On Earth
126 episodes - English - Latest episode: 7 months ago -There is a lot of diversity under the science umbrella and not all scientists wear lab coats. On Earth showcases the people behind the science — who they are, why they got into their field, with tidbits of advice for people considering a career in science. Daniel Gowryluk explores the unexpected & interesting sides of science through conversations with researchers and educators about their work On Earth & beyond!
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
Quarantine Conversation with Mika McKinnon Geophysicist
February 02, 2021 06:03 - 53 minutes - 97.9 MBMika McKinnon is a geophysicist, disaster researcher, and scifi scientist. Mika is an Adjunct Professor in the department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences, and a research scientist at the SETI Institute with Project ESPRESSO where she works on landslides on asteroids and other small bodies in space. As your friendly neighbourhood geoscientist, she offers tasting notes on rocks, tweaks party planning to enhance disaster preparedness, and obsesses over impending doom.
Quarantine Conversation with Xueya Lu - Geochemist
November 11, 2020 04:14 - 26 minutes - 49.1 MBXueya Lu is from China, Xinjiang province. She moved to Canada in 2013 and began her Master's studies at the University of British Columbia in 2017. Xueya's thesis project focuses on characterizing the reactivity of ultramafic mine tailings for low-cost carbon capture utilization and storage. To do this, Xueya conducts laboratory-scale kinetic dissolution experiments and geochemical numerical models to quantify the number of magnesium cations that can be easily leached from ultramafic tailing...
Quarantine Conversation with Manar Al Asad - Planetary Scientist
November 05, 2020 06:46 - 44 minutes - 82.9 MBManar is a research scientist in the Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences at the University of British Columbia. She is interested in understanding the evolution of different parts of the solar system and its constituents. Her research career started with studying the interactions between Mercury’s magnetic field and the solar wind, and continued through her involvement as a scientific collaborator and Deputy Instrument Scientist on the OSIRIS-REx mission, the first NASA mission ...
Quarantine Conversation with Katrin Steinthorsdottir - Metamorphic Petrologist
October 23, 2020 22:56 - 22 minutes - 41 MBKatrin is a master’s student at in the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of British Columbia working in the carbon mineralization group with Prof. Greg Dipple. She studies the origin and serpentinization of ultramafic rocks in the Decar area in central British Columbia and the formation of brucite and awaruite. Specifically these minerals for their potential for carbon mineralization and nickel recovery, hopefully helping with making a carbon neutral mine.
Quarantine Conversation with Johan Gilchrist - Volcanologist
October 23, 2020 14:48 - 1 hour - 143 MBJohan (Yoshi) Gilchrist was born and raised in New Jersey, USA, and moved to Vancouver, BC to study Geophysics at UBC in 2008. Since then, he has carved a niche for himself in the field of volcanology by studying the rise and fall of volcanic rocks, pumice, ash and gas in the atmosphere and oceans during explosive eruptions by using laboratory, field and computer based methods. Outside of academia, Yoshi loves to play basketball, however, he stays close to the volcanic mountains he studies by...
Quarantine Conversation with Dr. Craig Poku - Atmospheric Scientist
October 22, 2020 20:35 - 1 hour - 196 MBDr. Craig Poku is an atmospheric and climate scientist based at the University of Leeds. He completed a degree in Mathematics at King’s College London, where he graduated with a 1st Class Honours in 2014. Following this, he went onto a completing a PhD in Atmospheric Sciences in 2019, where he focused on improving our understanding on fog microphysics over the UK. His current work focuses on improving fog forecasting over India, in addition to understanding how we can adapt climate change com...
Quarantine Conversation with Kimberly Tietjen - EOAS Office Administrator
October 22, 2020 18:34 - 15 minutes - 28.3 MBKimberly is the Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences' Administrative and Office Assistant. With several years of customer service and administrative experience, Kimberly has an eye for detail and a desire to learn and to help. In her free time, Kimberly can be found attempting to stand on her hands.
Quarantine Conversation with Prof. Brett Gilley - Science Educator
October 21, 2020 21:05 - 21 minutes - 40 MBBrett Gilley has been teaching geoscience in the Vancouver area for almost 20 years. He has worked at several institutions in the Metro Vancouver area and was part of the Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative for 7 years before becoming a Professor of Teaching in Earth Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences. His research focuses on improving Geoscience education and making Geoscience more accessible for students with disabilities.
