Fall 2012
SCHOOL OF
ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY TALKING SENSE
SENS Celebrates Five Years! 2007 – 2012 www.usask.ca/sens
School of Environment and Sustainability University of Saskatchewan Kirk Hall, Room 323 117 Science Place Saskatoon, SK S7N 5C8 Executive Director Toddi Steelman, PhD Photo above courtesy Merle Massie, Post‐Doctoral Fellow. In addi‐
tion to writing and editing articles and books for publication, Merle instructs ENVS 802: Human Dimensions of Environmental Change, and she took this photo during the class field trip to Emma Lake in September. Newsletter Editor Sharla Daviduik, MRM, EPt Administrative Officer Cover photo taken at the Emma Lake during the ENVS 802 field trip; photo courtesy Raea Gooding. Raea is a student in the MES program, and she is studying nitrogen cycling and retention in an agriculturally affected watershed to aid in assessing beneficial management prac‐
tices. Please submit your comments to sens.info@usask.ca CONTENTS 2 3 Executive Director’s Message 4 John Patterson, Practitioner‐in‐Residence 4 Markus Hecker Appointed PromoDoc Ambassador 5 SENS Profiles 6 Dennis O’Connor Shares Insights About Walkerton 7 ENVS 801 and 802 Students Take to the Field 8 Fall Convocation 2012 8 Pointers from the Post‐Docs 9 Community‐Engaged Scholarship: Chelsea Willness 9 SENS/SLU: A Growing Partnership 10 SENS Five Years On 10 Upcoming Events School of Environment and Sustainability | University of Saskatchewan | Fall 2012
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE DR. TODDI STEELMAN Hello! I am pleased to be writing my first message as Executive Director of the School of Environment and Sustainabil‐
ity. I started in August, and have had a warm welcome from a supportive, highly professional staff, an innovative faculty, and intellectually curious students. SENS was tempting enough to draw me and my family 2,100 miles to become part of the exciting opportunities here—and it has delivered. I can sincerely say that I am eager every morning to come to work and be part of the diverse, pioneer‐
ing activities in which SENS is engaged. SENS is a grand experiment in what scholarship can be in the 21st century. By this I mean scholarship broadly writ—
education, research and discovery, inte‐
grating ideas and practice, and engaging local and global external communities to have a meaningful impact. Our focus on problem‐oriented, interdisciplinary scholarship is part of the distinctive iden‐
tity I wish to champion during my time as Executive Director. I want SENS to continue to push boun‐
daries as a nationally and internationally known destination for provocative, wide‐ranging approaches to environ‐
mental sustainability. We have a dynam‐
ic team of faculty and students working across the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and physical sciences. Faculty, students and staff are commit‐
ted to a vision of creating and integrat‐
ing multiple understandings of natural and human environments. Just a few of the interesting projects include Delta Day, to be hosted by Dr. Tim Jardine in early February. This event will include discussions of the wetland ethnoecology of the Saskatchewan River delta, featur‐
ing guests from the University of Mani‐
toba, Opaskwayak Cree Nation, Cumber‐
land House Cree Nation, and the North‐ ern Village of Cumberland House. Dr. Doug Clark is conducting SSHRC‐funded research about why polar bear‐human conflicts occur and how best to respond to them, in collaboration with communi‐
ties and wildlife managers in the western Hudson Bay region. Dr. Maureen Reed is leading a SSHRC‐funded collaborative partnership with the Canadian Biosphere Reserves Association and 16 biosphere reserves, to identify, practice, and assess how strategies for team‐based research, networking, and social learning might help biosphere reserves become more effective in achieving their mandate. Our students are also pursuing cutting‐
edge work—recent MES graduate Tobi Jeans studied First Nations food security, and MSEM grads Jennifer Locke and Em‐
manuel Ogbeide completed projects con‐
cerning corporate environmental sus‐
tainability. This is a truly unique group, striving to engage in innovative research and education. I am continually amazed at the willing‐
ness of faculty and students to question how we practice our craft and be open to re‐visioning a different path that can work better for all. Increasingly known for innovative teaching and curriculum design, SENS continues to embody a learning organization approach to adap‐
