October 30, 2023 — Staying Grounded

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OCTOBER 31, 2023 | VOLUME CV | ISSUE IX TYPICAL CHICKEN BROTH HANG SINCE 1918

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Community members rally for Palestine

Crying in the club

UBC bands shape Vancouver’s music scene

Spooky scary stories

Skate Canada comes to UBC

NEWS

CULTURE

FEATURES

HUMOUR

SPORTS

THE UBYSSEY

STAYING GROUNDED ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE SUPPLEMENT // 8-13

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OCTOBER 31, 2023 TUESDAY

WHO’S WHO AT UBC

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OUR CAMPUS

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OCTOBER 31, 2023 | VOLUME CV | ISSUE IX

EDITORIAL

BUSINESS

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ON THE COVER COVER BESSIE GUO AND ANYA A AMEEN

Henry van Dyck’s Ubisoft co-op Origins and Odyssey

“I think a part of the goal of co-op is … learning what you want to do,” said Dyck.

Mahin E Alam Staff Writer

Henry van Dyck developed his first video game in grade 10.

“I applied for funding from the Government of Ontario to make a company for the summer,” said Dyck, a fifth-year mechatronics engineering student. “They gave me a grant and I founded my own game studio.”

He developed Cold War, a game which allows the player’s penguin avatar to defend their home from others. The game is available on the App Store and Google Play Store. “[I] did that for the whole summer, just developing, doing the art, doing the coding, trying to get published internationally,” said Dyck.

“That was my first foray into the gaming industry.”

But Dyck put his dream to work as a game developer on the back burner after this.

“It [was] kind of a dream in the back of my head to go back into the gaming industry ... to work on a creative endeavour.”

That would all change once Dyck got an opportunity any aspiring game developer could only dream of: working for Ubisoft.

A CREATIVE ENDEAVOUR In fall 2021, Dyck joined Ubisoft Quebec as a co-op tools programmer and worked on a project for Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed franchise.

The Assassin’s Creed series follows a fictional struggle between the Order of Assassins and the Knights Templar. Recent games include Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and Assassin’s Creed Origins.

“It was a huge, creative endeavour that involved engineering and

artists and writers [and] so many different people with different expertise that I got to learn from,” said Dyck.

While at Ubisoft, Dyck had the opportunity to meet and work with people involved in various aspects of developing a AAA-level franchise. In the video game industry, AAA is used to classify games created and distributed by a mid-sized or major publisher.

He said he gained the confidence to reach out to people in the industry, regardless of whether or not he thought they would respond to him.

Working for a company as large as Ubisoft came with challenges.

Dyck said he didn’t have strong technical skills before he started at Ubisoft — he had only taken a handful of computer science courses and was otherwise self-taught.

“I met the minimum standard,” he said.

But Dyck made up for his lack of technical experience with his enthusiasm.

Dyck said during the Ubisoft job interview, he asked if his lack of technical knowledge was an issue.

He was told that it wasn’t.

“I need two things from people.

I need people who are enthusiastic and I need people who work hard.

Technical skill, not as important,” Dyck recalled his interviewer saying.

He felt the interview for the job reflected that as well. “They were very interested in my past co-op experience and that I was a different voice,” said Dyck. ”I think they were able to read the passion.”

ISOLATING BUT EXCITING During his time at UBC, he’s travelled to six cities across the world.

Throughout his co-op terms, Dyck lived within and outside Canada, with his most recent co-

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op term taking him to Tokyo.

Moving for each co-op job came with its challenges. For Dyck, amid the excitement of going to a new city, there was the challenge of making new connections.

“Other people hear that you’re there for four months [and] they don’t really want to be your friends that much sometimes, because they’re like, ‘This isn’t something that’s worth committing to,’” said Dyck.

The solution for Dyck was to be enthusiastic about the whole experience and to step out of his comfort zone.

“In Japan, I enrolled in judo classes [to make friends] which I thought was really cool,” said Dyck. “But it was so humiliating because I was getting destroyed by middle school students throwing me over their back.”

“That was a way for me to [then make] friends and I became a lot closer to this guy from my work who was also [taking classes] there.”

After moving to Quebec City, Dyck took his months there as a chance to immerse himself in French Canadian culture. He said the new environment was “isolating at times ... but exciting and challenging.”

Dyck threw himself out there to make friends, which resulted in him learning some new things.

“I was introduced to Dungeons and Dragons by my friends there [and] I did a quest in French,” he said.

Despite the challenges of making friends and adjusting to life in new cities, Dyck said his co-op experiences were valuable in helping him understand his career options.

“I think a part of the goal of co-op is … learning what you want to do [and] learning what you don’t like doing,” said Dyck. U

NEWS

OCTOBER 31, 2023 TUESDAY

EDITORS AISHA CHAUDHRY + RENÉE ROCHEFORT

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CAMPUS ADVOCACY //

UBC community members march in nationwide walkout for Palestine Aisha Chaudhry and Renée Rochefort News Editors

On October 25, members of the UBC community rallied in support of Palestine.

A crowd of community members gathered in front of the Nest, a crowd of community members chanted “free, free Palestine” and “occupation is crime.”

The walkout, organized by Fightback Vancouver with support from UBC Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR) and the UBC Social Justice Centre, was part of a larger series of rallies across Canada this week, following a call from the Palestinian Youth Movement.

The crowd, raising signs of solidarity, gathered to hear speeches from students which criticized UBC and Canada’s response to the ongoing violence in Israel and Palestine.

On October 11, UBC released a statement which has garnered criticism from faculty and community members for remaining silent about Palestinians.

“UBC doesn’t even have the nerve to mention the name of Palestine,” said one speaker about the statement.

A circulating faculty-led open letter is condemning the statement for remaining “silent regarding the ongoing state terror committed by Israel against Palestinians.”

As of October 30, it has over 1,250 signatures.

The sentiment of the letter was echoed by another speaker who also criticized UBC’s “hypocrisy” for remaining silent on Palestine while doing land acknowledgments.

“The institution that claims to be on the side of Indigenous people in Canada has responded to the ongoing genocide in the most shameful and cowardly way, phrasing it as an Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”

“Shame,” cried the crowd in response.

“It’s not okay to erase us,” said the speaker, drawing more cries of “shame” from the crowd.

Speakers also voiced anger about the lack of space given to Palestinian issues in the classroom.

“I have been literally paying for the department to teach me the meaning of genocide and the meaning of ethnic cleansing and the meaning of revolution,” said one student, saying that their classrooms should be, but are currently not, spaces to hear Palestinian voices.

Students also demanded UBC divest from companies complicit in Palestinian human rights violations.

Last year, the AMS released a statement urging UBC to divest, which UBC opposed.

“Solitary means divestment,” said a speaker.

In a statement to The Ubyssey, Mathew Ramsey, director of university affairs at UBC Media Relations, wrote, “UBC supports all of our community members to protest

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and advocate peacefully for causes that they feel strongly about.”

Ramsey wrote that UBC’s position on BDS (boycott, divest and sanction) has previously been stated. In April 2023, UBC released a statement not supprting BDS. “We are constantly considering how we can better incorporate our ESG beliefs and principles within our investment pools, but it is crucial that we do so in conjunction

with financial returns and risks on these investments,” added Ramsey.

After the speeches, the crowd marched from the plaza towards the President’s Office at Walter Koerner Library shouting “free, free Palestine” and called for a true revolution for change.

“We stand with the Palestinians. We stand on the side of the oppressed by the violence of the oppressor. We call for a new Intifada,

a new mass uprising,” said a speaker.

They crowded the stairs from the entry to the seventh floor and demanded to see Interim President Deborah Buszard.

While the crowd started to disperse when the University RCMP arrived at the library’s doors, solidarity between community members continued with smaller gatherings in front of Koerner Library and the Nest on the next day. U

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RENÉE ROCHEFORT / THE UBYSSEY

4 | NEWS | TUESDAY OCTOBER 31, 2023 I’M GONNA MISS ALL MY CLICKER QUESTIONS //

UBC to mandate multi-factor authentication Zoe Wagner Senior Staff Writer

By November 1, every student will need to set up multi-factor authentication (MFA) to login to certain applications requiring their CWL when off campus.

UBC faculty and staff have already been using MFA, but starting next month students will be required to use it as well. The change comes amid increasing awareness and concern for cybersecurity and data privacy.

Phishing incidents are a common cybersecurity issue and have increased in recent years at UBC. In January, an email sent to students by Gage Averill, provost and vice-president academic of UBC Vancouver, and Rehan Sadiq, provost and vice-president academic of UBC Okanagan, read, “[UBC has] received multiple reports of fraudulent emails being sent to UBC students,” with certain cases resulting in financial loss or identity theft.

In a statement sent to The Ubyssey, Jennifer Burns, associate vice-president, information technology, and chief information officer at UBC, wrote the move to MFA is a proactive effort by UBC to “keep

data safe and protected.”

Students are required to use the Duo Mobile app for MFA in most cases. To use Duo, students need to access their mobile phone to approve CWL logins on other devices. Faculty and staff also have access to secondary authentication by SMS or phone.

UBC is not the first university to implement MFA. According to Burns “over 300 educational institutions in North America, including UCLA, Harvard, the University of Toronto, and Toronto Metropolitan University,” are using Cisco Duo to implement double authentication.

Burns wrote MFA offers an additional layer of protection by ensuring the user’s identity is verified through their password and the Duo app.

In November, MFA will only be necessary to access the Student Service Centre, UBC email and Office 365.

However, Burns wrote it will expand to Canvas and UBC VPN “in the coming months” and to all UBC applications and services requiring the CWL in the future.

If on a personal device, using a browser’s ‘remember me’ option to stay logged-in can avoid the use of Duo. However, according to the UBC

In November, MFA will be limited to the Student Service Centre, UBC Email and Office 365.

service-now website, “you will likely be prompted for a second factor if you’re logging into an application that requires a higher level of security, regardless of whether you have the ‘remember me’ option set.”

Another common concern with MFA is the need for two devices to log on to UBC systems. In cases when a student does not have two

devices available, the IT Service Centre will be able to issue a temporary password or access code through a support line.

UBC has also started a forum with frequently asked questions to help students.

Burns said UBC Information Technology will continue to ensure community members are protected

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online using the best recommended practices and offer help to students during the transition.

“By implementing MFA protection for all UBC community members using their CWL from off-campus, the university is committed to providing a secure digital environment that protects personal information.” U

FEELING SEEN //

Five is the new four: UBC students are extending their undergrad degrees

Bandari, Person and Turdy all said they would still choose to extend their degrees.

Nathan Bawaan Senior Staff Writer

Ana Bandari knew she would take at least five years to complete her degree when she came to UBC. She was going into engineering — a program that requires students take over five classes a term in their first year — and she wanted to do co-op.

“It feels like, to finish my degree in four years, I’d really have to rush, and I feel like that’s not something you should really be doing with learning,” said Bandari, a third-year electrical engineering student.

Now, three years into her degree, Bandari said she is likely going to graduate in six years as she juggles engineering courses during the school year with work terms over the summer.

“It’s constantly like, ‘I have to make sure I pass this course so I can take these courses,’ or ‘I’ll have to take this course on co-op,’” she said. “So it’s stressful.”

Bandari isn’t alone in taking more than four years to complete her undergraduate degree.

Although UBC Vancouver advertises almost all of its undergraduate programs as four-year degrees, more and more students are taking at least five years to graduate, according to data from UBC’s Planning and Institutional Research Office (PAIR).

Between 2011 and 2018, there were an average of 4,170 students who took five to ten years to complete their undergraduate degrees each year, while only an average of 1,441 students took four years or less.

PAIR has not released full data for 2019 through 2023, but speaking to students around campus will reveal the popularity of studying for at least five years.

Outside of UBC, a Statistics Canada database on post-secondary education notes that the average Canadian university student took 4.53 years in the 2014/15 year

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to complete their undergrad. In the same year, students in BC on average took 4.82 years.

The majority of domestic, international and Indigenous students took more than four years to graduate between 2011 and 2018.

The same trend was seen when looking at faculty data, with most students in the four largest faculties — Applied Science, Arts, Commerce and Science — taking more than four years.

Notably, the Faculty of Applied Science had the lowest proportion of students who graduated in four years or less each year, followed by Science and Arts.

Of the six programs marked as taking longer than four years to complete on the UBC website, only two — environmental engineering and engineering physics — are from the Faculty of Applied Science. The remaining are in either the Science, Land and Food Systems or Education faculties.

“While many of UBC’s

programs typically take four years to complete, it is important to note that this is simply a standard and is not meant to be prescriptive,” UBC’s Associate VP Enrolment Services and Registrar Rella Ng wrote in a statement to The Ubyssey.

Bandari said while she appreciates the variety of engineering courses offered at UBC, she thinks that many of the classes currently required for first-year engineering students could also be lengthening degrees by reducing focus on one specialization.

“Streamlining degrees a little bit more [could] give the students the ability to get through their degree a bit faster, but again, that comes with the loss of losing a bit of breadth of knowledge,” she said.

Students who spoke to The Ubyssey had different reasons for extending their degree, but many pointed to the COVID-19 pandemic as a factor.

“I also took it kind of slow during COVID, doing a couple semesters of four or three classes,” Phil Person, a fifth-year geography student, said. He added that he took a gap semester doing a program that didn’t transfer over to UBC, which lengthened his degree.

Similarly, Dana Turdy, a fifth-year sociology and political science student, said she took a break from school entirely during the pandemic.

She took a break from school entirely during the pandemic, which disrupted the in-person learning experience.

“It’s almost like I get to compensate for that in these two additional years,” she said.

Another common reason for

taking more than four years was work and co-op programs.

Turdy said she has worked either full- or part-time throughout her degree, including as the 2022/23 AMS VP academic and university affairs. She said she needed to work in order to repay her student loans and save for after university.

“It’s just kind of like peace of mind knowing that I won’t be in as much debt when I get out of school,” she said, adding that the high cost of living in Vancouver has been another factor.

Ng wrote the university recognizes that every student has a “unique” academic journey in her statement.

Bandari, Person and Turdy all said they would still have chosen to extend their degrees if they were to do it again.

Person said being a fifth-year is like being part of a “cool, little community.”

“Even though it’s not a bad thing to take more than four years, it is nice meeting other fifth-years,” he said.

Turdy said she has enjoyed her longer degree and that she has been able to do more as a result.

“I feel like the four-year model doesn’t really take into account students who have other obligations,” she added.

And, although there has been the added stress from planning courses and co-op work terms, Bandari said choosing to extend her degree has been worth it.

“There’s no point in stressing yourself out over five courses and putting yourself through long periods of burnout,” she said. U

OCTOBER 31, 2023 TUESDAY | NEWS | 5 GESUNDHEIT //

UBC Student Health expands with rising demand Simrit Randhawa Contributor

With the return of flu season and the recent rise of COVID-19 cases causing delays in appointment booking, Student Health Services (SHS) are working to improve their systems to accommodate increased demand.

Since the pandemic, students have faced delays seeing healthcare providers through on-campus health services. Coupled with the start of flu season and wait times for first appointments averaging around 20 days, the delays impact many students daily.

Peighton Hyde-Harrison, a first-year student studying food nutrition and health, had to wait two weeks for an online appointment after learning that an in-person appointment would take up to a month.

“I needed a prescription because I don’t have a family doctor, and so the long wait was very stressful,” she said. “If I had COVID, [the long waits] would have been a bigger issue.”

