Webcast sponsored by the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre and hosted by UBC Faculty of Forestry’s TerreWEB Seminar Series’ “Perspectives on Challenges for Effective Communication of Science and Global Change. Communication is the most important biological activity that allows species, including Homo sapiens, to survive. In our complex, and some might argue, “detached from nature” world, academic communication has not kept pace with population growth, affluence and technology. The human desire is for more but the Earth from a human dimension is finite. Human impacts on our natural environment are increasing in intensity, in geographic space and in ways that are not predicted. There is a recurring sentiment that we are heading for a place we do not want to go! Science education and effective communication provides a framework for informed debate to facilitate the emergence of shared, equitable values and governance policies that could change our future direction. We must understand what is natural science, how we interpret science and how we use science to sustain the human enterprise. Emergent technologies help in understanding science and through communication, its equitable applications. We need tomorrow’s thinking to solve today’s problems caused by yesterday’s actions.
L.M. (Les) Lavkulich is professor emeritus of Soil Science and Resource Management and Environmental Studies at UBC. Born in Alberta, he received his B.Sc and M.Sc (1963) from the University of Alberta and Ph.D. from Cornell University (1966). He has offered a range of courses at UBC including soil chemistry and mineralogy, pedology and perspectives on resources and environment.
He helped develop the interdisciplinary Resource Management and Environmental Studies program and the Institute for Resources and Environment (1979-2004). He was Head of Soil Science from 1980 to 1990. His focus is on student education and student development. He has served on over 200 graduate student committees as supervisor, committee member, thesis examiner and is still learning. With his graduate students and colleagues he has published over 200 refereed articles. His adventures have taken him to Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Morocco, Thailand, the Philippines, Brazil and Chile and several countries within the European Union. Les serves as the Chair of the TerreWEB Program.
Relevant Books and Articles from UBC Library
Oka, G., Thomas, L., & Lavkulich, L. (2014). Soil assessment for urban agriculture: A Vancouver case study. Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, 14(3), 657-669.
Grand, S., & Lavkulich, L. (2008). Reactive soil components and pedogenesis of highly productive coastal podzols. Geochimica Et Cosmochimica Acta, 72(12), A323-A323.
Lavkulich, L., & Arocena, J. (2011). Luvisolic soils of canada: Genesis, distribution, and classification. Canadian Journal of Soil Science, 91(5), 781-806. doi:10.4141/CJSS2011-014 [Link]
Yuan, G., & Lavkulich, L. (1995). Environmental phosphorus indices in manure amended soils in the fraser basin of british columbia, canada. Journal of Environmental Science and Health Part B: Pesticides, Food Contaminants and Agricultural Wastes, (6), 841-841.
UBC Research Guides
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