3,233 research outputs found
Sean Rubin: Cook Prize 2025, Silver Medal Acceptance Speech
No full textAuthor and illustrator Sean Rubin gives an acceptance speech for The Iguanodon’s Horn (Clarion/HarperCollins)https://educate.bankstreet.edu/cook/1015/thumbnail.jp
Appropriations of Irish drama by modern Korean nationalist theatre : a focus on the influence of Sean O’Casey in a colonial context
No full textMy thesis explores how a translated author on the periphery of the host culture’s
translated repertoire can be at once subversive and innovative on the colonial scene,
using as an example the case of Sean O’Casey in colonial Korea. It explores the
importation of Irish drama in modern Korean theatre during the colonial period and
examines the appropriations of O’Casey’s plays by a central Korean playwright, Yu
Chi-jin, in creating his own plays. Under Japanese colonial rule in the early twentieth
century, intellectuals perceived the supreme task for the Korean people to be the
recovery of national sovereignty and independence. The modern Korean theatre
movement which rose among Korean intellectuals and dramatists during the colonial
period was to play a major part in this task. The ultimate goal of this movement was
to establish a modern national theatre promoting Korean culture and educating the
people, thereby recovering national independence. As their modernised dramatic
polysystem was still "young", Korean intellectuals and dramatists who were
involved in the theatre movement had to borrow dramatic models from other
countries. One of the models they chose was Irish playwrights, especially those who
were involved in the Irish dramatic movement. They published or staged the works
of W.B. Yeats, Lord Dunsany [Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett], Augusta
Gregory, J.M. Synge, St. J. Ervine, T.C. Murray and Sean O'Casey. Although
O'Casey was considered an important dramatist in the Irish dramatic movement, he
was a playwright on the periphery in the list of translated Irish dramatists in Korea
due to the colonisers’ censorship. However, he remained as a subversive and
innovative playwright on the colonial scene by virtue of being appropriated by Yu
Chi-jin who used O’Casey’s plays as models when creating his own works. In
discussing the subject matter of my thesis, I use Even Zohar’s polysystems theory as
a starting point in looking at ideological issues surrounding translation and extend
the discussion to offer a postcolonial perspective. While most translation in a
colonial context was considered as "an expression of the cultural power of the
colonisers," my thesis shifts the focus to translation as an expression of the cultural
power of the colonised. I explore how the colonised uses another colonised culture to
subvert the colonisers’ power
Interview with Canadian teacher and author Dr. Sean Steel
No full textRozhovor Dr. Zuzany Svobodové s kanadským učitelem a publicistou Dr. Seanem Steelem.Interview with Canadian teacher and author Dr. Sean Steel
Evaluation of agricultural practices for regenerative outcomes in cropping systems of southwestern British Columbia
No full textRegenerative agriculture is an approach designed to improve soil health, increase water availability, and contribute to climate mitigation and adaptation. While lacking universal delineation, increasing biodiversity, minimizing soil disturbance, and maximizing soil cover are common principles. Although there are many agricultural practices that adhere to these principles it is often unclear which specific practices lead to regenerative outcomes particularly as they are likely to be regionally specific.. The objectives of my dissertation were to evaluate selected agricultural management practices for regenerative outcomes in southwestern British Columbia by quantifying indicators of climate mitigation, adaptation, and soil health. For study one, fields were grouped by participation in stewardship programs that promoted the adoption of management practices including hedgerow planting, winter-cover crops and grassland set-asides between 1992 and 2016 and those that did not. The results from this study indicate enrollment in stewardship programs reduces the loss of carbon from soils and improves indicators of soil water regulation, aiding in mitigation of climate breakdown while building climate resiliency. For study two and three, an experiment was established at the Alaksen National Wildlife Area, under a 5-year rotation (2-years of annual vegetables and 3-years of perennial forage). For study two I investigated the effects of short-term management on soil health. The results from this chapter indicate that reduced tillage leads to some improved soil health indicators without sacrificing crop yield or intensifying weed pressure. For study three I investigated the capacity of three management systems (perennial forage; conservation; conventional) to improve short-term indicators of climate mitigation and adaptation. The results from this chapter indicate that integration of perennial forage crops not only support the accrual of soil carbon but also can improve soil physical properties related to aggregate stability and water regulation. Overall, these results suggest these practices can effectively contribute to regenerative outcomes and improve agroecosystem resilience in this important agricultural region.Land and Food Systems, Faculty ofGraduat
Impacts of field hydrology management on two years of soil greenhouse gas emissions from blueberry crop rows in Delta, British Columbia
