Reflective Blog

The Fall 2011 semester has been incredibly diverse. I have never had a semester so demanding, and I’ve also never appreciated the challenges and the rewards, so much. With a combination of my work at the Northern Forestry Center and my class work I’ve been able to elevate my written communication skills to a level where I enjoy performing the act. Frequent practice has been crucial to my progress, and I look forward to the challenges ahead. Like I said before, “If all goes well I will be attending University of British Columbia in the 2012 winter semester”, where I hope to bloom and test my abilities. Communication over distance, through wireless communication, will become more integral in my personal and professional life, and I will undoubtedly enhance my ability to use communication tools.

            Over the past semester I’ve really felt lucky to surround myself with individuals who are so knowledgeable and critically thinking. Through interactions with various people through various media I’ve learned from vast numbers of people. Communities are becoming so complex and it’s resulting from a fusion of wireless communication and human curiosity/ability. I’m excited to meet new people and network with professionals throughout my master’s, because I want to work on a global scale. Through my work in science I hope to travel the world and contribute to natural resource and management issues.

Dr. Andrew Thomas Black and I installing solar panels to power the Eddy Covariance Tower in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

                                           Taken By: Carmela Arevalo, PhD

If natural science is something you enjoy, take a look at some of the stuff going on where I work!

Northern Forestry Centre- Climate Change Group (http://cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/centres/read/nofc)

AND,

 if you like plants, challenging yourself and competition, take this course at the University of Alberta- ENCS 407.

AND,

 check out the cool stuff Laurel did on Camelina - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camelina

I wish all the best in the new year, and hope everyone enjoys the challenges ahead!!! Including myself

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The Pressure Builds!!!

Along with taking ALES 204 this semester I took ENCS 407 (Range Team), which was an intensive plant identification course. Like any other 400 level class it was smaller than most 100-200 level classes, with 8 students. We had weekly plant quizzes, averaging 40 plants/quiz, and we were required to know Latin names of each species (genus and specific epithet), along with their associated family (e.g Family-Fabaceae, Genus- Quercus, Specific Epithet-stellata). We were given a key to a small plant lab in the basement of Agriculture/Forestry Building and for hours, at any hour, we would study plants unknown to the world around us (roughly 200 plants). The contrast between communication methods in ALES 204 and ENCS 407 was enormous, but they both have commonalities and interesting aspects to them, regarding communication.

As part of ENCS 407 we have the opportunity to compete against hundreds of other undergraduate students from Mexico and the United States for the Rangeland Cup, and top prize on the Undergraduate Range Management Exam (URME). This competition is held through the Society for Range Management , whose mission is “to promote the professional development and continuing education of members and the public and the stewardship of rangeland resources.” (Society for Range Management, http://rangelands.org/, Accessed December 2 2011). This community of individuals relies heavily on communication and utilizes both physical interaction (Society for Range Management Annual Meeting) and the Internet- Blogger Profile. As students across North America we are segregated for from each other for the whole semester and when we all gather at the conference it will likely be an explosion of knowledge exchanges and discussion.

ALES 204 promoted a much different approach where, in addition to physical conferences, you can stay in contact with your peers from around the world on a regular basis. I think, regarding ENCS 407, some level of communication between competitors would have yielded interesting results such as rivalries (which can be fun). While we were studying in our little room in the basement, we could have utilized something like Twitter, Facebook, or even Skype to interact with our fellow competitors.  This year the Society for Range Management 65th Annual Meeting is in Spokane, Washington, and I’m excited to seen what interesting networking routes young and old have adopted to disseminate strong range science and management practices. 

Here's a little sample rangeland (Populus sp.). The Moose love it!!!

***Mark Storey- Con Bio! found a cool website that aimed to bridge the gap between the public and scientific communities by utilizing pleasing visuals and simply language very.

Real-time Biometeorology

My professional experience is associated with bio-meteorological and the monitoring of carbon, water and energy dynamics within terrestrial ecosystems. “Biometeorology is an interdisciplinary science studying the interactions between atmospheric processes and living organisms - plants, animals and humans.” (International Society of Biometeorology- http://www.biometeorology.org/what_is_bm/index.cfm, Accessed Dec 1 2011). In order to understand these relationships scientists have collaborated with public and private individuals/institutions to establish research sites within major biomes around the globe. Local, regional and national ecological interpretations are possible through these networks and serve to assist decision-makers. The Canadian Carbon Program monitors long-term carbon dynamics within Canada using a network of Eddy Covariance flux stations, which are strategically placed within major ecosystems across Canada.

           http://www.fluxnet-canada.ca/home.php?page=home&setLang=en

             I am currently working on two Eddy Covariance flux stations located in St.Albert, Alberta and Winnipeg, Manitoba. These two experimental stations monitor hybrid poplar plantations, which sequester carbon, secure fiber high quality fiber and provide wildlife habitat. Although frequent site visits are required for maintenance, these sites utilize cellular signals to retrieve data in “real-time”.  This feature allows researchers to show other researchers, politicians and the public real-time data from any site across North American.

