Current Students
Melika Baes
I am originally from the Iran and immigrated to Vancouver, BC. I am a graduate of veterinary medicine and after that I got my PhD in the field of health and aquatic animal diseases at Tehran University, Iran. Now I had the honour of being in the aquaculture program in the faculty of Land and Food Systems, UBC. This certified program is going to help me for my future related job. I am deeply passionate about the fish world. I had my own therapeutic hospital (drfishaqua) for aquatic animals in Iran for about 5 years. Now I am here in Canada for catching new opportunities.
Leona Humchitt
Leona Humchitt is from the Heiltsuk First Nation of Bella Bella, B.C. She is currently employed as the local Climate Action Coordinator. The Heiltsuk Climate Action Team has heavily engaged their membership through meaningful, bilateral virtual meetings throughout the pandemic. One of the top climate action priorities for the Heiltsuk is food sovereignty and food security. As First Nations, our indigenous worldview is rooted in sustainability to ensure our resources are intact for our next generations. Aquaculture has potential to support our Indigenous food sovereignty plans, with adoption of aquaculture production systems that don’t require bending of our values on stewardship, our laws, biodiversity, climate change and adaptation, etc. We have many ancient forms of aquaculture and systems that sustained our forefathers. It is said that food security has the potential to unite the world. Collaborative strategies that weave our indigenous worldview with western science is the way forward.
Ashwin Ramasubbu
I have a deep sense of connection with nature and the systems we interact with. As such, environmental sustainability has been at the forefront of my thought and work. I got acquainted with Aquaculture during my MBA at Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo back in 2017. Being one of the most sustainable & energy efficient means of food production, Aquaculture holds a profound potential to meet the growing demand for food & nutrition. The graduate certificate program on aquaculture at UBC is a well-structured program combining academic and industrial content, along with field trips to various production facilities. I am grateful to have had the chance to acquire knowledge from industry pioneers and professionals possessing immense industrial knowledge. I believe my analytical and business background along with the knowledge gained through the program has helped me to interpret the possibilities within the industry. I am excited to explore.
Kirstyn Nygren-Hallberg
Kirstyn’s background includes a BSc in marine biology and minor in oceanography from the University of Victoria. She spent 5 years working as a creel observer for Fisheries and Oceans Canada before transitioning to the aquaculture industry where has been for the last 3.5 years. She started as a sea site technician, spent some time as an assistant site manager and now has settled in her role as environmental specialist. Her role focuses on improving the environmental conditions at aquaculture facilities by managing and mitigating harmful environmental events such as low oxygen, or algae blooms. Kirstyn is passionate about fish, the marine environment and the west coast of British Columbia.
Featured Alumni
Alumni
A list of alumni from previous cohorts:
- Ahmed Al Juobori
- Robbie Arundel
- Adama Bertrand
- Andraya Colistro
- Jennifer Coosemans
- Kai Tannock
- Lin Zhong