Application Call: UBC-City of Vancouver Greenest City Scholars Program (Deadline March 28, 2011)

[James Butler]

FYI

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Introduction

The UBC Sustainability Initiative (USI) is proud to once again sponsor ten graduate students currently enrolled in Masters or PhD programs at UBC Vancouver to work and gain experience on a sustainability research collaboration program with the City of Vancouver. The Greenest City Scholars Program is open to individuals from all academic disciplines and runs from early May to August 2011.

The USI is a strategic management group that promotes and unites sustainability efforts in teaching and learning, research, and operations at UBC. As part of this university-wide initiative, diverse groups--researchers, teachers, students, staff, campus leaders and external partners--come together to  integrate efforts, to collaborate and to use the campus as a living laboratory for sustainability. For more information, see www.sustain.ubc.ca.

 
UBC-City of Vancouver Greenest City Scholars Program

Vancouver’s Greenest City 2020 Action Plan identifies ten long-term goals, supported by a set of measurable and attainable targets, for Vancouver to become the greenest city in the world by 2020.

 

The USI will provide individual grants to successful candidates to work with the City in support of the Greenest City 2020 Action Plan. Funding of $5,000 per student will be provided to complete 250 hours of work between 

May 2 and July 29, 2011.

 

Each successful candidate will work on one research project within one of the goal areas listed below. A research project may comprise multiple tasks designed to contribute toward the attainment of that Greenest City Action Team’s long-term goal. The focus of this year’s Scholars Program is on the following goals:

 

Goal#1: To secure Vancouver’s international reputation as a mecca of green enterprise (1 project)

Goal#2: Eliminate dependence on fossil fuels (3 projects)

Goal#4: Make walking, cycling and public transit preferred transportation options (2 projects)

Goal#5: Create zero waste (2 projects)

Goal#7: Achieve a one-planet ecological footprint (1 project)

Goal#8: Vancouver will have the best drinking water of any city in the world (1 project)

 

For more information on the goals and progress of Vancouver’s Greenest City 2020 Action Plan, see:

·         www.talkgreenvancouver.ca

·         www.vancouver.ca/ctyclerk/cclerk/20110120/documents/penv1.pdf

 

Program Information

The successful candidate commits to:

·         spend some agreed-upon proportion of their time during the summer on-site at the City, and to undertake and report on their research tasks.

·         develop a one-page description of the research tasks to be undertaken, including a list of objectives to be achieved and associated deliverables. These descriptions will be developed in consultation with the successful candidates’ mentor from the City.

·         attend an orientation day with the City of Vancouver on May 2, 2011.

·         participate in a half-day workshop at UBC in Sept/Oct 2011 at the completion of the program to reflect on the experiences learned and help prepare for the next incoming student co-hort.

 

Successful candidates will be provided with a Student Orientation Package outlining further details of the program.

 

Application Procedure

Applicants must provide the following:

·         A statement of interest identifying which one of the Greenest City 2020 goals (the six described above) you are interested in and how your background, skills and experience align with the group’s long term goals (maximum 200 words)

·         Curriculum Vitae

 

Applications are due by 4 pm on March 28th and must be submitted by email to usi.o...@ubc.ca. Successful applicants will be notified by April 15, 2011.  Appointments will commence May 2, 2011.

 

Selection Criteria

The criteria for selection include:

·         Skills and capability

·         Academic record

·         Fit with the research area

 

Experience in policy analysis and implementation and in community engagement is not required but would be an asset.

 

Adjudication of the applicants will be by a selection committee including the Director of the USI Teaching & Learning Office and the Academic Director of the USI Research & Partnerships Office.