What is your PhD focus? Why is this area of study important?

Public infrastructure is critical to citizens’ health, safety and economic prosperity. According to Canada’s 2016 national infrastructure report card, a large portion of wastewater infrastructure is in poor to very poor condition, requiring a replacement cost of more than $26 billion. A similar pattern can be seen in wastewater pipe condition grades in the United States. Risk-based infrastructure management is required to assess conditions and assist decision-makers in prioritizing inspection, renewal or repair. This is where my expertise comes into play: I develop decision-support tools for managing municipal infrastructure and reducing risk associated with oil and gas pipelines.

My father had a significant influence on my interest in civil engineering, particularly in the field of infrastructure asset management. At a young age, he used to take me almost every week to the eastern escarpment of my home country, Eritrea, to see the century-old railway system. The discussion we had was eye-opening and inspired me to focus on maintaining infrastructures so that it lasts.

What’s the best advice you have for other students, whether they are undergraduate, graduate or doctoral?

My advice to undergraduate students is to devote time to reading and understanding the program in which they’re enrolled. This is the best time to learn new skills and expand knowledge. It serves as the basis for future studies, so lay the foundation carefully from the start

Graduate students should begin working on projects that they are passionate about. When choosing a supervisor, conduct a thorough investigation. You will enjoy your graduate years and learn a lot more if you work with someone knowledgeable and passionate about the same topic as you.

My final piece of advice for undergraduates and graduates is to balance your personal and professional lives. Life is more than just school.

Do you have a mentor? If so, how have they influenced you?

Haile Woldesellasse in his home country of Eritrea.

My parents and siblings are my immediate mentors in my life. My mom, with her wisdom and constant support, encouraged me to stay focused on my objectives when the road seemed tough and impossible. My dad is a giant beacon who has given me guidance from his experiences and always recommends books that have benefitted me at different stages of my life. I also have close friends who advise me on many aspects of life.

My supervisor, Dr. Solomon Tesfamariam, has also been an excellent mentor throughout my doctoral studies. From the beginning, he has been a driving force in my research. His work ethic, critical thinking and attention to detail all had a significant influence on my technical and research skills. Above all, he gave me opportunities to grow as a researcher.

What are some challenges you’ve faced so far in your academic career?

Earning a doctorate is a commitment that requires a significant amount of time and energy. This becomes more difficult during the winter, when you don’t get enough sunlight and your activities are limited in many ways. It was also difficult not having my family with me.

How do you balance school and home life?

Even though the majority of my time is taken up by work on my research or publishing, I try to find some balance between school and home life. Tennis is one of my favourite sports and I have been playing since I was young. Last year I joined the UBCO Tennis Club and play on the weekends. I also go for hikes, read philosophical books and above all I enjoy spending quality time with my family and friends.

What do you see yourself doing 10 years from now? 

I see myself with enough work experience to give back or transfer my knowledge to young researchers who are interested in pursuing their ideas. I also want to use my engineering background to help develop sustainable infrastructure that will benefit society.

What do you think makes UBCO great?

First, UBCO has a reputation as being one of the top-ranked best universities in Canada. The community is very connected, and Kelowna is becoming popular among families and young professionals. The university provides a high-quality education and access to cutting-edge research, not to mention the beautiful outdoor areas and scenery of the Okanagan.

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What is your PhD focus, and why did you choose this area of research?

My doctorate focuses on developing a method to counteract atmospheric turbulence for ground-to-satellite communication links. This will help improve the way we send data from the ground to satellites in space. I chose this area of research after being exposed to it at the Integrated Optics Laboratory at UBCO, and through an internship at the German Aerospace Center. I want to understand the challenges we face and create innovative solutions that come into play during the development of new technologies that help and connect humanity worldwide.

What are some challenges you’ve faced so far in your academic career?

The fear of failure. It might seem simple, but getting a question wrong, misunderstanding a technical concept, or trying something new is part of learning. If everyone already had the answers, there wouldn’t be any problems left to solve in life and most of today’s jobs would be obsolete.