Quarantine Conversation with Prof. Roger Beckie - Hydrogeologist
September 07, 2020 06:27 - 1 hour - 124 MBRoger Beckie, P.Eng. FEC, is a professor and geological engineer in the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences (EOAS) at the University of British Columbia (UBC). He holds a B.A.Sc. degree in Geological Engineering from the University of Waterloo, and an M.A. and PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Princeton University. At UBC he was a Director of the Geological Engineering Program (2002-2011) and Department Head (2014 - 2019) of EOAS. His area of research is groundw...
Quarantine Conversation with Colin Rowell - Volcanologist
August 24, 2020 04:16 - 27 minutes - 51.2 MBColin Rowell is a PhD Candidate at the University of British Columbia working with Prof. Mark Jellinek, researching explosive volcanic eruptions and their interaction with the Earth's atmosphere, ice sheets, and climate system. In particular, he studies how conditions at the eruption source govern where and how ash and climate-altering gases are delivered into the atmosphere. Outside of research, he teaches topics in climate change and climate science as an interdisciplinary guest lecturer.
Quarantine Conversation with Sophie Leiter - Volcanologist
August 21, 2020 20:57 - 19 minutes - 36.9 MBSophie is a MSc student in geology whose current research broadly focuses on volcanoes that erupt under ice, and more specifically examines the formation of the alteration product palagonite. She did her undergraduate studies at Middlebury College in Vermont, where she conducted research on cinder cone volcanism in the Cascades. She is interested in the use of volcanic records in paleoclimate reconstruction as well as they ways that volcanoes can force climatic changes. During quarantine, in ...
Quarantine Conversation with Dr. Kirsten Hodge - Volcanologist
August 21, 2020 06:16 - 47 minutes - 88.6 MBKirsten Hodge is a volcanologist and science educator. She is currently the Director of the Pacific Museum of Earth (PME), one of the University of British Columbia's main outreach hubs. At the PME, she oversees how the museum engages, excites, and educates the UBC community as well as local youth and teachers. Her work at the PME provides a link between the fundamental science that shapes our planet ("how science works in general") to topics that have environmental, economic, and societal im...
Quarantine Conversation with Kate Smith - Environmental Geochemist
August 19, 2020 22:14 - 21 minutes - 40.7 MBUnder the supervision of Dr. Dominique Weis, I am exploring the impacts of environmental pollution using honey bees as bioindicators. Trace element and isotopic fingerprints of honey samples (and other bee products) from the greater Vancouver area can serve as a proxy for chemical snapshots of ~2 km-diameter regions (the range of a typical honey bee). Thus, we can assess small-scale variations in trace elements, and their isotopes, of particular interest to pollution processes.
Quarantine Conversation with Prof. Dominique Weis - Geochemist
August 19, 2020 19:53 - 1 hour - 132 MBDominique Weis is a leader in the innovative use of trace elements and isotope geochemistry, and is widely respected “for the elegance, precision and impact of her geochemical studies of the Earth from large igneous provinces to the environment." Specifically, her research aims to (1) improve our understanding of planetary evolution and the Earth’s environment, (2) model the geochemical and isotopic variations of the Earth’s mantle through a comparative study of large igneous provinces and mo...
Quarantine Conversation with Katherine Raymond - Hydrogeologist
August 19, 2020 05:54 - 37 minutes - 69.6 MBKatherine Raymond works as a research scientist with Professor Uli Mayer in EOAS. Using the reactive transport modeling code MIN3P, she builds conceptual models using high performance computing to look at different environmental solutions related to the mining industry.
Quarantine Conversation with Prof. Sara Harris - Climate Science Educator
July 16, 2020 22:07 - 29 minutes - 54.6 MBSara Harris is a Professor of Teaching in the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of British Columbia. She typically teaches climate science, environmental science, and oceanography, which she will continue after she finishes serving in the Faculty of Science Dean's Office as Associate Dean Academic.
Quarantine Conversation with Anthony Di Stefano - Atmospheric Scientist
July 02, 2020 17:57 - 43 minutes - 81.9 MBAnthony Di Stefano is a PhD student in the Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences at the University of British Columbia. Anthony is an atmospheric scientist whose work aims to improve the representation of clouds and precipitation in weather forecast models. His goal is to produce higher-accuracy precipitation forecasts in British Columbia. In the new normal brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, Anthony is taking time to re-examine his purpose, in research as in everyday life. His ...