According to Lauren Mathany, director of SHS, the organization has increased its staffing levels since August to keep up with the demand, including two more nurse practitioners and physicians.

Mathany also said SHS has focused on increasing its sameday appointment services for this time of year. Currently, same-day

While on-campus services do not offer COVID-19 vaccines, flu shots are now available at Student Health clinics and Nurse On Campus locations.

appointment services are run most Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays at the Orchard Commons clinic. These appointments can be booked online the night before to see a physician for any emerging issues.

Starting at the end of October, according to Mathany, there will be two providers for the Saturday same-day appointments, doubling

the number available.

Along with these additions to in-person care, Mathany said virtual appointments will continue to be available.

“It really allows for that flexibility for students who either can’t get on campus or are busy between classes … to have a phone call or virtual session with our providers as well as not having to

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come to the clinic to reduce the spread there as well,” she said.

Alongside these new implementations, reducing illness through preventative measures is also key to decreasing wait times, said Mathany. Prevention can look like focusing on hand hygiene, reducing the spread to others and getting influenza vaccination and COVID-19 boosters

which can be administered in conjunction.

“As the pandemic has continued, we have learned to live with COVID ... That fear and stress from the pandemic has decreased, which is great,” said Gabi Reznik, vice-president of the Vaccine Literacy Club.

Reznik said due to mutations of variants, it is still important to receive COVID-19 booster vaccines for better protection.

While on-campus services do not offer COVID-19 vaccines, flu shots are now available at Student Health clinics and Nurse On Campus locations, Monday through Friday. Booking both influenza vaccinations for campus and COVID-19 vaccines for local pharmacies can be done through the Immunize BC Get Vaccinated website.

Meeting primary care health services demands is challenging throughout the province, and SHS has not been an exception.

However, Mathany said Student Health and Wellbeing’s commitment to improving service is ongoing.

“We’re constantly analyzing the service demands of students against our resources [and are] looking at what the effective and efficient models are,” she said.

“The demands are growing and making sure that we have the resources to meet that demand is definitely what we always strive towards.” U

LISTEN UP //

UBC begins 2024/25 tuition consultation Justina He Contributor

UBC has started its 2024/25 academic year tuition engagement consultation.

The tuition engagement process includes creating a tuition engagement website, undertaking a student tuition engagement survey and continuing consultation with the AMS and the Graduate Student Society (GSS) to better understand student priorities.

The student societies have already talked to the university about budgeting concerns, but the societies will also give submissions on their respective priorities before the end of October.

“We’re always angling to make sure that education is as affordable as possible,” said VP Academic and University Affairs Kamil Kanji in an interview with The Ubyssey.

Kanji said the AMS is also advocating for other student concerns like campus student housing, food insecurity, more investments in the Emergency Bursary Program, expanding career services and increased international student aid.

Similarly, GSS President Sam Kenston outlined the society’s priorities for this year’s tuition engagement consultation.

Kenston said the GSS is asking for tuition not to be increased.

Kenston also pointed to UBC historically having a tuition sur-

VP AUA Kamil Kanji said the tuition surveys have allowed the AMS to adopt a data-driven approach for their advocacy

plus. The reinvestment of tuition funds toward students is another goal for the GSS, specifically in the form of need-based scholarships.

Despite nearly 90 per cent of students opposing tuition increases last year, the Board of Governors (BoG) — UBC’s highest governing body — still raised

tuition by 2 per cent for domestic students, 3 per cent for returning international students and 5 per cent for incoming international students.

“The university’s argument is often that tuition increases are sub-inflationary, which poses a challenge in … [convincing] governors as to why tuition should

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not be increased,” said Kanji.

Kanji said their strategy is to ensure governors understand “how much a struggle life is for students” regarding school-related costs.

CUPE 2278 President Emily Cadger echoed the sentiment “92 per cent of students were like, don’t raise tuition. And they

ended up ... raising it. And it just felt like ... a slap in the face just coming out of COVID,” said Cadger.

“It really rubbed people the wrong way because it didn’t feel like these surveys actually mean anything … And [that] their opinions didn’t matter,” said Cadger.

However, Kanji said the surveys were valuable since they allowed the AMS to adopt a data-driven approach for their advocacy “to let the university know that these increases are not favorable to students.”

Both the AMS and GSS said advocacy in the tuition engagement process has yielded positive investments in student concerns, including a student affordability task force and increased investment in financial aid.

“Progress has been made. I would like to feel they are sensitive to our needs, and they are supportive,” said Kenston. “I will wait to see how this goes.”

Kanji echoed a similar perspective, expressing objections to tuition increases are “not always adequately heard by the university” but that it remains “an ongoing conversation.”

Cadger emphasized the need for more advocacy and discussions on the subject.

“I think they’re really starting to try to listen, but ... it’s going to take a little more yelling,” she said.U

CULTURE

OCTOBER 31, 2023 TUESDAY

EDITOR ELENA MASSING

THE BOO!BYSSEY //

6

NOVEMBER EVENTS //

Banshees or buddies? A look at UBC Cry Club Arts and culture calendar

Julian Forst Senior Staff Writer

From the werewolf eating firstyears in the magic forest, to the tiny minotaur goring anyone who gets close to the top of Buchanan Tower, there are plenty of supernatural reports on campus. But this case was special. It was an old one — Vanier residents have been reporting drumbeats and ghostly howls from the Fraser River parkade for years now.

No discovery is born of comfort — I grabbed my aural spectrometer (my phone with a recording app installed, for the layman) and my proton pack (notebook), and made for the parkade in search of banshees.

When I got there, a loud rattle echoing off the concrete led me to Jack Warner, Alex Ostroushko and Jerome Cohen drumming away on the top of an old traffic divider. They told me the noise is from their crew banging drums and screaming, not an overzealous poltergeist. “[Cry Club] started with an obscure but intense feeling,” Cohen said “[Back in 2021] I asked my roommate and only like-minded friend in the city of Vancouver at the time, Kit [Baronas], if [we] could just bring the guitar, an amplifier and a drum [and play together].”

That was the start of UBC Cry Club — and the phantoms of the parkade.

The club’s name is a little misleading — if you come around, you’re more likely to be screaming, howling or even smashing old cymbals and water cooler jugs.

But the name has significance for Cohen and his comrades.

“The sound of crying is … ugly and unpleasant,” he said. “And I know that the sound we make here can be unpleasant and loud, and unbearable for some, but it’s crying … We all need to cry some-

Ubyssey Culture Staff

SATURDAY FARMERS’ MARKET AT UBC FARM Every Saturday until November 25, 10 a.m.–2 p.m., UBC Farm This market is the perfect place to pick up organic produce from the UBC farm, and take a look at meat, nursery plants, crafts and other goods being sold by local vendors.

UBC OPERA: THE CUNNING LITTLE VIXEN November 2–5, various showtimes, Old Auditorium UBC Opera students are putting on a production of Leoš Janáček’s Czech opera about a fox taken into captivity by a forester, and the barnyard rebellion that ensues. Student tickets are $15.

COURTESY YVR UNDERGROUND

“We all need to cry sometimes.”

times.”

Things weren’t easy in the beginning. Baronas and Cohen used to haul their instruments on the bus from Kerrisdale every Wednesday to make music for just themselves and a few friends.

“In our first two years we had no publicity,” said Cohen. “We kind of did that intentionally.”

Soon, though, people started taking notice. A Vanier resident heard their playing and offered to store the gear in his room. Those months also brought people like Warner, who bounded back up the stairs just in time to recount his first experience with Cry Club.

“Cry Club started with an obscure but intense feeling.”

“You had a hospital gown on at some point,” Warner said as he pointed at Cohen. “Everyone was wearing masks and wigs, and I actually thought you were being genuine and that I’d intruded on something.” Warner had wandered into the parkade out of curiosity, but he stuck around. Now he’s one of the club’s longest running members.

Warner feels the kinship created by this natural discovery process was important to the club’s burgeoning identity. “The core of that early time was people just coming by and hearing the sound,” he said. “People who would come

COURTESY YVR UNDERGROUND

look at us and not know what to think … then there would be the occasional person [who’d] just join in.”

These days, though, the club is more well known on campus.

It has a sizeable social media following bolstered by consistent coverage from Alexander “Sasha” Slavin of YVR Underground (@ yvrunderground on Instagram), a notable documentor of Vancouver’s live music scene. He’s a regular at Cry Club meetings along with his tiny stud-collared punk cat. For better and for worse, Cry Club has an audience now.

“It’s very sensitive,” Cohen said about the club’s growing visibility. “Because I know what we have here is so precious, I would never put it at risk of becoming something it’s not meant for. But right now, I think it’s safe … and it’s still free.”

While the club may be growing in publicity (of which this article is a part), its core members aren’t worried about it losing that fundamental spark.

At this point in the interview, people were beginning to show up ready to make some noise, so I stowed my phone and notebook in favor of a ball-peen hammer and a cracked cymbal and, along with some truly talented musicians holding everything together, made that parkade shake with noise. Before the night was through, my voice was fried and my mind was quiet.

So if you hear a wailing and the crash of drums one Wednesday night while strolling down Marine Drive under a clear autumn sky, don’t be afraid! That’s the UBC Cry Club, and they’d love to have you join them. If you hear it behind the hydroponics building on a Friday, you should probably run. We don’t know what that is yet, but I’d imagine it’s not great. U

BLANK VINYL PROJECT OPEN MIC NIGHTS November 9 & 23, 7 p.m.–10 p.m., The Gallery Grab a drink and catch a few songs at BVP’s bi-monthly open mic night. Who knows — maybe you’ll end up wanting to sing a tune or two yourself!

More information can be found on BVP’s Instagram page (@blankvinylproject).

EASTSIDE CULTURE CRAWL November 16–19, 5 p.m–10 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, 11 a.m.–6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, various locations With a lineup of nearly 450 artists, this festival showcases every type of artistic practice you can imagine. Artists across Vancouver open their studios to the public, and host demonstrations and workshops. Free admission. More information can be found at culturecrawl.ca.

UBC MUSICAL THEATRE TROUPE: THE THEORY OF RELATIVITY November 18–19, various showtimes, Performance Works This musical by Neil Bartram and Brian Hill explores the unexpected interconnectedness of our lives and the search for human connection.

Student tickets are $20.

UBC THEATRE: CONCORD FLORAL November 23–December 3, various showtimes, Frederic Wood Theatre In this play, teens take over an abandoned greenhouse — they throw parties, build friendships and discover an unsettling secret underneath the building’s floorboards.

Student tickets are $13.

OCTOBER 31, 2023 TUESDAY | CULTURE | 7 EMBRACING YOUR MID-DEGREE CRISIS //

Occupational hazard Jocelyn Baker Humour Editor

I’ve gotten very good at telling myself I’m not a writer.

I sit on the couch feeling numb thinking about how I should be studying for PHYS 301, staring at a dusty copy of The Art of Dramatic Writing by Lajos Egri, held open to the third page by a coaster, wishing I could just write But I tell myself I’m not a writer.

I have never finished a personal writing project. I’ve started two novels which sit stranded deep in old folders for a “someday” that feels like it’ll never come.

Real writers wake up at 4 a.m. every day to abate the need to get their words out, while I write for a few days, then leave a project untouched for months.

A few months ago, I started writing a TV show. I was really excited about this idea for a heist show and pulled something together over the course of a weekend. It was the first time in a while I’ve felt like a writer.

Like I could write. I sent the script to everyone who would read it every time I made the smallest change, even going through it line by line with my big shot writer aunt. But I haven’t touched it since then.

I told myself I needed to focus on studying for this exam and my work, and though that feels true, I haven’t been able to. By the time I give up trying to will myself into

working and let myself sleep, I hear birds chirping.

I don’t know if I’m actually passionate about computer science.

Getting rejected by all the tech companies I applied to was definitely demoralizing, and working on research just slightly above my ability this summer hasn’t made things easier, but lately I haven’t felt motivation for anything other than writing and reading.

Yet I don’t let myself.

If I give into the temptation to write and read, I know it’ll be all I do. And while I think I’d rather write than code, I can’t get past the persistent belief that the risk is too great. If I continue studying computer science, I’ll land a high enough paying job to not have to worry about anything. If I write, I can only hope to afford rent. It’s been motivation enough to avoid writing in the past.

I never saw a realistic future as a writer, so it was easy to think of it as a forever unimportant hobby.

But my brother has turned his art into a viable career, and I’ve begun working as The Ubyssey’s humour editor, so what seemed impossible is now almost achievable. Writing still sometimes feels like a waste of time, but not writing means not developing my skills — if I want to be a writer, I have to write.

So why am I studying computer science and physics?

I’ve started to actively dislike

I never saw a realistic future as a writer, so it was easy to think of it as a forever unimportant hobby.

physics, and while I like computer science, it definitely doesn’t feel anywhere near as interesting to me as anything I’ve written. I feel locked in by my past decisions.

I’m on the third loop-de-loop of a rollercoaster looking at the twists ahead wishing I could just bail while simultaneously thinking that stepping on was the “right” decision. It would be stupid to quit

now, I say to myself.

I don’t know if that’s true or not.

It doesn’t make sense to drop out, and I don’t think I could with all of my current responsibilities, but the thought refuses to fade.

I’m good at picturing myself as a writer: at my desk sitting over my computer hit from the side with the dim light of an overcast day responsible only to my keyboard

EMILIJA VITOLS HARRISON / THE UBYSSEY

dreaming a world onto a page. It’s possible.

But how could I give up the promise of a good paycheque, comfort, the commendation of self and family for following through just for something ephemeral?

I’ve gotten very good at telling myself I’m not a writer. But as words pour onto empty pages, they begin to fill the holes of doubt. U

SAY CHEESE! //

Nosh Hunt: Grilled (cheese) to perfection or disaster?

Gabby Ranu Staff Writer

With refined palates like mine — or pickiness, as described by my mother — it can be difficult to find a meal on campus. Grilled cheese is an old staple that will never disappoint me ... except when it does. There are a few key things to look for in a grilled cheese sandwich.

The grill: Am I eating burnt bread? Is there a nice soft bite, or does it feel like I’m eating soft play dough? Will I have to keep my dentist on speed dial when I bite into an impenetrable loaf of bread?

The cheese: Without cheese, it’s just bread. My criteria is simple… no American cheese. It is a cop-out.

Who wants to eat a flavourless chunk of orange slime? A simple slice of cheddar is the way to go.

The bread: I prefer a nice sourdough loaf — on occasion, however, multigrain can and will surprise me.

Being able to pair the sandwich with a steaming bowl of tomato soup earns it a few extra points.

Not just any grilled cheese will do, so I’ll be giving you a rundown of where to find the best grilled cheese on campus.

GREAT DANE COFFEE Great Dane, located near Walter Gage, is an excellent spot for coffee and tea — but what about grilled cheese?

The grilled cheese at Great Dane contains cheddar and monterey jack on their house-baked focaccia bread. It’s on the pricier side, going

for $9.75. There was no crunch, more of a soft bite, and it wasn’t a super toasted sandwich, airing more on the side of a heated sandwich rather than grilled. It felt a bit soggy, except for the ends of the bread, which were crispy. This was a delightful cheese pairing — a bit sharp and sweet, it created a unique flavour profile.

I usually don’t have a problem with focaccia, but there was an overwhelming amount of rosemary.

If you’re a fan of rosemary, you may not experience my distaste. This grilled cheese is perfect for someone looking for a light meal that pairs well with a cup of joe.

