Alumni Donations In Action

In 2021, the physical geography field school was redesigned to fit within the framework of provincial and academic COVID regulations. Working with an incredible group of 18 students in two cohorts the exercises were redesigned so that students could meet daily on campus outside and complete their fieldwork on the parkland surrounding the Burnaby Mountain campus. We explored the diverse physical geography of Burnaby Mountain, including exercises on mapping, stratigraphy, biogeographic succession, remote sensing of plant health, dendrochronology, and climate. Generous contributions from SFU alumni allowed experiential learning projects focused on collecting remotely sensed data to run with modified red filtered cameras, teaching students new skills in data collection, management and processing.

It was a pleasure to complete the course so close to home and learn a little more about the diverse environmental systems surrounding the Burnaby Campus. We are excited to be back on the road this year (2022) and in our normal Geography 310 playground in BC’s beautiful Okanagan Valley!

Figure: GEOG 310 students collect remotely sensed data on plant health, with Vancouver’s skyline in the background.