Living Library
Tuesday, September 19 1:00 - 3:00 PM at Woodward Library, Main Entrance Area
During the Science Expo, a Living Library will be held. This event will have people standing in for books. Borrow a living book and learn about each book's inspiring research!
Books available for check out at our Living Library!
Kelly Graves
Kelly is a PhD student in Civil Engineering, in Environmental Fluid Mechanics, as well as has her MASc. and BASc from UBC all in Civil Engineering. Between her undergrad and masters’, Kelly worked as a Ports and Marine Engineer-in-training designing industrial ports all over the World. Kelly really loves water, and this interest in water has provided her with many unique experiences. For her masters’, she studied the water motion in an arctic lake that was in Finland, Sweden and Norway. She has also travelled to the northern tip of Ellesmere Island to study the World’s last epi-shelf lake in Milne Fjord, NT. She has driven (and crashed) snowmobiles, met sled dogs, and been stranded in Canada’s second foggiest airport (Resolute Bay, NT). When she isn’t studying water, she is out running around it, paddling on it, or swimming in it.
Kelly’s proposed research aims to better understand how under certain circumstances lakes do not fully mix when they are assumed to. These types of lakes are common in the mountains of coastal British Columbia, Yukon, Alaska and Washington. Historically, it has been thought that these lakes completely mix during fall and spring; however, Kelly’s observations of a local lake show that sometimes these mixing events do not reach the bottom water. Understanding what conditions and processes prevent the complete mixing are important because they play an important role in predicting the impact of climate change on these lakes. As well as understanding the nutrient cycling for aquatic species. These lakes are also of growing interest as drinking water sources, hydropower, and fisheries.
Maryam Mohammadi
Maryam is a PhD student in the Materials Engineering department at UBC. She graduated from IUT in Iran with a Bachelors of Science in Materials Engineering. Following her graduation, she started to work as a research engineer in a R&D company, which was focusing on the development of new methods for extraction of precious metals from waste materials. This great experience was a big encouragement for her to pursue her studies in the field of extraction and recovery of metals from variety of waste sources. She then continued to earn her masters degree from SUT in Iran in Materials Engineering on extraction of metals. Her thesis project described a new method for extraction of germanium from industrial waste materials. After graduation, she worked for two years on an industrial project at KTH University in Sweden. This project was about the extraction of rare earth elements from waste waters.
The aim of her current PhD research is to remove selenium from industrial waste waters. Selenium is an essential element in small amounts for most life forms. However, it can reach to the toxic levels in industrial solutions, which can cause serious problems. Selenium can reach the industrial solutions through the treatment of sulfide minerals in mining companies in Canada. Therefore, the control of selenium in waste waters is a key issue for mining companies that process sulfide minerals.
Christine Ou
Christine Ou's proposed research aims to elucidate the relationships between postnatal maternal anger, sleep disturbances, and postnatal depression in order to develop interventions that can contribute to optimizing maternal-child heath and wellbeing.
Maternal sleep disturbance has been linked with fatigue, cognitive deficits, and irritability, and is a significant risk factor for depression in the postnatal period. Because anger is not a symptom commonly associated with postnatal depression or with women's depression in general by clinicians and the public, it may go unrecognized and may be inappropriately treated or not treated at all.
Christine's insights will also support social marketing efforts to increase awareness about anger and sleep loss in postnatal depression, which may assist women to recognize their depression and prompt them to seek help. In turn, this may help prevent the development of chronic depression and its harmful effects.
May Sanaee
May Sanaee, MD FRCSC, is a junior clinician scientist at UBC through the Centre for Pelvic Floor Competence at St. Paul's Hospital. With a special interest in medical education, May is pursuing a masters degree in Health Professions education through McMaster University.
Having trained as an Obstetrician/Gynecologist, Dr. Sanaee has been involved in a wide array of research ranging from qualitative studies looking at how physicians-in-training can become more empathetic by training in the arts, to engaging patients in sharing their experiences with childbirth with the goal of influencing how hospital administrators treat events.
As an advanced trainee in Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery at St. Paul's Hospital, May is working under two experienced clinician-scientists, Dr. Roxana Geoffrion and Dr. Geoffrey Cundiff. Together with this group they look at the often-neglected but common pelvic floor disorders of pelvic organ prolapse, urinary and fecal incontinence and fistula. Their research ranges from clinical trials involving different types of surgery for prolapse, to trying to decrease the risk of surgical-site infections. This group often collaborates with other disciplines such as urology, geriatrics, radiology and colorectal surgery on research and is currently partnering with pelvic floor physiotherapists to understand and prevent chronic post-operative pain.
Natalie Swift
The Yunesit'in Government - one of the six member governments of the Tsilhqot'in Nation - is pursuing a wood products business as a means of working toward their financial independence and breaking free from the paternalistic Indian Act, legislation imposed on them by the federal state of Canada. The process of establishing this business however, requires that the community remain vigilant when working with powerful forces, such as state governments, industrial interests, and the wildfires that consume their timber supply.
Natalie Swift is the forestry project coordinator responsible for the launch of their business and has been engaged in the day-to-day realities of supporting an Indigenous community plan a positive path forward, despite the challenges they face. Her research explores these challenges and how they interact to influence the successful establishing of an Indigenous-led forestry initiative.
Natalie is a master's student in the Faculty of Forestry, member of the Forest Stewardship Council, Forester in Training (FIT) with the Associations of BC Forest Professionals, and contractor with Ecotrust Canada. She holds a Diploma in Ecosystem Management Technology from Fleming College and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Natural Resources Conservation from UBC.
Gerald Tembrevilla
Gerald Tembrevilla is a 2nd year Ph.D. student in science and physics education at UBC Faculty of Education. He has the expertise with integrating innovative educational technology in teaching science which started during his masters studies in Okayama University, Japan, employment at Accenture and Microsoft, and further enhanced at the UBC Curriculum and Pedagogy under his supervisor Dr. Milner-Bolotin.
The overarching aims of his research are to find out the challenges STEM teachers in rural areas of developing countries face in order to understand and use modern technology as demanded by 21st century education and then to utilize this understanding so that Canada’s public education system may also advance. Together with his supervisor and fellow grad students, he created and edited 50 STEM videos for the K-12 curriculum. In partnership with Sharon Hu at the Educational Technology Support (ETS), he curated a STEM explainer video using a new learning platform in science called SkyWaterEarth. These are some of the initiatives where Gerald intends to promote STEM education to teachers, teacher candidates, students, and the general public.