THE SOUP MARKET Next, I stopped by the lower level of the Nest at The Soup Market, which (to be assumed by their name) is a soup place. While this may seem like your typical chicken broth hang, they also sell grilled cheese.

Their sandwich contains cheddar and either gouda or havarti (I was not able to decipher which one) on sourdough.

This is a cheaper option, going for about $5. Now, this grill was precise. I’m talking my mother’s signature grilled cheese, flipped and fried to perfection. There was a light toasting — while it wasn’t super crunchy, it definitely wasn’t as soggy as Great Dane’s. I must acknowledge that there was also a very stringy cheese pull.

The bread was a light buttery loaf, with a texture less rough than most sourdough options. I prefer

a more crunchy sourdough, but it paired well. I’ll give this place bonus points since you can purchase a tomato soup — when I found that out, it was as if the grilled cheese gods had heard and answered my calls.

Despite it being a pretty standard grilled cheese, it sparked joy and wonder in me. Sometimes it’s okay to embrace tradition. If you’re feeling a bit homesick, head on over to Soup Market.

STARBUCKS I understand that Starbucks is a bit pricey, but with several different locations on campus, it’s so easy to grab a quick snack and coffee as a pick-me-up. They serve a cheddar and gouda combo, melted on a crispy sourdough loaf that’s been smeared with olive oil.

We see the pricing in the middle of the previous two, coming in at $6.25. Compared to the last two, it has seriously upped the crunch factor. If you were waiting around for the crunchy sourdough then this is right up your alley. The grill is doubled up, with the bread being optimal for a satisfying crunch. These cheeses complement each other perfectly, and sit on a proper circular slice of sourdough bread. It’s authentic, brillant, showstopping … it’s just perfection.

The olive oil butter adds an extra kick to this dish. If I haven’t already sold you on the crunch, the item is called the “Crispy Grilled Cheese” — take the siren’s word for it. U

Great Dane.

The Soup Market.

GABBY RANU / THE UBYSSEY

GABBY RANU / THE UBYSSEY

SCIENCE

OCTOBER 31, 2023 TUESDAY

EDITOR TOVA GASTER

8

STAYING GROUNDED

PHOTOS BY Anabella McElroy, Bridget Stringer-Holden, Jerry Wong, Isa S. You, Amanda Yee ILLUSTRATIONS BY Bessie Guo

The return of the giants: How rewilding megafauna is reshaping resilient ecosystems Vicky Nguyen Many of us grew up envisioning (or dreading) a world with giant mammoths or ferocious saber-tooth tigers. While recreating a world of historic predators might sound straight from Jurassic Park, it is not as far-fetched as it seems — and according to UBC researchers, it could help restore balance to ecosystems that are spiraling towards extinction.

Researchers at the Connecting Human and Natural Systems Lab (CHANS) have been working on rewilding: an ecological concept referring to the introduction of megafauna to restore ecological equilibrium and sustainability.

Megafauna refers to species like grizzly bears that humans have evicted from their habitat more often than it does dinosaurs. Still, rewilding megafauna is a complex process that can be controversial.

People drove megafauna to extinction Megafauna includes animals above specific weight thresholds.

According to Rewilding Academy, megaherbivores, such as elephants and hippos, weigh over 1,000 kg.

Among carnivores, there are megacarnivores (100+ kg) and large carnivores (21.5 — 99 kg). Megafauna include aquatic and marine species, but extinction mainly impacts continental species as deforestation and hunting become widespread.

To address the worsening crisis in biodiversity, the years 2021 to 2030 have been declared the United Nations Decade of Ecosystem Restoration. The CHANS Lab

theorizes that rewilding can play a part in restoring equilibrium to ecosystems that may have been out of balance for thousands of years longer than many people imagine.

Dr. Kai Chan, head of the CHANS Lab, likened the rapid human-caused extinction of megafauna to Noah’s Ark, with a human hand pushing off the animals “one by one.”

With the increasing intensity of human activities worldwide, only 9 out of 50 megaherbivores and 6 of 15 species of megacarnivores remain from the Late Pleistocene — when the ice sheets receded, about 11,700 years ago. The end of the glacial period coincided with the mass extinction of megafauna, due to a combination of hunting by humans around the world and to environmental change.

Now, human activities under the economic structure of fossil fuel capitalism are again causing an extinction crisis, with around 1 million species of animals and plants endangered worldwide. In the words of 19th-century biologist Alfred Russel Wallace, we are living in “a zoologically impoverished world.”

Through rewilding, researchers at the CHANS Lab aim to understand the impacts of restoring top predators to ecosystems that they once shaped. The researchers emphasize trophic rewilding, a strategy for ecological conservation. “[Trophic rewilding] is managing the process of bringing animals back into ecosystems, where they can fulfill ecological roles that were part of those co-evolved systems,” said Chan.

Grizzly bears on the rebound In the forests of the Pacific Northwest, a top predator is missing.

While most hikers would enjoy the absence of grizzly bears, to ecologist Anna Santo, it’s a sign that forest ecosystems aren’t functioning as they should be.

Grizzly bears’ immense size allows them to dramatically alter the landscape. They transport animal carcasses, move nutrients in the soil and impact wildlife movements through hunting and migration.

Rewilding researchers call impactful megafauna like grizzlies “ecological engineers.”

Santo, a CHANS lab researcher and PhD candidate at UBC’s Institute for Resource, Environment and Sustainability (IRES), is studying the rewilding of grizzly bears in the mountainous North Cascades in Washington state.

Grizzlies have been deliberately removed, what ecologists call “extirpated,” from the North Cascades up into BC since the 1990s.

In Washington, rewilding proposals are slowly unfolding. In September, the US National Parks Service released an Environmental Impact Statement for 2 potential pathways to gradually reintroduce 25 bears into the ecosystem.

They’re currently asking for public comment, to gauge public support for a potential new population of carnivorous neighbors.

For people who live near ecosystems where megafauna once lived and could live again, rewilding can seem threatening.

Santo said local communities

are often concerned about the presence of grizzly bears near their homes and farms, as the bears can kill livestock near the rewilding boundaries.

Chan recalled a project of rewilding sea otters at Clayoquot Sound.

Contrary to expectations, the project dismayed many locals, who called the otters “floating fleabags” because they ate valuable shellfish.

Santo is also worried about the well-being of rewilded animals.

“Is this a humane [and appropriate] thing to do to translocate bears from a place where they are currently living into a new home that might be unfamiliar to them?” she said.

Alberto Campos, a CHANS Lab researcher and PhD candidate at IRES, similarly advocated for considering rewilding from the animals’ perspectives.

“Some people say, ‘Oh, let’s reintroduce [the animals] and they will find a way to survive.’ It’s not like that … you have to respect the animals that you are introducing and give them good conditions … not just to survive, but to thrive and reproduce,” Campos said.

Since bears don’t know national borders, once returned to their native range in Washington, they could also travel north to BC. “The potential impacts might include bears dispersing from the habitat in Washington and to British Columbia, where they’re also considered to be extirpated,” said Santo.

Currently, grizzly bears have not returned to the Canadian portion of the ecosystem, but hopes remain that their rewilding

will follow the footsteps of other successful examples, such as reintroducing wolves to Yellowstone National Park.

Rewilding from BC to Brazil Campos is conducting fieldwork at a farm in Canindé, a small town south of Fortaleza, Brazil.

He focuses on rewilding in the Caatinga, a partially arid type of forest only in Brazil. By prioritizing clean water sources, he aims to restore the habitats of rewilded species during the dry season when rain is scarce.

One such species is the rhea, a large bird related to the ostrich that lives on open landscapes, such as clearings in the Caatinga.

Feeding on seeds, rheas are crucial in dispersing native cashews. Rewilding the rhea can reintroduce disappearing native cashew trees to the Caatinga, emphasizing the interconnection between megafauna and flora.

As the climate crisis puts more stress on ecosystems, rewilding megafauna is more essential than ever to re-establish ecological balance.

“This [world] is a fraction of what was given to us ... We have the duty and the responsibility to restore part of this diversity,” Campos said. “[The] planet needs diversity … It’s like oil for the planet, [like] an engine … You need it to make it work more smoothly, more productive. And at one point, if there’s a very small amount of diversity, this engine may stop, and then it will be really difficult for us.” U

OCTOBER 31, 2023 TUESDAY | SCIENCE | 9

Food security starts with seeds Tova Gaster

In the produce aisle of the grocery store, labels tell you where vegetables traveled from: oranges from California, grapes from Chile, beets from BC. But where did the seeds come from?

This simple question underlies a major issue in farming, and by extension a major issue in food security. According to UBC researchers and advocates, BC farmers are paying more to import seeds that aren’t adapted to local climates, and that farmers don’t own the rights to reproduce.

“Especially for organic farmers, it’s hard to afford seeds,” said Jenn Bywater, the volunteer coordinator at the UBC Farm.

The greenhouses at the UBC Farm house rows of carrots that researchers hope can be part of the solution.

The Canadian Organic Vegetable Improvement (CANOVI) is a seed-breeding project trying to develop BC carrot, lettuce and pepper varieties. Unlike the majority of commercial seeds, these are open-source, meaning farmers can harvest the seeds and save them for next season.

For CANOVI researchers and collaborators, food system revolution starts with plant evolution — but it’s a slow process, propelled by its failures as much as its successes.

Bringing seeds back to BC CANOVI began in 2018 as a collaboration with the UBC Centre for Sustainable Food Systems, the Bauta Family Initiative on Canadian Seed Security and FarmFolk CityFolk [link?]. This year is the culmination of a five-year study.

“Organic growers in Canada … rely largely on seeds that are produced outside of Canada,” said plant breeding postdoc Weijia Wang. “So the seeds might not be

well adapted to the specific environment here.”

Importing food and seeds is costlier and produces more carbon emissions. According to research

by Chris Thoreau, one of the leads on the CANOVI project, BC farmers have a particularly low degree of seed security, as they import approximately $7.8 million of seeds every year.

According to Wang, there’s also the ever-present risk that any disruption in the supply chain could threaten farmers’ access to seeds.

They’re motivated by the concept of “seed sovereignty” — the idea, growing from Indigenous movements, against patents on heritage seeds. The concept believes growers should have control over a secure seed supply.

David Catzel is the BC Representative on the Bauta Family Initiative on Canadian Seed Security, an organization dedicated to fostering seed sovereignty through connecting growers, advocates and seed-saving resources (such as seed libraries).

He also worked as an organic farmer in the Fraser Valley for decades, where he firsthand observed seed insecurity play out.

According to Catzel, up until five years ago, almost all commercially-grown carrots in BC were the same type — until the seed com-

pany suddenly discontinued it. The seed variety that replaced it has to be shipped from France.

That’s why farmers asked CANOVI to develop a new variety of local carrots.

“Growers from across Canada grow our seeds on their farm and they tell us how the varieties perform,” said Wang. “A lot of time plant breeders in ... universities make their selections [within] the research team. A unique aspect of our project is that we involve the growers across Canada.”

They also involve consumers in the form of taste-tests.

At UBC Farm’s Fall Fest on September 16, the CANOVI stall tested their carrots on an enthusiastic focus group. While most stalls sold vegetables, the CANOVI stall gave them away for the price of feedback.

“We want to know how people liked them, so [we asked] people to tell us how they liked the appearance, the texture and the flavor of the carrots.”

Participants rated the carrots on a scale of one (bad) to five (excellent). According to Wang, their last carrot testing brought in average scores of over four, and over fifty people participated. This is one of several taste trials they’ve run. U

What packrats can teach us about prehistory Elena Massing Neotoma is a genus of packrat known for its tendency to collect; they seek out nuts, seeds and other treasures, gather them and bring them back to their middens (nests they’ve built from found materials).

Because these nests are so dry, their urine hardens almost instantly — it crystallizes and preserves pollen, bones and plant macrofossils that help us better understand past environmental changes and predict future ones.

The team behind the Neotoma Paleoecology Database drew inspiration from these creatures when coming up with a name for their project: a public database of paleoecological records curated by researchers all over the world.

Thousands of people have made contributions to Neotoma’s collection, but paleoecologist Dr. Simon Goring and data scientist Socorro Dominguez Vidaña are part of the core team dedicated to updating and expanding the database.

Goring received this year’s M. Lee Allison Award for Geoinformatics from the Geological Society of America for his contributions to the project.

Goring describes Neotoma as “a database of databases.” Among other features, it boasts several pollen databases, from North America, to Europe, to Africa.

“I love the idea that we can use these microscopic pollen grains and look down the barrel of a microscope and see the collection of different pollen types on a slide, and from that, understand what the forests and landscapes looked like 10,000 years ago,” said Goring.

Scientists make models of how climates and ecosystems will change in the future, but to check their work, it helps to project those models back into the past. Paleoecological data is essential. According to Goring, so is collaboration.

“You can’t really do much with one single record in time … it becomes more meaningful when you start looking at multiple records across space,” he said.

You also can’t do much with a database that isn’t organized, comprehensive and clearly searchable.

So, Neotoma collaborated with a team of UBC master’s of data science students to turn centuries’ of environmental information into

usable data.

When she began work on Neotoma, Dominguez was a master’s of data science student at UBC who didn’t have any background in ecology.

“When we talk about data science, we tend to extrapolate a lot of things to the tech world,” she said. Data is everywhere though.

For paleoecology researchers, Dominguez’s expertise in mining journal articles for data to add to Neotoma was crucial — even if she didn’t always come in with a full understanding of the intricacies of pollen records.

“Even being introduced to the laboratories where all of these things are happening and [being] able to witness it, I sometimes feel like I get impostor syndrome,” she said.

Dominguez watched researchers take trips out to lakes and run tests on sediment samples — far from her own research background. Though she felt that the data collection aspect of Neotoma was outside her area of expertise, she took over once their findings needed to be organized and rep-

resented in ways that researchers could easily work with. “I wish I could understand what they’re doing, but at the same time, for me, it’s fun to see that what I do also helps them.”

As a living database, Neotoma is constantly evolving. For Goring and Dominguez, this involves working with new groups of researchers and thinking about how they can present data in different ways. Goring emphasizes the importance of involving social scientists who can help others learn about equity and fairness in data use.

Recently, Neotoma removed data that included human remains, out of respect for the descendant populations that still occupy the land.

“We need to respect the historical issues around that peopling and the de-peopling of these places,” said Goring. “I think that is why something like Neotoma [moves] beyond just sharing data.

We actively intercede in data access to some degree, because we make decisions about what data is [and isn’t] available, and how that

data is made available.”

The Neotoma team is also reflecting on how they approach CARE — collective benefit, authority to control, responsibility, ethics — principles for Indigenous data governance, which are especially important when working in a field centred around understanding land and environment.

“I don’t think like someone who is steeped in a First Nations heritage … I think of data in a very different way,” said Goring. “I think of data like individual objects.”

Meanwhile, Indigenous data sovereignty leaders, including the Indigenous Data Justice toolkit, describes how historical artifacts hold cultural legacies that carry their own Indigenous protocols around privacy and ownership — which can vary immensely from tradition to tradition and nation to nation.

“It’s so powerful … to see this very urban landscape transformed into a landscape in which humans and plants and different kinds of animals coexisted for thousands of years before we as colonizers and settlers came here,” said Goring. U

10 | SCIENCE | TUESDAY OCTOBER 31, 2023

Acknowledging climate justice in the EOAS department is a ‘good first step’ but is it enough?

