News

WHITEHORSE— Not everyone reads a 20-page report on climate change with the same enthusiasm they reserve for a new Harry Potter book, but some do.

Meagan Grabowski, a researcher with the Northern Climate ExChange at Yukon College, wanted to know why.

With funding from the Northwest Boreal Landscape Conservation Cooperative, Grabowski and her supervisor, Yukon College adjunct Doug Clark, spent the last year studying community uptake of climate change adaptation research in Yukon.

The pair will present their findings at an hour-long talk, beginning at the College at 10 a.m. on Friday Feb 3. The talk takes place in the North Boardroom at the Yukon Research Centre.

Grabowski’s research involved reviewing Climate Change Adaptation plans from Mayo, Whitehorse, Atlin, and a draft plan from Champagne and Aishihik First Nations.

WHITEHORSE— When it comes to Yukon minerals, most people think of gold. That’s not the case for Elliott Merkley, a second-year student in the Geological Technology program at Yukon College.

Merkley’s interest in mineral processing and aggregates (processing the rocks required to recover gold or build highways, for example) is what helped make him the first-ever Yukon College recipient of an annual scholarship offered by the Canadian Mineral Processors BC/Yukon branch.

Merkley, who moved to Whitehorse for the program from London, Ontario, says he’ll use the $1,800 prize to pay for his last semester of school, which he’s currently completing.

This is the second year in the scholarship’s history that it has been awarded to both a senior-level and a junior-level student.

The senior scholarship is generally given to an undergraduate student in the later years of a four-year degree. The junior is given to a student starting out in the field.

WATSON LAKE—The Anglican Church Thrift Store in Watson Lake will be one-half larger when it reopens this spring. The 780 square foot store has a 480 square foot addition. The construction was done entirely by students in the Skills for Employment Carpentry program run by the town’s Yukon College community campus.

“We are extremely happy with the end result. The store was getting far too crowded,” said Jenny Skelton, one of the four women who staff the store on a volunteer basis. “The students worked very well together and did a great job.”

“The Thrift Store is used by everybody in the community whether to donate or select items.”

Skelton noted that the original building was also constructed by community campus students back in 1990. The Thrift store has operated in the community since 1970. The students also added a changing room to the store.

WHITEHORSE—Mark Preston is a Tlingit visual artist, but his most recent work can almost be read as a poem. 

“It brings in a kind of Japanese philosophy, like a haiku,” said Preston of White Space, the show opening this month at The Hilltop Bistro at Yukon College. “You don’t have to tell the whole story. If you place the words right, then the whole story unveils itself to you.”

White Space consists of a series of small wooden panels. Each is debossed with a single abstract representation of a traditional image. Each is painted pure white. From a distance, the panels look blank. Up close, the carvings become clear.

“I think people are too distracted by textures and colours and sounds,” said Preston. “I take away all the distractions so what you’re left with is a sort of subtle image.”

WHITEHORSE—Two permafrost core samples taken from alongside the Alaska Highway in Yukon will be part of a new Arctic gallery at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa.

While permafrost cores have travelled south for research purposes many times, this will be the first time in Canada that permafrost cores will be publicly displayed in a museum.

“We wanted visitors to the Arctic gallery to learn about ways in which the changing climate is affecting Canada’s North and the risk to highways and buildings from thawing permafrost,” said Caroline Lanthier, Senior Content Developer for the Arctic gallery, Canadian Museum of Nature.

“The timing of the museum’s request was fortuitous as my colleague and I had been devising a way to display permafrost cores, both for research purposes and public viewing,” said Dr. Fabrice Calmels, permafrost researcher.

WHITEHORSE—On Tuesday, January 10th, 2017, the College is holding the first of several information sessions on the new Post-Degree Certificate in Climate Change Policy program.

The session will take place at Ayamdigut campus in Whitehorse from 10:30 a.m. until noon in room C1530. Interested individuals from communities outside Whitehorse may participate remotely via a web link.

“Interest has been very high since this new program was announced. This session is an opportunity for people to hear more about course topics and ask any questions they may have,” said Dr. Katrine Frese, program coordinator and instructor with the program.

The one-year, part-time program is aimed at working professionals with a bachelor or master’s degree or significant applicable work experience with territorial and provincial governments, Indigenous governments, NGOs or as a consultant.

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WHITEHORSE—Yukon College and Association franco-yukonnaise (AFY) have been working in partnership to offer a new 13-week Bilingual Customer Service program starting in January 2017. The pilot program is aimed at French speakers who would like to take on front-line roles in tourism or other service industries in Yukon.

Students in this program will become familiar with the basics of customer service in a bilingual setting, improve workplace essential skills and cap it off with a short work placement. Students will learn workplace English with a bilingual instructor.

Yukon College (YC) ranked third for research intensity among all Canadian colleges according to the newly released Canada’s Top 50 Research Colleges by Research Infosource Inc.

Yukon College has been awarded a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) grant to work with the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations (CAFN) to incorporate the values and Traditional Knowledge (TK) of CAFN people into the First Nation’s draft Water Strategy.

“We are putting renewed energy into our work to complete CAFN’s Water Strategy, since initial work on the strategy began in 2009,” said Dän nätthe ada Kaaxnox (Chief Steve Smith).  “This funding and partnership with Yukon College helps CAFN continue our conversation with Citizens around water with a renewed focus on connecting cultural beliefs and responsibilities with the modern ways we have to manage water today.”

WHITEHORSE—Thanks to the generosity of donors, covering the cost of tuition, textbooks, school supplies and living expenses will be a little easier for 40 Yukon College students this week.

The College will hand out $75,900 at the annual Student Awards Ceremony this week, which brings award donors together with the students who earned them. The students will receive financial awards with an average value of $1,000 and entrance scholarships that cover the full cost of tuition for one year.

“Although we have tripled the money available to students this year, there were 226 applications for assistance from 74 students, many more than we are able to fulfill,” said Wendy Tayler, Yukon College Foundation Board Chair. “This is why the Foundation board has set the goal of growing annual student awards by a further $34,000.”

WHITEHORSE—Researchers and academics from across Canada are attending a conference this week taking place at two post-secondary institutions that are 7021 kilometres apart.

Yukon College and Cape Breton University are co-hosting the 2016 COHERE conference.

COHERE (Canada's Collaboration for Online Higher Education and Research) is made up of 14 universities and one college focusing on the research and practice of blended and online learning within higher education.

The annual conference walks their talk by using technology to connect with keynote speakers from around the world and enabling attendees to join the proceedings remotely alongside people physically attending in Sydney, Nova Scotia, or Whitehorse, Yukon.

WHITEHORSE—Dr. Cyndy Baskin believes Indigenous knowledges can save the planet. In particular, when applied to health care, social work, mental health support, and education—the helping professions—connecting with Indigenous knowledge and values can bring about a great deal of healing for those working in such fields and the people they are helping.

“I am asking people to consider other ways of doing this work,” said Baskin. “So many people are disconnected from themselves, each other and society. There are so many troubles and crises happening. Why do we, as helpers, commit actions that are not working for vast numbers of people over and over again?”