Failing can be an important part of learning and the best thing to do in this scenario is reflect on the experience and decide how you’re going to achieve said goal. Just because you don’t succeed the first time doesn’t mean it’s time to quit. In my opinion, the way one works through failure shows more about that person than if they seem to be perfect from the outside.

Ilija Hristovski stands at the base of a communications dish at the German Aerospace Centre, illustrating the dish’s impressive size. This particular dish is used for deep space communication.

Do you have a mentor? If so, how have they influenced you?

I’ve been fortunate enough to encounter many individuals who I would consider mentors throughout my life so far: Dr. Jonathan Holzman, Dr. Jannik Eikenaar and Dr. Richard Federley.

Dr. Holzman exposed me to undergraduate research and showed me the benefits, excitement and real-world influence that research can have on communities locally and globally. Dr. Eikenaar greatly influenced my interpersonal skills, showing me how to view events of merit or conflict from multiple different viewpoints. Dr. Federley taught me that achieving seemingly impossible dreams is actually possible; sticking to one’s values and having a positive mindset can make a huge difference when trying to reach a goal. 

What’s the best advice you have for other students?

First, never be afraid of asking questions. As students, our job is to learn and it’s unreasonable to think or expect that someone should know everything about a topic. Asking questions and genuinely trying to understand concepts not only helps you learn it but also leads to opportunities in life that would never present themselves if those questions were never asked.

Second, be bold, dream big, and don’t be afraid to fail. Many of the great advances that led to the technologies used today have stemmed from an individual or team with a big (and sometimes seemingly impossible) dream. While incremental advances in any field can be made, so too can colossal ones, especially in today’s world, so the sky is NOT the limit.

Finally, always remember that if you’re truly passionate about something, you’ll find success in it. If you spend your time on something you truly love, more often than not, you’ll achieve the goal you’ve set, advance the field, or develop a meaningful solution, all the while feeling like the task being completed is less like work and more like fun.

What do you think makes UBCO unique?

The first thought that comes to mind is the accessibility of UBCO’s talented professors and instructors. Throughout my academic life, I’ve always appreciated the open-door policy that most professors have; specifically, the ability to seek help with complicated technical concepts while also getting to know the professors on a more personal level. Another factor that makes UBCO unique is the emphasis on undergraduate research and the encouragement students receive to get involved in technical projects through coursework or clubs.

Ilija Hristovski and former Canadian astronaut Dr. Robert Thirsk.

What do you see yourself doing 10 years from now?

I want to pursue my childhood dream of becoming an astronaut and going to space. This trajectory has allowed me to learn a lot about myself and encouraged me to seek out new experiences, like considering completing a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering or pursuing international research in free-space optical communications. Through these experiences, I also developed a passion for the fields of photonics and laser communications, and this opened up a wide array of possibilities for what I can pursue in the future.

I intend to apply during Canada’s next call for astronauts and pursue my dream of going to space. If I’m lucky enough to be selected by the Canadian Space Agency, I see myself helping humanity explore our solar system so we can solve some of our most challenging problems back here on Earth. If I’m not selected for the next call, I’ll continue to pursue my passion for photonics and laser communications applied to space and help humanity solve pressing issues of our time, like climate change, worldwide injustice or energy security.

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ENGINEERING DOCTORAL STUDENT CHADIA UWAMAHORO ISN’T AFRAID to offer her native Rwanda as an example of what’s possible through truth and reconciliation.

The healing process is ongoing in the central African nation of nearly 14 million people following the 1994 genocide against 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and their supporters by the governing Hutu majority. Uwamahoro was just a year old when the genocide began.

“When the country lost nearly a million people, we went backward,” she says. “We had no other choice than to rebuild.”

Uwamahoro is now a civil engineering doctoral student studying under Dr. Lisa Tobber in the UBC Okanagan Advanced Structural Engineering and Experimental Testing Group. Much of her current path is based on helping a united Rwanda thrive.

The mother of a two-year-old daughter, Aaira, Uwamahoro co-founded a construction consulting business in her hometown of Kigali with her husband, who is also a structural engineer. She says she plans to return to Rwanda and raise her family, grow their business and continue the rebuilding process. She has full faith in the Rwandan people and the direction the country is heading.

