By: Emily Putnam

In the heart of the , a cohort of third and fourth-year students found themselves immersed in a reading week like no other in October 2023. 

Students participating in the mandatory honours fieldwork course titled “Socioenvironmental Change in the Madawaska Highlands” stayed at the base camp in the Madawaska Valley, conducting independent fieldwork as part of a group from Oct. 22-25.

Located a two-hour drive east of Ottawa, the Highlands are notable for biodiversity conservation, making them a captivating area for studying biophysical processes and exploring the intricate relationships between people and nature.

Co-taught by Associate Professor Derek Smith and Instructor Adam Kirkwood, the honours field course aspired to provide students with the ability to both examine the role of fieldwork in geography and the opportunity to get hands-on experience.

The trip to the Highlands was the second part of the three-stage course, which included talking about fieldwork, doing fieldwork, and analyzing and presenting field research results.

For the experiential course delivered by the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, students were taught specific fieldwork methods, like streamflow measurement, participant interviews, vegetation quadrats, and soil surveys, all of which translate directly to careers that involve fieldwork in either environmental studies or geography. 

For Razz Routly, a fourth-year student in the Geomatics program, the experience was rewarding in more ways than one. 

“There was a pretty even split between physical and human geography activities that let us try out new skills and were more hands-on than most other courses.”

Routly says that beyond the academic gains, the field trip facilitated personal connections. 

Smith oversaw the human geography part of the course and emphasized the transformative power of field experiences. 

“The course is about giving them an opportunity to use the intellectual tools they learn in the classroom to see things that would otherwise be invisible,” says Smith. 

Highlighting the course’s impact, Smith says the experience can give students a better understanding of the world around them. 

“The field course also teaches them that the world is complex and always changing, but that with the right methodologies, we can get a reliable understanding of socioenvironmental change and gather evidence that can be used to develop effective policies. This is a lesson that they can take with them and use in different contexts.”

Kirkwood, who taught the physical geography portion of the course, notes the significance of being fully engaged with the geography in order to comprehend it.

“Being immersed in your study site is really important for understanding the complex interactions of social and environmental systems that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to connect with or understand holistically from completing desktop studies,” says Kirkwood.

Kirkwood says the variability of fieldwork is a crucial aspect to keep in mind when studying it.

“Even the best-laid plans can often change without warning. Being in the field and experiencing this firsthand, we hope students learned the importance of adaptability.”

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The (GCRC)  at �Ӱ�ԭ�� University has been working in partnership with Indigenous communities and organisations, and with academic institutions for nearly two decades to create cybercartographic atlases and develop the new domain of Cybercartography.  The cybercartographic atlas is quite different from a traditional atlas. It uses location as an integrating mechanism for all kinds of information in multimedia formats, using the innovative Nunaliit (“community” in Inuktitut) , developed by the GCRC team in cooperation with many Indigenous, national and international organizations and individuals who use and support it.

On June 21st, National Indigenous Peoples Day, GCRC officially launches the latest Indigenous atlas, the . This is the culmination of five years of research on a project supported by the Council. Indigenous partners include the Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre, the Children of Shingwauk Alumni Association, the Legacy of Hope Foundation and the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation; the Atlas also has significant contributions by ; academic partners include Algoma University, Concordia University, and the University of Manitoba.

The RSLMA identifies residential schools from across the country and aims to enrich knowledge relating to these schools, their sites, and the perspectives of survivors. Its images and maps incorporate both archival and experience-based knowledge of the schools and their sites.

The maps in this atlas use location as an organizing factor for images, videos, narratives and a variety of content relating to the Residential Schools Legacy. They explore the historical geography of buildings, sites and stories through digital archival and related research. This includes media and related information on 1. Residential school reunions and related gatherings; 2. Exhibitions related to residential schools; 3. Sketch maps of survivor stories created by university students; and 4. News stories on themes related to residential schools.

The Atlas builds on theoretical and methodological developments in Cybercartography and is consistent with Indigenous world views. This relationship-focused approach involves reciprocity, engaging people in the production of maps to tell the stories they wish to tell, and giving these stories back to communities for education and further input. Work under the project to develop this Atlas has involved expanding research, education and community networks, and increasing awareness of the Residential Schools Legacy via critical approaches to cartography. The Atlas is a “living one” in that it can continuously be added to.

Students have contributed to the development of this atlas in many interesting and valuable ways, at the same time learning in innovative and sensitive ways about the many dimensions of the Residential Schools Legacy.

A book edited by S. A. Pyne and D. R. Fraser Taylor was published by Elsevier on October 5, 2019. It includes chapters by Atlas contributors and further describes the Atlas creation process.

GCRC thanks all who have participated in this atlas project. It has been an honour, a privilege and much has been learned.

Contact

For more information about Cybercartography and the Geomatics and Cartographic Research Center, please contact Dr. D. R. Fraser Taylor, Director, at FraserTaylor@Cunet.�Ӱ�ԭ��.Ca.

For more information about the Residential Schools Land Memory Atlas, please contact .

Banner Photo Credit: /

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On April 3rd, Dr. Gita Ljubicic (Geography and Environmental Studies) appeared before the with her long-time research partner Theo Ikummaq from Igloolik, Nunavut.

The entire video can be viewed here: 
ARCT Meeting no. 28, 11am, session starts at 12:06.

