

Dr. Rojas speaks at the 2013 TEGS Institute

The TEGS project’s Principal Investigator Alejandro Rojas and Research Coordinator Gwen Chapman also emphasized the program’s enormous success and provided an optimistic outlook for the future of ecological education. TEGS projects will continue on after the official end of the program.

LFS graduate student and TEGS contributor Stephanie Shulhan remarked on the conference’s sense of community, accomplishment and positive outlook for the future. “I was especially happy to see that everyone is eager to make sure that this community of learners and the work that it does keeps going strong,” remarked Shulhan.

The TEGS program has made an invaluable contribution to ecological education for students, and has had wide-reaching impacts throughout the Lower Mainland community.

On March 28, the final portion of the two-day experiential learning Think&EatGreen@School Institute was held at David Thompson Secondary. The Institute hosted 80 teachers and K12 students from Metro Vancouver, and featured a combination of plenaries and hands-on workshops focusing on different components of the school food system: food gardens and orchards; composting and waste management; food procurement; food preparation and consumption; innovations in teaching and learning; and school food policies. To view photos and materials from past Institutes please click here.

• Watch a short documentary about the Think & Eat Green @ School Project on Youtube.
• Download past reports and abstracts for scholarly publications from project researchers

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