Lauren Kasowski Michelle Marcus, a 2021 environmental sciences alum, didn’t learn about climate justice from her required coursework — instead she learned from extracurriculars like Climate Justice UBC and elective courses.

But for a university and department renowned for climate action and research, she quickly recognized some contradictions.

“On the one hand, the department is training students and supporting researchers to learn about environmental issues and how to solve them,” she said. “On the other hand, they’re training students and supporting researchers to extract from the environment and, in a way, intensify these environmental issues through mining and fossil fuel exploration.”

So Marcus, and later other students, wrote an open letter to earth, oceans and atmospheric science (EOAS) department head Dr. Philippe Tortell, demanding the department to implement the Indigenous Strategic Plan, integrate social justice into undergraduate and graduate curricula, increase transparency and abolish partnerships not aligned with climate justice, with a specific focus on mining partnerships.

This open letter came during a wave of activism and institutional promises at UBC. In 2021, UBC released the Climate Emergency Task Force (CETF) report, outlining nine recommendations for the university’s accelerated climate response following its 2019 climate emergency declaration.

Shortly after, with the initiative of students, EOAS released a departmental-specific plan to address the climate crisis and be fully compliant with UBC’s 2019 declaration.

This plan outlined how they would incorporate broad climate education departmentally, encourage more climate science communication, have partnerships that reflect sustainable industry practices and be carbon-neutral by 2030.

Nearly three years later, their progress is limited but in motion.

The department is currently focused on two of the nine CETF recommendations: priority four, “which [is] directed towards expanding, strengthening, and centering climate research at UBC” and priority seven, “which aims to expand climate education opportunities and resources for the UBC community and broader public,” according to a statement sent to The Ubyssey from Tortell and assistant professor and chair of the EOAS Climate Emergency Committee Dr. Rachel White.

Compared to the rest of the recommendations, these two have less of an explicit focus on climate justice. EOAS students like Marcus are trying to change that.

Since Marcus graduated, sixthyear environmental science and computer science student Chloe Curry is one of the students now leading this cause. She met with Tortell last spring to discuss their demands from their open letter.

At this meeting, Curry said they and other students learned that the EOAS Climate Emergency Committee was working on other goals from the letter, though not in publicly shared initiatives.

“So we’re not trying to fight for these changes. It’s more like ‘Here are the changes we want to see’ and there are people within the department who are super willing to try and help us make that change,” Curry said.

Why climate justice?

The US EPA defines environmental justice as “the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.”

Climate justice is a branch of environmental justice that specifically focuses on the unequal impacts of climate change.

So why is that important for environmental sciences?

“Climate impacts are never just determined by physical variables,” said Dargan Frierson, an associate professor in the University of Washington’s atmospheric sciences’ department who spoke at an EOAS seminar addressing environmental justice in the earth sciences. “As physical scientists, I think we always have to remember this. There’s always social factors underneath.”

“If we want to solve environmental problems, we need to understand the root causes and the root causes, frankly, are capitalism and colonialism. And there’s no way to pretend that those aren’t relevant,” said Marcus. She is currently working on national fossil fuel divestment with Change Course.

The North American Association of Environmental Education even outlines environmental justice as a key component for environmental education. A 2022 study from Texas University noted that the incorporation of environmental justice in hard science-based environmental courses will better prepare students for environmental challenges they will face in their careers.

Indigenous environmental activism is an important branch of this topic. The aims of the environmental justice and Indigenous land sovereignty movements overlap in many ways, particularly around extractivist practices on Indigenous land. Marcus noted that many environmental science graduates

go on to work as environmental consultants for said extractivist activities.

“You’re conducting research or environmental monitoring on land that isn’t yours [and] that you’ve settled on. I feel like that aspect is so important and so crucial,” said Arshia Uppal, a third-year environmental sciences student who sits on the EAOS Climate Emergency Committee.

Uppal said she finds it shocking that her EOAS classes barely acknowledge colonialism, let alone give students the tools to start to rectify it.

‘Sustainable’ partnerships The third demand in the open letter revolved around EOAS’ approach to partnerships and a just transition away from fossil fuels.

It asked the department to be transparent about partnerships, funding and donations and to “phase out all financial contributions from fossil fuel companies that are not aligned with [United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples] and 1.5oC climate targets.”

The 1.5oC climate target is a benchmark used as a commitment to limiting the increase in global temperature to 1.5oC compared to preindustrial times — a greater increase could lead to permanent and devastating environmental consequences.

This is further supported by the CETF report, which calls for the university to establish climate justice standards for working partnerships and to “fully divest from fossil fuel across all asset classes by 2025.”

According to the report, “climate justice cannot be limited to supporting new projects but must also involve phasing out harmful initiatives.”

Divestment, the process of publicly condemning organizations and withdrawing funds or associations, is a successful way to damage the reputation of fossil fuel companies, said Marcus.

UBC committed to divesting fossil fuels from its endowment but that didn’t include other ties to fossil fuels, including research partnerships or donations for scholarships.

“By continuing to invest in this industry and accept donations

and partner with this industry, the university is giving them credibility, giving them legitimacy,” said Marcus. “By accepting research funds and partnering on research, [the department is] helping these companies to improve technology so that they can further cause the harms that they’re causing.”

However, divestment from fossil-fuel funding for research is no easy task. A 2021/22 UBC research study found that $18.9 million has been given to UBC researchers partnering on research with fossil fuel corporations.

“There have been conversations in the committee of ‘How can we dissolve these partnerships? Is that even possible? Is it realistic?’” Uppal said.

The study also found the EOAS department received the most funding by a margin of over $7 million.

“These things are kind of touchy and that dynamic needs to be addressed,” said Uppal. “I think people need to realize that we can’t just keep considering [these partnerships] as [the] norm when they’re actively hurting different communities, when they’re worsening the climate crisis.” “[Fossil fuel companies] are also contributing to issues of environmental racism, particularly in Indigenous communities, but also communities of colour all around the globe, who live in sacrifice zones and really have to bear the brunt of not just the effects of climate change, but the effects of the environmental pollution from fossil fuel development,” said Marcus.

Tortell and White said the department works with the University-Industry Liaison Office (UILO) during development of research proposals for partnerships or industry-funded research.

The UILO reviews proposals to be consistent with UBC’s values, including “upholding the principles of academic freedom, which protects individual researchers’ freedom to select projects and collaborators without external or non-academic constraints,” they wrote.

‘A good first step’ The first two demands on the open letter address including climate justice and diverse perspectives in

curricula.

“If UBC wants to be producing good environmental scientists that are going to be really addressing these critical issues, and doing it in ways that are respectful of communities that they’re working with, then it’s really critical that climate justice is added to the curriculum,” said Marcus.

Curry said although some professors do land acknowledgements, it is only a first step. A next one could be inviting guest lecturers with expertise to teach classes or workshops.

“I don’t think it’s necessarily the professor’s fault if they’re not comfortable speaking of something that’s outside of their main domain of expertise, but I do think it’s their responsibility to handle the topic gracefully and bring it up and talk about it,” said Curry.

Notably, students across different universities have been asking for climate justice education.

A study from Dalhousie University found that students in environmental-focuses courses highly value environmental justice education and want to see more justice content, with a specific focus on the impacts of colonialism. Frierson teaches an introductory course on climate justice in the physical sciences, which has been popular among students at the University of Washington.

“I think students very much want to hear things taught from a justice perspective,” he said.

The Dalhousie study also highlighted the various ways that climate justice could be brought into hard-science based classrooms including guest speakers, assignments, lectures and readings.

“There’s all sorts of different ways that you can bring [ justice] into quantitative endeavors.”

Frierson added.

The EOAS department is recognizing and responding to students in this regard. The EOAS Climate Emergency Committee, along with students involved in the open letter, are working to create a “crash course” for climate justice, according to Curry.

They also hope to do curriculum mapping to find out where to most efficiently incorporate different aspects of climate justice into required courses for the seven different EOAS programs.

“We don’t really know where climate justice is being spoken about,” said Curry. “So [curriculum mapping] is a good first step to just actually get [a] solid idea of what’s going on within the department.”

Tortell and White stated the department is developing new classes “to expand climate science education opportunities for diverse audiences.” Uppal also said she is working to incorporate climate justice into classes of various professors who expressed interest in the content, but didn’t know where to start.

“I think now the department is slowly realizing that climate justice is applicable to the work they do,” said Uppal. “It’s just a matter of taking action on it now instead of just having constant discussions about it and those discussions going nowhere.” U

OCTOBER 31, 2023 TUESDAY | SCIENCE | 11

Getting bogged down in Pacific Spirit Park Anabella McElroy On the eastern edge of Pacific Spirit Park lies xʷməm̓qʷe:m/Camosun Bog. As you enter through a tunnel of salmonberry hedges, the temperature drops and the air thickens with a lush humidity. The boardwalk leads through the forest into the bog — a vibrant mossy pool reflecting a circle of open sky. You might hear a frog or spot a crop of mushrooms.

What most don’t see is the work done by a small group of volunteers every Saturday morning — gardening, weeding and maintaining the bog habitat that just 30 years ago was about to disappear.

A unique ecosystem Bogs are characterized by features that might seem hostile to plant life: little tree cover, low oxygen and few nutrients. The rare organisms that can adapt to these obstacles are what make bogs such a unique ecosystem.

Bogs start out as small lakes, cut off from outside water supply.

Sphagnum moss then starts to grow, its acidity serving as a bog building block and creating the seemingly inhospitable environment. xʷməm̓qʷe:m/Camosun Bog likely formed around 2000 years ago, with Musqueam history in the area dating even earlier. xʷməm̓qʷe:m is an important location in one account of how xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) got its name. It was and continues to be a source of medicines and materials not found elsewhere in Musqueam territory.

This is because the bog’s unique environment allows plants that adapt to its conditions to survive without competition.

Bog-adapted plants include sundews, which find nutrients by eating bugs (think Venus flytraps), and Labrador tea, a slow-growing flower with traditional medicinal uses.

Because of the limited oxygen, bogs can also prevent objects in them from decomposing — like some 19th-century coins and a 1950s hat found at xʷməm̓qʷe:m/ Camosun Bog. In Denmark, a bog preserved a mummified body for over 2000 years.

Musqueam people stewarded xʷməm̓qʷe:m for thousands of years — but careless development in the early 20th century threatened to destroy it.

Feeling drained In 1929, the Dunbar and Point Grey neighborhoods were growing, and the bog posed a flooding risk to the nearby properties.

So, the City of Vancouver built a drain to draw water away from

the bog, protecting the houses, but lowering the natural water level.

Invasive species, particularly hemlock trees, began to grow.

The construction of Sedgwick Library, now Koerner Library, in the early 1970s also contributed to the bog’s forest takeover, UBC geography professor Audrey Pearson said in an interview with The Ubyssey.

Soil dug up to build the underground section of the library was dropped into Pacific Spirit, where rainwater transported nutrients into the sunken bog — again allowing plants that couldn’t normally survive there to move in.

By the 1970s, the bog was nearly gone.

That’s when Pearson started her undergraduate degree. Intending to pursue wildlife biology, a botany class visit to the bog changed her trajectory.

“I went to the bog and sun came through the trees, and I realized ‘Oh, okay — this is what I’m meant to do,’” she said.

Pearson would write her undergraduate thesis on what was happening to the bog, and then continue that work at the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD), a precursor to Metro Vancouver. In the GVRD, she worked on a proposal for the bog’s restoration.

“If we hadn’t acted when we did, the bog absolutely would not be there now,” Pearson said.

In 1989, BC established Pacific Spirit Regional Park — solidifying xʷməm̓qʷe:m/Camosun Bog’s protection from Vancouver development, but also shutting down Musqueam efforts to reclaim the parkland.

Musqueam Nation is now a partner of the Pacific Spirit Park Society, and hən̓qə̓ min̓əm̓ words are prominent on signage at the bog. Nonetheless, the destruction and subsequent restoration of the bog were all conducted on unceded land.

In the early ‘90s the GVRD led the removal of hemlocks and replanting of sphagnum moss. Bit by bit the bog began to resemble what older residents near the bog remembered.

The bog restoration was also an experiment in citizen science. The manual work of restoration from the beginning has been conducted

by UBC/Point Grey residents alongside researchers.

Formally, they’re the Camosun Bog Restoration Group, but they’re more commonly known as the ‘crazy boggers.’ Pearson said the trust put in community members was “ahead of its time.”

“At a very early stage, it taught me the importance of communicating science to everybody,” Pearson

said.

In the late ‘90s, the crazy boggers built the boardwalk around the bog that’s still in place today, allowing visitors to enjoy the area while protecting the habitat.

Pearson emphasized the stepby-step nature of the restoration.

“It’s not one and done — you don’t go in there like ‘Okay, we fixed it, onto the next thing.’ It has been a gradual process and refining literally over decades,” she said.

The bog is facing a new challenge today. Volunteers have observed the water level in the bog dropping year-over-year due to climate change.

“Water levels have been dropping dangerously low for the bog,” UBC geography PhD student Mike Jerowsky said. “We’re seeing a lot longer periods of no rain, very low water levels in summer, and those just aren’t coming back up during the fall and winter months.”

Like the damage caused by the 1929 drain installation, a low water level brought on by a warming climate could again allow invasive species to move in.

For now, a barrier has been installed below the surface of the bog to keep water in, but the barrier can’t solve the problem, just keep it at bay.

Taking care of the earth around us Jerowsky is also a director at the Pacific Spirit Park Society, which oversees today’s ‘crazy boggers’ in their restoration efforts.

“I love seeing the communities that use these spaces being involved in its protection and care,” said Jerowsky.

UBC students continue to play an important role as restoration volunteers.

“We have a lot of forestry students come in … it’s a very grounded way of them applying their studies,” Jerowsky said.

Jerowsky has also created a virtual reality model of the bog to study whether incorporating technology alongside nature experiences can augment environmental literacy. He’s analyzing the results for his PhD thesis.

Pearson hopes that participating in environmental restoration as a community can counter climate anxiety.

“It’s really easy to hear all the horrible things people are doing to the earth, but there are good things too,” she said.

Jerowsky noted the importance of giving back to the natural spaces we enjoy.

“If we’re using these spaces for our recreation … we should also be involved in taking care of them.” U

Is this place bugged? Insect biodiversity researchers hope so Gloria Rahgozar

On a clear summer day on campus, Oliver McDermott grabbed the tree branch and started to shake it furiously until a cloud of dust, dry leaves and insects rained down into an upside-down umbrella. He raced to preserve the tree’s detritus in a vial. An average day on the job for the research assistant, McDermott spent the summer collecting data on how tree species on campus impact insect and microbial biodiversity.

Now, in October, trees from Northern Red Oak to Japanese Maple are shedding their leaves to adorn campus grounds. But why were those tree species planted, and what impact do they have on the less visible communities of microbes and insects that coexist with them?

These are questions explored by researchers for CTMAIN: Campus Trees, Microbes, and Insects. CTMAIN is a Campus as a Living Lab project, funded by UBC to explore sustainability interventions for campus and potentially on a citywide scale. “[We] took advantage of the tree database that UBC has,” said study lead Michelle Tseng, an assistant professor in the Botany, Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre.

“We’re interested in the different [tree] species…and what biodiversity these trees support on campus.”

Although the presence of any tree helps to shade streets and clean air, urban planning often does not account for the tradeoff between tree species and the consequence they might have on biodiversity.