“As Africans, we have to learn,” she adds. “That’s how we know what happened to our people and our country. It’s easy to divide people to control them. When people are together, it’s hard to control them. They’re able to resist you.”

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Uwamahoro entered engineering. She always enjoyed math and science. Her father is an entrepreneur who loves to create, she says. She grew up in a busy household in Kigali, also the Rwandan capital city, with three brothers. She wasn’t afraid to insert herself between them, play soccer and get her hands dirty.

It caught her father’s attention, and her parents sent her to the United States to finish high school. Uwamahoro went on to earn a Bachelor of Civil Engineering from the University of Texas at San Antonio in 2016 and remained there to finish her master’s in 2018.

She chose UBC Okanagan for her doctorate primarily because of Dr. Tobber.

“I gravitate toward people who show leadership and perseverance. I like people who see the world differently. All of those things really resonated when I met Chadia.”
– Dr. Lisa Tobber

“I made my decision after my first meeting with her,” Uwamahoro says. “She’s very eager to learn and is interested in new things, new aspects. She tells you to question everything. I think those are the proper methods for a doctoral student.”

Dr. Tobber was struck by Uwamahoro’s ambition and focus. She came to UBCO so she could one day return home and improve Rwanda.

“I gravitate toward people who show leadership and perseverance,” Dr. Tobber says. “I like people who see the world differently. All of those things really resonated when I met Chadia.”

Uwamahoro’s specific research is around precast concrete buildings and systems, with emphasis on the connections being used with precast concrete shear walls. A precast system is constructed in a plant and transported to the building site, while traditional systems are poured on location.

“Precast is already being used in Canada, especially Ontario,” Uwamahoro says. “It involves multiple different units that need to be connected to act as one building. We’re looking at those connections and how they behave.”

Precast concrete is seen as vital to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and making construction more environmentally friendly. It can be more affordable than traditional concrete buildings, making precast an economical option when addressing the housing crunch.

“There isn’t enough of this type of research happening in the world,” Dr. Tobber says. “It’s vital we adopt new technologies and new materials to help address climate change, housing insecurity and even natural disaster.”

Uwamahoro doesn’t intend to stop at concrete. Her future work, she says, will remain on the pursuit of a Rwandan building code and her consulting company. She wants to continue helping disadvantaged communities with initiatives and programs that help build houses for refugees.

“The Rwandan building code being used right now was taken from the United Kingdom,” she says. “We don’t have one based on current data in Rwanda. I want to be able to create a building code for Rwanda and Dr. Tobber understood that. She was willing to give me the space, and that’s incredible.”

She says that bringing her two worlds together—taking what she learned at UBCO with her home to Africa—is proof everyday Rwandans are invested in their future.

“Rwanda has reconciled,” she says. “The government is consulting people, teaching children what happened and what hatred can do to people. As a country, we don’t want what happened to repeat.

“To quote our president, Paul Kagame, ‘We cannot turn the clock back nor can we undo the harm caused, but we have the power to determine the future and to ensure that what happened never happens again.’”

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SEGUN DAVID FATUDIMU SAYS THAT EVEN AS A YOUNG CHILD in Nigeria who had no idea where to begin, all he wanted to do was help change people’s lives.

Now an international doctoral fellow pursuing Global Studies in the Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies program at UBC Okanagan, Fatudimu is building off an impressive career dedicated to helping others.

Fatudimu started his career as a dentist but soon found the work had limited scope for change. To make dental practice more affordable and accessible, he and a friend began their own mobile dental clinic, which has since grown to two clinics. Building off this success and his resulting speaking work, Fatudimu organized the Securing Africa’s Future through Education conference, empowering teenagers to become leaders before they turn 18.

It was when this work grew and garnered interest from foreign organizations that Fatudimu started questioning the power dynamics in international aid. He noticed foreign donors were often interested in altering organizations’ mission or programming for their own needs, as opposed to listening to and supporting local approaches and community development organizations on the ground.

