The first ever Sustainability Research Symposium on March 4 ^th held by the UBC Sustainability Ambassadors, acted as a showcase for the multidisciplinary field of sustainability. As Sustainability Ambassadors, we even find it hard to define exactly what sustainability is and what in its entirety encompasses. As such, the symposium was a method of bringing the UBC community together and encouraging graduate students from all disciplines, to display and discuss their research as an educational and outreaching opportunity.

Sustainability Research Symposium, Mar 4 ^th , 2015 at CIRS.

Not only was the Symposium aimed at educating UBC students on sustainability through a holistic approach, it was also targeted to methods and pathways of starting and conducting research. This was provided through a presentation by Dr. Hisham Zerriffi on graduate level research and Dr. Susan Nesbit and Dr. Naoko Ellis on the UBC APSC Sustainability Pathway Initiative.

The Symposium collaborated with the UBC Sustainability Initiative, International Conference on Engineering Education for Sustainable Development (EESD15) and the Community Partnership Unit, and funding provided by the AMS Sustainability Project Fund. As well, in combination with the abundance of food, more specifically the deserts, the Symposium’s interactive approach to outreaching and promoting sustainability was a great success.

Posters from current graduate students who are doing sustainability-related research at UBC.