“A lot of trees were previously planted because they’re either fast-growing or easy to maintain, or have a growth form that we think are pretty,” said Devlin Grewal, a

research assistant with the study.

Selected carelessly, these trees do little to stop the steady decline of insect population.

“Insects around the world are disappearing, because of lack of habitat,” said Tsend. “Part of that could be due to the fact that we just plant urban trees at random.”

Being mindful of tree species can be a crucial strategy for preserving the life they carry.

Maintaining diverse ecosystems allows for greater adaptation to changing environmental conditions.

Research assistants like McDermott and Julie Seig have been taking samples of trees around UBC to find how many insects make a home in their leaves.

They found that tree location makes a big difference in insect abundance. Although they haven’t finished analyzing data, Seig observed that they found fewer insects on trees near more heavily-trafficked areas, such as the bus loop.

“We don’t know if it’s a result of the environment, or the tree being non-native, but we did definitely see the difference in the amount of biodiversity,” she said.

Trees with minimal insects can experience challenges such as reduced pollination.

Studies like CTMAIN create opportunities for conversations between scientists, urban planners and landscape managers for more environmentally-conscious arrangements.

“Especially in light of climate change, we’re going to see … [more] extreme events,” said Grewal. Planting trees with biodiversity in mind can help insects and cities weather those storm. U

12 | SCIENCE | TUESDAY OCTOBER 31, 2023

UBC scientists use mushrooms to help compost human waste Bridget Stringer-Holden and Luke Faulks Researchers believe they can use mushrooms to accelerate the work of composting toilets.

Lorena Polovina and Isobel McLean have spent nearly a year tinkering in a tiny basement room at UBC on a novel way to make shitting safer and more sustainable.

The School of Architecture students may not find the place inspiring, but their work has the potential to make a difference in an often-overlooked area of environmental health: waste management.

They’ve been experimenting with mycelium shells — essentially a bucket made of mushroom roots that traps heat and houses bacteria — to accelerate how composting toilets break down waste. Now, thanks to a $50,000 grant from Campus as a Living Lab, they’re ready to test out the project.

The project — nicknamed the MycoToilet — includes Joe Dahmen, an associate professor in the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (SALA). He’s already used mushrooms to create sustainable furniture and to create an award-winning toilet. Now, he and the team want to use mushrooms to speed up existing composting toilets.

“We’re targeting about half the time of a typical composting toilet to go from fecal waste to safe, non-pathogenic fertilizer,” said Dahmen. “So it’s basically the same process of any composting toilet, but just radically accelerated.”

“We take some mycelium culture, inoculate rye and then inoculate the sawdust with the rye,” said Polovina. “The sawdust acts as food for the mycelium to grow on and it expands this little network to basically overtake the sawdust and grow in and around it.”

Once the mycelium has been grown, it is cooked in an autoclave — a device that heats up the saw-

Mycopack design team is making plastic out of mushrooms

Roy He

dust to kill off bacteria that might compete with the mycelium for nutrients. Then, the team will craft the mycelium and sawdust into a bucket shape to fit into the toilet.

Once the insert is shaped, it’s sent to the UBC department of microbiology and immunology, where the team will experiment with different types of heat-loving bacteria to find a combination that will accelerate the decomposition and cleaning of the waste.

“We’ll test the different selection of microbes to find and optimize the breakdown of waste so that we make sure that we have the right blend of microbes,” said Dahmen.

Once the team has the right combination of bacteria and enough inserts made from mushrooms, the UBC Botanical Garden will host a test toilet this summer.

Daniel Mosquin, the UBC Botanical Garden research manager, will coordinate the next phase of the project.

“It’s the whole idea of using biodiversity to inspire solutions that meet fundamental human problems, particularly if it can be done in a low cost, low impact way,” said Mosquin, “and something that

doesn’t rely on a lot of infrastructure.”

The team designed the MycoToilet for use in areas that don’t have running water for a sewage system.

The Government of Canada estimates that 40 per cent of the world’s population doesn’t have access to sufficient clean water.

“We’re targeting places that don’t have easy access to typical sanitary facilities,” said Dahmen. “If you take the refugee camp example, it’s quite common that there’s a lot of disease, stemming from pathogens in refugee camps due to inadequate sanitation.”

McLean and Polovina are currently working on creating 100 prototypes of the mushroom insert.

The insert design is crucial to help speed up the amount of time it takes for composting toilets to clean and break down human waste.

Once the inserts are complete, they’ll be sent to the UBC department of microbiology and immunology. There, the team will experiment with different combinations of bacteria to see what breaks down waste most efficiently. Then, the mushroom insert’s unique ability to hold heat will help the bacteria get to work processing human waste.

The final product will be the result of a years-long partnership between the UBC SALA, the department of microbiology and immunology, and the Botanical Garden.

“We’ve been told it’s more a mixture of art and science than just pure science, and I would say that’s true,” McLean said. “We’re kind of at the point now where we understand all the variables that we need to control, so now we can start producing.”

For both McLean and Polovina, the inter-departmental collaboration has been a highlight of the project.

“It’s a very interdisciplinary group combining architecture and engineering and sciences together to make something that’s pretty radical in terms of how human waste is being treated right now,” said Polovina. “I come from a more liberal arts background, so it’s been pretty amazing to sit in these very interdisciplinary team meetings and learn about all these different perspectives, and [to be a part of ] something as cool as growing a toilet!” U

Imagine two plastic bags, drifting through the wind (wanting to start again). One of them will last forever, in a sense; breaking down into smaller pieces and continuing to pollute the oceans, fish and even the fossil record itself. The other falls apart completely on a chemical level; within a couple years, it’ll be as if it never existed.

Does the second sound impossible? Not if Jordan Thompson and Jasmin Fung of UBC’s Mycelium Mycopack project have anything to say about it.

The theory of biodegradable plastics Plastics are a broad term and actually encompass many different types of materials.

Famous examples include the PET used in plastic bottles, PVC used in insulation or pipes and polystyrene used in Styrofoam.

They have varying properties and uses, but they all have one unfortunate thing in common: At a chemical level, they’re almost as indestructible as diamonds. You can break them down into smaller pieces, but they’ll still maintain their plasticky structure.

This has led plastics to become dubbed as ‘forever chemicals.’ Such chemicals have been found in everything from our food sources to the bottom of Marianas Trench and can have effects on health and wellbeing such as slowed child development.

Biodegradable plastics are different. They don’t just decompose into smaller and smaller pieces, they actually fall apart at a chemical level into pure organic material, the way a banana peel becomes compost.

That’s what the Mycopack project is aiming for.

Mycelium mycopacks For now, the project is still in the early stages, with this year as the first design cycle.

“We’re going to be doing a lot of research, term one on exploring different mycelium strains that we want to use, and then term two, we’re going to start doing lab work,” said Fung.

“As a whole, we’re super passionate about sustainability, and also creating a circular econo-

my,” Thompson said.

Thompson and Fung are upper-year engineering students, and between co-ops, social lives and courses, they’ve elected to lend some of their talents to the critical mission of finding a plastic that won’t be in the earth in 1 million years.

Before growing all the mycelium they need, they have begun planning what they need all their plastic to be able to do. It needs tensile strength (meaning, it can hold weight without breaking), it needs to be a good insulator, and it also needs to be waterproof.

“When you bake mycelium, usually after it grows into your desired shape, then you heat it up in an oven of sorts, and that makes it water resistant. But for fresh food packaging ... we’re not sure,” said Fung.

That’s really the worst thing about plastics: It’s so good at so many things, making it hard to transition to better alternatives.

Another problem is how mature and refined the plastic production process is. Manufacturers know exactly how much material to put into the machines, how long to heat it for and what temperature to use. If one wants to create a process for mycelium plastics, every single one of those things is going to have to be figured out.

Thompson and Fung did come up with a solution to their waterproofing woes: a coating that will reinforce mycelium’s water resistance, while still being fully compostable. They’re still hoping that mycelium itself will be sufficient, but even if not, they are confident that this is a problem they can solve.

Mycelium Mycopack is currently wrapping up its hiring process for the design team, and the extra power will help make all of these tasks a lot more manageable.

Still, that’s only one part.

Thompson and Fung are both careful to keep expectations in check.

“It would be awesome if we could get it patented or have it as an actual product that people can use later on. But I think that’s something that’s going to take a lot more time,” Fung said.

“I think our main goal is to just inspire people and also to educate others.” U

OCTOBER 31, 2023 TUESDAY | SCIENCE | 13

Our nocturnal neighbors: The UBC research changing the way we look at pests Alonso Daboub

As October dusk sets in across Vancouver, many students prepare themselves for the evening, returning home and winding down for the night. Between abandoned sheds and hollowed trees, other creatures are stirring. As the city’s daytime inhabitants drift off to sleep, their nocturnal neighbors wake, venturing out unseen into the nighttime air.

Raccoons, bats, coyotes and skunks are just a few of the nocturnal wildlife that inhabit Vancouver’s urban environments, roaming empty streets in search of their next meal.

Nesting and feeding throughout neighborhoods and parks, these creatures often come into close contact with people, resulting in interactions that are not always peaceful. This is largely the result of growing urban environments, which fragment the habitats of indigenous wildlife. Animals are forced between fleeing deeper into their natural habitats or adapting to these concrete jungles.

With an increase of 170,000 people between 2016 and 2021, Vancouver represents one of the quickest growing regions of North America. As interactions between wildlife and humans become more and more commonplace, it is important to investigate why some animals are able to adapt and how their behaviors change, especially for those we may not always see.

UBC research is looking to better understand how our nocturnal neighbors’ — specifically raccoons

and bats — lives and cognitive abilities are impacted by urban development.

Dr. Sarah Benson Amram’s lab focuses on how the cognitive capabilities of animals in human-centered environments play a role in their ability to survive. Her PhD student Hannah Griebling is investigating the furry bandits we often find in our alleyways: raccoons.

By setting up experimental devices in the backyards of Vancouver residences, her research team hopes to gauge raccoons’ intelligence to help us understand why they’ve been so successful in urban environments.

These consist of raccoon ‘obstacle courses’ designed to test different types of cognition like inhibitory control, spatial memory, quantity discrimination and tactile sense. By analyzing what raccoons can do, the team can better understand which abilities have allowed raccoons to thrive in our backyards.

While most people only consider raccoons’ intelligence when they use it to get inside trash bins, Griebling’s research encourages us to take a second look and consider why they’re so smart — and how they might be getting smarter.

“What’s most important to me is finding out by learning more about raccoon behavior and cognition, and human behavior towards raccoons, finding the best ways that we can coexist with urban wildlife, including raccoons and other species,” said Griebling.

Spreading urban environments not only affect the nocturnal animals on land, but those in the air as well.

Aaron Aguirre is a UBC master’s student in the M2L2 and CHAN labs. Aguirre’s work focuses primarily on bat activity, diversity and the impacts of human-created environments. As Aguirre described, bats will nest and raise their young in man-made structures, venturing out across open spaces like parks to catch food.

Aguirre uses ultrasonic acoustic detectors to listen in on bat echolocation as well as nets to catch, examine and track bats. By tagging some bats with trackers, the research team can examine where the bats are spending their time.

At night, Vancouver’s parks and green spaces are used by around 13 species of bat species that call the Lower Mainland home.

These bats nest in man-made structures and share environments with people, helping provide important ecological services like pollination and pest control. The little brown myotis bats in Vancouver are capable of consuming up to 600 mosquitoes per hour, helping

manage insect populations.

While bats have a bad reputation as a spooky public health hazard, less than 0.5 per cent of those populations carry rabies.

“I’m hopefully going to take my findings and bring it to [urban planners], that way they can implement them,” said Aguirre. He hopes they can take into account the preferences of nocturnal animals like bats when designing parks and green spaces.

Aguirre mentioned the importance of connecting with the public, “and letting them know the benefits of bats and being advocates … trying to reverse some of the bad reputation they’ve gotten from the media.”

Aguirre and Griebling spoke

about the importance of improving public perception of the creatures that share our urban habitats. Both species play important roles in their ecosystems. Living primarily in anthropocenic environments means that they have a high probability of coming into contact with people. “[Racoons] are not out to get us or doing these things on purpose, and we should really commend them for doing so well and adapting so well living alongside us,” said Griebling. “They’re also a great opportunity to see wildlife in your own backyard.”

The work reminds us that we share the land we live on with a diversity of creatures who respond — as individuals and as populations — to the ways in which we live. U

Notes of smoke: How wildfires alter wine taste and what biochemists can do about it Gloria Klein As BC reaches the end of another record-breaking fire season, vineyards throughout the Interior have felt the heat — and now, they’re tasting the smoke.

Wildfire smoke can permeate the flavour of grapes and emerge as an ashy “smoke taint” when the grape juice ferments, introducing a distasteful note in wine and threatening vineyards. UBCO associate professor in chemistry Dr. Wesley Zandberg is investigating why smoke taint forms and how winemakers can head it off early.

As the climate warms and wildfires become more frequent and severe, wine taint is a growing issue for BC’s $3.75 billion wine industry.

Zandberg is zooming in smaller though: How does smoke alter grapes on a chemical level?

Burning wood releases volatile phenols — aromatic compounds that create the smell we know as smoke. These phenols build up on grapes and seep inside the skins, where they bond to sugars and have their distinct aroma neutralized.

Once the grape juice ferments to make wine though, the bonds between the sugars and phenols break, creating an indelible smokey taste.

These volatile phenols are not all bad, though.

“The oak barrels that we age wine in contain high concentrations of these phenols,” said Zandberg. “People like the phenols that start to dissolve into the wine from the oak.”

However, problems arise when levels of these phenolic compounds are too high and overwhelm the aroma of the wine rather than complimenting it.

Zandberg, an analytical chemist, got into wine research when the company that he was working for branched out into the wine market.

“They were interested in making a predictive test where we could test grapes before they were collected,” said Zandberg. The eventual goal was for these tests to predict the likelihood of producing a tainted wine from smoke-soaked grapes.

Testing for volatile phenols in the lab involves a small fermentation, recreating the process of yeast metabolizing the sugar molecules from the phenolic molecules, and then running the sample through gas chromatography mass spectrometry.

This process separates gases by boiling point and molecular weight, with each type of molecule having a unique “fingerprint” and allows researchers to quantify volatile

phenols in a certain batch.

Lab tests are incredibly sensitive but wine taint comes down to a sensory assessment — which can be subjective.

After testing a wine on store shelves that was found to contain high levels of volatile phenols, Zandberg’s students “happily drank the rest of the bottle after they tested it.” In other words, detecting a wine as tainted is also dictated by personal tastes.

Wineries already have and are continuously developing strategies to deal with wine taint. Since grape skins trap a large amount of volatile phenols, removing the skins and producing a white or a rosé has been successful. Some wineries are using reverse osmosis to separate the volatile phenols out of wines, although this is a very slow process.

Looking forward, Zandberg’s research is honing in on ways to protect crops from volatile phenols, like looking at how grape cuticular wax protects grapes from heat waves.

“If you can somehow protect crops out in the field, then all of the testing and whatnot and mitigation is less of an important thing,” said Zandberg. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” U

FEATURES

EDITOR IMAN JANMOHAMED

OCTOBER 31, 2023 TUESDAY

14

UBC BANDS ARE SHAPING VANCOUVER’S MUSIC SCENE words by

FIONA SJAUS

design by

IMAN JANMOHAMED

Vancouver’s vibrant independent music scene is hiding in plain sight.