Fatudimu has probed this issue of power dynamics ever since. A Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders gave him the opportunity for additional training and networking in Washington, DC, where he was first introduced to the larger world of international development. When Fatudimu returned to Nigeria, he taught other non-profit organizations the same skills he’d acquired.

“As I grow, I lift others,” says Fatudimu. “As I’m learning, I’m thinking about how I can maximize this knowledge, both by disseminating it to people who would never have the opportunity or by determining how I can do something more practical than theory.”

In 2019, Fatudimu was selected as a prestigious Obama Foundation Scholar to study international development and public policy at the University of Chicago.

Segun David Fatudimu (right) at the broadcasting studios of Voice of America.

There he founded Impact Toolbox, a digital incubation platform that gives young leaders the education, connections and resources to transform their ideas for social change into viable projects. One of the ventures they nurtured was U-recycle Initiative Africa, an award-winning non-profit organization founded by then 17-year-old Oluwaseyi Moejoh that now has projects across 11 countries in Africa.

Fatudimu was ultimately inspired to pursue doctoral studies by his current advisor at UBCO, Dr. Helen Yanacopulos and her work on the intersection of theoretical and practical, on-the-ground perspectives on international development. In the Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies program, he has the flexibility he craved in his master’s degree to tailor the coursework to his interests and needs. Fatudimu also appreciates the diverse perspectives within class discussions, since student backgrounds range from politics to nursing to global development.

“It’s bringing fresh air into the academic space where people who have real-life experiences and professional experiences can participate in academic discourse based on that practical perspective.”

While Fatudimu spends his weekends listening to social change pitches from young people in countries from Uganda to the Philippines, he’s also looking to give back to his new community. Recently, Impact Toolbox taught Kelowna Secondary School the digital skills needed to make a website for their non-profit thrift store, benefitting local charities.

“Kelowna is emerging,” says Fatudimu. “There are a lot of opportunities for people who are entrepreneurial-minded like me. I’m always curious about where I can help, what I can do and how can I plug in. Kelowna provides immense opportunity to be able to do that.”

In Fatudimu’s doctoral research, he draws on his practical experience in social development. Often, organizations are celebrated for their input and output, or how much money they donate and how many people that money affects. Fatudimu’s research seeks to develop better impact measurements that include the outcomes for those affected people and the impact on the larger community.

“I’m for chasing an ideal world where we don’t celebrate success based on mere input or output but based on concrete, proven socioeconomic results that actually change the lives of local people.”

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Tell us about your research—what do you do and why is it important?

One of the major threats to biodiversity is biological invasions. Put simply, plants and animals travel with us. As the world is increasingly interconnected, more and more species will reach places where they do not occur naturally. These species—called exotic or non-native—sometimes become invasive, ultimately displacing native species. This leads to simplified ecosystems and increased extinction risks of endangered species. Here in British Columbia, I aim to better understand the impacts of invasive species in riparian ecosystems, especially when they compound one another.

As a sidekick, I also explore how humans are currently distributed on islands. Do we behave like other plants and animals? Or do we show unique distributional patterns? My boldest long-term goal is to produce a general theory for the island biogeography of modern humans.

What inspires you about your work?

I have a profound love for nature and diversity—whatever form it takes—and so I feel the urge to contribute to protecting it from our own mistakes. Someone once said that whoever caused a problem cannot provide solutions as well. However, if not us, then who?

Pōhutukawa trees in New Zealand sprout massive roots from their trunk and branches that just hang in the air until they find a surface to attach to. Pictured is Dr. Mologni with a very young pōhutukawa.

What are some challenges you’ve faced in your academic career so far?

First is the language barrier. This was, to me, the greatest challenge in achieving academic independence. It’s a daunting task to produce material at the highest level in a language that isn’t yours and with little formal education. It requires quite a lot of persistence. Halfway through my doctorate though, I began developing physical and mental symptoms consistent with the chronic illness fibromyalgia. I was officially diagnosed a few months ago. People say “the illness does not take a day of your life, but makes every day a struggle,” and I can relate to that. There is no cure and little medication available, except for a lot of light physical activity. I had to reorganize my whole life around that. It is not always easy to talk about chronic illness in the workplace and we desperately need to normalize these kinds of discussions.

