What's In The Name?

With dendrochronology as our muse, the Faculty of Forestry Co-op Newsletter is taking on the name “treerings”. With five rings to represent your co-op work terms and an outer, silver ring to symbolize the one you receive upon completion of your degree, the new name and logo represent your co-op experience. Treerings speaks to your academic career and professional growth within the Co-op Program.

Your Work Term Check List!

Before you begin your new job… Sign and return the Domestic Waiver if working in Canada or the International Waiver if working abroad.  Ask your employer for a contact person who can help with questions about housing, transportation, etc.  Find out when, where and whom to report to on your first day. Ask your Coordinator to connect you with a student that has done your job before. International students must have a work permit and SIN number. Click here for info on how to apply for your SIN.

Your first day on the job… Dress appropriately (be well groomed, dress conservatively, no jewelry or perfume/cologne, have safety gear). Bring a blank cheque, SIN card, emergency contact information, paper and pen, your lunch and work visa (if you are an international student). Go through this presentation for more detailed information that will help you prepare for your work term.

Your first 2 weeks on the job... Complete and return the Address Update Form Complete and return the Learning Objectives Form Meet with your supervisor and discuss your learning objectives Don’t forget to write down everything you do so you can easily update your resume! Take lots of pictures and send them to your Co-op Coordinator! Download the work term calendar.

Update From The Field

Kamto Chung works with tree ring data in Victoria: At the Pacific Forestry Centre I am working on a ton of different projects.  I have been helping to extract Mountain Pine Beetle larvae, pupae, and adults from samples, working with the data collected from the field, working with R for statistical computing and graphics and have even been able to visit a new lab each month to learn about different research areas. The end goal of my core work is to see if the Mountain Pine Beetle population is increasing or decreasing and one of the ways we do this is through tree ring data.

Month In Review

Job Search – the final stretch! June 6th is the cut-off date for your summer 2014 job search. Here are the latest co-op numbers: 555 jobs posted 414 Conservation 248 Forestry 227 Forest Sciences 63 Wood Products Processing 941 applications submitted 321 interviews 95 of 126 or 75% employed 4 international placements 2 Finland 1 Germany 1 South Africa

Annual Co-op Celebratory Lunch - April 10th  We welcomed our newest members and celebrated the achievements of those graduating with co-op at our first annual Co-op Celebratory Lunch. With a quick break from the stress of exams we shared sushi and pizza. Some shared excitement about their first work term while others laughed about how friends mistakenly assume that co-op just “gives” you a job!

Silver Ring Ceremony... During the silver ring ceremony several students thanked co-op for the support and guidance they received throughout their academic career. We congratulate this year’s co-op graduates and celebrate your achievements:  Derek Bennett Xu Chen Samuel Field Allison Hunt Debbi Leung Olivia Sanchez Badini Ziyu Ye Anna Yuill Don’t forget to hire a co-op student when you’re running the show out there!

Co-op programs across UBC join forces... On Thursday, April 24th, co-op staff from all programs on the UBC across campus came together for their annual Professional Development Event. This was a great opportunity for all UBC co-op programs to share best practices and develop new strategies as a cohesive group. Among the items covered were marketing co-op to employers and engaging with co-op alumni.

Co-op Cookie Awards

Many of our co-op students are on work terms this summer thanks to UBC faculty and staff who have chosen to hire from within the Co-op Program.  A big "thank you" goes out to: Dr Allan Carroll Ken Day, RPF Dr Sue Grayston Dr Richard Hamelin Cathy Koot, RPBio Dr John Richardson We are currently accepting job postings for the fall and winter terms. Please send your posting to tony.loring@ubc.ca or call 604-827-5196 and we will write a posting for you!

Call For Submissions!

Tell us about your experience! The treerings newsletter will feature a co-op student in each issue. For the next issue we are looking for stories from students in their first work term. Please send your submissions to Tony Loring for consideration.