It’s the bass that nudges at your feet on a walk through the city’s streets in the evening from a venue whose name you can’t recall. It’s the tonic chord of a keyboard echoing from a bedroom window. It’s the blend of voices that makes you rethink your route just so you can step into holes in the wall for impromptu concerts. It’s the second-hand instruments that insert yesterday’s sound into today’s ideas.

Across Vancouver, musicians are honing their craft and finding their sound. The city has always been a hub for music as a vehicle for shared experiences, and is in the midst of a metamorphosis that is providing the ideal platform for emerging artists to help define the city’s newfound musical identity.

Whether the music is POV: Indie, Bedroom Pop or another genre, it all shares one thing in common — the DIY music scene which provides artists a way to create music without the constraints of the mainstream music industry.

Many of these musicians are UBC students.

NONARCHY’S ROOTS ARE IN A SIMPLE LOVE STORY Lead vocalist Kate Cunningham and drummer Liam Jagoe were jamming in Cunningham’s brother’s Dunbar basement. Before they knew it, they’d written a song together.

“We were like, ‘That’s awesome,’” Cunningham said.

“And we were falling in love at the time,” Jagoe added.

“It was a love thing,” Cunningham laughed.

Cunningham and Jagoe began writing songs during the COVID-19 pandemic with a nationwide songwriting circle led by Manitoban musician Natalie Bohrn. Nonarchy was backed by the Safe at Home Manitoba grant, which supported projects to help Manitobans stay active and engaged with their community while adhering to public health orders, according to the Government of Manitoba.

Bohrn tasked Jagoe and Cunningham with recording and submitting a song each week, leaving them with nine recordings.

Cunningham said the song could be about anything as long as it was original.

“It was a super helpful exercise during a really uninspired time where, even with so much free time, it was hard to get motivated to use it for anything cool,” said Cunningham.

After COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, the duo got to work performing alongside Thomas McLeod on the keys.

Being bound to UBC gave Nonarchy the ability to associate with a defined home base, especially while the trio were all students. Jagoe and McLeod are now alum.

“Beyond music, the way UBC functions can be very isolating. [UBC] can feel like its own city separate from Vancouver,” said Jagoe. “For a lot of UBC students, like the ones who live on campus, UBC is their community.”

But the band said this comes with drawbacks.

Some UBC-based bands might face challenges when infiltrating the cultural barrier between the campus and the rest of the city, as UBC has developed its own niche musical identity.

“Arguably, people who are from Vancouver and who didn’t go to UBC, for example, are less excited by the idea of UBC bands because we are usually not from here, but that has been changing,” said McLeod.

Vancouver’s live music venues are in the midst of a post-pandemic shift. Venues are moving underground, finding new artists for smaller audiences. This transition made these spaces more readily available to DIY student-based musical projects.

“I think that we were very readily absorbed into the music community,” McLeod said.

But being part of Vancouver’s DIY music community isn’t the only challenge for student musicians. It can also be difficult to find time for music between lectures and exams. “[Music] can get stressful because you have to make these concessions somewhere.

You only have so much time,” Cunningham said. “You have to organize time to go and do the thing you love the most.”

Despite school and music sometimes being opposite forces, Nonarchy’s UBC roots come directly from the classroom.

Cunningham said some Nonarchy songs were first written in her creative writing classes.

“Some of [my assignments] end up becoming Nonarchy songs. [It] is really useful to have that kind of overlap where it’s not like, ‘Oh, I have to write this essay, and now I’m switching my brain over to go do music,’” said Cunningham.

“No Visible Horizon (Whiteout)” from the band’s upcoming album was born this way.

“In the class, I was pushing myself to write lyrics from someone’s point of view that wasn’t my own, so I chose to write from the perspective of someone I know very well, my mom,” Cunningham said.

The song narrates a treacherous road trip Cunningham’s mother took in rural Ontario.

ISA S. YOU / THE UBYSSEY “I was inspired by her willpower to push through heavy snow, severe winds and road closures,” said Cunningham. “I took on the persona of my very determined yet exhausted mom on this epic, brutal road trip.”

And that’s not the only influence family has had on Nonarchy. Jagoe’s father inspired the band’s name when Jagoe asked him if he was an anarchist.

“He rejected it,” said Jagoe. “He said, ‘I’m not an anarchist. I’m a nonarchist.’”

The name stuck, and the band embraced it as a symbol of everything outside systems of authority and expectation.

TIGER REALLY CALLS ON CHAOS AND CATHARSIS Listening to just one Tiger Really set won’t convey the band’s ability to surprise.

One of the first Tiger Really shows featured band lead Lian Shao heating a hot pocket with a microwave on stage — he wanted to hand it out to whoever in the crowd moshed the hardest, something he said originated as a “shower thought.”

“I feel like the most genuine version of myself when I’m on stage,” Shao said.

“It’s an opportunity for you to actually see the impact that your music has on people.”

But Tiger Really didn’t start with moshing and hot pockets. It started as an idea Shao had while not paying attention to a lecture. Instead of the material, he was thinking about what type of music he wanted to make. He was in another band at the time.

“I had to switch it up,” said Shao.

Before starting Tiger Really, Shao was involved with the UBC Jazz Club. He recalled hearing them jamming in the Nest.

“Wow, these are some really, really sick musicians,” Shao thought. Over time, he started to jam with them to develop his skill.

While in isolation in 2020, Shao explored his personal experiences musically through a blend of emo and jazz. His home studio is where the influences of Mother

OCTOBER 31, 2023 TUESDAY | FEATURES | 15 Mother, Car Seat Headrest, American Football and My Chemical Romance began to infuse themselves into Tiger Really’s distinct sound.

Now, Tiger Really is made up of Shao, Matty Sproule, Rowan McDonald and Amogh Rao. University, according to Shao, is the best time to start a band.

“Music is, at the end of the day, a language,” said Shao. “So you really have to have people around that also speak the same language to make the most of it.”

Shao described watching his growing fanbase of UBC students sing his lyrics at performances as “cathartic,” since, to him, the songs don’t exist outside of his head until then.

“I usually try to write exclusively about my own experiences,” said Shao.

He said his writing focuses on growing up as an Asian Canadian.

“I just tried to write about things that I think would be interesting and relatable,” said Shao. “‘Rites of Spring’ is about my relationship with my parents and how Asian parents are very emotionally detached, and the whole song was just my way of trying to understand that.”

OOGWAY’S MAD SCIENTIST FACES PARANOIA Oogway is the funk tangent of Tiger Really’s Matty Sproule. “[When] I got into music, I had no friends and I thought I would have more friends if I played music,” said Sproule. “That part wasn’t true … I kind of fell in love with the process and playing live.”

Sproule said he fell in love with music’s “vast range of emotions” and the different ways it can be interpreted.

“Regardless of what the music is, you can probably connect with somebody else [through it].”

After being part of a different band, Sproule wanted the challenge of starting a musical project by himself from scratch. This gave birth to Oogway, a musical project that blurs the distinction between genres — music that’s as shower-cryable as it is disco-danceable.

Sproule said he also wanted to adopt a more individual persona for the project.

“On stage, I want to be a mad scientist,” said Sproule. “It’s a matter of presenting myself as an individual as opposed to presenting myself as an event.”

Sproule said the project is about the battle between a version of you that wants to improve and the version that doesn’t. “[Oogway] is focused a lot on that dilemma that somebody faces when they go to therapy for the first time and they don’t want to cooperate,” he said.

He also said a negative experience with health care at UBC made him understand how difficult it is to navigate the system. “[It’s] a big inspiration for me,” Sproule said.

LIA HANSEN / THE UBYSSEY Sproule said writing for Oogway is like splitting his personality in two — if it’s Oogway, he takes on the role of the frantic patient, if he’s Dr. Brian B. Blue, he’s the “doctor who is incredibly jaded.”

“Trying to make those two things work together is a real frickin’ challenge,” said Sproule. “But trying to keep my mind open to different types of music [which] blend eclectic influences together has helped me quite a bit.”

When it comes to breaking into the band scene at UBC, Sproule said people just need to try.

“If anybody’s gonna laugh you out of the room for not being a good enough musician, then they don’t deserve to be in the same room as you,” said Sproule. “I think the most important thing any musician can do is be humble and open to learning.”

RAMEN FOG IS MADE OF SMOOTH AND JAZZY R&B BROTH Ramen Fog started when Amy Tan and Rowan McDonald met through the UBC Jazz Club. One day, they started dreaming up a band.

Little did they know, drummer Adam Gold was “eating pizza and crushing a Dr. Pepper” nearby.

A matter of happenstance brought Gold — who attributes his love of music to him being “big into pots and pans as a toddler” — to the band, and the trio was later joined

by Ben Rossouw and Josh Collesso.

Ramen Fog combines jazz and R&B and is growing into a staple of the Vancouver music scene. The band played their first gigs in March 2022, in a music scene recovering from a hiatus of live shows during the pandemic.

They embody the fact that Vancouver’s underground music community is created by the artists themselves and community connections.

“We need to keep [the DIY music scene] very diverse and friendly for everyone and never infringe upon the space that people fight for because it’s really difficult to find places to play,” Gold said. “I hope that [mentality] never erases itself.”

For Tan, being a Sauder student means music allows her to pursue something outside her degree.

“I learned a lot of things [at Sauder], but they never pushed creative industries,” said Tan. “That’s something that I want to pursue.”

Finding time for music is challenging, said bassist and biophysics student Collesso.

With just a few free hours a week, Collesso said it’s important to think closely about how to spend that time.

“Music is always just the best way to do it,” Collesso said.

“When you share that ability to just get out of your studies and play music with people … it’s a good feeling.” U

PHOTOS COURTESY TIGER REALLY

Thomas McLeod was The Ubyssey’s 2021/22 opinion + blog editor. He was not involved in the writing or editing of this article.

16 | FEATURES | TUESDAY OCTOBER 31, 2023

WHERE THE HEART IS //

CALGARY IS MORE THAN COWBOYS words by KARINA BOECKX

Growing up, I always wanted to leave Calgary.

It’s commonly associated with conservativism, oil and gas, extremely cold weather and most importantly, being cowboy crazy.

This is something I have run into whenever I introduce myself as a Calgarian. And for the most part, these are all true.

The electorate strongly leans blue, and the economy is fundamentally comprised of the oil and gas industry or tourism (thanks to Banff, the Rockies and the Calgary Stampede).

And yes, Calgary can indeed go stampede-cowboy crazy.

Every summer, the city transforms into an ode to the rodeo and anything Western. Dedicated stores selling cowboy boots have a boom in business, and white event tents scatter the downtown area, hosting pancake breakfasts in the morning, and live music and dancing all night. Even corporate Calgary enjoys the fun — devoting team spirit to themed events and mandating Western wear. A sight to behold, the downtown core becomes a sea of cowboy hats, plaid shirts, bootlegged jeans and of course, cowboy boots. Any

Western movie producer would be giddy over the availability of free extras.

In my mind, Calgary had never been anything special. I revelled in travelling elsewhere and wished I had grown up somewhere else in the world — so many other cities seemed to be more interesting, exciting, historical and beautiful. Especially after visiting Europe, the city and Canada as a whole seemed sterile and lacking compared to the cities steeped in culture and history that I had just returned from.

I knew I wanted to move to Vancouver and attend UBC since I started high school. I figured I would leave Calgary in the rearview and venture off to the West Coast. Of course, I would miss my family, but I always thought that even if I didn’t know where I would ultimately settle, it wouldn’t be in Calgary.

Cut to my first year of university, moving to Vancouver, a city I had visited a number of times over the years of growing up but always briefly. I was mostly a stranger to the city, never having visited campus before moving day, with the one concrete landmark I knew

illustration by ERIKA ZAHORSZKY

(Lonsdale Quay) far and across the water. I had grown up competing in a high-level sport, which until recently had been a significant part of my life both in regards to the time and energy commitment it required but also was also an integral part of my self-identity.

Partaking in the sport helped me to develop a strength of character and various translatable life skills and granted me opportunities that I am continually grateful for. However, leaving the sport left a void not easily filled, both in finding a new passion and also creating a dramatic shift in how I viewed myself.

Moving to Vancouver meant a fresh start and a chance to find myself and my identity outside of the sport. New school, new city, new friends. I quickly fell in love with the close proximity of campus to the many beaches and found a new circle of friends. I was establishing the young adult version of myself, enjoying the freedoms and the independence that living away from home had to offer. Vancouver instantly had more opportunities for concerts or events, and new favourite restaurants, coffee shops and scenic

spots to discover.

While I have fallen in love with my new city (with the exception of its great expense), with favourite memories of visiting Spanish Banks at sunset, late night Breka chats and biking the loop around Stanley Park, it has also directly contrasted with my memories of Calgary and has made me realize the comfort I feel for the city that was my home for 18 years of my life.

Calgary is in many ways like a chameleon. My friends and I poke fun at the city, but each time I visit, I recognize its beauty in the unique mix of architecture, downtown murals, abundant and rich food scene, peaceful alcoves along the river and numerous city lookouts.

The city and its diverse makeup of individuals exudes a warmth of welcome, and is an easy home base to escape to different environments if inter-city life doesn’t feel appealing; mountains and lakes, the badlands and prairies are all an hour away or less.

When home for the summer, one of my favourite things to do is go driving at the edge of the city.

Driving by endless fields with the

windows down, my sister, friends and I sing along to music. A quintessential teenage experience to be sure.

We will park the car on the edge of a field, and watch the vibrant sunset late at night, the end of another perfect summer day. There is nothing like Calgary sunsets, their vivid colours filling the sky, clouds accentuating the streaks rather than covering them. Even in winter, Calgary is a sunny beacon. It might be -20 degrees but at least the sun is shining, light reflecting off the snow, the air crisp and fresh to the first breath.

And so now, when I step off the plane to come home, I truly feel at home. In the city I know and love, I have come to a newfound appreciation for the positive life and energy it is imbued with. I have come to value its sometimes hidden, unique qualities from other cities, and accept that like anything else, it is not necessarily lacking, it is simply one-of-a-kind.

I feel lucky enough to have found two homes, and I hope to one day make many more all over the world. U

OPINION

OCTOBER 31, 2023 TUESDAY

EDITOR SPENCER IZEN

17

RESPONDING TO UBC //

Open Letter: UBC faculty response to Interim President and Vice-Chancellor Deborah Buszard’s October 11 statement

The statement explicitly refers to “the atrocities from the terrorist attacks on Israel” but remains silent regarding the ongoing state terror committed by Israel against Palestinians, writes a collective of UBC students and faculty.

Members of the UBC Academic Community

Editor’s Note: At time of publication, this letter has been endorsed by over 150 faculty members and over 1,250 students and community members.

Its contents are current to October 19.

As members of the UBC academic community and educators committed to principles of social justice and equality, we are troubled by the statement that UBC Interim President Deborah Buszard issued on October 11 titled “Supporting the UBC Community.”

The statement explicitly refers to “the atrocities from the terrorist attacks on Israel” but remains silent regarding the ongoing state terror committed by Israel against Palestinians.

At the time of this writing, and as reported by UN bodies, human rights organizations and news agencies, Israel has: • Killed more than 3,500 Palestinians including over 1,000 children

•

Displaced over 260,000 civilians and ordered the forcible population transfer of over 1 million • Cut off supplies of food, water, medicine, fuel and electricity, along with humanitarian aid • Bombed schools, media offices, universities, ambulances, hospitals, houses of worship, and civilian residences • Used white phosphorous in its bombing of Gaza and southern Lebanon • Called for hospitals in Gaza to rapidly evacuate, which as the WHO states is a death sentence to the sick and injured.