No full textAn observational study was conducted to investigate the potential of managing field hydrology to reduce soil greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from blueberry crop rows on silt loam soils in a temperate maritime climate. Results from the field study were used to validate three models: the tier 1 IPCC and tier 2 equation by Rochette et al. (2018), which are used to estimate annual soil nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions, and the tier 3 Denitrification-Decomposition model (DNDC) which simulates daily soil emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), N₂O, and methane (CH₄). Soil emissions were measured every two weeks for two years, using dynamic closed chambers in nine fields, which were either (1) undrained, (2) drained with subsurface tiles, or (3) drained with subsurface tiles and ditch pumps. Drainage system did not impact field hydrology or soil GHG emissions; thus, the fields were recategorized using principal component analysis according to their two-year mean water table (WT) level and soil volumetric water content. On average, fields with higher WT levels emitted significantly more CO₂ and N₂O, by 29% and 130% respectively, resulting in higher overall annual emissions (36,095 kg CO₂eq ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ versus 28,755 kg CO₂eq ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ in lower WT fields). High WT fields emitted more CO₂ in the spring and summer, and more N₂O in the fall and winter. Stepwise linear regressions showed that soil temperature was the main driver of soil CO₂ emissions, but drivers were unclear for N₂O and CH₄ emissions. The DNDC model overestimated the effect of freeze-thaw events on soil CO₂ emissions, and underestimated soil N₂O emissions, especially in the shoulder season. Annual soil N₂O emissions were poorly estimated by all three models, but the equation by Rochette et al. (2018) provided the most accurate estimate of mean annual soil N₂O emissions, underestimating them by 6% compared to 89% and 90% with the IPCC and DNDC models, respectively. The results indicate that lowering the WT could reduce soil emissions in blueberry crop rows; but more information on net field GHG budgets is needed before recommending drainage as a GHG mitigation practice for silt loam soils in Delta, British Columbia.Land and Food Systems, Faculty ofGraduat
Field and modeling evaluation of varying durations of short-term grassland set-asides in Delta, British Columbia
No full textThe Delta Farmland and Wildlife Trust (DF&WT), established in 1993, collaborates with farmers in Delta, British Columbia to enhance degraded agricultural soils. This is achieved by providing funding and support to transition land out of annual crop production and into a short-term (1-4 year) grassland set-aside program (GLSA). Several studies have been conducted to assess select soil properties across various GLSA durations to determine the effectiveness of the DF&WT GLSA program in improving degraded soils. Despite the research conducted thus far, there are still gaps in our understanding of the impacts of 4-year GLSA duration relative to 2- and 3-year durations on soil properties and crop yield due to a lack of consistent sampling parameters and conditions across these studies. The objective of my research was to evaluate the effects of varying durations of GLSAs on soil nutrients and crop yields once the GLSA fields are returned to production. I first conducted an observational study in 2019 to examine soil nutrients and crop yields in the first growing season for former 4-year GLSA fields and paired annual crop rotation fields (ACR). The results from this study, along with associated GLSA research data, were then used to calibrate the Denitrification-Decomposition model (DNDC) for a concurrent simulation of 2-, 3-, and 4-year GLSAs. The observed differences between former 4-year GLSAs and ACR fields were minimal, with no significant effect on crop yield despite variability in soil nutrients between the two field types. However, the calibrated DNDC model 2-, 3-, and 4-year GLSA simulation suggests that GLSAs of increasing duration have the potential to contribute more nutrients to the soil. Further improvement of model performance and replication across a wider range of field baseline characteristics is necessary before definitive conclusions can be drawn regarding GLSA contributions to soil nutrients and crop yields. The results of my field and modeling studies confirm findings of other studies that incorporating GLSA into a crop rotation could enable farmers to reduce nutrient applications for subsequent crops.Land and Food Systems, Faculty ofGraduat
Overwintering with plastic silage tarps as a tool to improve the climate resilience of organic vegetable production in British Columbia
No full textClimate change is limiting the use of overwinter cover cropping in organic vegetable production and is driving the need for alternative cover options. Winter soil cover is important in protecting against nutrient leaching and erosion, both of which represent threats to the environment and economic costs to growers. This study investigated impacts of overwinter plastic tarping compared to cover cropping through a mother-daughter field trial in British Columbia. Research was conducted from 2019-2021 on 14 organic practicing vegetable farms, including two mother sites (University of British Columbia Farm and Green Fire Farm) and 12 daughter sites, in three agricultural regions (Lower Fraser Valley, Vancouver Island, and Kootenay Mountains). To determine the relationship between winter cover and crop nutrient sources, three approaches to spring nutrient amendment strategies and a control were trialed at the mother sites: (1) high compost, (2) low compost, (3) compost + fertilizer, and (4) control (no application). Plant available nitrogen (PAN), electrical conductivity (EC), and volumetric