Kate Sherren

Landscapes - People - Global change

Month: June 2020 (Page 1 of 2)

Pre-ordering open for Energy Impacts book

June 22, 2020 /
New edited volume cover

New edited volume cover

Excited to see that the new edited volume by Jacquet, Haggerty and Theodori, Energy Impacts, A Multidisciplinary Exploration of North American Energy Development, is finally available for pre-order. This book has come out of a US NSF-funded grant held by the editors, which provided the opportunity for a great symposium as well. I workshopped climax thinking at the symposium in Ohio back in 2017, and subsequently submitted my original framework chapter, From climax thinking toward a non-equilibrium approach to public good landscape change, to the resulting book, and so have been getting a little impatient for its release. John Parkins and I also submitted a methodological piece on Q-methodology across scales. It is good news to finally learn that the book will be available for download or shipping later in 2020. While my chapter is not limited at all to impacts in energy, the ideas first emerged while working on the Mactaquac dam and headpond back in the mid 2010s. Nice that this is out around the same time that I’m delivering a keynote at ISSRM 2020 (online) about climax thinking and the empirical work that has been done since I wrote this chapter.

Soubry Editorial on COVID and Canadian food systems

June 19, 2020 /
A picture of Bernard Soubry farming I found floating around the web.

A picture of Bernard Soubry farming I found floating around the web.

Impressed by an editorial written for the Chronicle Herald by my PhD student Bernard Soubry, who has taken time from his final writing process to return to farm labour here in Nova Scotia. The editorial, COVID-19 shows what’s wrong with how Canada feeds itself, is a passionate and well-informed hit on Canada’s food system and dearth of adaptation plans. He writes:

But here’s a truth that researchers and rural communities have known for a long time: the food system in Canada doesn’t have a problem because of COVID-19. The food system is the problem.

On August 6, Bernard spoke to CBC Halifax’s Information Morning about his editorial; you can listen to that here.

MES opportunity for fall 2020 or 2021

June 16, 2020 /

** This position has now been filled **

I am still looking for an MES student to work on Mi’kmaw cultural ecosystem services in Bay of Fundy dykelands and salt marshes, starting either fall 2020 or 2021. This will explore how Mi’kmaq use and value the drained agricultural land (dykelands) and the salt marshes they replaced (and to which sections will return if abandoned or realigned). This student will become part of the Atlantic landscape case of NSERC ResNet, a national collaborative project designed to develop the utility of ecosystems service approaches for resolving complex resource decisions. Candidates should be socially curious, ideally trained in social science fields (e.g. first degrees in Geography, Environmental Studies, Sociology, Anthropology, Planning, etc.) and interested in qualitative methods such as semi-structured interviews, ethnography, photo or map elicitation, etc. First Nation students are particularly encouraged to apply for this, but all applications are welcome. Our partner, Mi’kmaw Conservation Group, is offering the opportunity to embed within their organization to improve community integration, regardless of background. Email me if you are interested.

Black Lives Matter

June 10, 2020 /
Rodney Small, a great man and citizen of Halifax, saw the worst of it at 15 and works to make things better every day.

Rodney Small, a great man and citizen of Halifax, saw the worst of it at 15 and works every day to make things better.

Logging on today, despite the call to #ShutDownAcademia, to post a link to  a short documentary about Rodney Small, a man I’m proud to know. He was a standout mature student in my early years at Dalhousie, when I taught the first year environmental requirement into the Bachelor of Management program.  I’m horrified to learn from this documentary and elsewhere that he was a victim of police brutality and wrongful arrest at the age of 15 in Halifax. He survived, he fought, he won, and thank goodness: Halifax needs him.  Black lives matter.

Farzana featured on DalNews

June 5, 2020 /
Farzana at her new home in Corner Brook, NL.

Farzana Karim in her new home of Corner Brook, NL.

Just in time for our virtual graduation this week, nice to see that DalNews has featured recent lab alum Farzana Karim, as well as MREM alum Ben Johns.  Farzana’s thesis topic on the challenge that short-term rentals and second homes pose to climate change planning and management has only become more important since she began it. I hope that she and her MES alum husband, Tahazzud Hossein, find a good home in friendly Corner Brook, where my family hails from originally.

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