Quarantine Conversation with Daniel Gowryluk - Museum Science Educator
July 02, 2020 17:32 - 25 minutes - 47.3 MBDaniel Gowryluk is the Education Outreach Coordinator and Assistant Curator at the Pacific Museum of Earth. Daniel joined the PME team in 2018 following a successful career path through several other science museums—from Manitoba to British Columbia. He has a passion for inspiring curiosity and wonder in all museum visitors and has fundamentally reshaped the museum’s outreach voice through his whimsical and upbeat personality.
Quarantine Conversation with Prof. Mitch D'Arcy - Geomorphologist
July 02, 2020 04:22 - 29 minutes - 55.2 MBMitch D’Arcy is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences at the University of British Columbia. Mitch joined the faculty at UBC in March 2020, making him one of the newest faculty members. He is a geomorphologist who studies how climate change influences surface processes on Earth. Originally from London in the U.K., Mitch has been in Germany for the past years prior to his move to Vancouver.
Quarantine Conversation with Prof. Stuart Sutherland - Paleontologist
July 02, 2020 04:07 - 19 minutes - 35.6 MBStuart Sutherland is a micro-paleontologist and Professor of teaching in the Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences at the University of British Columbia. Originally from the U.K., Stuart has been in Vancouver since 2000 when he joined the faculty at UBC. He is an award-winning educator and currently serves as a member of the Pacific Museum of Earth advisory committee.
Quarantine Conversation with Prof. Tara Ivanochko - Environmental Science Educator
June 07, 2020 00:28 - 24 minutes - 45.9 MBTara started in marine biology, but has since moved into studying how the non-living aspects of the ocean affect its ecosystems and the wider planet. This has given her an appreciation for the interconnected nature of Earth’s systems. Her research focussed on paleo-oceanography – the study of ancient oceans. She teaches full time at the University of British Columbia, and is an advocate of environmental education.
Quarantine Conversation with Prof. Philippe Tortell - Sea-going Oceanographer
June 07, 2020 00:18 - 19 minutes - 35.7 MBPhilippe is currently the head of the Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences. He is an avid promoter of his students’ research, as well as incubating a curiosity of the ocean in the next generation. His research takes him as far away as the subarctic Pacific, and as nearby as Saanich Inlet. He studies plankton, seasonal chemical variations in the ocean, and atmosphere-altering bacteria.
Quarantine Conversation with Dr. Brian Hunt - Biological Oceanographer
June 04, 2020 05:37 - 32 minutes - 59.6 MBBrian is a biological/ ecosystem oceanographer. His research focuses on the interactions between the different factors in the aquatic environment, and how the affect each other. He has a strong focus on the fundamental role phytoplankton plays in aquatic ecosystems. While his research has taken him to oceans around the world, he’s currently concentrating on B.C.’s coastal aquatic environments. Brian has done significant work studying the early life cycles of local salmon & herring.
Quarantine Conversation with Lisa Buckley - Vertebrate Paleontologist
May 18, 2020 01:20 - 42 minutes - 38.8 MBLisa is an independent palaeontologist who specializes in footprints & early bird evolution. She’s made some spectacular discoveries in B.C., and around the world. While footprints may not sound like the most exciting of fossils, Lisa is an expert in explaining why they’re some of the most fascinating fossils out there!
Quarantine Conversation with Laura Termes - Paleontologist
May 17, 2020 23:14 - 14 minutes - 13.5 MBLaura is a PhD student at SFU who is using mammoth remains to track glaciation in B.C. She’s experimenting with carbon dating those remains to determine when parts of the province were under ice. Recently, she even tested some specimens in the PME’s collection! Laura straddles the line between archaeology and palaeontology, and as a result, has to be very nimble in her research.
Quarantine Conversation with Marianne Wong - Paleontologist
May 17, 2020 23:14 - 23 minutes - 17.5 MBMarianne is co-owner of Gopher Productions, an entertainment production company. She has an active piano teaching practice that has thrived for more than 20 years. Among other credits, Marianne has produced a short film, two music recordings, and written and performed music for film. In 2015, Marianne developed a passion for palaeontology while digging for fossils in Dinosaur Provincial Park in Alberta. Since that time, every summer, she has performed fieldwork at various sites across Canada...