Wiebe Nijland  wnijland@mail.ubc.ca  Wiebe Nijland was born and raised in The Netherlands and studied physical geography at Utrecht University, specializing in remote sensing and landdegradation. For his MSc. he spent a few months of 2006 in Prince George, BC working on an internship with the Forest Service on the relation between pine-beetle and landslide hazards. During this time he got hooked on the great Canadian landscape and forests leading him to UBC later. Wiebe got his PhD in Utrecht on Mediterranean evergreen vegetation dynamics, in which he combined remote sensing, geophysical soil measurements, Tree-ring analysis, and productivity modelling, with lots of field data collection in sunny France. After the PhD research, he stayed in Utrecht a year on a teaching position, participating in courses on remote sensing, natural hazards, GIS, and the undergraduate field course in the French Alps. Wiebe defended his PhD thesis in 2011, after which he moved to Vancouver to work as a postdoc at UBC. Next to science Wiebe is an enthusiast photographer both in visible wavelengths and beyond that for which he converts cameras by himself. He also likes to ride his bike, and enjoys the outdoors both above and under water. The scubadiving combines well with his great interest for nature and again photography.
Robbie Hember robbie@hember.name Born and raised in Kitchener, Ontario, I am the second son of my parents, both teachers with the public school board. Long family vacations on the Lake-side of the Bruce Peninsula had a profound influence on my childhood, cultivating a strong interest in nature. I left home in my nineteenth year to live in Peterborough, Ontario. I attended Trent University where I studied physical geography and plant biology. During this time, my studies focused on boundary-layer climatology and I gained considerable experience working as a research assistant.   I currently reside in Vancouver, where I attend the University of British Columbia and study the carbon and water balance of forest ecosystems. Although I prefer rural life, I think Vancouver is a great city. In my free time, I hike, paint, and play a guitar. I aspire one day to have a vegetable garden. Ulysses and All Quiet on the Western Front are among my favourite novels. Quest for Fire, The Big Lebowski, and Snake in the Monkey’s Shadow are among my favourite films. Leonardo DiCaprio and Juliette Binoche are among my favourite actors. Bob Dylan and John Lennon are among my favourite musicians. Robbie recently defended his Ph.D. and now works at the Pacific Forestry Centre.
Baozhang Chen Baozhang.Chen@ubc.ca     Baozhang Chen received a MS in Marine Geology from Tongji University in 1988 and a PhD in Geological Survey & Prospecting from China University of Mining Technology  in 1999. He worked at GIS & Remote Sensing Lab at University of Toronto as a postdoctoral fellow (2001-2004) and a research associate (2004-2006) and at the Biometeorology and Soil Physics Group at University of British Columbia (2006 -2007). For some reason, he started his secondary Ph.D. study from January 2008 at UBC. His thesis focuses on developing a predictive understanding of coupled terrestrial carbon, nitrogen and water dynamics at ecosystem and regional scales. Baozhang is interested in examining the current ecosystem processes and exchanges (energy, carbon, nitrogen and water) that occur at the interfaces of the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and human dimensions. He has worked at a broad spatial scale based on remote sensing and GIS techniques. His main professional interests focus on understanding patterns and mechanisms of ecosystem dynamics under changing climatic conditions and applying my research results to practical managements for sustainable development. He has published numerous academic papers in these fields. Baozhang enjoys outdoor sports such as kayaking, hiking and skiing.