These actions are a clear violation of international humanitarian law and amount to crimes against humanity. They are taking place while Israeli officials continuously dehumanize Palestinians. Israel’s defence minister called Palestinians “human animals.” Members of Israel’s House of Representa-

tives, the Knesset, and apologists abroad openly advocate for slaughter, ethnic cleansing and collective punishment, amounting to another Nakba, or catastrophe, when over 750,000 Palestinians were expelled from their homes in 1948.

President Buszard’s statement also makes no reference to Palestine or Palestinians, choosing to refer instead to “Israel, Gaza and elsewhere.” The erasure of Palestine as a geography, Palestinians as a people, and their plight as a nation dehumanizes Palestinians and denies them the fundamental right to safety, security, freedom and liberation. It runs contrary to the claim that UBC is committed to “providing a safe, inclusive environment, with a shared value of peaceful relations.” UBC’s declared support for decolonization and practices of equity, diversity and inclusion ring hollow in light of this partisan approach.

Such dehumanization comes in the wake of similarly lopsided statements by UBC’s Faculty

Association and other university administrations across Canada, the US, and the UK. Statements that erase or dehumanize Palestinians may have a dire impact in Palestine and in the diaspora, as made evident by the hate-driven murder of Wadea Al Fayoume, a six-year-old Palestinian-American child in Chicago.

In light of all of the above, We send a message of support to all Palestinian colleagues and academic communities across North America and Europe that are facing a hostile climate of intimidation from their governments, media, and university administrations.

We affirm the right of the Palestinian people to freedom and sovereignty from Israeli occupation, settler colonialism, and apartheid.

We renew our commitment to the safety and well-being of UBC’s Palestinian students, faculty, staff and their allied colleagues.

We demand that the UBC’s President’s office:

JASMINE FOONG / THE UBYSSEY

1. Rectify the statement and condemn Israeli state violence and violations of international humanitarian law.

2. Publicly denounce and actively prevent attempts to silence, demonize, or harass any student, staff or faculty member for expressing their solidarity or support for justice in Palestine.

3. Reiterate UBC’s full commitment to protect academic freedom and freedom of speech, including the right to teach on Palestine and criticize any state or group’s crimes and violations of international humanitarian law 4. Provide meaningful support to all faculty, staff and students who are subject to bullying or harassment in class or on campus as a result of their support for justice in Palestine. U This is an opinion letter. It does not reflect the opinions of The Ubyssey as a whole. You can submit an opinion at ubyssey.ca/ pages/submit-an-opinion.

The Ubyssey publishes campus voices. Submit an opinion by emailing opinion@ubyssey.ca or visiting ubyssey.ca/ pages/submit-an-opinion.

HUMOUR

OCTOBER 31, 2023 TUESDAY

EDITOR JOCELYN BAKER

WE ARE SO BACK-ON //

Portrait proposals for the new UBC President Illustrations by SASHA SINGH

Wrong Benoit!

Not enough pomp.

I’m pretty sure that’s UVic President Kevin Hall.

This is just a photo of Dr. Bacon. My apologies.

Biker Antoine-Bacon

Oops.

18

OCTOBER 31, 2023 TUESDAY | HUMOUR | 19 TRY NOT TO GET TOO SCARED //

These stories will spook your socks clean off Illustrations by EFFIE HUANG

A GHOULISH PUSH Corwin Davidson

A scary story, eh? You want bonechilling, do you? Spine-tingling?

Pore-enlarging? Then hold still, because you won’t even HAVE any pores when I’m done!

It all began when I was leaving class. Simple, right? Wrong! Because this time, I had to walk out a door. A door ­— with nobody holding it open!

I bet you’re starting to panic now, aren’t you? It says something about society these days. Nobody holds the door open for each other anymore.

It’s brother-against-brother, catseating-their-own-young, neighborsknocking-over-each-others-binsand-blaming-raccoons — society!?

I walk up to the door, and I pull on it.

It doesn’t open.

I pull harder. Still nothing.

People start to stare. My social death is sealed.

I pull harder, putting my whole weight into it now. “Heh, doors, right?” I say. Nothing but blank stares in return. I start to realize that it’s never gonna open, that I’ll be stuck in here forever. There’s no escape from STAT 304.

Scary, right? Here’s the scariest part: Someone else walks up to the door, and pushes on it. It opens right away.

Oops, my bad. It was a push door.

A long day of school passes. The horrors persist.

My only solace at that time was, you see, the promise of returning to a welcoming home — a TV filled with Netflix originals, a fridge filled with Thanksgiving leftovers. Every monster seems lovely until the beast is revealed. The packed 49. Damp shoes. A sidewalk with one too many large puddles and no way to avoid soaking the toes of your socks.

I open the front door and am met with the warm embrace of mildewy air. Beats the outside. The soft sounds of Ye (formerly Kanye West) filter from my roommate’s door — in hindsight, this should have been a sign.

Dirty dishes in the sink. A usual occurrence. Alas, I must choose my battles.

I sigh, shedding my raincoat skin like a moth freed from cocoon. To the fridge I head, seeking the only comfort this pale life offers me.

The fridge door swings open at my touch. My heart races. One. Two. Three. Not even my yoga instructor’s breathing exercise can calm the pounding in my chest. I squeeze my eyes shut as claws of dread wrap themselves around my throat. It needs to be there. There’s no reason for it to be gone. My head feels light. The fluorescent kitchen lights flicker.

This is the only thing I care about. The only thing that can make things right.

A molding orange, half-empty ketchup, and…

Empty. Tupperware. Containers.

the R4 and pretending not to notice the lineup stretched all the way to the Nest. After much pushing and shoving and jostling, I obtained an ever-coveted seat, turned up the volume of my spooky playlist and settled in for a dismal ride home, my nose filling with the scent of body odour and mud. However, these typical, everyday scares were the least of my problems.

A dampness seeped through the sleeve of my sweater.

A cold drop of water hit the back of my neck. Drip.

No — it couldn’t be.

No — he’s not real.

I turn my head. My face is frozen in shock like that guy in the painting by the guy with a last name like Crunch or something. I see him, in all his soggy terror: a navy blue raincoat, dripping with water, puddles beneath his soaked-through runners, threatening to drench all those near with a single twist of his arm and unintentional brush-up against all those near.

Wet coat bus guy.

THE HAUNTING OF IKB Elita Menezes

WET COAT BUS GUY Kyla Flynn

TUPPER-SCARE Kyla Flynn

In the shadows of my modest two-bed one-bath basement suite, a devilish figure lurks, plotting, waiting to strike.

I tiptoe. I hold my breath, and the silence is punctuated by only the dripping of our notoriously leaky faucet. Never did I ever think I’d live with such a beast, and upon no reader of this fearful tale do I wish this horrid fate.

This tale starts late one cold October night, when the air has turned ghostly enough to freeze fingertips too numb to pry Compass cards from nearly empty wallets.

They say he was once one of us.

A civilized student. A procrastinator. A Life-BuildingStarbucks enthusiast. They say he had hobbies. A girlfriend. Whispers in the IKB stacks will tell you the two were seen walking down Main Mall, hand in hand, heads turned together under one umbrella.

They say they’ve seen him, and they swear he wasn’t always this way — shaking out his umbrella before walking through the Nest and shuffling pristine rain boots over the little carpet things on damp Vancouver days.

His crimes? Despicable.

Inconceivable! An infamous skulking villain who brings chaos, wreaks havoc on the good, innocent people of UBC. I thought he was mere folklore — a boogeyman, a myth that goes bump(?) in the night — until that fateful day.

It was a Wednesday (the worst day) at 4:52 p.m. I was waiting for

The door to IKB slammed behind me. Friday night. 10 p.m. Everyone would be partying, hanging with friends, doing fun activities — as many do on dark and stormy nights like this one.

Right? Wrong.

I expected a desolate (but still desk-filled) wasteland where I could finish my homework: a freestyle rap about geopolitical sanctions in the clown industry. The library would be packed on any other night. This was finally my chance to get a good spot.

But here were people at every table, heads down, working on assignments.

What a bunch of nerds. Couldn’t they just be normal and neglect their academic responsibilities for one night so I could freestyle rap in peace?

Whatever. I climbed the staircase, scouring every floor for a chair, but there were none to be found.

I wandered, a ghost in the night, staring at the comfortable students and their work areas in jealousy.

I floated through the halls for two whole hours. I tried to stay after the building closed and finally have a place to sit, but I only lasted six minutes before I was escorted out into the darkness.

CHOPPED Sonali Sharma

Studying food, nutrition and health at UBC meant relentless lectures and the odd meltdown over the Canadian Food Guide. My escape? Dreaming of competing on MasterChef while binge-watching Food Network.

Suddenly, as if the universe had heard me, a MasterChef audition invite arrived in my inbox.

Huddling with my roommates, we transformed our kitchen into a chaotic culinary playground. My signature dish? Mercante’s authentic pizza, representing my identity as a UBC student.

Much to my dismay, my experience on MasterChef wasn’t a treat. Gordon Ramsay didn’t hold back: “This crust is a culinary disappointment!”

“You’ve captured student dining: ambitious, but unrefined,” Joe Bastianich added.

Angered and crushed, I left the set screaming. I returned to UBC, my cooking dreams in ashes. I went to bed hungry, hoping that this was all just a bad dream.

My 7 a.m. alarm woke me up with a jolt. As I looked around, I was surprised to see my PSYCH 101 prof and classmates in my room.

Horrified, I asked them what they were doing here. My professor looked shocked, shook his head and simply asked, “Did you forget you signed up for the Human Subject Pool?”

I was spiraling (but not literally) — why were they in my room? What Human Subject Pool? But then my questions were immediately answered.

“Your MasterChef meltdown? An experiment for our class on student stress.”

I was mortified — I would be the subject of every psych student’s paper, but more importantly, I’d become a meme.

HOLDING DEATH’S DOOR Elita Menezes

The exit door to Buchanan A creaked as I pushed it open. It was 8 p.m. and I’d finally finished my threehour PHIL 213 lecture. I could go home, but I took one last look back

and made eye contact with two others prowling behind me. I shifted out of the way and held the door open.

They passed by. I could finally leave. But then, a torrent of people filed out from the lecture hall, heading towards me. I couldn’t let the door shut in their faces.

I was a statue, haunted by the phantom of my former self, metal handle tight between my fingers as I grimaced at the students who passed. But nothing could prepare me for the treatment I endured. It shook me to my core. That’s right — some of them didn’t even say thank you. Pure evil. After an eternity, the hallway was empty and the worst 13 seconds of my life were over.

TWO PER CENT DEAD Kyla Flynn

Frightful behaviour continues to haunt me. Every waking moment I am gripped with a chilling sensation, as if the tip of a knife has pricked my spine or my recent Instagram post has received less than 100 likes within the hour.

First, the incident, and now this.

Reader, the acts committed within my apartment ought to remain unspeakable. Atrocities akin to those you read in fables, and more vile than the horrid thoughts percolating within your mind. Woe is me.

It is hard to live with a demon.

They’re much more resilient than vampires or werewolves — I took to a diet of garlic bread dipped in garlic aioli and replaced all our Ikea cutlery with my grandmother’s ancient silverware. But my monstrous roommate wolfed down my bread and complimented my dessert forks to no end.

I studied, sat and Netflixed with bated breath, fearful this vile gremlin would strike once more. But I was met only with pleasant dinner conversation and an exceptionally clean bathroom. The toilet paper was even restocked.

I let my guard down.

Just for one moment, I slipped.

I misstepped. I skipped down the hall with a cheeriness demanding disruption and was met with catastrophe on a Monday morning.

My hand on the fridge door, my mind flashes back to a day not long ago, when terror overtook me, when I lost everything. I press my lips into a smile. Everything has been fine.

Everything will be fine. What could possibly go wrong?

I reach one hand into the fridge and grasp the carton. A scream leaves my lips as I lift the happy-cowadorned everyday delight — my 2 per cent milk — and freeze like a ghost if ghosts were frozen.

It’s EMPTY. Ѽ

SCIENCE

OCTOBER 31, 2023 TUESDAY

EDITOR TOVA GASTER

20

THE BIG ONE //

What can BC learn from the 2023 Türkiye-Syria earthquake?

Dr. Tony Yang inspects building errors in one of the damaged buildings in Türkiye.

Shereen Lee Contributor

BC residents have long been aware that the province is at risk of being hit by the “big one” — a massive earthquake that could topple buildings and infrastructure across the province. A recent disaster in Türkiye demonstrated what a high-magnitude earthquake might look like.

On February 6, Türkiye experienced a 7.8 magnitude earthquake on the Richter scale, followed by a 7.5 magnitude earthquake shortly after.

An estimated 2.5 million buildings were impacted, resulting in an estimated 50,783 deaths and 115,353 injuries.

“This was one of many earthquake sites I visited throughout my career, and I must say that this was some of the most extensive damage that I’ve seen,” said Dr. Svetlana Brzev, an adjunct professor of civil engineering at UBC with over 30 years of experience in seismic design.

Brzev, alongside a team of other BC delegates, embarked on a five-day trip directly after the earthquake to examine the damage done, witness disaster response and interpret findings that may improve BC preparation strategies. The team provided their findings to the public in a hybrid technical seminar at UBC Robson Square with over 700 registrants on October 13.

“I believe this earthquake has highlighted the importance of quality of construction, and all of the systems that we have in place [in BC] … to ensure that the final project is safe,” said Brzev.

The researchers worked closely with locals to examine structural damage to homes and institutional buildings, as well as temporary housing structures built with reinforced steel within 20 days for displaced residents.

The extensive damage comes in spite of Türkiye’s prolonged efforts to mitigate earthquake damage. The Turkish building code is well-developed due to frequent seismic activity in the region: prior incidents have resulted in “robust” structural policies, according to Dr. Tony Yang, a civil engineering professor at UBC who led the research trip.

“Türkiye has done very well in the preparedness, response and recovery,” Yang said. “Canadians need to learn from what they have done.

We can start working not just within

the city, but also with our sister cities, so when disaster is happening, we can provide shelter.”

During the trip, BC engineers examining the affected sites noted constructions built to the updated seismic code were more structurally sound. Buildings constructed after 2000 using modern seismic codes largely did not collapse, except for the buildings with design and construction deficiencies.

Turkish buildings built before 2000 experienced more structural failures because they were built without codes for ductile design and detailing, a method of strategically designing buildings that can bend and absorb stress without breaking.

The disproportionate structural damage done to old buildings highlights the importance of retrofitting older buildings in BC. “I would say the main difference between Türkiye’s building resilience and Canada’s is that there is a high level of quality assurance in the [Canadian construction industry’s] implementation codes,” said Brzev.

Allison Chen, a practice advisor with Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia and part of the BC delegation to Türkiye, noted that BC has been working on seismic mitigation retrofits for low-rise school buildings since 2004.

“There’s been a lot of testing to understand the existing school buildings we have, and retrofit solutions that have been tested as well,” she said. “There’s a consistent approach to considering existing systems, and … those seismic retrofit guidelines for low-rise school buildings could be used for all low-rise buildings.”

UBC has been involved in an extensive series of seismic upgrades on campus for the past decade, after a 2012 report estimated that at least two dozen of UBC’s older buildingaas were at risk of collapse in the event of a “moderate” earthquake.