tively manage class and program delivery in the most vibrant educational environ‐
ment possible. For instance, team‐
teaching is the basis of our interdiscipli‐
nary model of education, and Dr. MJ Bar‐
rett is leading an evidence‐based re‐
search project to harvest best practices from our faculty and others so we can leverage these teaching tools better. To meet students’ needs, we will offer a condensed course format in the 2013 winter term. This lets students take ad‐
vantage of study abroad opportunities with our partner universities and allows for in‐depth study. This year, we are host‐
ing Practitioner‐in‐Residence John Patter‐
son, an environmental project manager, and we welcome Special Advisor on Community‐Engaged Scholarship Chelsea Willness. Chelsea is assistant professor in the Edwards School of Business and an associate with SENS, and her enthusiasm is infectious. SENS will strive to increase its external presence in the upcoming years. The school is a member of the Saskatchewan Environmental Industry and Managers’ Association, and has established working relationships with ECO Canada, the City of Saskatoon, the Meewasin Valley Authori‐
ty, Saskatchewan Environmental Society, Wanuskewin Heritage Park, Agriculture in the Classroom, the Craik Sustainable Liv‐
ing Project, the South Saskatchewan River Watershed Stewards, the Redberry Lake Biosphere Reserve, Habitat for Humanity, and the Saskatchewan Waste Reduction Council. As we work to enhance existing partnerships, we will focus on forging new ones, both inside and outside the university. Our legacy as scholars and members of larger community will be judged, in part, by our ability to contrib‐
ute to these partnerships and move Sas‐
katchewan forward. I am determined that our knowledge, energy, and creativi‐
ty will not stay locked inside of Kirk Hall. My first few months have been a great pleasure. I look forward to what the New Year and next term hold in working with the SENSational people at SENS. Sincerely, Toddi Steelman, PhD Executive Director School of Environment and Sustainability | University of Saskatchewan | Fall 2012 3 SENS WELCOMES JOHN PATTERSON PRACTITIONER‐IN‐RESIDENCE
His career has taken him around the world, and now U of S alumnus John Patterson has found his way back to the University of Saskatchewan, as SENS’ Practitioner‐in‐Residence for the 2012/13 academic year. Like many at SENS, Practitioner‐in‐
Residence John Patterson enjoys time in the great outdoors. With a BA from the U of S and a Master of Environmental Design from the University of Calgary, John has worked for the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and SNC Lavalin, in environ‐
mental advisory and environmental project management roles. His résumé reads like the passport of a seasoned world traveler: Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uz‐
bekistan, Indonesia, Bhutan, and Malaysia. SENS had been considering hosting a Practitioner‐in‐Residence for some time, and when John contacted then Acting Executive Director Maureen Reed, the match seemed perfect. Given his extensive background as a project manager and as an environ‐
mental advisor, his credentials were ideal. “When I first met with John, he spoke about what he could offer to our students—such as a project management workshop and ideas about professional practice,” Dr. Reed says. “He is genuinely interested in working with young people. He fits with SENS professionally and philo‐
sophically.” Thus far, John has facilitated a project management workshop for students from SENS, Geography and Planning, and Toxicology, and will assist in advising students in the Master of Sustainable Environmental Management Program about professional practice as they embark on their ENVS 992 research projects. “I enjoy the enthusiasm of ‘younger environmentalists,’” he says, when asked why he has chosen to become part of the SENS community, "and, through SENS, I have exposure to people who are defining and addressing environment and sustainability issues, locally and abroad.” Perhaps John’s most important role at the School will be to pro‐
vide encouragement to students, as they look toward their ca‐
reers in the environment and sustainability sector. “Starting your career may be frustrating as you believe you have much to offer. You do! Graduates of SENS will have communications skills, and will have demonstrated they can work unsupervised and complete high‐quality projects on‐time. SENS also offers a highly useful experience working with others through the ENVS 992 Research Project. My suggestion is for SENS students to gain the maximum knowledge and experience available, set high standards for yourself, and persevere, persevere!” Indeed, as many SENS alumni have gone on to successful careers in provin‐