water content (VWC) were measured in the spring after tarp removal at all research sites. Additional measurements were taken at the mother sites, including PAN at the time of planting, mid-season, and post-harvest, and crop yield at the time of crop maturity. Spring PAN and EC increased under tarps relative to cover crops in all regions. Impacts to VWC varied between years and likely varies depending on the time of tarp removal. Data from UBC Farm indicate that tarps created lower VWC conditions over the winter until early spring (mid-March) after which time VWC under tarped conditions was higher than soil under cover crops. There were no consistent effects of the winter cover type on crop yields. Nutrient amendment strategies did not meaningfully interact with winter cover type with respect to spring PAN, EC, or VWC. In 2020, nutrient amendment strategy impacted post-harvest PAN at a 0-30 cm depth and crop yield at the mother sites. Results from this study help inform winter cover decisions for small-scale organic growers so that they may decrease the detrimental impacts to soil health from changing precipitation patterns caused by climate change.Land and Food Systems, Faculty ofGraduat
Pig grazing as a regenerative alternative to tillage in market crop production : comparing cover crop growth and soil health indicators
No full textCover crops are routinely used on farms to increase soil fertility, protect from erosion, and improve productivity. These green manure crops are predominantly managed with mechanical implements, which can cause adverse impacts on soil properties such as compaction, erosion, organic matter losses. The objective of this study was to investigate the viability of replacing tillage by using strip grazing pigs to manage cover crops (terminate and re-seed via trampling) and compare their impacts on cover crop growth and soil health to a system using typical tractor tillage. The experiment was conducted twice on two different areas of the same farm, one left fallow for 5 years, the other under previous organic market crop production. It was observed that cover crop coverage was 48% higher on average in the grazing system during the summer season and 35% more higher after a winter of growth. The proportion of weed cover varied according to the preceding land use; significantly more weeds were found in the tillage system where cropping activities had taken place before. Penetration resistance was significantly lower in the grazing system at the 15-30 cm depth which suggests it helped mitigate the plough pan layer. Mean aggregate stability was higher in the tillage system due to a higher fraction of macroaggregates even though there was a significantly higher fraction of microaggregates in the grazing system. Bulk density was not found to be significantly different between systems, but volumetric water content was significantly lower in the grazing plots. Nitrate levels were significantly higher in the grazing system, but grazing did not affect levels of ammonium, phosphorous, and permanganate oxidable carbon. Soil respiration was found to be significantly higher in the grazing system and mean earthworm count and weight were also 41% and 86% respectively. Overall, this study indicates that using grazing pigs to manage cover crops is a promising strategy that may help to prevent some of the negative impacts of tillage, even if used only over one growing season.
Land and Food Systems, Faculty ofGraduat
Recall this Book 60: Sean Hill on Bodies in Space and Time
No full textElizabeth is joined by Elizabeth Bradfield, poet, naturalist and professor of poetry at Brandeis, in a conversation with the poet Sean Hill, author of Blood Ties and Brown Liquor (2008) and Dangerous Goods (2014). Sean read his Musica Universalis in Fairbanks, (it appeared in the Alaska Quarterly Review) and then, like someone seated in an archive turning over the pages of aged and delicate documents, unfolded his ideas about birds, borders, houses and who was here before me
"Chew On This"- Food Security, Eh? A Panel Discussion on Sustainable Food in a Canadian Context
No full textWebcast sponsored by the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, hosted by Common Energy UBC, Oxfam UBC, and the UBC Commerce Undergraduate Society’s Sustainability Committee. “Chew On This,” is a week-long series of lectures, panel discussions, and workshops. A diverse group of panelists will share their research and thoughts on the topic of Canada and what it means to have sustainable food in Canada.
Panelists include:
* Dr. Andrew Riseman, Associate Professor of Applied Biology and Plant Breeding in the Faculty of Land and Food Systems; co-chair of the Campus Academic Plan committee working to guide the future of the UBC Farm.
* Dr. Sean Smukler, Assistant Professor of Applied Biology and Soil Science; Junior Chair, Agriculture and the Environment; research working with farmers to assess impacts of farm management practices.
* Dr. James Vercammen, Professor in both the Faculty of Land and Food Systems and the Sauder School of Business; research focussing on food and resource economics.
* Will Valley, Project Coordinator, Think&Eat Green@School; member of Inner City Farms. Will’s research interests include the analysis and application of community-engaged scholarship and food system education
* Anelyse Weiler, Communications Coordinator, UBC Farm
* and Sophia Baker-French, Registered Dietician; MSc Candidate in Human Nutrition; previous Research Assistant with Think and Eat Green @ School; prior coordinator at the UBC Farm School Tours program.
Moderator: Amy Frye, Acting Director of UBC FarmLand and Food Systems, Faculty ofUnreviewedResearche
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