At the University of Victoria forest program’s roots is Brad Binges, a problem solver with a green thumb, who has helped to nurture and grow forest biology at UVic over the past two and a half decades.
Binges manages the Bev Glover Greenhouse Facility and field research compound for the UVic Centre for Forest Biology.
To coordinate the research projects of graduate students and faculty members in the greenhouse, Binges must understand the basics of their research plans—space requirements, type of plant material, timelines. But he’s quick to point out that this does not mean he’s heavily involved in the projects themselves. “If I helped with the research itself, I would have earned 30-40 PhDs at this point!”
Binges is not exaggerating the numbers of researchers he has helped in his many years as manager of the facility. At any one time the Glover Greenhouse has at least six graduate-level research projects, a few undergraduate projects and courses, and some staff and faculty projects on the go—all of which are made possible by Binges’ careful planning and coordination.