cial government, with consulting firms, or with NGOs, John’s words of advice seem to have already been proven true. MARKUS HECKER APPOINTED PROMODOC AMBASSADOR If his associate professor appointment and Canada Research Chair weren’t enough to fill his schedule, Markus Hecker is also very ac‐
tive in promoting SENS on the international front, particularly where student exchanges are concerned. He was instrumental in making initial linkages between SENS and the MESPOM program, a prestig‐
ious Master’s in Environmental Sciences, Policy, and Management managed by a consortium of four European universities and two North American universities. Now, he has been named one of twenty‐five ambassadors of the European Commission PromoDoc Initiative. This program focuses on promoting European doctoral education opportunities to American and Canadian students, as well as those in Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, and South Korea. “The PromoDoc program will provide great opportunities for both our students and the university as a whole. Studying abroad can provide life‐changing, horizon‐broadening experiences,” says Markus. “In fact, my personal experiences as an international scholar have shaped, and continue to shape, my career, working on solving environmental issues around the globe.”
4 Associate Professor Markus Hecker was recently named an am‐
bassador for the European Commission PromoDoc Initiative. School of Environment and Sustainability | University of Saskatchewan | Fall 2012
SENS PROFILES: FACULTY DR. MJ BARRETT SENS affiliation: Assistant professor, prima‐
ry appointment with SENS, secondary ap‐
pointment with Department of Curriculum Studies, College of Education.
Research interests: Boundary‐crossing—
whether in human‐nature relations, energy healing, ways of knowing, ontology or edu‐
cation. My passion for education drives me to want to learn how SENS can reach its highest potential as a place for learning about how to “do sustainability” well. I am really curious about what happens when we are creative and think outside our own box‐
es. Place of birth: Halifax, Nova Scotia. Most significant achievement: I am thrilled with the results of my teaching and re‐
search on multiple ways of knowing and how they can be applied to complex and very real environmental questions. I love how my students have responded to this approach, looking at innovative ways of working together and with the land, and of doing research. I am also pleased with my doctoral dissertation in hypertext (www.porosity.ca), and with creating op‐
portunities for students to become more whole, and holistic, in their approaches to sustainability. I am persistent—and a risk taker. A colleague says I help people figure stuff out, deal with it, and move on to bet‐
ter, more fun and productive things. We figure out what gets in the way, and move past it—both collectively and individually. All are essential for sustainability. SENS PROFILES: STUDENTS
KARI AMICK Kari’s thesis research focuses on the management of chronic wasting disease. SENS affiliation: MES student. Research interests: Wildlife management, conservation biology, environmental eth‐
ics, and environmental history. If that doesn't sound like one Master’s thesis, it’s because it’s not: my research is on adap‐
tive governance and community prefer‐
ences for the management of chronic wasting disease. Place of birth: Berkshire County, MA, USA. Most significant achievement: I helped raise eleven whooping cranes for reintro‐
duction in 2010. Favourite music: When I was seven a don‐
key bit me at a folk music festival. As you would expect, this engendered a lifelong fondness of harmonicas, fiddles, and songs about trains. I also like a pretty broad range of other genres, though it’s worth noting that my affection for folk music does not quite extend to country (which is, of course, a different genre). Influences: Various communities I've been a part of: towns, family, friends. And books, with special mention of ones by Aldo Leopold, Jacques Ellul, Holmes Rol‐
ston III, Wendell Berry, Rebecca Solnit, and John McPhee. What impact do you hope your research will have? I think any research that offers further insight into how conservation Favourite music: Just about anything. Though I’m not so into metal.
