Kate Sherren

Landscapes - People - Global change

Month: August 2024

Recruiting a PDF for WEFT

August 30, 2024 /

As Transforming Climate Action (TCA) lines up on the runway for takeoff, Ian Stewart and I are recruiting for a Postdoctoral Fellow (PDF) to take on a lead role in our work package of TranSECT (Transformative adaptations to Social-Ecological Climate change Trajectories), one of the Large Research Projects in TCA. This is an exciting opportunity for a highly motivated PDF with broad interests in applied work on the epistemic challenges of interdisciplinary integration in social-ecological systems (SES) research. In work package WEFT (Weaving expertise for transformation), this post-doctoral research position will engage in both field work and theoretical reflection on case studies emerging within the larger research project TranSECT (Transformative adaptations to Social-Ecological Climate change Trajectories) whose focus is on studying climate change adaptations through a case-study approach in communities throughout the Maritime provinces and eastern Quebec. TranSECT is a collaboration between Dalhousie University, University of Quebec at Rimouski, and the University of Laval (see below for a diagram of the project structure). The full job ad for the role can be found here.

WEFT is the ‘reflexive’ moment within TranSECT. The successful candidate for this PDF will be inspired to dig deeper into climate change adaptation challenges at the coastal community level studied by TranSECT case studies, and be able to work alongside discipline-focused researchers across STEM, social science, health and humanities fields. They will have a drive to draw on their background in an array of disciplines and fields that support and inspire SES as boundary objects, likely using qualitative inter-and transdisciplinary methods. Relevant backgrounds could include Science and Technology Studies/History Philosophy and/or Sociology of Science, Anthropology, Human Geography, Sustainability Studies and/or Cognitive Science, but this is not an exhaustive list.

There is a two-stage application process described in the job ad. Pre-submission enquiries are welcome where potential applicants have specific questions. Review of applications will begin on Oct 1, 2024, and the successful candidate could start as early as January 2025. Open until filled.

The structure of TranSECT; WEFT is work package 5.4

PECS-3 and CAG

August 22, 2024 /

I served as a discussant for the Monday plenary at PECS-3

Amidst all the defenses mentioned in the last message, I attended two conferences back-to-back. The first was the third meeting of the Programme on Ecosystem Change and Society (PECS-3), which was held in Montreal. I was honoured to be asked to serve as a discussant, along with Rafa Calderon-Contreras, for the Monday morning plenary that matched Berta Martín-López and Divya Vasudev to talk about relational viewpoints. It was a great event, with lots of wonderful networking, but the plenaries were particularly well designed with compelling pairings in every instance.

Sketch by Pamela Macquarrie of my CAG Lecture

I went straight from Montreal to St. John’s, where the Canadian Association of Geographers were meeting at Memorial. This was a welcome return to my Geography roots. I missed the first day in transit, but every session I attended was interesting. I was excited to be asked to deliver this year’s CAG Lecture, which I did on the Friday afternoon, with a talk called Landscapes on the Edge. Special thanks to Arn Keeling for the invitation and hosting, and Evan Andrews for the lovely introduction. Earlier in the week I had seen Pamela Macquarrie of Mount Royal University doing sketches and watercolours in the various paper sessions, and was delighted that she showed me one she did of me while I was doing my talk (see right). The conference was friendly and inspiring. I sat on a panel about the CAG journal, Canadian Geographies, sponsored by the publisher Wiley, and had a wonderful time on the field trip to Cape Spear with Carissa Brown. The exquisite Cape Spear Café picnic basket lunches were a big highlight on the field trip, as well as the earlier Terre restaurant meal with outgoing president Nathalie Gravel.

Congratulations Kate, Yan and Emily

August 22, 2024 /

The committee and candidate after a successful defense, from left to right, Peter Duinker, me, Kate Thompson, Anders Hayden and Mikiko Terashima.

It has been a busy August so far, with three big defenses within a two week period.

On Friday, August 9th, Kate Thompson defended her Interdisciplinary PhD on The application of ecosystem services concepts in Canadian urban planning. Thanks so much to Luna Khirfan from the University of Waterloo for serving as Kate’s external examiner, and to her co-supervisor, Peter Duinker, and committee members, Mikiko Terashima and Anders Hayden.

Then on Monday, August 19th, Yan Chen defended her Interdisciplinary PhD on Social media data and computer vision in social impact assessment: understanding human dimensions and cultural ecosystem services in hydroelectric landscapes. Thanks to Ming-Hsiang Tsou from San Diego State University for serving as Yan’s external examiner, and to her co-supervisor Mike Smit and committee members Kyung Young Lee and Lori McCay-Peet.

Last, but not least, Emily Key (Snair) defended her MES yesterday, August 21st, on Identifying rural residents’ views about integrating solar farms into rural landscapes of Nova Scotia. Thanks to Chad Walker from Dalhousie’s School of Planning for serving as Emily’s external examiner, and Dirk Oudes from Wageningen University for serving as her committee member.

Somehow I didn’t take any photographs of the last two–apologies to Yan and Emily–but we did get one at Kate’s! And I did get a nice one of Emily doing her defense trial run at the CAG conference last week. Congratulations to all three for excellent defenses of their excellent work.

Emily Key presents at the Canadian Association of Geographers meeting in St. John’s, August 17, 2024.

World Acadian Congress

August 3, 2024 /

One of our postcards for the World Acadian Congress (and yes, I’ve scrambled the QR code here – we only want attendees to do it)

Every five years, Acadians and Cajuns around the world have a big reunion, and this year it is being held in Southwest Nova Scotia. Alex Legault will be representing the lab and NSERC ResNet, and using the opportunity to talk to people attending the Congress about the challenges facing the Bay of Fundy dykeland system that Acadians originated 400 years ago. Along with colleagues from TransCoastal Adaptations at SMU, there will be a stall in the Expo area to talk about managed dyke realignment as a way to adapt to climate change impacts. If you are attending, please drop by and talk to Alex, or pick up one of our postcards so you can tell us what you think about it all. He is fully bilingual!

© 2024 Kate Sherren

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