Now hiring Graduate Academic Assistants for a new open geomatics textbook
Prof. Paul Pickell (Faculty of Forestry) is hiring several Graduate Academic Assistants to create content for a new Open Educational Resource (OER) geomatics textbook. The successful candidates will assist with creating OER content for a new open geomatics textbook that will be adopted in UBC classrooms.
- Up to 12 total positions to be filled
- Duration: April 15 – June 30, 2021
- Total hours: 40 hours (possibility of extension)
- Application deadline: April 9th, 2021
Project Details:
The aim of this project is to develop an interactive online textbook with open educational resources (OER) for teaching geomatics across UBC faculties. Existing OER geomatics textbooks are flat: they lack interactive examples, tools, and case studies that make cutting-edge geomatics so engaging. More importantly, Canada is the birthplace of computerized Geographic Information Systems (GIS), yet existing textbooks (both OER and non-OER) adopted in UBC classrooms rarely focus on environmental management issues, case studies, and examples that are relevant to underrepresented northern communities in Canada. Successful candidates will undertake research of existing OER materials (textbooks, websites, etc) and create new content that will be used in the textbook. Successful candidates will also receive training in the use of GitHub, version control, markdown, RStudio, and copyleft principles.
Job Duties: The GAAs will work under the supervision of Prof. Pickell and Evan Thornberry (UBC GIS Librarian).
- Researching and finding existing OER content on specific topics as well as creating original figures, images, maps, tables, problem sets, questions, suggested activities, etc.
- Writing a case study on an environmental management problem utilizing geomatics and related to your research work, thesis, or capstone project
Requirements:
- Enrolled as a current graduate student at UBC
- Knowledge and experience using any GIS software or packages: ArcGIS Pro, ArcMap, QGIS, R, Python, Matlab, Google Earth Pro, Google Earth Engine
- Knowledge of geomatics applications to environmental management issues in Canada. The following topical areas are considered a high priority: Northern communities, First Nations, climate change, boreal forest, endangered wildlife, freshwater ecosystems, fisheries, glaciers/ice monitoring, environmental justice, resource extraction
Assets:
- Experience working with Free and Open Source Software such as QGIS, RStudio, Leaflet
- Experience programming javascript applications
- Graphic design experience
- Experience using Markdown or RMarkdown
- Experience with version control and GitHub
How to Apply:
Please email a one-page cover letter and your resume as a single pdf packet to Prof. Paul Pickell (paul.pickell@ubc.ca). In your cover letter, please outline what environmental management case study you would like to contribute to the textbook. Additionally, highlight what experience you have working with GIS software and emphasize if you have any of the above assets.