Influences: The land, my mom, years as an outdoor educator, my many teachers of energy healing, and a doctoral supervisor (Paul Hart) who emphasized the im‐
portance of paying attention to episte‐
mology. What impact do you hope that your re‐
search will have? I want to work in a place where people are healthy, love the land and are passionate and inspired about the kinds of work they get to do. I want to be part of creating that. How do you define sustainability? When I talk about sustainability, I ask a question: what is it we want to sustain? efforts can connect with communities and when community involvement is most effective is valuable; it is my hope that my research will contribute to that, and also be valuable to practitioners in the areas where I'm doing my work. How do you define sustainability? I think we can probably all agree with the dictionary definition here—which is to say that sustainability has to do with suste‐
nance, or (because you shouldn’t define a word with its root word) the maintenance of certain levels of certain things (and that might be even vaguer). The idea of sev‐
enth generation sustainability—thinking seven generations ahead—is a good one, but I think it’s more important to consider what sustainability looks like in practice, and I’m not sure I have a clean description there. I suspect environmental sustainabil‐
ity, at this point, will mean not sustaining certain lifestyles, but I like to hope that a little awareness about the web of factors that contribute to environmental sustain‐
ability (or the lack thereof) might go a long way. School of Environment and Sustainability | University of Saskatchewan | Fall 2012 5 SENS PROFILES: ALUMNI SKYE KETILSON, CLASS OF 2012 Skye received her MES degree at Spring Convoca‐
tion 2012. Her thesis is entitled “Regional Strate‐
gic Environmental Assessment: Roles and Stakes In Arctic Oil and Gas Development.” A pivotal high school experience led Skye Ketilson to the SENS MES program, and has now taken her to Tofino, BC, where she is working in quality management in aquaculture. Growing up, her family holi‐
days were spent camping, hiking and ski‐
ing, and her love of these prompted Skye to apply to the Saskatoon Grade 11 Out‐
door School. Fitness tests, canoe trips, tenting, and environmental writing were part of the curriculum. Skye's interest in pursuing an environmental degree stemmed from this introduction to the environmental movement, which included Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring and Garrett Hardin’s Tragedy of the Commons. Her undergrad was in natural and physical sci‐
ences, and she spent a few years in soil science and remediation. A growing inter‐
est in environmental policy led her to SENS, where she studied environmental impact assessment. was so friendly,” she remembers. “I felt very welcome.” Another highlight was her trip to Inuvik, where she conducted re‐
search interviews. “I doubt I would have ever visited Inuvik on my own,” she says. “I will never forget that trip.” Her current job differs in focus, and Skye enjoys learning about aquaculture. Her work involves ensuring that policy and reg‐
ulatory changes are reflected in the com‐
pany’s management plan, and she monitors and verifies the hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP) plan daily. This is a significant shift from her studies, but Skye believes her education allowed her to se‐
cure an aquaculture job in Tofino, where there are few available jobs, and the major‐
ity of them are tourism‐focused. Looking ahead, Skye hopes that the “doom and gloom attitude” around environmental issues changes. “This has always seemed counterproductive,” she comments. She also predicts an expansion of the environ‐
ment and sustainability sector of the labour market. “As a species, we clearly care about sticking around.” Still, challenges will persist, particularly the tensions be‐
tween economic stability and environmen‐
tal protection. “Canadians need to be edu‐
cated voters and engaged citizens. Policy shapes how industry and government make decisions regarding expansion and devel‐
opment. If you are concerned about some‐
thing, get involved.”
