The Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries (IOF) Student Society works to create a stronger sense of community between the various research units in the IOF.
Meetings take place on the first Tuesday of every month in the Hakai Node from 12-1 pm and are open to all students. We are always looking for more students to participate, so feel free to come and share your ideas!
The Student Society plans regular social events throughout the year, including:
- Alumni Night: Fisheries Centre/IOF alumni of various career paths are invited to speak about their experiences since leaving, followed by round-table discussions.
- Whistler Ski trip: Students escape to the slopes for a weekend of outdoor fun
- Fish n’ Chips: An informal seminar where IOF students are invited to give presentations on their current and past work
- Deep Sea Data Squad (DSDS): This group meets every Wednesday from 10-12pm in the Hakai Node for a co-working session in R with the idea of helping each other better understand R programming and create a supportive coding community
- Semi-regular events: BBQs, beach clean-ups, movie nights, potlucks, and more!
The society also awards several travel grants for students each year and organizes fundraisers for charity. Check out upcoming events on the News & Upcoming Events tab below.
If you have any ideas, questions or concerns, please contact the IOF Student Society at IOFStudentSociety@oceans.ubc.ca.
- IOF Student Society Slack Channel
- Graduate Program Information
- Graduate Student Awards from IOF
- Graduate Student Awards from UBC
- IOF Grad Advisors: Marie Auger-Méthé and Murdoch McAllister
- IOFSS Travel Grants (See Tab)
- Job Opportunities (External & IOF Jobs)
- Course Listings
- UBC Graduate Student Society Resources (GSS)
- IOF’s 2022/23 Graduate Student Handbook
Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
The IOF Student Society’s Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Committee has been working to create resources that provide information about EDI policies, initiatives, and support within IOF and across UBC. Here are two documents that the Committee created (with assistance from the Equity and Inclusion Office):
- The Expectations and Resources for Creating a Respectful Climate: This describes university policies surrounding EDI, guidelines and resources for what students can do if they have a problem and/or need support, and what we, the IOF Student Society JEDI Committee, can do to help, along with our contact info. Importantly, the university has Codes of Conduct (for students, staff, and faculty) that we are all expected to adhere to, whether on or off campus and even when interacting with people who are not associated with the University. We encourage everyone to become familiar with these Codes of Conduct (links are in the document).
- The second document is an Introduction to Indigenous Relations at UBC, and we hope it will be a valuable resource for everyone, but especially those who are new to BC and/or Canada, and those who are unfamiliar with the University’s efforts for reconciliation (including territorial acknowledgments) and why they are so important and necessary. It includes a list of resources for Indigenous students at UBC, as well as resources for non-Indigenous students who would like to learn more and provide support.
Photo courtesy of the IOF Student Society.
| Co-President | Julia Fast |
| Co-President | Melanie Warren |
| Faculty Student Representatives | Karly McMullen, Max Miner |
| Treasurer | Jessica Schaub |
| GSS Representative | Taryn Scarff |
| Faculty Liaison | Colette Wabnitz |
| Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Committee Representatives | Meaghan Efford Haley Oleynik |
| Travel Grant Award Committee | Roshni Mangar |
| Social Lead | Kirsten Sora |
| Communications Officer | |
| LAB REPRESENTATIVES | |
| Auger-Methe Lab | Katie Florko Ron Togonuv |
| CORU Lab | Ambre Soszynski |
| Christensen Lab | Meaghan Efford |
| Donner Lab | Sara Cannon |
| Harley Lab | TBA |
| Hunt Lab | Jessica Schaub |
| McAllister Lab | TBA |
| Pakhomov Lab | Lian Kwong |
| Centre for Indigenous Fisheries | Kasey Stirling, Kate Mussett |
| Sea Around Us Lab | Rebecca Schijns |
| Rosenfeld Lab | Thomas Smith |
| FERU/OceanCanada Lab | Alli Cutting |
| MMRU Lab | Rhea Storlund |
| Statistical Ecology Research Group | Rowenna Gryba |
| Project Seahorse Lab | Adam Hicks |
| Post-doc Representative | |
News
IOFSS Whale Watch Vancouver Trip
Orcas, sea lions, grey whales, oh my! On April 23rd (a warm and sunny day in Vancouver for once) a group of 40+ eager biologists from UBC set off on a whale watching adventure courtesy of Whale Watch Vancouver. Spirits were high as the biologists loaded the boat, acquired their sea legs and scanned the horizon for any signs of dorsal fins. After over an hour of searching, the hope to see BC’s most iconic species began to dwindle. But not all was lost! The views were incredible and the gentle rocking of the waves allowed for some much-needed R&R. There would always be a next time for whales!
Much to everyone’s delight however, the tides soon changed, and a dramatic U-turn by Captain Rich once again had everyone scanning the surface of the sea. While driving back (3 miles from where the tour started...) not one but two separate transient orca groups graced the crew with their presence!
After admiring their playful antics (from a respectable 200m distance of course) the boat set off again in search of more. A spout was soon spotted and the boat's lovely naturalist Joan introduced the group to a grey whale lazily feeding in the waters outside of UBC (rumor has it, it's visible from campus so go grab a pair of binoculars!).
Sadly, the tour was coming to an end and it was time to head back to port. But not without one last stop past a sea lion colony which are always just #mood.
After contemplating how ~800lbs of blubber with four tiny flippers can haul themselves to the top of a rocky jetty, it was time to let the pinnipeds bask in the sun while the humans returned to land. The adventure didn’t end there however because no trip can really be complete without a stop for delicious snacks. 
What better way to end the day then a box of assorted mini donuts from the Outpost Mini Donut Company (the best donuts in all of Richmond!). How could you resist?
A massive thank you to Julia Adelsheim, Kristen Sora, Polina Orlov and the whole IOF Student Society for organizing such an amazing event!
By Melanie Warren
IOFSS Whale Watch Vancouver Trip
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Photo courtesy of the IOF student Society |
Photo Courtesy of the IOF Student Society |
Photo courtesy of the IOF student Society |
Photo Courtesy of the IOF Student Society |
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Photo courtesy of the IOF student Society |
Photo Courtesy of the IOF Student Society |
IOFSS Ski Trip & Snowshoeing
Photo courtesy of the IOF Student Society. |
Photo: Rebecca Schjins. |
IOFSS Chinese New Year Lunch
Photo courtesy of the IOF Student Society. |
Photo courtesy of the IOF Student Society. |
IOFSS Fish Farm Trip
Photo courtesy of the IOF Student Society. |
Photo courtesy of the IOF Student Society. |