(pdf copy)

Formal Education

• Ph.D. Candidate (Planning)
  September 1998 - continuing (withdrawn in good standing to complete writing dissertation), University of Waterloo
• M.E.S. (Planning), 1998
  January 1996 - July 1998, University of Waterloo
• B.Sc. (Natural Resource Conservation), 1995
  September 1991 - April 1995, University of British Columbia
• Forest Resources Management
  September 1979 - April 1981, University of British Columbia

Academic Distinctions

• Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, PhD Fellowship (Sept 2001)
• Ontario Graduate Scholarship (Sept 1999, Sept 2000)
• University of Waterloo Entrance Scholarships (Jan 1996, Sept 1998)
• Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, Masters in Science Policy (May 1996, May 1997)
• University of Waterloo Graduate Incentive Fund Scholarship (1996)
• Backman Award in Natural Resource Conservation [excellence/leadership] (April 1995)
• Association of BC Professional Foresters Award [excellence] (April 1995)

Work Experience

Research and related positions

• Civics Research Co-operative
  Founding Associate, Chair (April 2004 - continuing)
• Civics Research Group
  Founding Associate (Sept 2001 - 2003)
• Environments Journal
  Managing Editor (Sept 2002 - continuing)
  Editorial and production coordinator (Sept 2000 - Sept 2002)
• Heritage Resources Centre
  Research Associate (June 1997- continuing)
  Urban Environmental Management Project, Coordinator (Nov 1998-Sept 2001)
  Complex systems application to National Park planning/management, Research/Report (June 1997-May 1998)
• Foundation for Sustainable Development Technology in Canada (Office of the Planning and Development Advisor)
  Coordinator and Research Associate (May 2001- Jan 2002)
• Canadian Wildlife Service
  Field Research Assistant, bird survey, Queen Charlotte Is. (May-July 1995)
• University of British Columbia
  GIS Research Assistant, Forest Sciences (Sept-May 1993/4, 1994/5)
  Research Assistant, Oceanography (Oct-May 1992/3)

Teaching Assistant Positions

• Society, Technology and Values (STV100) May 2000-Dec 2000
• Ecology (EnvS 200) Sept 1999-Dec 1999
• Environmental Management Programs (Plan/ERS 474e) Jan 1999-April 1999
• Conservation Policy and Planning (Cons 440, UBC) Jan 1995-April 1995
• Introduction to Conservation (Cons 200, UBC) Sept 1994-Dec 1994

Other Work Experience

• Sea to Sky Expeditions (Backpacking, canoeing, hiking adventure tours)
  Lead Guide (summers, 1989 - continuing)
  Expeditions Coordinator (summers, 1991-1994)