What’s the best advice you can give students about career choices and schooling?

Be curious in everything that surrounds you. Take the opportunity to talk and learn from everybody and every situation. Experiment! Things don’t always go as planned; get it wrong sometimes. If you are a graduate student, make sure you pick a supervisor who shares the same passion as you for the subject you want to research. If you are a PhD, there is life after your doctorate, trust me.

Do you have any books you would suggest as must-reads?

We will need another set of questions for this one alone. I’ll narrow it down to five books I believe are useful in academia, at all levels. First is Atomic Habits by James Clear. It provides an excellent way to implement new habits in your routine, which can be summarized as “baby, consistent steps.”

Next is Managing your Mental Health During your PhD: A Survival Guide by Zoë Ayres. Student or staff, this is a must-read. It describes the challenges students might (or will eventually) face and how to manage multiple stressors. Most importantly, these obstacles are not restricted to students alone.

I suggest two books from Helen Sword, The Writer’s Diet and Stylish Academic Writing, both excellent for improving your academic writing skills.

Last but not least, I am currently reading Research is Ceremony, by Shawn Wilson. Any western academic should read it. It puts into question the very foundations of our research paradigms, suggesting there are other ways to produce knowledge and do science.

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WHEN ASKED WHAT SHE WANTS TO DO AFTER GRADUATION, Yue Zhang’s response is simple: “I want to do something impactful. That’s my plan.” And so far, Zhang’s plan is on track; working alongside her doctoral supervisor Dr. Jian Liu, she’s researching the next generation of rechargeable batteries for consumer electronics like cellphones and laptops—all the way up to electric car batteries. These batteries are not only important to further developing a more sustainable, circular economy, but could also be an important step toward global decarbonization.

According to Zhang, today’s batteries have three main problems: safety (caused by flammable liquid electrolytes), cost and power density (or performance). Zhang and Dr. Liu—in partnership with UBC Vancouver, Fenix Advanced Materials, NSERC, the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions, Canada Foundation for Innovation, BC Knowledge Development Fund and Mitacs—hope to change this with an all-solid-state recycled tellurium-based rechargeable battery.

“Initially, this wasn’t a popular battery choice because it’s a semi-metal that needs to be recycled into a high-purity metal to be used for rechargeable batteries,” Zhang says. “We thought if we could combine the current lithium sulphur battery with recycled tellurium, some kind of change in chemistry would result.

“We found the resulting battery had an amazing improvement in performance; our early estimates see an energy density double or even triple that of lithium sulphur batteries.”

While Zhang emphasizes that more research is required, the early findings are certainly promising in a field where reserves of some rare earth minerals used in electronic batteries could run out in less than 100 years. The demand for lithium, for example, is expected to grow exponentially over the next few decades, putting the valuable element in short supply and high demand. Expertise in materials, mechanical and chemical engineering will be required to devise an interdisciplinary solution to the complex problem posed by moving away from fossil fuels. With gasoline prices creeping toward $2 per litre in much of Canada, there’s a sense of urgency and importance to the research.

These tellurium-boosted lithium-sulfur batteries are being tested for their lithium-ion storage and cycling stability, as well as their internal reaction mechanism. Researchers discovered that the new battery technology contributes to more power, meaning extended mileage for electric vehicles.

“We need to explore several diverse avenues to find a solution. For example, can recycled tellurium be successfully incorporated with elements like sulphur, which has a higher energy density and produces better batteries? Or maybe we need some additives, or something to refine the sulphur chemistry to solve the bottlenecks of lithium sulphur batteries,” Zhang adds. “There are still some challenges to address, but we believe we can solve these climate-related problems.”

As for the future, Zhang is excited by the potential of her research to impact the general population. “Although we’re in the lab, we’re producing something that can be used by industry, which ultimately makes the research accessible to people in daily life. I’m fascinated by the interdisciplinary nature of my research and I get a sense of achievement from that.”

It’s something she says she couldn’t have experienced elsewhere. “UBC is a top university in the world, so when I saw Dr. Liu had an opening in his lab, it was my top choice. I’ve lived in China for over 20 years and I wanted to have a new experience with new scenery, where I can connect with other students and professors from different countries.

