Fifth-year Western student Sophia Slabon faced a pivotal choice at the end of her first year of undergraduate studies – either continue in a program that felt like a poor fit or set out on a new path.
The turning point came when she enrolled in Connecting for Climate Change Action, a public course offered through the department of geography and environment that bridges Western science with Indigenous knowledge to motivate action on climate change.
While pursuing a geography degree, Sophia Slabon tested water turbidity and Ph levels in the Rouge River in Scarborough in one of many field courses. (Submitted)
“It opened my eyes to switching my degree,” Slabon said. “The class didn’t just focus on the disruptive effects of human activity, it offered concrete actions we can take to improve our environments. It totally changed my outlook. That’s when I knew I should go into geography.”
She made the switch from medical sciences and her interest grew into sheer exuberance for her new studies, even as puzzled family members asked, “What are you going to do with a geography degree?”
“What am I not going to do with geography. There are so many options, it’s hard to narrow them down,” Slabon said.
Once her new academic direction was set, Slabon was eager to learn by doing through Western’s experiential learning opportunities. She started with an urban water ecology field course.
“I got to do water testing in Toronto through Toronto Metropolitan University for course credit, which was totally hands on. I loved it. Eventually, I took all the field courses you can take in geography,” she said.
Geography degree complemented with experiential learning
The possibility of studying abroad intrigued her after she attended a student presentation about going on exchange, but she wanted a shorter-term opportunity. She found a range of opportunities in the International Experience Portal.
Western’s experiential learning opportunities include studying abroad. Sophia Slabon took a one-month language course in Germany while getting a geography degree. (Submitted)
“I thought it would be so cool to go to Germany because I’d studied the language a bit. I found a compressed German language course that was just one month of the summer, so I got to be a student at their university. Taking courses outside my major has helped me grow.”
Slabon became an enthusiastic advocate for learning opportunities beyond the classroom. Like the student who inspired her, she also volunteered to promote field courses and international exchanges, including working with Western International during International Week.
That put her on the path to volunteering with Western’s student-led organization Women in Science as a mentor for a first-year student. Her mentee ended up changing her program focus after Slabon told her about combined degree options.
“Western lets you combine modules from different faculties. That’s given me a more comprehensive understanding of the environmental aspect of geography,” said Slabon, who’s pursuing a major in environmental science and an honours specialization in geographic information science.
She’s enthusiastic about cross-disciplinary studies to complement science-focused programs. Slabon explored social, economic, historical and philosophical perspectives on environmental issues while earning a certificate in Climate Change and Society, alongside her geography degree.
“I ended up loving one course I initially never would have thought of taking.”
Undergraduate research leads to novel finding
Slabon’s experiential learning continued through a summer internship with the Canadian Severe Storms Laboratory (CSSL). Her project, led by Western professors Catherine Neish in Earth sciences and Connell Miller in civil and environmental engineering, had Slabon using radar remote sensing to characterize tornado damage tracks. That particular analysis was unexplored research territory.
“It was a bit scary at first, but I loved directing my own research. It was one of the best undergrad experiences.”
Sophia Slabon presented her undergraduate research on severe weather damage classification at two different conferences, one in Toronto and one at Western. (Submitted)
Slabon worked long days processing the data for 75 tornadoes in Canadian boreal forests and in dense forests in the U.S. Her results suggested several tornadoes in those areas may have been misclassified under the current classification system.
“I was so excited about my project that it pushed me to work even harder. By the end of the summer, we saw my results were significant and could change the way we classify tornadoes.”
The results were published in a paper Slabon co-authored with Neish and Miller in the Canadian Journal of Remote Sensing.
“It made me realize that even as an undergraduate, you can contribute meaningful work to your field,” she said.
That work, and a subsequent CSSL research project, led Slabon to the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) team at Western Libraries. She found a part-time job in the Map and Data Centre within Weldon Library along with another volunteer role introducing high school students to mapping technologies during GIS Days.
Collaboration with Indigenous communities
The CSSL internship also prepared Slabon to take on an independent research thesis in her fifth year under the supervision of professor Geneviève Metson, who introduced her to the team working on Planting Seeds for Urban Indigenous Food Sovereignty. The project aims to increase access to healthy, culturally appropriate food in urban areas through ecologically sound methods. Slabon’s role involves using GIS mapping to look at green spaces available for gardening and foraging of wild foods.
The combination of research, fieldwork and community collaboration throughout her undergraduate years has positioned Slabon ideally for the master’s degree she plans to start this fall at Western. Under the supervision of geography professor Laura Chasmer, she’ll assess peatland wildfire severity in the Northwest Territories, and the potential for ecological restoration. The research team collaborated with two First Nations and received permission to use their lands as a study site.
“I’ll be using a ground photo survey tool with the lands coordinator from one of the First Nations to help support sovereign land management. This study is tied into everything I love – the field work, remote sensing and supporting community priorities.”
Geography student Sophia Slabon in the Map and Data Centre at Weldon Library. (Colleen MacDonald/Western News)
Four years after finding the right academic avenue, Slabon is even more passionate about the paths now open through a geography degree.
“I’m building advanced image data analysis skills, especially in technical environmental areas like damage hazard classification. This also provides a solid foundation for conservation or urban planning work. I can do so much with the skills I’m learning.”
