UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA
UNBC student wins award for culturally informed emergency management research

When a massive landslide collapsed into the Tsilhqox (Chilcotin River) and blocked the water's path for six days in 2024, one of the major issues to flow out of the natural disaster was the need for culturally appropriate emergency management.

That need is at the heart of undergraduate research being conducted by UNBC Bachelor of Science student Siobhan Striegler Klassen in partnership with the Tsilhqot'in National Government. 

Siobhan was recognized with the Best Undergraduate Oral Presentation Award at the Western Division of the Canadian Association of Geographers (WDCAG) 2026 Conference in Vancouver in March, where she presented the preliminary findings of her thesis.

"My thesis is focused on documenting the relationship between the Tsilhqot'in people and the Tsilhqox, which flows through their territory," says the fourth-year Honours in Physical Geography student. "It aims to highlight the importance of the river to the Tsilhqot'in people while showing how this connection should inform emergency planning and response."

Through informal, unstructured interviews conducted on Tsilhqot'in land, Siobhan worked closely with participants to better understand the river's cultural, spiritual and geographic significance.

Her ethnographic approach to research was shaped by a physical geography field school experience led by Department of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences faculty members Drs. Adam Hawkins and Joseph Shea in 2024. The course culminated in a week at the Tatlayoko Field Station in Tsilhqot'in territory west of Williams Lake. 

"We learned the Indigenous stories of landform formation, which were very different from Western scientific ways of understanding a landscape," Siobhan shares. "I really enjoyed learning from a different perspective and so, for my final project for the course, I created artwork that encapsulated both the physical and spiritual aspects of the landscape."

Siobhan's painting was well received by members of the Tsilhqot'in National Government (TNG) and that connection led to the community-engaged research opportunity.

"TNG Cultural Heritage Coordinator Shane Doddridge has been the main liaison for this project," says the Geography student. "And I really want to thank him and my supervisor Dr. Adam Hawkins for their unwavering support and encouragement as I work through my thesis."

While the WDCAG award highlights the strength of her work, it also underscores the importance of research that bridges knowledge systems to better support communities in times of crisis.

As climate-related events and natural hazards continue to impact communities across northern B.C. and beyond, Siobhan's research points to the importance of approaches that are not only scientifically informed, but also culturally grounded to ensure emergency management strategies reflect the relationships between people and place.