Zoology professor Michelle Tseng and law professor Stepan Wood are the recipients of grants from the new Peter Wall Legacy Awards program.
Two University of B.C. professors have each been awarded $1 million grants from the inaugural Wall Legacy Awards funded by the Peter Wall Endowment.
Michelle Tseng, an assistant professor of zoology, will receive the grant for her research on butterflies and biodiversity. Law professor Stepan Wood receives it for his work on how Indigenous and settler laws can work together to promote healthier relationships between humans and nature, and between settler and Indigenous societies, UBC announced Tuesday.
Tseng was surprised to learn of the research award.
“I think my very first thought was, this must be a mistake,” said Tseng, in a statement provided by UBC Tuesday. “But afterward, I thought it was an incredible honour, because I know the calibre of my colleagues at this institution. I feel very lucky and privileged.”
Tseng’s project uses community involvement and technology to enhance butterfly conservation and create greener urban spaces across B.C., according to UBC.
Tseng said there are several reasons this could be happening such as a cooler, wetter spring, or it could be related to climate change and extreme changes in temperature, or from spraying invasive species. But scientists want to study this decline to find out for sure.
Wood said his work is about bridging two global movements — the ‘rights of nature’ movement and the Indigenous revitalization movement.
“You can’t have reconciliation between humans and the Earth without reconciliation between settler and Indigenous societies, and vice versa. The key to both is respect — respect for all beings, and respect for Indigenous laws,” he said in a statement provided by UBC.
The Wall Fellowships, valued at $1 million each, are the top prizes from UBC’s new Peter Wall Legacy Awards funded through the $100-million endowment established by Vancouver entrepreneur Dr. Peter Wall, UBC said.