Darrell Hoffman is an MSc student in Soil Science at UBC. He completed a BSc in Environmental Science at Simon Fraser University, where he was first introduced to soil science and spent two summers working in the SFU soil lab. His MSc thesis is focused on the creation of the Forest Floor Tool, and evaluating the tool in an introductory soil science course.
Dr. Maja Krzic is an Associate Professor of Soil Science with a joint appointment in the Faculty of Land and Food Systems and Faculty of Forestry at UBC. Her current research focuses on development of soil quality indicators for assessing management impacts on grassland soils, forest soil response to severe mechanical disturbance, and soil compaction susceptibility.
In her work, Maja integrates research, teaching, and community education through application of information technology. For her innovative efforts in teaching Maja received the UBC Killam Teaching Award, Teaching Award of Merit from North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture, Soil Science for Society Award by the Canadian Society of Soil Science, and Mentoring Award by the Association for Women Soil Scientists. For more information please visit Maja’s web page (https://www.landfood.ubc.ca/maja-krzic/).
Saeed Dyanatkar is a Digital Media Producer with a background in engineering, photography and information technology. Saeed is specially interested in the applications of emerging media in education and communication of science. He has been working on Virtual Soil Science Learning Resources projects with Dr. Maja Krzic and the VSSLR team since 2006.
Dr. Margaret Schmidt is an Associate Professor of Soil Science within the Faculty of Environment at SFU. She has a BSc (University of Guelph) in Agriculture, and an MSc (Lakehead University) and PhD (UBC) in forest soils. Margaret teaches introductory and advanced courses in soil science. Her current research focuses on predictive digital soil modelling and the influence of tree species on nutrient cycling and soils.
More information about her research and teaching is available at her website: https://www.sfu.ca/evsc/about/people/faculty-staff/margaretschmidt.html
Chris Crowley is an Instructional Designer/Project Manager for UBC’s Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology. He is involved in the design, development and delivery of online courses and learning resources in a number of subject areas including Soil Science. At UBC, he has also produced and directed some award-winning video productions for the online resources and courses. Chris has a background in agricultural science, film and television studies and educational technology.
Tom Scott has had the opportunity to shoot and edit video at the University of British Columbia on many complex and fascinating subjects. Most recently, he’s discovered that soil is also one of those fascinating subjects and now knows the difference between Mor and Mull.
Kirk Karasin is media specialist, editor and motion graphics producer at UBC Studios at the University of British Columbia with background in creating promotional videos, commercials, and educational materials.
Claire Roan is a graphic designer at the University of British Columbia who enjoys the experience of learning about and creating graphics for a
wide range of interesting topics, including the composition of forest soils. She has new appreciation for the tree needles that cover her
car.
Shirley Ho is a freelance graphic designer and developer with a Bachelor’s degree in Cognitive Systems (Computational Intelligence & Design) from the University of British Columbia.
Dr. Les Lavkulich , Professor EmeritusInstitute for Resources, Environment, and Sustainability / Faculty of Land and Food Systems, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BCHis research activities contribute to advancing an understanding of fundamental soil processes (pedogenesis) as affected by both natural and anthropogenic factors, at both temporal and spatial scales. Of particular interest is the formation of high specific surface materials that are mainly responsible for sorption, retention and release properties of soils for nutrients, contaminants and pollutants. This research contributes to the necessary understanding of natural soil resilience and inherent capabilities to sustain ecological services, including the carbon, nutrient and water cycles. The research provides an index of the natural capacity of soils to absorb anthropogenic effects and provides a comparison point from which to assess the effects of human impacts on terrestrial ecosystems and the capability of the soil resource to sustain ecosystem management. This experience is applied to other natural resource systems, notably the carbon and hydrological cycles. More recently, Les has been involved in international concerns, sponsored by NATO, focusing on “Integrated Water Basin Management”.
Dr. Samson Nashon is a Professor in the Faculty of Education, UBC and his research focuses on ways of teaching and learning. His research is dominantly qualitative, borrowing primarily from contemporary theories of constructivism. Dr. Nashon’s experience as a former high school teacher of physics and mathematics, teacher educator, and as an editor of curriculum materials related to science, provides him with a lens through which he examines the link between theory and practice in the classroom, the nature of science curricula, how the curricula material is taught, and the role that students’ preconceptions play in the teaching and learning of such material.