Reflecting on her SENS experience, Skye says her memory of her first day has stuck with her. “Everyone had such different educational backgrounds, and everyone DENNIS O’CONNOR SHARES INSIGHTS ABOUT WALKERTON
Contributed by Dr. Robert Patrick, assistant professor with the Department of Geography and Planning and associate faculty with SENS. Ten years ago, the Walkerton Inquiry came to a close. This 2‐year public inquiry looked into the events leading to the worst drinking water contamination event in Canadian history—seven people died and 2,300 others became ill as a result of E. coli contamina‐
tion of the drinking water in Walkerton, Ontario. The inquiry made over 100 recommendations to protect drinking water safety in Ontario and Canada, recommendations which continue to shape water policy in this country and beyond. The SENS community was fortunate to be visited by the commis‐
sioner of that public inquiry, Associate Chief Justice Dennis O’Connor, of the Court of Appeal for Ontario, during the afternoon of October 19, 2012. Justice O’Connor’s wisdom, humour, and compassion became evident during his one‐hour presentation, which highlighted the process of public inquiries in Canada as well as many details of the Walkerton Inquiry. He described himself as the facilitator of the inquiry, rather than its leader, and it became obvious why many residents of Walkerton say that Justice O’Connor helped this small community recover from the trauma of this tragic event.
6 School of Environment and Sustainability | University of Saskatchewan | Fall 2012
SENS was honoured to be visited by Associate Chief Justice Dennis O’Connor on October 19. In addition to chairing the Walkerton In‐
quiry, Justice O’Connor also chaired the Arar Inquiry. Photo courtesy Justice Den‐
nis O’Connor. PROBLEM‐FOCUSED, ISSUE‐DRIVEN, EXPERIENCE‐BASED: ENVS 801 AND 802 STUDENTS TAKE TO THE FIELD With contributions from Meagan Hinther, Communications Specialist. In addition to being challenging and fun, experiential learning (that is, learning be‐
yond the classroom) lets students engage with course material in a completely differ‐
ent way. Students learn about a place by visiting it, and they “learn to do by doing” —returning to the classroom with a deeper understanding of course goals and concepts as a result. Two core SENS courses, ENVS 801: Ecosys‐
tem Science and Sustainability, and ENVS 802: Human Dimensions of Environmental Change, have integrated experiential com‐
ponents into the course material for the past two years. This year, students in ENVS 801 spent a September weekend at the Redberry Lake Biosphere Reserve, which includes the town of Hafford. Students in ENVS 802 travelled to Emma Lake and Prince Albert National Park, also in Sep‐
tember, to prepare for a resilience assess‐
ment of the region – such an assessment considers the ability of a place to adapt and respond to stresses, such as forest fires or development pressures. By having one field component take place in the aspen parkland, and the other in the boreal for‐
est, students had the opportunity to visit two of the major biomes in Saskatche‐
wan, allowing them to learn about the province beyond Saskatoon as well. In ENVS 801, instructed by Drs. Vladimir Kricsfalusy and Christy Morrissey, stu‐
dents participated in GIS demonstrations, transect mapping, plant sampling and identification, mist‐netting and bird band‐
ing, water quality testing, and macroin‐
vertebrate identification. They also con‐
ducted experiments about effects of salin‐
ity intrusion from a saline lake in a river, impact of invasive species on native grass‐
land community, changes in bird abun‐
dance by habitat, and impacts of land use on wetland health. And, they met with local farmers and Hafford community residents. “It was fun and interesting, just how learning should be,” says Manuel Chávez Ortíz, a student in the MSEM program. In ENVS 802, taught by Drs. Merle Massie and Doug Clark, the focus was on human engagement with the socio‐ecological system over time. This was a new experi‐
ence for PhD student Anna Coles. “I was skeptical before going about what we would get out of the field trip,” she says. “I’m used to field trips where you go in with a science hat and are given a ques‐
tion or hypothesis to work through. This was a completely different experience, and I did see the value in the end. The local perspective is something you can only understand by visiting a place, whereas we can often get data and re‐
ports about the science of an area from other sources.” In addition to meeting with a variety of experts to explore past, current, and future change in the system, students also made sound recordings and videos that will help to inform their resili‐
ence assessment. The field trip helped them to determine which pressures are of particular importance in the local view. The ENVS 802 Human Dimensions of Environmental Change class is creat‐
ing a web‐page project based on a resilience assessment of the Prince Albert National Park Area. The group’s mission is to apply a multidisciplinary approach to assessing the resilience of the "Lakeland District," with an emphasis on variables such as climate change, water quality, park boundaries, and popula‐
tions (demographics, development and species). The webpage “Saskatchewan's Lakeland – resilience through consili‐
ence” will be launched in the middle of December. Stay tuned for more information! Submitted by Manuel Chávez Ortíz, MSEM student
Above: Christy Morrissey (right) shows students the proper way to hold a sparrow. Be‐
low: ENVS 802 field trip participants gather around the camp fire. Photos courtesy Chris‐
ty Morrissey and Manuel Chávez Ortíz. School of Environment and Sustainability | University of Saskatchewan | Fall 2012 7 FALL CONVOCATION 2012: CONGRATULATIONS, GRADUATES!