“UBCO turned out to be the perfect place for me, and I hope to be an instructor here one day, passing on my knowledge and skills, and encouraging more people to enter the field of battery research.”

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WHILE THE SEARING HOT ASPHALT, DRIPPING AIR CONDITIONERS and withering plants might have caused many in Western Canada to look longingly at the region’s cool mountains during the historic heat dome in June 2021, even those seemingly frosty summits were starting to sweat.

It’s common to think of mountains as stationary features in a landscape, but as Dr. Lael Parrott points out, in their own longer time scales mountains are not constant, but constantly changing. With extreme events like 2021’s heat dome and the continuing effects of climate change, that change is becoming more visible.

Dr. Parrott is a Professor of Sustainability at UBC Okanagan and co-editor of the Alpine Club of Canada’s State of the Mountains report, an annual publication dedicated to drawing attention to changes in Canada’s alpine environments. Climate change has been a strong recurrent theme and this year’s report is no different, with the high temperatures from 2021’s heat dome causing far-reaching effects.

One of the most dramatic impacts was the flooding of the world-renowned Berg Lake Trail in Mount Robson Provincial Park. With the uninterrupted days of record-breaking heat in June, snow melt from the Robson Glacier flooded the Robson River’s banks, not only in the usual places but also in areas where the river hadn’t flooded before. By June 30, the worst of the heat dome was over, but half of the trail was under more than 50 centimetres of water. Other areas that weren’t flooded had significant cracks. BC Parks closed the trail and began supporting approximately 250 hikers as they made their way out.

Then, a massive thunderstorm hit on July 1. Hail and lightning exploded over the area, along with over 20 centimetres of rain in a six-hour period, which raised the river six metres. Over 50 hikers further up the trail needed to be evacuated by helicopter with the help of search-and-rescue teams.

The Robson Glacier in 1911. Photo: A.O. Wheeler, courtesy of the Mountain Legacy Project and Library and Archives Canada.

The Robson Glacier in 2011. Photo courtesy of the Mountain Legacy Project, School of Environmental Studies, University of Victoria.

For the rest of the season, the Robson River kept shifting across the valley. BC Parks staff built temporary bridges but in days and even hours, these structures were washed out, while many of the usual bridges had only dry earth underneath. The Berg Lake Trail remained closed over the 2022 season and will take years to rebuild.

Rivers are often thought of as static landmarks on our human-made maps, but Dr. Parrott points out that the Robson River’s significant course change as it spilled across the valley is proof of how dynamic the landscape is—and how humans will need to learn to adapt.

Similarly, the report details how the heat dome crumbled the last hope of permanently preserving the Abbot Pass Refuge Cabin. The historic cabin, which was built by Swiss guides in 1922, sat at 2,925 metres above sea level in the Rocky Mountains, straddling the provincial border near Lake Louise. While work had begun in 2018 to address slope instability underneath the cabin as the permafrost thawed, the extreme heat in 2021 accelerated the process.

“That permafrost was like ice glue holding all the rocks together,” says Dr. Parrott.

Without that ice holding firm under the cabin’s foundation, the slope was too unstable for anchors to help permanently preserve the cabin as planned. The cabin’s masonry was also cracked. When the hut was taken down from the mountain for safety reasons in 2022, workers found enough cracks and failures to suggest the hut’s entire structure was compromised.

“Ice is melting everywhere, and exponentially faster,” says Dr. Parrott. The report notes that between 2011 and 2020, Western Canada’s glacier ice shrunk by 340 square kilometres per year, which is seven times faster than the rate of glacier loss from 1984–2010. This significant melt will dramatically impact not just the mountains but also freshwater habitats and downstream water availability.

The exposed, steep and unstable north slope cutting away underneath the Abbot Pass Hut in 2021. Photo courtesy of Parks Canada.

Other highlights of the report, which is available online, include articles on the bison reintroduction program led by the Stoney Nakoda Nation, an exciting fossil discovery in the Mackenzie Mountains, drilling of a 327-metre deep ice core from the top of Mount Logan and the knowledge-sharing iNaturalist project where climbers can send alpine photos to experts.

