51社区黑料

New 51社区黑料alumnus Aidan Parry joined the 51社区黑料Global Environmental Systems (GES) program to not only learn more about the world鈥檚 environmental problems, but also to empower himself with the practical knowledge to tackle them.

But he didn鈥檛 stop there.

The new alumnus graduates this spring with his bachelor of environment in GES as well as additional certificates in geographic information science (GIS) and sustainable development鈥攑lus a minor in resource and environmental management.

鈥淢y minor and certificates ended up fitting together really well with my GES major,鈥� Parry says. 鈥淭he REM minor gave me a broader understanding of environmental and resource management, while the GIS and sustainable development certificates added more technical and applied skills.鈥�

However, GIS is really where Parry says his passion is now.

鈥淚 liked being able to combine environmental knowledge with hands-on GIS work and spatial analysis throughout my degree and co-op placements.鈥�

Parry completed three co-op placements as a student, including positions at Indigenous Service Canada (ISC), Crown Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) and at Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC).

鈥淎 lot of my work focused on creating maps and geospatial products to support environmental planning, conservation initiatives, Indigenous rights and treaty processes and emergency response efforts across British Columbia,鈥� he explains.

The applications for his GIS experience were broad鈥攆rom supporting marine bird conservation on the B.C. coast, to analyzing overlapping land claims, to creating maps for wildfire proximity and helping to support policy and negotiation work.

He got to work with professionals from a breadth of fields, too, including biologists, environmental scientists and policymakers.

鈥淭he co-op experiences gave me a much better understanding of how GIS can support meaningful, real-world decision-making while also helping me grow technically and professionally,鈥� Parry says.

On campus, Parry has also volunteered as a remote sensing research assistant, where he worked on a team to analyze crop damage from the 2021 flood in Abbotsford.

The experience showed him how applicable geospatial technology can be for both environmental and humanitarian challenges while offering him a chance to work collaboratively in a research setting, he says.

鈥淚鈥檓 really grateful for my experience in GES at SFU. The program gave me a great mix of technical skills, environmental knowledge and professional experience, and I鈥檓 excited to see where it leads next.鈥