Degrees were conferred upon fifteen SENS graduates at Fall Convocation on October 27, 2012. The School congratulates them on their achievements. Master of Environment and Sustainability Shannon Dyck – Engaging Families in Environmental Education: How Action, Critical Thinking, and Social Learning Can Foster Change Tobi Jeans – The Cross‐Border Dimensions of Vuntut Gwitchin Food Security Ayodele Olagunju – Selecting Valued Ecosystem Components for Cumulative Effects in Federally Assessed Road Infrastructure Projects in Canada Yimin Sun – Denitrification and Desulfurization with Elemental Sulfur and Hydrogen Sulfide Oksana Zbyranyk – Collaboration Between Researchers and Biosphere Reserve Practitioners: A Case Study of Redberry Lake Biosphere Reserve, Canada Master of Sustainable Environmental Management Kirk Bors – Integration of District Heating and Transit‐oriented Development in New Neighbourhoods Vanessa Hickey – Sempre Designs: Green Building in Canada – A Case Study SENS congratulates its graduates. From left: Ayodele Olagunju, Oksana Zbyranyk, Shannon Dyck, Ana Melgarego, Kirk Bors, and Firas Younes Anna Larson – ALUS Through the Looking Glass: Assessing the Alter‐
native Land Use Services Program and Its Implications for Ecosystem Services in Canada Jennifer Locke – Sustainability and Canadian Corporations: A 2012 Analysis Jonathan Matson – Addressing the Regional Disparity of Environmen‐
tal Benefit From Plug‐in Hybrid Electric Vehicles in Canada Ana Melgarego – Sustainable Management of Biomedical Waste Emmanuel Ogbeide – Benchmarking Corporate Sustainability Report‐
ing in the Canadian Oil and Gas Industry Joshua Salisbury – A Dark Sky Policy Recommendation for the City of Saskatoon Firas Younes – The State of Source Water Protection for First Nations in Canada POINTERS FROM THE POST‐DOCS
Contributed by Dr. Lori Bradford, SENS Post‐
doctoral Fellow. Many PhD graduates undertake post‐
doctoral fellowships (PDFs) upon complet‐
ing their doctorates. A PDF is usually used to strengthen one’s research experience, publication output, project management skills, and other aspects of an academic career in preparation for a permanent appointment. SENS has a dozen PDFs—a very important resource, as they lead and assist valuable research initiatives, they contribute to teaching, and they enhance the culture in various ways (did you know that our PDFs hail from 8 countries and speak 13 languages)? Bradford specializes in human dimensions of natural resource management and is involved with the following:  Household Water Survey, Hamakuya, South Africa  Perceptions of Interdisciplinarity and Sus‐
tainability among SENS Faculty  Associate Editor, Policy Sciences  Human Dimensions of Invitational Ex‐
tremes Tournament, Agriculture Canada. Tip: Climbing over Mt. Thesis When writing your research project/ thesis, you might feel like you are up against a mountain of work, no path in sight. I’d like to offer a different perspective. I had a supervi‐
sor once tell me that writing up a piece of research can go very smoothly and quickly if PDFs also have valuable advice to share you know where to start. Picture the parts of with graduate students. After all, most of the thesis as a mountain: the results are the us just finished our own dissertations—
most important part and should be the focus thus, this contribution to Talking SENSe, of your early writing—never mind the intro‐
with a “pointer from a post‐doc” as well duction, literature review, or conclusions at as their contact information for those this point. Start with the story of the results. with additional questions! As they become organized, the results feed PDF: Lori Bradford, PhD (Social Psychology); into the other parts. Write the thesis nearly lori.bradford@usask.ca, Kirk Hall 312. Dr.
