Scholarship Recipients

The Fraser Basin Council and the Scholarship Selection Committee warmly congratulate Christy Juteau and Judy Wu, recipients of the 2023 Elizabeth Henry Scholarship for Communities and Environmental Health.

2023 Scholarship Recipient Christy Juteau

Photo: Christy Juteau with geoduck clam

Pathways to Revitalize Indigenous Shellfish Harvest

“This funding will enable this important work to continue, to raise awareness about the value of shellfish harvest revitalization and coastal ecosystem health, so that watershed governance will be transformed and coastal Indigenous communities might be reconnected to feasting from the tidelands once again. This is an important step towards reconciliation action.  I will use these funds to mobilize the knowledge we've gained so far through writing papers, presenting at conferences and sharing Semiahmoo First Nation's stories with decision makers.”

— Christy Juteau

About Christy

Christy Juteau, recipient of a $4000 scholarship, is a professional biologist who specializes in watershed ecology and has over 15 years of experience working in the south coast region of what is now called British Columbia (BC).  Her grandparents and father were born in the Netherlands and immigrated to Canada after the war.  She is now raising her children with her husband in Semiahmoo, Kwantlen, Katzie and Matsqui territory near the Stó:lō (Fraser River).

Christy has worked alongside Semiahmoo First Nation to improve the health of the TA’TALU (Little Campbell River) watershed for the past 12 years and has been growing with them in relationship and trust. Her research draws on Indigenous teachings and knowledge of the Semiahmah people, interwoven with western science and systems design thinking scholarship to pursue innovative solutions to the complex problems of polluted waterways and unjust watershed governance.

About the Project

Coastal Indigenous communities have feasted from the tidelands since time immemorial.  However, many communities have become disconnected from their traditional food source of bivalve shellfish due to colonial prohibition and ongoing water pollution.

This participatory action research project aims to address the complex problem of disconnection by exploring pathways towards restoration of Indigenous shellfish harvest in Semiahmoo Bay, a transboundary coastal ecosystem, home to Semiahmoo First Nation.  Semiahmoo means “lowering to feed”, referring to the way the people have forever sustained themselves by feasting on clams and oysters in the bay (H. Chappell, personal communication, Mar 15, 2021).  For Semiahmah (the people), shellfish are not only a food source, but a part of their identity.

The research has taken a design systems thinking approach that embraces both Indigenous and non-Indigenous ways of knowing.  Semiahmah community voices are amplified through film and story map platforms, and actionable outcomes are recommended with a goal towards transformative governance and restoration of a healthy bay ecosystem.

2023 Scholarship Recipient Judy Wu

Investigating Eco-Anxiety and Climate Anxiety in BC Youth

“I am incredibly thankful to receive this award and grateful that the mental health effects on climate change are becoming increasingly recognized, particularly in youth — who are the ones that are disproportionately impacted by the current climate crisis.”

— Judy Wu

About Judy

Judy Wu, recipient of a $2000 scholarship, is a doctoral student in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University under the supervision of Dr. Hasina Samji. She has always been passionate about environmental conservation and action, which led her to pursue a BSc in Biological Sciences at the University of British Columbia (UBC) with a focus on ecology. During her undergraduate studies, Judy also developed a passion for mental health and well-being advocacy and decided to complete a Master of Public Health (MPH) at UBC. During her MPH, Judy came across the opportunity to combine her interests in environmental action and mental health well-being, which resulted in her current doctoral work. Outside of her research work, Judy enjoys getting out in nature by going on hikes and sea kayaking. Other hobbies include Muay Thai, listening to podcasts (especially Radiolab), drawing/sketching, and spending time with her family.

About the Project

Climate-anxiety and eco-anxiety are emerging terms in the literature that describe heightened levels of negative emotions (e.g., anxiety, worry and concern) related to the threat of global climate and ecological disaster. Experiences can range from mild sadness and anxiety associated with minor impairment of daily functioning, to more severe depression or anxiety associated with difficulty maintaining function within daily life.

Using data from the Youth Development Instrument survey ― a population-level youth health and well-being survey ― Judy aims to better understand the phenomena of climate- and eco-anxiety on youth mental health and well-being. Specifically, Judy aims to identify risk (e.g., existing mental health conditions, higher climate concern) and protective factors (e.g., strong support systems, emotional regulation skills) related to climate and eco-anxiety, identify whether certain sub-populations (e.g., rural/urban) are at higher risk for these emotions, and to collaborate with youth to co-develop age-specific support resources for climate- and eco-anxiety.