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By Ellen Tsaprailis

�Ӱ�ԭ�� University Chancellor’s Professor Chris Burn was awarded the rare designation of a Higher Doctorate of Science (D.Sc.) in Geography from Durham University in the United Kingdom on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018.

The university located in Durham, England has awarded just 10 higher doctorates since 1999. Its Geography Department consistently places among the top 10 in the world in the QS World University Rankings.

“The award of a D.Sc. from a British university is a great academic honour and is only earned on the recommendation of international examiners,’’ said Burn. “Since Durham has one of the best departments of Geography in the world, it is a truly distinctive recognition of the research I have been able to undertake since 1992 at �Ӱ�ԭ��.

It is a reflection of the supportive and happy working environment I have enjoyed in our and the excellent graduate students with whom I have worked.

“I was able to receive the D.Sc. because my first degree is from Durham, and through this process I have renewed academic friendships with members of that department which will lead to further joint projects.”

According to the U.K. Council for Graduate Education, a higher doctorate is an award that is at a level above a Ph.D.

“�Ӱ�ԭ�� is pleased to have one of our outstanding researchers and scholars recognized in this distinctive manner,” said Wallace Clement, former Dean in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

“A D.Sc. is an earned higher doctorate, awarded in recognition of a body of work that has been submitted for examination. This comprised over 100 papers and two books.

“The higher doctorates are like the old doctorates of the medieval ages, for superior distinction.”

Burn is the supervisor of �Ӱ�ԭ��’s new Northern Studies graduate programs. He held an NSERC Senior Northern Research Chair at the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies from 2002-’12. He came to Canada in 1981 as a Commonwealth Scholar and completed both a Master’s (Geography, 1983) and Ph.D. (Geology, 1986) at �Ӱ�ԭ��.

Burn’s primary research focus is on field investigation of permafrost environments in northwest Canada. He credits his 28 years of work with Canada’s foremost expert on permafrost, J. Ross Mackay, who taught Burn to emphasize field investigations.

“I have also been fortunate to work, since 1997, with Douglas Esagok of Inuvik, who has a unique ability to relate Indigenous knowledge to western science,” said Burn.

“These two people have enhanced the research in terms of their vast knowledge of the western Arctic and have enabled me to place the detailed studies I have conducted at several sites in a broader context both in time and in space.”

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Beginning in Fall 2017, �Ӱ�ԭ�� University will be offering a groundbreaking interdisciplinary graduate program in Northern Studies.

will be the first ever interdisciplinary program at the Master level to present a combined focus on the social, political, and physical environments of northern Canada.

This compelling program focuses on northern environments and societies, and the policies that are developed to govern them. Northern Studies will offer graduate students a diversity of concentrated approaches to study these critical subjects, including intensive, one-year, course-based M.A. and M.Sc. degrees and Graduate Diplomas.

As one its many engaging attributes, Northern Studies students will have the chance to partake in experiential learning through field courses in the Canadian North, while degree students of the program will have a work placement at a northern agency in Ottawa or the North.

Winner of both the Camsell Medal and Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, Professor Chris Burn of the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies championed the Northern Studies program at �Ӱ�ԭ�� for a multitude of reasons.

“We believe that �Ӱ�ԭ�� is strategically placed for the new program because we have unique combinations of expertise relating to Northern Studies in the social and biophysical sciences and public policy development,” said Professor Burn.

Professor Burn and his colleagues also recognized the undeniable growing prominence of Northern issues on the international stage, so they made the decision to be proactive by offering those interested with an avenue to learn more.

“Northern Canadians are being called to address a number of challenges that have only recently begun to strike home. These are widely related to the effects of climate change and also to the new governance structures in the North, following devolution and signing of many land claims’ agreements.”

Burn believes an interdisciplinary approach to studying the North will provide students with a more comprehensive grasp of the region; an understanding which will equip them to confront these complex issues as they embark on careers related to the North.

“We recognize that the majority of Northern Studies programs in Canada are disciplinary-based and thesis-based. We intentionally offer an interdisciplinary experience so that students have a better chance of appreciating the multi-faceted nature of most real-world problems.”

“Our purpose is to provide opportunities for students to learn how to recognize and support wise public and private-sector decision making in the dynamic North. We hope the University will be better able to serve Canadians, especially northern Canadians, through the program. We trust that the program will provide an exciting graduate environment that is closely tied to developing potential solutions to real-world problems.”

Specifically, the program emphasizes the biophysical, social, and policy environments of northern Canada while concurrently recognizing the impacts of climate change on northern ecosystems and on the Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities that depend on renewable resources.

Through the Northern Studies program, students will come to understand the stresses of cultural transition and evolving governance as land claims and self-government agreements are completed and implemented. Students will learn about the importance of functional bureaucracies and practices that reflect the aspirations of northerners. They will also comprehend the changes to the Arctic Ocean that will facilitate shipping and bring many visitors to the North.

The program welcomes all applications from people interested in an interdisciplinary approach to Northern Studies, but in particular applications and inquiries from Indigenous and non-Indigenous northerners. The program aims to foster respect, appreciation, and interest in the vast diversity of cultures and environments found in the North.

To learn more about Northern Studies at �Ӱ�ԭ�� University: Visit 

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