The University of the Fraser Valley officially opened its Agriculture Centre of Excellence on April 4, 2014, the university’s 40th anniversary. Premier Christy Clark and other dignitaries attended a special ceremony marking the opening (see provincial government news release here and photos of the ceremony here .) continued…
Metro Vancouver, B.C. – From increasing the durability of sports fields and buildings, to mitigating the effects of climate change: When it comes to sustaining cities and life within them, several local experts agree that succeeding will in part fall to those with backgrounds in horticulture. Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s (KPU) school of horticulture recently hosted an industry discussion, inviting local professionals to weigh in on the role horticulture will play in planning for the future……….
Kenya’s Campi ya Kanzi has hosted celebrity guests like Naomi Watts and Edward Norton, who have travelled there on vacation to enjoy beautiful views of Mount Kilimanjaro and a luxury-filled safari experience across vast acres of East African wild land. While the views and wildlife are equally exciting for VIU graduate Katie Schneider, her attraction to this luxury safari camp is more about the work it has been doing since 1996 to promote sustainable tourism and protect wildlife and habitat, … Continued
Sunday brunch, Music by the Bay, and a marine science centre featuring aquariums and touch tanks teeming with colorful local sea life are just a few of the ways visitors of all ages can enjoy summer time at Vancouver Island University’s Deep Bay Marine Field Stat ion. “Summer is the perfect time for a day trip to the field station from just about anywhere on Vancouver Island,” says manager Brian Kingzett, “especially families who are looking for things to do … Continued
On April 17, hundreds of high-school and post-secondary students from across British Columbia gathered at Tradex in Abbotsford to compete in the 19th annual BC Skills Competition . With 40 competition categories ranging from aircraft maintenance to welding, students took on practical challenges designed to test—and prove—that they’ve got the skills to excel in trades and technology occupations. At the end of the day-long competition, 14 BCIT students emerged with medals after outstanding performances in a variety of categories. BCIT students dominated in … Continued
Competing in a six-hour garden building event which involved working from a prescribed landscape plan, two Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) Horticulture students took gold in the provincial Skills Canada—Skills BC—competition, held April 17 in Abbotsford. As part of the challenge, fourth-year student Kevin O’Connor, enrolled in KPU’s Landscape Apprenticeship Program, and first-year student Jason Thompson, enrolled in KPU’s Turf Management Diploma Program, installed paving stones, basalt stone walls, a water feature, a flag stone pathway and an extensive planting system. … Continued
Congratulations to second-year Architectural Science student Simon VanGrootheest, who was awarded the Andy Kesteloo Award by the Canada Green Building Council . The objective of the award is to recognize a student project that demonstrates leadership, innovation, inspiration and a creative vision for the future of sustainable design in the field of green building and communities. This competition challenges students to explore innovative, realistic design of the built environment. They aim to think globally and act locally to achieve a durable, efficient, comprehensive design that is … Continued
The end of spring semester marked the completion of the first year for students enrolled in Kwantlen’s policy studies degree program. Offered at the Surrey campus, this program has students learning the research, information literacy, and critical thinking skills necessary to be successful in the growing field of sustainability policy. “The City of Surrey has a strong relationship with Kwantlen and is proud of this ‘made-in-Surrey’ program that is designed to fill an important need in our communities,” says Dianne … Continued
A paper published by BCIT’s Dr. Fitsum Tariku, director of the Building Science Centre of Excellence , has received the Best Paper Award for 2011 from Building Simulation: An International Journal . The paper, entitled “Determination of indoor humidity profile using a whole-building hygrothermal model,” published in Volume 4 Issue 1 of the journal, was selected based on the nominations from the journal’s Editorial Board and the recommendation of an Award Selection Committee comprised of distinguished scholars from around the world. Receiving the Best Paper Award represents the highest distinction and recognition of a … Continued
Renewable Resources – Forestry graduate Jonathan Lok has been named Forest Technologist of the Year by the Association of BC Forest Professionals (ABCFP). Jonathan, a Registered Forest Technologist (RFT) from Port McNeill, was honoured with the award at the ABCFP annual conference and annual general meeting in Victoria. Read more……