Since then, the Hebb Building and MacLeod Building, two of the highest-risk buildings on campus, have undergone over $50 million worth of seismic upgrades. Other projects, including the construction of a new pump station, brought this total to over $200 million in upgrades.

Most recently, UBC has been installing seismic reinforcement at the Museum of Anthropology since January. Yang, who consulted on the project, said that these upgrades will

YLENIA GOSTOLI / UBC APPLIED SCIENCE

A building whose ground floor has collapsed in Iskenderun.

make the MOA one of the “safest places in UBC, maybe BC” once repairs are complete.

The MOA upgrades involve a costly investment in seismic space isolation technology, which was also used for Turkish hospitals across the country. Seismic base isolation places buildings on rollers, cut off from its former foundations. This isolates the building from seismic shakes.

Though Vancouver has a long way to go before retrofits will be implemented throughout the city’s hospitals and technology centres, systematic upgrades at UBC are providing safe spaces on campus in the event of an earthquake.

“UBC has treated [the museum] as one of the important buildings we showcase as safely protecting us,” said Dr. Yang.

“We got the technology and are putting it into use … we’re proud to have an elite engineering research program.” U

Civil engineers inspect a collapsed building in Iskenderun, Turkiye

YLENIA GOSTOLI / UBC APPLIED SCIENCE

YLENIA GOSTOLI / UBC APPLIED SCIENCE

SPORTS+REC

EDITOR LAUREN KASOWSKI

Words by Anabella McElroy

Photos by Isa S. You

OCTOBER 31, 2023 TUESDAY

Canadian skaters triumph at Skate Canada International

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Skate Canada International took over the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre this weekend, with some of the best figure skaters in the world coming to UBC to compete. Fans with flags from all over the world filled the stands, but Canadian skaters got the loudest cheers throughout the event.

Skate Canada is one of six annual Grand Prix events organized by the International Skating Union (ISU). Skaters are assigned to one or two Grand Prix around the world, and the top finishers will compete at the Grand Prix Final this December in Beijing.

Canadian figure skating icon Patrick Chan took to the ice between events — not to compete, but to somewhat successfully use a t-shirt cannon as the event’s ambassador.

In ISU figure skating competitions, individuals and pairs of skaters compete in a short and long/free program. Skaters are awarded points based on the difficulty and execution of their program, and the highest combined score from the two skates wins.

YOUNG SKATERS MAKE THEIR DEBUTS The men’s event served as a proving ground for a crop of young Canadian skaters. For two of them — Wesley Chiu and Aleksa Rakic — this was their first senior international event.

Chiu and Rakic both train in Metro Vancouver, and said it was special to make their debuts close to home.

“I remember being here in the stands when [Skate Canada] was here two years ago, being able to compete here this time is a surreal experience,” Chiu said.

“It’s very special,” Rakic said. “It’s at home, my family can come watch and they don’t normally go to my international events.”

The hometown support was visible in the crowd, with homemade signs and extra loud cheers for the two skaters.

Rakic finished the event in 12th, landing a triple axel in the short program but losing points for several falls in the free skate. Chiu finished the event in seventh, landing a quadruple toe jump in the free program.

Chiu said his biggest take-away from the event was “learning how to handle myself, keep myself composed … lots of clearing the mind and staying calm.”

Wesley Chiu (L) and Aleksa Rakic (R) both train in Metro Vancouver.

World champion Kaori Sakamoto won the women’s event.

Madeleine Schizas said her free program was a “personal accomplishment.”

WORLD CHAMPION LEADS WOMEN’S EVENT In the women’s event, two-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto from Japan showed she isn’t giving up the top spot anytime soon.

Despite finishing the short program in first place, Sakamoto had one wrong jump take-off and said she “really felt a need to focus” before the free.

She seemed to do so, finishing the free skate with no mistakes and a dominant score of 151.0, nearly 20 points ahead of the second place free program from current Canadian champion Madeline Schizas.

“I was able to perform exactly how I wanted to perform,” Sakamoto said through a translator.

Schizas had a difficult short program, missing or stumbling on several jumps and earning the lowest short program score of her senior career.

“I was quite upset,” she said.

It was impossible to tell on Saturday though, as she earned points for landing triple jump after triple jump cleanly, and setting a personal best free skate score.

She looked thrilled coming off the ice, calling the skate a “personal accomplishment.”

“I’m taking away that I can skate a clean free, I just need to put my mind to it, and I need to have been well practiced, which I was,” she said after the event.

Schizas rose from eighth to finish in fourth place overall, behind Sakamoto, South Korean skater Chaeyeon Kim and Japanese skater Rino Matsuike.

22 | SPORTS+REC | TUESDAY OCTOBER 31, 2023 ICE DANCERS WIN FOURTH STRAIGHT SKATE CANADA TITLE Canadian ice dancing pair Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier started the weekend off strong with an ‘80s-inspired rhythm dance, finishing one point ahead of second-place British team Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson.

In ice dance, skaters do not complete jumps, instead earning points for synchronous spins, lifts and other choreography.

This event was particularly significant for Gilles and Poirier as it was at last year’s Skate Canada that Gilles started to feel ill — what was later discovered to be a cancerous ovarian tumor.

Gilles has since undergone an appendectomy to remove the tumor, but this is one of the first major competitions the pair has competed in since her recovery began.

After the short program, Gilles said returning to Skate Canada had caused some anxiety in “reliving those moments” where she started to feel unwell.

But when asked if the health scare pushed her to retire from competitive skating, Gilles said it did the opposite.

“If anything, it pushed me more to do it. I think skating has become a part of my life, and it’s become a great distraction actually, from all the health issues,” she said.

On Saturday, their free program to music from Wuthering Heights scored 131.46, winning the pair their fourth consecutive Skate Canada gold. Gilles attributed their results in part to the pair’s maturity, saying they have learned not to over-choreograph their dances.

“I think we’re really starting to enjoy each moment … we were so settled from the moment we went out there,” she said.

CANADIAN PAIR IN THE SPOOKY SPIRIT Canadian skaters Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps won the pairs event with a triumphant free skate to music from Interview With a Vampire.

“We’ve been waiting for a performance like this for years,” said Stellato-Dudek, who looked emotional when the pair received their scores.

“Last season [we] fell short of doing anything even close to a clean program, so today it felt really good to have a check mark beside every box,” she said.

Notably, Stellato-Dudek is the oldest Grand Prix winner ever, having won Skate America last year at 39, and Skate Canada this week at 40. For reference, the second place pairs team, Maria Pavlova and Alexei Sviatchenko from Hungary, are 19 and 24 respectively.

Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps’ skate was well-timed for Halloweekend, with both skaters’ costumes adorned with rhinestone faux-blood dripping from their necks.

But when asked if the Halloween spirit may have helped them with their win, Stellato-Dudek said “I hope not, because Halloween is almost over and the season is not!” U

Gilles and Poirier won their fourth Skate Canada.

Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps during their short program.

Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier during their free program.

OCTOBER 31, 2023 TUESDAY | SPORTS+REC | 23 SEASON PREVIEW //

PRE-PARIS 2024 //

T-Birds take on Santiago for the 2023 Pan Am Games

Basketball teams set for exciting years Ian Cooper Contributor

It’s finally basketball season, and for the men and women’s teams, it should be an action-packed one.

Here’s what you need to know about UBC’s teams.

MEN’S TEAM LOOKED GOOD IN PRESEASON Last year, the Thunderbirds finished 5th in the conference with a 13–7 record. The team ended their season after falling to the University of Victoria Vikes in the semi-final of the Canada West playoffs.

Coming into this year, with a fresh starting lineup, the men’s team is hoping to put together another solid regular season and playoff run.

After preseason play, four team members are averaging double digits in points — first-year Adam Olsen, fifth-year forward Brian Wallack, fifth-year guard James Woods and third-year forward Nikola Guzina.

Wallack, a crucial member of last year’s starting lineup, is averaging near a double-double with 14.8 points and 9.3 rebounds a game.

Head coach Kevin Hanson spoke about his importance to the team this year.

“He’s an Academic All-Canadian, captain of the team and he’s just shown real leadership both on and

off the floor,” he said. “He’s been a real mainstay. Really tough player for people to defend. So we’re really happy with him and what he can bring to the table.”

Olsen, a local swingman, is also having a great preseason going 16 for 26 from behind the arc while fourth-year transfer student from UNBC Fareed Shittu is averaging 9.8 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.

The T-Birds schedule isn’t in their favour, with few home games before the winter break, but the team is taking it in stride.

“We are certainly excited about the challenge,” said Hanson. “We have high expectations, the players have high expectations, and so far we’re moving in the right direction.”

WOMEN’S TEAM IS YOUNG, BUT STRONG Last year, the women’s team had a 15–16 record, and exited the CW playoffs early after an elimination in the quarter-finals. In the preseason, they have posted a slightly improved 5–4.

The women’s lineup is unusually young this year. The vast majority of the team’s players are lower year students, with only one fourth-year and one fifth-year student. Head coach Isabel Ormond is new as well, having begun her Thunderbirds coaching career this year.

“I feel like especially with a

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Both teams’ home openers are on November 3.

group that’s mostly third-years or younger, you get the opportunity to train and practice together. And that really develops a connection on and off the court. So that’s most exciting and what I think is working well,” said Ormond.

In preseason play, third-year guard Olivia Weekes is averaging 13 points and 9.5 rebounds a game.

She just recently hit 500 career points and was a standout player last season.

“She’s somebody who every year in her career has been stepping into a bigger and bigger role,” said Ormond. “We’re excited to

MACKENZIE BURLEY / THE UBYSSEY

see where that takes her for this year.”

The women’s team seems set for a bright season, with good roster depth and excitement around the 2024/25 U Sports Championships being held at UBC. “We’re really excited to start our conference games,” said Ormond. “It’s a great year to build some excitement around the program and the players.”

Both teams start their seasons on Friday in War Memorial Gym. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. for the women’s game and the men will follow at 7:30 p.m. U

MAKING SNEAKY DODGES //

On and off the field, Edgerrin WilliamsHernandez is key to UBC football

One conversation led him to a successful football career.

Lauren Kasowski Sports + Rec Editor

For Edgerrin Williams-Hernandez, it was almost preordained when he started playing football. After all, his name came from Edgerrin

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James, a professional running back for the Indianapolis Colts.

“My dad was a huge football fan,” Williams-Hernandez said.

“So it almost feels like a full circle moment [that] I took off with football.”

The fourth-year receiver from Hamilton, Ontario only started playing football in grade nine — before that, he was a basketball player. It was a hallway conversation with the football coach that changed everything.

“He just told me like ‘You should really try football’ and that was when I really took it serious,” Williams-Hernandez said. That one conversation would lead him to UBC and to a successful career.

During last year’s Shrum Bowl, a game between UBC and SFU, Williams-Hernandez made some sneaky dodges for yards. A clip of them was posted online and within days, it had over one million views and was seen by TSN. But Williams-Hernandez stayed humble.

“I didn’t really want to let it get to my head too much,” he said.

“I want to take the good with the bad and use that video to help me as far as being the best player I can be and make sure that I do this more than just once.”

Williams-Hernandez’s ‘claim to fame’ may have been that play, but he’s quietly been helping out UBC’s offensive core since 2019.

Over his university career, he’s had over 780 receiving yards and just this season, he’s averaged 40.5 punt return yards per game.

Now that the team has the best shot they’ve had in a long time at the Hardy Cup, Williams-Hernandez is locked in.

“I’m just focused more than

ever right now. So I’m just trying to help the team win and then hopefully I get drafted,” he said.

Off the field, Williams-Hernandez has been just as impactful.

Now that he’s an upper year, he has realized the mentor position he has fallen into for his other teammates.

“I’m a person who likes to try to relate to everybody. I feel like everybody looks at things differently,” he said.

With his experience with disappointments from UBC’s 2019–2021 seasons, he can better understand what some of the younger guys are going through when a loss comes.

“I want to be able to be there for all my teammates, but be there for them like a friend rather than just a teammate because I feel like that’s when it’ll hit different,” he said.

“My teammates really do keep me going,” he said. “Especially when I’ve been down with an injury, they’ve been nothing but love.”

Williams-Hernandez believes this year’s roster can go the distance and he’s excited to do his part for the team.

“I look at it like, if I can do my best, it only helps the team be better. I just want to be able to bring my best as a leader, as a player and even as a friend — those three aspects will help us be better.” U

Danielle Keith Contributor

On October 20, Chile’s capital welcomed over 6,800 athletes from 41 countries to the 19th iteration of the Pan American Games. The 17-day-long event is scheduled from October 20–November 5 and is the largest international multi-sport competition for North and South America.

Of the 473 Canadian athletes in attendance, 40 are UBC students or alumni.

Current and former Thunderbirds will represent Canada in a variety of varsity sports including swimming, field hockey, rugby, beach volleyball, pentathlon and athletics. Climbing, table tennis and sailing will also be represented by UBC athletes.

UBC Athletic Director, Kavie Toor, is excited to see so much representation from a program he believes fosters “not only athletic, but academic excellence.” Toor said the strength of UBC’s varsity teams is reflected in the multitude of T-Birds present in Santiago.

“Here at UBC Athletics, we aim to provide a supportive and thriving environment where students can grow their athletic abilities,” Toor said. “This moment to be on an international stage is a reflection of so many Thunderbirds’ effort and time spent in our athletic programs.”

UBC and Canada have been historically strong as well. UBC is the most decorated post-secondary athletics program in Canada and the Canadian national team has earned 2,067 medals since its first Pam Am participation in 1955.

Students aren’t the only T-Birds currently in Santiago.

UBC’s race walking coach and Olympic-medalist Evan Dunfee and swimming assistant coach Sierra Moores were also both selected for the 2023 Pan Am Games; Dunfee will compete in race walking and Moores is part of the swimming coaching staff.

Alongside them, a multitude of T-Bird para-athletes will compete in the Para-Pan Am Games from November 17–26. All sports rosters have yet to be announced, but para-track athlete Connor Pierce and para-rugby players Bryon Green and Travis Murao are amongst the former Thunderbirds participating.

As of publication, Canada has captured 105 medals. Based on the depth of UBC’s athletes, there will likely be more T-Birds success in the coming days.

The Games can be viewed online at cbc.ca and results can be views at santiago2023.org/en. U

OCTOBER 31, 2023 TUESDAY | GAMES | 24

CROSSWORD PUZZLE ACROSS 1. Total 6. Gave it another shot 11. Precious stone 14. “Do I __ a second?”

15. Entertain 16. Hoppy pub brew, briefly 17. Ancient incantation 19. Be the right size 20. Having a conversation 21. Low point between mountains 23. Marquis de ___ 24. Jerk suddenly 26. Comfy slip-on 29. Indian spice mélange 34. “___ your friends!” (magic

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DOWN 1. “Got it!”

2. Financial liability 3. Five-time Olympic swimmer Torres 4. Mountain range that forms part of the Europe/Asia division 5. UPS delivery 6. Gilda on old SNL reruns 7. Webzine 8. Declare to be a knight 9. Tel Aviv’s nation (abbr.)

10. Troi on “Star Trek: TNG” 11. Birthday present 12. Major in proportion 13. Algebra or calculus 18. Opera set in Egypt 22. Gesture with a thumb 24. Many a community COURTESY BESTCROSSWORDS.COM

VOLUME CV | ISSUE VIII

OCTOBER 17, 2023

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