{"id":82761,"date":"2022-12-21T10:00:38","date_gmt":"2022-12-21T15:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/?p=82761"},"modified":"2024-08-30T15:36:22","modified_gmt":"2024-08-30T19:36:22","slug":"sustainability-science-and-society-grads-rely-on-connections-training-to-tackle-global-problems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/2022\/12\/sustainability-science-and-society-grads-rely-on-connections-training-to-tackle-global-problems\/","title":{"rendered":"Sustainability Science and Society grads rely on connections, training to tackle global problems"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last week, Mikellena Nettos (BSc \u201920, MS \u201922) was at the UN Biodiversity Conference COP15 in Montr\u00e9al to help uplift youth voices.<\/p>\n

Since March, the Sustainability Science and Society (SSAS) graduate has worked as the Youth Engagement Co-ordinator for the Climate Reality Project Canada, a branch of the global organization founded by former American Vice-President Al Gore, providing tools and resources to youth who want to pursue climate action.<\/p>\n

Nettos is one of several SSAS graduates rolling up their sleeves and getting to work to in their careers in the complex and urgent field of sustainability.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve grown up in this climate change generation, and if I\u2019m going to work towards something for most of my life, I would like to have a lasting impact,\u201d says Jillian Booth (BSc \u201920, MS \u201922).<\/p>\n

\"Jillian

Jillian Booth (BSc \u201920, MS \u201922) analyzes soil at the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre<\/p><\/div>\n

Gavin Esdale (MS \u201922) adds that \u201cif you want to take an active role in finding good climate solutions, then sustainability is definitely the field for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Booth currently works as a Research Technician on the Plant Responses and the Environment team at the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre, where she also completed her graduate co-op placement. She co-ordinates with private businesses, governments and other research organizations to ensure soil health and promote healthy plant establishment.<\/p>\n

She says that while completing her undergraduate thesis research in environmental geoscience was exciting, she wanted to add new dimensions to her graduate work.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can come up with solutions to environmental problems, but if we\u2019re not integrating the values and needs of communities that are going to be affected it will not result in long-term success,\u201d says Booth. \u201cThe program offered a holistic approach that considers the social, economic, and environmental aspects of issues experienced around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nettos studied Medical Sciences, Theatre and Sustainability as an undergraduate at Brock. She says the versatility of her graduate program, including her co-op placement with Canada Post, helped her understand where she wanted to take her next steps.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe SSAS program touches on a lot of different sectors, whether it\u2019s data analysis, project management or education, so it gives you a broad sense of sustainability,\u201d she says. \u201cI loved that there were so many different perspectives in the program \u2014 it\u2019s nice to have so many disciplines and voices in the room, so you can really learn and grow.\u201d<\/p>\n

Esdale has spent the past year working as the Sustainable Travel Co-ordinator for the University of British Columbia, supporting the institution\u2019s Climate Action Plan 2030 and goals that include, among others, reducing business air travel emissions by 50 per cent below 2019 levels.<\/p>\n

Like Booth and Nettos, Esdale studied science as an undergrad. He says he felt drawn to the field of sustainability in spite of the challenges and the sheer scope of the problems that need to be addressed.<\/p>\n

\"Gavin

Gavin Esdale ((MS \u201922) in his workspace at the University of British Columbia.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s unavoidable, if you\u2019re going to go into sustainability, that you are going to be exposed to a lot of incredibly depressing news and a lot of hard-to-accept facts,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

But he credits the program and its collaborative culture with helping him learn the value of connection with community \u2014 something Booth and Nettos agree was a key feature of their graduate studies.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy developing connections and fostering a sense of community \u2014 to be in the same room or the same virtual space as others who are doing this kind of work and appreciate it \u2014 is, in many ways, an antidote to the despair of the climate crisis,\u201d says Esdale.<\/p>\n

Graduate Program Director Marilyne Jollineau says that the Environmental Sustainability Research Centre\u2019s transdisciplinary programs have been developed to ensure students have opportunities to engage with faculty, research, coursework, community partners and a range of experiential education opportunities to help them develop the skills and knowledge they need to address major sustainability challenges \u2014 so seeing graduates like Nettos, Booth and Esdale already hard at work is gratifying.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis year, all of our graduating students, aside from those who chose to pursue a PhD program, have secured employment in sustainability science or a cognate field,\u201d says Jollineau. \u201cThey are already making an impact in communities across Canada and beyond, and we are tremendously proud of their successes and support them in their journey.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Nettos, sustainability is an accessible field that can propel those who engage with it in multiple directions.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomething you\u2019re passionate about can really change the trajectory of your life and build strong foundations for the future,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last week, Mikellena Nettos (BSc \u201920, MS \u201922) was at the UN Biodiversity Conference COP15 in Montr\u00e9al to help uplift youth voices.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":82764,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[119,13793,7,55,1,38],"tags":[5050,120,296,2262,522,12293,3330,11009,4154,12294],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82761"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/27"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=82761"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82761\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":82766,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82761\/revisions\/82766"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/82764"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82761"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82761"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82761"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}