           

            Biomet is a group of researchers and technicians at the University of British Columbia who, with my help, maintain and retrieve data from the two flux stations above. Often, while I am at the site Biomet folks are able to describe the environmental characteristics of the site, (wind speed, radiation (sunny, not sunny), precipitation) 1500 Km away. If I am on the phone, they can tell when a cloud is above the station and when it has passed (very cool). Biomet also maintains and collects data from various other sites including the weather station at the Vancouver International Airport, posting weekly/month data on their webpage, accessible to the public. The data available on their webpage is not in real-time, but I know there is interest in changing that fact.

St. Albert, Alberta

 Winnipeg, Manitoba

            It really blows my mind that these sorts of real-time features are possible over such great distances. In an age where instant access thought the Internet is demanded, scientific initiatives like the one undertaken by Biomet will become more popular. Although Biomet utilizes this cellular system they also have data storage on-site to backup any losses and hiccups associated with the wireless method. The fact remains that wireless communications are not always reliable and that is why I am always weary to trust wireless communication (Internet, Cellular), because of its intermittent nature. I understand wireless communication is invaluable, but it should be used strictly as a peripheral tool, not a foundation.

Jasmine Gill- The Digital Takeover  highlights the increasing initiatives by government to integrate technology into youth education, along with the increased technological requirements in the workplace. I think these initiatives are enhancing our society, but if people choose to become dependant on these technological tools I believe they will fall into the ‘technology trap’.

Wikipedia Article

The wikipedia assignment was surprisingly challenging, yet fulfilling at the same time. It was the first time I had ever contributed to an online knowledge bank, and I felt very proud. I chose to write on "Carbon Sequestration In Terrestrial Ecosystems - Grazing Land Management" because I was knowledgeable on the subject and nearly no content was written previously. I think choosing to write about a subject you were less informed on would be an interesting exercise, and I think you would learn a lot. Nevertheless, good contributions from experienced and knowledgeable professionals are invaluable to a resource like wikipedia.

When I began writing I placed pressure on myself to write a good article, because I wanted to take seriously how much people actually rely on wikipedia for well supported and quick information. Therefore, I found numerous peer reviewed articles to support my wikipedia article. Yet, I still allowed my own writing style to shine, because wikipedia allows public contributions, and the uniqueness of each writer should come out within the article. I understand being "neutral" is important when writing informative articles, but each writers own perspective should be considered positive, not negative.

I found the wiki code fairly simple to use, with a few stumbling blocks. The referencing intimidated me at first, but it turned out to be fairly intuitive. This allowed me to concentrate on my subject matter rather than toiling over complex code or formatting, and it became apparent that wikipedia's user-friendly interface is crucial to their success. Simply because, people with vast knowledge and resources (time) may be more inclined to share their knowledge through a medium like wikipedia if it is quick and easy to use.

Tools like wikipedia are becoming more prominent in our society. Primary research and literature is crucial to the progress of our globe, but providing that knowledge to the public in a understandable manner is just as important. I think researchers will increase their usage of wikipedia for sharing research and discussion, altering future research trajectories.

It was interesting to look and see what other students had posted regarding the wikipedia assignment (Misscommunications) and doubt all the contributions from our class (ALES 204) will alter history!

Enjoy my wikipedia article contributions here. It is under "Grazing land management"-

Hughie Jones

BioBlog

I am originally from Alexis First Nation located in the county of Lac St. Anne, approximately 75 km west of Edmonton. I graduated from Onoway Jr/Sr High School in 2006 at which time I entered the BSc. Environmental and Conservational Sciences program at the University of Alberta. Throughout my academic and field training my main interests have been energy and water dynamics within terrestrial ecosystems. Outside of school and work I enjoy the outdoors, sports, guitar and family/pets (Cats, but i'm not allowed to have one).

Since May 2010 I have been working with Natural Resources Canada, at the Northern Forestry Centre Edmonton, Alberta. My work involves gathering biometric data from hybrid poplar plantations using forest measurement techniques and biometeorlogical instrumentation. This work is done in collaboration with many technicians and researchers from University of British Columbia, therefore communication through email, phone and physical conversation are crucial to managing collaborative efforts.

Data collected and the associated findings are usually published in peer reviewed journals or reports, available to the public. In my field these publications may assist land managers/agencies make their operations more sustainable. Knowing how to publish these findings to others through various media is an invaluable tool to have, and I hope to become more involved in these sorts of publications. I believe having strong communication skills can really help individual's lead and participate effectively in any environment. If all goes well I will be attending University of British Columbia in the 2012 winter semester to continue my work, where social media and networking will become even more prominent in my personal and work life.  

My First Blog-

Ta Ta for now,

Hughie Jones