backwards—results, discussion, methods, 8 School of Environment and Sustainability | University of Saskatchewan | Fall 2012
then conclusions, literature review and intro‐
duction (for a traditional thesis). We do a great deal of reading and writing at the start of our research projects, and are aware of the literature, but once you know the results, the great ‘sift’ can happen and you can focus on the important contributions of your work. Writing the results first gives momentum for the discussion, and the discussion should remind you why you chose your methods, or even how those methods could be improved in future endeavors. Then, the literature review, discussion, and conclusions should mirror each other. The introduction is where you map out where the thesis is going to take the reader. If you think about writing your thesis in that way, it’s all downhill from the results. Shushes optional! COMMUNITY‐ENGAGED SCHOLARSHIP: CHELSEA WILLNESS PROVIDES ADVICE, EXPERTISE, AND ENTHUSIASM Chelsea Willness can be described in many ways. She’s an award‐winning professor at the Edwards School of Business, with associate status at SENS. She’s a world traveler. And now, she’s the Special Advisor on Community‐Engaged Schol‐
arship at the School of Environment and Sustainability. With degrees in social psychology and industrial and organiza‐
tional psychology, Chelsea’s research focuses on how the en‐
vironmental activities of businesses impact their reputations. This interest in environmental and community sustainability led her to SENS. “What’s great about SENS is the interdiscipli‐
nary aspect—I’ve already learned so much from the ways oth‐
er faculty are examining issues of sustainability,” says Chelsea. “This often happens in interesting ways that bridge the natu‐
ral and social sciences with business‐relevant issues.” Assistant Professor Chelsea Willness is SENS’ Special Advisor on Community‐
Engaged Scholarship. When SENS decided to add a service‐learning component to its ENVS 992 Research Project, part of the Master of Sustaina‐
ble Environmental Management Program, Chelsea had a chance to become even more involved. She had facilitated numerous community‐based experiential learning projects as part of the courses she teaches at Edwards, and was able to bring her expertise to the School. Based on individual re‐
search interests, each student is matched with an environ‐
mental organization which has identified a specific research project. By working with external organizations in this way, students gain valuable experience while conducting applied research that will be of immediate benefit to the organiza‐
tions. Chelsea has provided invaluable advice and enthusiasm at each critical step of implementing this new initiative. “I love seeing the amazing things students are capable of ac‐
complishing, especially because they may not realize that they really do have the knowledge and ability until some‐
one gives them a little push and says ‘I believe in you,’” she says. “It's also very rewarding to strive toward building mutual‐
ly beneficial partnerships with community organizations, to become more connected to our communities, and to broaden our perspectives. We learn so much from the community part‐
ners, and it is such a great learning opportunity for students to see how the things we talk about in the classroom are put into practice outside the walls of the institution.” As for world travel, Chelsea has visited more than 30 countries, often with just her backpack. “Exposure to other parts of the world helps align my priorities about what is really important, how fortunate we are to live here, and to appreciate that there is something special and unique about every place on earth,” she reflects. “Travel also reinforces my deep love for Saskatch‐
ewan. I’m telling you, this is where it’s at!” SENS/SLU: A GROWING PARTNERSHIP With permission of SLU News, translated and edited from the original article by Olaf Bergvall. As a result of involvement in Vilhelmina Model Forest (Sweden) and the Prince Albert Model Forest (Saskatchewan), a collabo‐
ration on research and education between the Swedish Univer‐
sity of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) and the University of Sas‐
