Lecture Series Fills Seats At UNBC

Nov 1, 2018 | 3:05 PM

 PRINCE GEORGE – The Douglas Little Memorial Lecture Series is an annual event that fills UNBC’s Canfor Theatre. These lectures are a free opportunity for students to gain new knowledge on forestry and ecosystems. 

Back in 1996, the UNBC Faculty of Natural Resources and Environmental Studies started the Lecture Series. The event is named after the late J.D. Little, a former executive with Northwood Pulp and Timber Limited and founding supporter of UNBC. 

Assistant Professor of the Geography Program, Dr Joseph Shae says it’s nice to link the primary research going on in BC to the local community.

“I think that it’s really nice to have these open general lectures that the public can come to, people can see what kind of research is going on at UNBC but often we bring in distinguished lecturers that are from outside the university.”

The next lecture series will be presented by Dr Mike Wulder, a senior research scientist with the Canadian Forest Service. Dr Shae says Wulder is incredibly productive, with his main focus being geospatial data sensing. Wulder uses 3 decades of satellite data to make important examinations about changes in the forest, pine beetles and forest fire activity. 

“It’s a terrific honour, looking at the previous people that have given these lectures, they are all highly esteemed so I am really glad to be included amongst them now or at least after tonight if it goes well. Just being here in Northern British Columbia, people are really tied to the forest, they understand forest ecosystems in a really meaningful way,” says Dr Wulder. 

Dr Wulder’s lecture, “Sometimes a Crazy Plan Comes Together: How Open Data Unlocked Remote Sensing for Forest Monitoring,” will begin at 7:30 pm inside the Canfor Theatre.