Learn about the Elizabeth Henry Scholarship

2022 Recipients

Scholarship Recipient Micah May

 Reservoir Shoreline Erosion Control to Reduce Environmental and Community Health Risks

"This scholarship recognizes the challenges faced by Tsay Keh Dene Nation because of the dust storms that occur along the Williston Reservoir and will support the sharing of solutions they are pursuing to improve the health of their land and people." — Micah May

About Micah

Micah is a MSc candidate at the University of Victoria interested in ecological restoration. He is interested in investigating how the principles of ecological restoration can help in tackling environmental degradation, including in novel ecosystems. He loves the outdoors, and he has a passion for working on challenging environmental issues, particularly those in remote locations, combining technical field work with data analysis and community engagement. Micah is supervised by Dr. Nancy Shackelford, and his research is focused on determining the optimal methods of providing erosion control in reservoir drawdown zones through revegetation while also seeking to increase native species biodiversity, build long-term soil stability, and strengthen local community involvement. His research is taking place around the Williston Reservoir, located in Northern BC, where he hopes to find solutions to help reduce dust emissions that pose environmental and health risks for local inhabitants.

About the Project

Because of the operations of the W.A.C. Bennett dam, the vast sand beaches of the Williston Reservoir in northern BC become exposed each spring and pose severe environmental, social and health-related challenges for the community and Nation of Tsay Keh Dene. Severe wind erosion results in large-scale dust storms that pose health risks to the adjacent village of Tsay Keh Dene, due to silica in the sand and the potential impacts on inhabitants’ respiratory systems. Reservoir shoreline erosion is a major concern for the Nation, and applying standard erosion control techniques is made difficult due to fluctuating water levels and other environmental factors. The goal of Micah's research is to evaluate if and how revegetation, soil amendments and innovative monitoring techniques can help reduce erosion and dust from the Williston Reservoir beaches, thus improving air quality for the Village of Tsay Keh Dene and the health of its residents.

2022 Scholarship Recipient Ezra Yu

Effects of Residential Noise on Children's Language Development, and the Impact of Green Urban Design

“The Elizabeth Henry scholarship helps solidify my aspiration to sustain healthy communities in British Columbia through engaging in knowledge translation that improves policy development in this important yet understudied area of research." — Ezra Yu

About Ezra

Having grown up in cities, Ezra Yu is intimately familiar with the effects of the built environment on quality of life. He has always been interested in public health issues caused by urbanization and how they can be studied using advanced health research methodologies. Ezra has been engaged in several environmental health research projects with a focus on children’s developmental health within his academic journey. He aspires to establish himself as an independent researcher devising healthy developmental environments with urban policymakers.

He is completing a Master’s degree in Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia (UBC). As part of a CIHR-funded study, Born to be Wise, his research focuses on the effects of residential noise on children’s language development and the corresponding remediation effects of urban greenspace. He is actively advocating the shift in health policy that he has envisioned for himself to make positive contributions to local communities.

About the Project

Language development in early life is fundamental to educational achievements and social well-being, but children in British Columbia fare worse than the global average. One prevalent urban exposure, noise pollution, is believed to negatively impact children’s language development, possibly by interfering with speech perception and cognitive function. 

The project takes a quantitative approach to examine the effects of noise and greenness on a cohort of 34,000 Vancouver children who participated in an early developmental assessment (EDI) project coordinated by the UBC Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP). Noise exposure at children’s homes was estimated from a Vancouver noise map produced at UBC. Associations between noise and EDI were examined using regression modelling, while accounting for socioeconomic and other factors using health administrative data linked through Pop Data BC. This project seeks to motivate the implementation of real-time city-wise surveillance and evaluate remediation efforts on green urban design to attenuate noise pollution.

Previous Scholarship Recipients

2021

Bonny Lynn Donovan

Bonny Lynn Donovan received a 2021 scholarship as a PhD candidate in Community Engagement, Social Change and Equity at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan. The scholarship helped support Bonny Lynn in her collaborative research work with Syilx First Nation communities to explore the role that the land, language reclamation, Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Elders can play in developing ecological literacy in young Syilx children.

“Being the recipient of the 2021 Elizabeth Henry Scholarship means that I can move forward in my program with confidence, knowing that I have the financial means to meet costs associated with an advanced degree.” – Bonny Lynn Donovan

2020 Recipients

Dana Eye

Dana received a 2020 scholarship to support her Master's program research project "Reproductive Ecology of Female Western Rattlesnakes (Crotalus oreganus) in Southern British Columbia." She worked in collaboration with the Osoyoos Indian Band and Nk’Mip Desert Cultural Centre, which have facilitated one of the longest-running snake research programs in Western Canada.

“I am grateful for the gracious support of the Elizabeth Henry Scholarship, and the opportunity to continue to collaborate with the Osoyoos Indian Band and Nk’Mip Desert Cultural Centre on this vital research.” — Dana Eye

Justin Turner

As a Rehabilitation Sciences PhD student at the University of British Columbia, Justin received a 2020 scholarship to help support research undertaken in collaboration with Carrier Sekani Family Services on"Wildfire Smoke and Emergency Planning for First Nations People Living with Lung Disease in Remote and Rural British Columbia."

