Canada has volcanoes — and one of the most hazardous sits just 150 kilometres north of Vancouver.

In this episode of Whimsical Wavelengths, host Jeffrey Zurek is joined by volcanologist Dr. Glynn Williams-Jones, Professor of Earth Sciences at Simon Fraser University, for an in-depth look at Mount Meager, one of Canada’s most active — and least understood — volcanic systems.

Mount Meager is part of the Cascade Volcanic Arc, the same tectonic chain that includes Mount St. Helens and Mount Baker. Subduction zones don’t stop at international borders, and neither do volcanic hazards. Together, we unpack why Mount Meager qualifies as a Cascade volcano, how magma is generated beneath western Canada, and why this system deserves far more public attention than it receives.

The episode explores Meager’s most recent eruption approximately 2,400 years ago, an explosive event comparable in style (though smaller in magnitude) to the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. That eruption produced ash columns, pumice falls, lava domes, and fast-moving pyroclastic density currents that travelled into the Lillooet River valley.

One of the most striking outcomes was a natural damming of the river by volcanic deposits, creating a temporary lake that later failed catastrophically. The resulting outburst flood left lasting geological evidence still visible in the landscape today — a reminder that volcanic hazards don’t end when eruptions stop.

But eruptions aren’t the only concern.

Mount Meager is also the site of Canada’s largest recorded landslide, which occurred in 2010 and involved roughly 53 million cubic metres of rock. Volcanic alteration, steep topography, glaciers, and climate-driven instability combine to make landslides one of the most immediate risks associated with the volcano — even during periods of volcanic quiet.

We discuss how scientists monitor Mount Meager today, including seismic networks, satellite measurements, and visual observations, as well as why many Canadian volcanoes remain under-instrumented compared to similar systems elsewhere in the world.

Along the way, the conversation touches on scientific mentorship, the realities of academic research, and why understanding volcanic risk is less about fear and more about preparedness, communication, and informed decision-making.

If you think Canada doesn’t have dangerous volcanoes, this episode may change your mind.

Besure to check out the center for natural hazards at SFU

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This is a reflective, end-of-year historical deviation. From wandering stars and stubborn philosophers to lost planets, national rivalries, and Pluto’s demotion, this episode explores how we learned what the planets are and why the process matters as much as the answer.

You see every once in a while, Whimsical Wavelengths takes a historical deviation. This is one of those episodes.

Instead of cutting-edge research, this solo episode steps back to ask a bigger question: how did we actually figure out what the planets are, and what does that process tell us about how science works?

From the wandering lights tracked by Babylonian astronomers over 3,000 years ago, to Greek ideas of moving stars, to the long-lived geocentric universe of Ptolemy, we trace how humanity slowly built models of the solar system. Along the way, we meet Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, and Newton, and see how new tools, better measurements, and sometimes better messengers reshaped our understanding of the cosmos.

This episode also digs into one of science’s most fascinating detective ensure stories: the discovery of Neptune. Using nothing but mathematics and Newton’s laws, astronomers predicted the existence of a new planet before anyone had ever seen it. The result was a mix of brilliance, nationalism, bruised egos, and a controversy that still makes historians uncomfortable.

From there, we follow the trail to Pluto, Planet X, and the lingering idea that the solar system might still be hiding something. We look at how bad data can lead to compelling but wrong conclusions, why Pluto never solved the problem it was meant to, and how modern observations have resurrected the question in the form of Planet Nine.

Along the way, this episode touches on:

• Why ancient astronomers called planets “wandering stars”
• How telescopes changed everything, and why early ones were still not enough
• Why stellar parallax took centuries to measure
• How people, politics, and pride shape scientific progress
• Why Pluto was discovered, celebrated, and eventually reclassified
• And why the idea of a missing planet refuses to die

This is not just a story about planets. It’s a story about how science moves forward: imperfectly, collaboratively, and sometimes reluctantly, as better data forces us to let go of comfortable ideas.

If we want a thriving future scientific community, we first need to understand why people choose — or don’t choose — careers in STEM.

This week on Whimsical Wavelengths, we turn the telescope around and look not at stars, but at the people who choose to study them. What shapes a scientist’s identity? Why do some students pursue STEM — and astronomy in particular — while others drift away? And how do mentorship, representation, and community determine who sees themselves as “belonging” in science?

To explore these questions, I’m joined by Dr. Zachary Richards: a researcher whose path moved from physics into science education, now a Research Associate at the American Museum of Natural History and a faculty member at York College, City University of New York. His recent work examines how scientists form professional identity, how students imagine themselves in scientific roles, and how educational environments influence those choices.

In this episode, we discuss:

• how early experiences shape STEM career decisions
• the role of mentorship and representation in building scientific identity
• why astronomy offers a unique lens for studying belonging in STEM
• parallels between challenges in astronomy and fields like geoscience, where enrollment and workforce sustainability are pressing issues
• what institutions can do to attract and support the next generation of scientists

Whether you’re a scientist, an educator, or simply curious about how people end up devoting their lives to understanding the universe, this episode offers a thoughtful look at the human side of STEM.

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