katchewan in Canada has been established, says Gun Lidestav, professor of forest resource management, SLU. The first joint project was a study about how to include social components of “Sustainable Forest Management” in the two model forests. Nicole Klenk, a SENS former post‐doc, and Swe‐
dish forestry student Julia Carlsson conducted interviews in the model forests while Dr. Lidestav and Dr. Maureen Reed, profes‐
sor at SENS, worked as principal and assistant supervisors. The collaboration was funded by SSHRC and the Swedish Edlund Brothers Endowment Fund. “In addition to the funding in cash, I would also like to highlight the efforts of Vilhelmina Model Forest and the Prince Albert
Model Forest. Both acted as door openers for Julia and Nicole,” says Dr. Reed. The interviews were used to inform Julia's thesis, and for an article by Nicole, Maureen, Gun and Julia. Because of differences in how courses are spread over the se‐
mesters at SLU and SENS, thesis work is the easiest way for stu‐
dents to participate in collaborative research. Because the first project with Nicole and Julia worked so well, Drs. Reed and Lidestav are launching a new project, where a Canadian student and a Swedish student will document and analyze the devel‐
opment of reindeer herding plans from a gender perspective. “This analysis is highly relevant to the continued efforts by the Swedish Forest Agency, SLU and Sami villages to develop rein‐
deer herding plans. It also strengthens research training about gender and natural resource utilization, an area where both Maureen and I have a genuine interest,” says Gun. A formal collaboration between SENS and SLU strengthens both universi‐
ties—SLU has strength in environmental monitoring, while SENS is strong in human dimensions of environmental change. School of Environment and Sustainability | University of Saskatchewan | Fall 2012 9 SENS FIVE YEARS ON SENS came into existence on July 1, 2007, and for the first year, its complement consisted of Jim Basinger, Executive Sponsor; Maureen Reed, Acting Director; and, Administrative Assistant Sharla Daviduik. An Advisory Committee was struck to oversee the appointment of the founding faculty; committee members were Karsten Liber, Charles Maulé, Fran Walley, Lawrence Martz, Marie‐Ann Bowden, Geoff Cunfer, and Jim Hendry. The School did not yet have a permanent home on campus, but had found temporary space in Arts and Science and in Law. Today, the SENS community numbers nearly 200 people, including 65 students, 55 alumni, and nearly 60 faculty holding core, associate, or adjunct appointments, plus a dozen post‐doctoral fellows and five staff. The School’s home is in Kirk Hall, but it also has a significant number of people located at the Global Institute for Water Security at Innovation Place, and at the Toxicology Centre. Reflecting upon these changes, Professor Maureen Reed says, “This rapid growth represents the birth of an idea that we can draw from, shifting out of our traditional disciplines, university structures, and comfort zones to make the changes we want to see in the world. While we want to be mindful of the places from where we have come, we also want to avoid becoming re‐strictured into new structures that limit us from reaching our aspirations. I am eager to see how our recent growth will enable new ways of thinking and doing that we have yet to imagine.” A handful of the many students, faculty, post‐doctoral fellows, and staff who make up the SENS community. This picture was taken at the annual welcome lunch in September 2012; this event is held in conjunction with the orientation for new SENS students.
UPCOMING EVENTS •
December 10, 2012—ENVS 803: Research in Envi‐
ronment and Sustainability Symposium. Starts at 9:30 am, Room 10, Kirk Hall. •
December 25, 2012 to January 1, 2013—University closed. •
January 3, 2013—Welcome back! Classes resume for SENS students. A joint research project studying the development of reindeer herding plans from a gender perspective is underway at SENS and SLU. Photo of reindeer herd courtesy Maureen Reed.
10 School of Environment and Sustainability | University of Saskatchewan | Fall 2012