The State of the Mountains report is now in its fifth year and has received international recognition from its 2022 nomination for the UIAA Mountain Protection Award. The report has often featured extreme events like the heat dome, including the effects of dramatic wildfires and avalanches, amid coverage of how changing temperatures or snow levels are affecting other living creatures like salmon and mountain goats.

Dr. Parrott says humans can expect extreme weather events to happen more and more often as the Earth warms and climate patterns that have persisted for thousands of years begin to shift.

“The lesson to us humans is to explore resilience, not in the sense of ‘build stronger, build bigger’ but in terms of how do we retreat and leave space for the mountains, for rivers, for the environment to be dynamic and to adapt to the kinds of changes that are occurring?”

*main photo courtesy of Natasha Ewing.

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AS BRENDAN DYCK SAT IN HIS INTRODUCTORY GEOLOGY COURSE as an undergraduate student, he couldn’t help but be fascinated by the questions boggling earth scientists, like why the polarity of Earth’s magnetic field reverses roughly every half million years.

“These unsolved problems of the discipline were really captivating because they were very tangible,” says Dr. Dyck, now an Assistant Professor in Earth, Environmental and Geographic Sciences at UBC Okanagan. “They seemed like questions we should know the answers to already. I thought, yes, I can make a difference there.”

Answering those longstanding questions is still what motivates him to get on his bike every day to ride to UBCO’s campus. Dr. Dyck’s passion for petrology, or the study of rocks, is far-reaching. He uses high-resolution electron microscopy to investigate how minuscule minerals and crystals react to stress in the Earth’s rocky crust. He also uses the same skills and thermodynamic equations to understand how planets outside of our solar system form and what their potential is to hold surface water. Much of his group’s current work in the Fipke Laboratory for Trace Element Research (FiLTER) is to understand how tectonic stress is related to metamorphic changes in rocks.

Though he loves being behind the microscope, Dr. Dyck is also drawn to fieldwork. Many of his field projects are set in the Canadian Arctic, where researchers fly in by helicopter, unpack their gear and then watch as the helicopter’s deafening whirr disappears over the rugged landscape.

“When the helicopter takes off, there’s this very calming hum as they’re away in the distance. Everything quiets right down, the animals and birds start making their noise again and then you feel like, okay, we finally made it.”

Dr. Brendan Dyck in the Austrian Alps, overlooking Hohe Tauern National Park.

For most trips, Dr. Dyck and his team canoe or hike to a specific outcrop to discover what records of change might be waiting there in the natural laboratory of the Earth’s crust. The real answers often come later as they investigate the samples gathered.

However, Dr. Dyck savours those surprising, in-the-field observations where he can hypothesize what his findings will be just by looking at the rock in his hand. In the summer of 2022, Dr. Dyck went on a field project to the Wopmay fault zone in the Northwest Territories to better understand earthquakes at depth. There in the field, he saw that the dark mafic rock his team found had more red garnet than suspected. The composition suggested that a rock from the continental plate had been under high pressure and potentially pushed 100 kilometres deep into the subduction zone before resurfacing thousands of years later during a period of high seismic activity.

“To find that at the surface is quite a rare thing, and no one had described it from this region.”

Dr. Dyck confirmed his field observation back in the lab with FiLTER’s electron microscope. He calls FiLTER and its advanced equipment “a beacon” for his decision to come to UBCO and is thrilled to be heavily involved in the state-of-the-art laboratory. UBCO’s stunning location in the Okanagan also allows him to explore the outdoors in his spare time, whether it’s biking the length of Kelowna to campus every day, mountain and gravel biking on weekends or downhill and cross-country skiing in the winter.

While his love of nature helped spark his interest in earth sciences, it also drives Dr. Dyck’s earnest enthusiasm for research involving the distribution of critical metals like lithium, which are crucial for transitioning to green energy. His passion for this and all his research is infectious. When asked about what research area he’s most excited about, he laughs.

“Everything,” says Dr. Dyck. “Everything I do.”

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