Intensive 4-Week Certificate Program Introduces Students to Land Claims and Treaty Processes
With a focus on BC, students in the Indigenous Maps, Films, Rights, and Land Claims program will be introduced to the 'practical skills' and 'abstract concepts' of the land claims process. This program builds on three 300-level courses, for a total of 12 credits, and is team-taught by Ken Brealey, Dave Schaepe, and Sonny McHalsie, and runs in late June and early July. This program was recently profiled in this story in the Chilliwack Times. Application required. For more information, click here. 

Geography Students Win Multiple Awards at Research Day
At the annual UFV Undergraduate Research Day, Geography students were out in force. Presenters included Ariel Brown, Steve Clegg, Kelly Hodgins, Samantha Scott, Paul Stephany, Matt Stoutjesdyk, Kalei Swanson, and Jonay Vanderveen, who presented their research on areas as diverse as tree poaching, reconstructing flood histories, indigenous mapping, and table-top gaming! Congratulations to award winners Ariel Brown, Steve Clegg, Kelly Hodgins, and Paul Stephany! Check out a short video from the event.

Experience Adventures in Central BC this September!
The annual Adventures in Geography travel study will be off to central BC--Kamloops, Clinton, and Wells Gray Provincial Park, this September. Students sign up for Geography 470 (5 credits) and are responsible for a trip fee of $225. If interested, contact Olav Lian (olav.lian@ufv.ca) or Garry Fehr (garry.fehr@ufv.ca) for application and information. Hurry--space is limited! 

Britta Voss to Speak on Fraser River Project Thursday
Join us for the last Discoveries Speaker series event of the 2012-13 year this Thursday, April 12, from 2.30-3.30 in A413. Britta Voss of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution will be speaking on the "Geochemistry of the Fraser River: An organic-inorganic analysis". Event is free. Everyone is welcome!

Internships for 2013-2014
Interested in gaining practical experience at home or abroad through work with an NGO or other organization? Internships are being arranged starting this summer, and through fall and winter of next year, to India, Mexico, and Tanzania. Geography students can complete internships as part of Geography 396 or Geography 398. If you'd like to find out more, or if you have other questions about internships in other locations--including Canada, please contact Garry Fehr (garry.fehr@ufv.ca) or Cherie Enns (cherie.enns@ufv.ca). 

Help Us to Help You!
The Geography program is undergoing an external review this year. What does that mean for you? If you're a student, past or present, you're likely to receive a survey from Institutional Research, asking questions about your experiences in and feedback on geography courses and programs. We use survey information and comparative data from other institutions to help improve on our program options and to identify what you think is working. If you should have any questions about this process, contact the Department Head, Dr. Michelle Rhodes (michelle.rhodes@ufv.ca).

UFV's First Ever Post-Doctoral Fellows--at Home in Geography!
Welcome to Dr. Denver Nixon and Dr. Christina Neudorf, the first two post-doctoral fellows ever at UFV. A post-doctoral fellow is a researcher who, after completing their PhD, partners with an institution to continue on specialized research projects. Dr. Nixon will be working on agricultural land use issues with Dr. Lenore Newman, the Canada Research Chair for Food Security and Environment. Dr. Neudorf is working with Dr. Olav Lian in the UFV Luminescence Dating Laboratory and as part of research being conducted on BC's Central Coast with the Hakai Institute. Dr. Neudorf has earned the prestigious Hakai Scholar, as part of her post-doctoral fellowship. 

New Courses for 2012-2013
Geography introduces two new courses this winter: GEOG 314: Geography of Food and GEOG 419: Paleoecology. Dr. Lenore Newman, the Canada Research Chair in Food Security and Environment, designed and will teach the Geography of Food, based on her research into Canada and global food cultures and security issues. Dr. Jonathan Hughes will deliver Paleoecology, a course that will explore past environments and metrics for environmental change.

For past news and announcements, click here.

Banner Photo: Fraser Valley Regional District