Selected Publications and Presentations

Publications

• Boundarylessness: introducing a systems heuristic for conceptualizing complexity forthcoming in Toward a Taxonomy of Boundaries, Charles Brown and Ted Toadvine, eds.; originally presented at The Land Institute, Kansas, May 2002 (pdf file)
• Canadian Biosphere Reserves: Idealizations and realizations 2004 Environments: 32(3): 93-99 [theme issue: Canadian Biosphere Reserves: Ideals and experience, G. Francis and G. Whitelaw, guest editors]
• Tucs, Eric, Beth Dempster and Cynthia Franklin 2004 Transit Affordability: a study focused on persons with low incomes in the region of Waterloo [report to Waterloo Regional Council] Civics Research Cooperative [available at civics.ca]
• Nelson, Gordon, Barb Veale, Beth Dempster and many other authors 2004 A Grand Sense of Place Waterloo, ON: Environments Publications
• Dempster, Beth, and Gordon Nelson, with Stephen Murphy, Larry Martin, Keith Warriner, Alice Nabalamba and Kathleen McSpurren 2004 The Urban Environment in A Grand Sense of Place, G. Nelson, B. Veale and B Dempster, eds. Waterloo, ON: Environments Publications
• Image: Richpicture of a richpicture [in Problems, what Problems, R. Sheffield] 2004 Teaching Expertise 3(Spring): 9
• themes, entangled; simplicity, confounded [theme issue commentary] 2003 Environments: 30(3): 112-115 [theme issue: Managerial Ecology: Counterproposals, D. Bavington and S. Slocombe, guest editors]
• Exploring the human dimensions of ecological integrity - applying a systems-based identification heuristic 2002 in The Science and the Management of Protected Areas - Proceedings of SAMPA Conference May 2000, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
• Dempster, B. and J.G. Nelson, eds. 2001 Urban Environmental Planning, Management and Decision-Making Environments: 29(1)Theme Issue (journal abstracts)
• Nelson, J.G. and B. Dempster 2001 Urban Living and Environmental Change: Fostering urban environmental management through civic process Environments: 29(1): 1-18 (journal site)
• Dempster, B. 2001 Some Reflections on Civics and Civil Society as Grounding for Urban Environmental Management Environments 29(1): 123-142 (journal site)
• Eichler, M. with B. Dempster and G. Nelson, eds. 2000 Linking Equity and Sustainability Environments: 28(2) Theme Issue (journal abstracts)
• Sympoieticdef and autopoietic systems: A new distinction for self-organizing systems in Proceedings of the World Congress of the Systems Sciences and ISSS 2000, J.K. Allen and J. Wilby, eds. [Presented at the International Society for Systems Studies Annual Conference, Toronto, Canada, July 2000 (Living Systems Analysis Special Integration Group)] (pdf file)
• Relinquishing Boundaries: Metaphors for conceptualizing institutional systems in Parks and Protected Areas Research in Ontario 1999, Parks Research Forum of Ontario, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario Presented at Parks Research Forum of Ontario Annual Conference, May 1999, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
• Conceptualizing Complex Systems: A methodology for characterizing systems relevant to the planning and management of parks and protected areas 1998 Technical Paper #12, Heritage Resources Centre, University of Waterloo

Theses and Major Papers

• Developing a ground? for radical praxis 2001 Comprehensive Exam Paper, submitted August 22, 2001 School of Planning, University of Waterloo (pdf file)
• Developing a ground? for radical praxis - a continuation 2002 Comprehensive Exam Supplemental Paper, submitted January 31, 2002, School of Planning, University of Waterloo (pdf file)
• A Self-Organizing Systems Perspective on Planning for Sustainability 1998 M.E.S. Thesis, University of Waterloo, School of Urban and Regional Planning (pdf file, html file)
• System Stability and Implications for Sustainability 1995 B.Sc. Thesis, Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia

Web Presentations

• What Is Planning? Considering responses� 2000 www.ejournal.ca/beth/webs/plan/wip.htm
• Toward a Post-Normal Science: New (?) Approaches to Research - 1998 www.ejournal.ca/beth/webs/pnsresearch/index.html
• Snap-thoughts - short, self-contained discussions on a range of topics and conceptswww.ejournal.ca/beth/webs/snapthoughts.htm
• sympoiesis.info - Ph.D. dissertation (under development)

Presentations

• Complex systems: Heuristics for thinking about _____________ Paper written following presentation at a seminar involving participants from a UW discussion group and UBC's SDRI that was held in Vancouver, April 2003
• Being organizationally ajar: an alternative heuristic for understanding change in system organization Presented at the American Society for Cybernetics Conference, Vancouver, Canada, May 2001
• Relinquishing boundaries: Developing a more appropriate conceptualization of complex systems Presented at the International Society for Systems Studies Annual Conference, Toronto, Canada, July 2000
• Developing adaptive management systems or Silencing the seductive siren of certainty Presented at the Environmental Studies Association of Canada's Annual Conference, Edmonton, Canada, May 2000
• Exploring the human dimensions of ecological integrity - applying a systems-based identification heuristic Presented at Science and the Management of Protected Areas Conference 2000, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, May 2000
• Relinquishing Boundaries: A Self-Organizing Systems Approach for Conceptualizing Complex Systems Presented at Environmental Studies Association of Canada Annual Conference: Bridges and Boundaries, June 2-5 1998, Ottawa, Canada
• Self-Organizing Systems, Post-Normal Science and Adaptive Assessments: Conceptual Links for Practical Application Presented at the International Society for Ecological Economics Biennial Conference: Designing Sustainability, August 4-7, 1996, Boston, USA

References
available upon request