“I feel honoured and grateful to receive the Elizabeth Henry Scholarship in support of my collaborative work with Carrier Sekani Family Services, which will contribute to improved wildfire response practices for Dakelh First Nations people in north central BC. Maarsi (thank you in Michif)." — Justin Turner

2019 Recipient

Jack Baker

Jack Baker, while completing a Master’s program in Anthropology at the University of Victoria, received a 2019 scholarship in support of his project "Community Dialogues on Revitalizing Cultural Practices Around Seaweed." The research, undertaken in collaboration with Hul’qumi’num communities on southeastern Vancouver Island, focused on edible marine seaweed for which there were concerns over both status and safety. This project was part of a broader effort of the communities to revitalize cultural practices, language and food systems.

“Many thanks are due to the Elizabeth Henry Scholarship’s support of our project, which works with Hul’qumi’num Elders and younger generations to connect and revitalize knowledge and practices related to lhuq’us."

— Jack Baker

2018 Recipient

Dare Sholanke

As a Masters student in the Department of Geography, University of Victoria, Dare received a 2018 scholarship to support his research on "Mapping Waste Governance in Relation to the Informal Recycling Sector." The projected aimed to empower the marginalized individuals who contribute immensely to environmental sustainability through waste recovery.

“I am indeed grateful for, and highly motivated by the support of, the Elizabeth Henry Scholarship of a project that seeks to empower marginalized individuals who work assiduously in promoting environmental sustainability through waste recovery.” — Dare Sholanke

2017 Recipients

Ada Smith

Ada received a 2017 scholarship to support her Master's program research at the University of British Columbia: "Gitxaala Nation's Community Garden Program: A Case Study of Operationalizing Food Sovereignty." Working in partnership with Gitxaala Nation, Ada centred her research on the role of the community garden project and other local food production activities in supporting food sovereignty in the community.

"The support of the Elizabeth Henry Scholarship exemplifies, in the Sm'algyax language, bax laansk  – or how we can come together in collaborative research and in decolonizing approaches toward a just and sustainable food system." — Ada Smith

Kim-Ly Thompson

As a Masters student at the University of Victoria’s School of Environmental Studies, Kim-Ly Thompson received a 2017 scholarship to support her research work on “We Monitor by Living Here: The Gitga’at Environmental Knowledge Project." Kim-Ly's research was designed with community leaders to inform a Gitga’at-owned monitoring program intended to documnt information and knowledge produced by Gitga’at people while harvesting and preparing traditional coastal resources.

"I am very grateful for Elizabeth Henry Scholarship’s support of a project that aims to bolster the voice of Gitga’at harvesters and knowledge holders in the ongoing stewardship of their territory in a time of rapid social and ecological change." — Kim-Ly Thompson

2016 Recipients

Matthew Wagstaff

A Master of Science student in the Occupational and Environmental Hygiene program at at the University of British Columbia, Matthew received a 2016 scholarship to support his research project: "Characterizing the Impacts of Residential Wood Burning on Air Quality in British Columbian Communities." The project was aimed a developing a new cost-effective method using innovative mobile monitoring equipment to detect the specific signature of PM2.5 from woodsmoke and characterize its impact on small BC communities.

Andrea Lyall

A member of the Kwikwasut’inuxw Haxwa’mis First Nation and a Registered Professional Forester with extensive natural resources management experience, Andrea received a 2016 scholarship as a PhD candidate at the University of British Columbia. Her research focused on "Indigenous Perspective of the Forests and How Forest Governance Could Become More Culturally Relevant." Using Indigenous and transformative methodologies, the study was designed to engage Kwikwasut’inuxw Haxwa’mis citizens in participatory action research and to consider sustainable land use that provides for a local economy and protects traditional uses of the forests.

Michelle Walsh

A member of Nadleh Whut’en First Nation and fisheries biologist for the Secwepemc Fisheries Commission in Kamloops, Michelle received a 2016 scholarship to help support graduate work at Thompson Rivers University with a focus on "Identifying Thermal Refugia and Their Use by Chinook Salmon in a Temperature Sensitive Stream." Her research aimed to document the quantity and quality of cool water habitats in the Deadman River. The work included characterizing spatial and temporal patterns of thermal habitat (cool and warm areas) and determining Chinook habitat use of cool water areas at different life stages.

About the Elizabeth Henry Scholarship

The Elizabeth Henry Scholarship is an annual award to a graduate student whose proposed research is based in British Columbia. Learn more about the Scholarship, eligibility criteria and application process. 

Check back soon or subscribe to Elizabeth Henry Scholarship mailing list to learn about the next round of applications.