{"id":12786,"date":"2026-03-02T11:26:56","date_gmt":"2026-03-02T19:26:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ufv.ca\/science\/?p=12786"},"modified":"2026-03-02T11:38:55","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T19:38:55","slug":"dr-michael-hitch-names-fellow-of-the-explorers-club","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ufv.ca\/science\/2026\/03\/02\/dr-michael-hitch-names-fellow-of-the-explorers-club\/","title":{"rendered":"Dr. Michael Hitch named Fellow of the Explorers Club"},"content":{"rendered":"

From UFV Today<\/p>\n

From backyard rock-hammering to global explorer: Dr. Michael Hitch named Fellow of The Explorers Club<\/h1>\n

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Events<\/a>,\u00a0Faculty of Science<\/a>,\u00a0Featured<\/a>,\u00a0International<\/a>,\u00a0Newsroom<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Michael Hitch\u2019s fascination with the natural world began long before he became a world-renowned scientist.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt all started when I was a kid,\u201d he recalls. \u201cMy parents had a cottage in Haliburton, and I\u2019d grab my dad\u2019s claw hammer and go out back and bang on a rock outcrop to develop my rock collection.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That early curiosity set him on a path toward geology, fieldwork, and a lifetime of exploration.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, Michael \u00a0joins the ranks of legendary adventurers, such as Sir Edmund Hillary and the Apollo<\/span>\u00a0astronauts, astronauts,<\/span>\u00a0after being elected as a Fellow of The Explorers Club, one of the world\u2019s most prestigious organizations dedicated to scientific exploration and discovery.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis recognition highlights not only\u00a0<\/span>Hitch\u2019s individual accomplishments, but also the strength and global relevance of research at UFV,\u201d says UFV President James Mandigo. \u201cIt reinforces our commitment to applied science, interdisciplinary research, and scholarship that responds to real-world needs\u00a0<\/span>\u2014<\/span>\u00a0and advances UFV\u2019s vision of changemaking through knowledge, collaboration, and action<\/span>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Founded in 1904, The Explorers Club brings together leading scientists, researchers, and explorers whose work advances knowledge of the planet and beyond. Fellowship is awarded through a rigorous peer-nomination process and recognizes sustained, substantive contributions to exploration, field-based research, and the advancement of scientific understanding.<\/span><\/p>\n

Michael\u2019s early passion for exploration and discovery eventually led to summers spent working in fly-in, fly-out camps across Northern Ontario, canoeing between sites and mapping remote terrain.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s always been a way of life for me,\u201d he says. \u201cThose were some of the best years of my life.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Michael\u2019s lifelong exploration underpins a distinguished international career spanning geoscience, mining engineering, critical minerals research, and academic leadership. Over the course of his career, he has travelled to nearly every country in the world, often for fieldwork, project evaluations, or consulting. He has held senior roles at post-secondary institutions in Canada, Australia, and Europe, and has published extensively in scholarly journals. Looking back, he recalls fondly the days when he used to fill up all 36 pages of a 10-year passport with visa stamps within a year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Last summer for research, Michael traced a route through the High Arctic, navigating from Iqaluit, across Baffin Island to Greenland, and back through the Northwest Passage. \u201cTo be able to navigate the Northwest Passage \u2014 that\u2019s the kind of thing you dream about as a young Canadian kid.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Since joining the University of the Fraser Valley as Dean of the Faculty of Science in 2023, Michael has championed experiential learning opportunities, strengthened international research partnerships, and supported faculty-led initiatives.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Michael\u2019s research continues to push boundaries, from studies on sustainable resource development to investigations into critical minerals and circular economy practices, and he is known for challenging assumptions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m at a stage in my career where I\u2019m allowed to poke my finger in the eye of certain sacred cows,\u201d he says, emphasizing the importance of transparency, scrutiny, and honesty in science and policy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Through teaching, research, and leadership, he continues to bring the spirit of exploration into UFV\u2019s classrooms and laboratories, encouraging students and colleagues alike to step outside, ask questions, and experience the world firsthand.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGet off the chair,\u201d he advised. \u201cGo out there. Take it in. Breathe the air. You will understand.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From UFV Today From backyard rock-hammering to global explorer: Dr. Michael Hitch named Fellow of The Explorers Club Events,\u00a0Faculty of Science,\u00a0Featured,\u00a0International,\u00a0Newsroom Michael Hitch\u2019s fascination with the natural world began long before he became a world-renowned scientist.\u00a0 \u201cIt all started when I was a kid,\u201d he recalls. \u201cMy parents had a cottage in Haliburton, and I\u2019d … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":182,"featured_media":12791,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"generate_page_header":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7,58],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12786","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-deans-office","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ufv.ca\/science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12786","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ufv.ca\/science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ufv.ca\/science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ufv.ca\/science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/182"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ufv.ca\/science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12786"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ufv.ca\/science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12786\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12795,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ufv.ca\/science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12786\/revisions\/12795"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ufv.ca\/science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12791"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ufv.ca\/science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12786"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ufv.ca\/science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12786"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ufv.ca\/science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12786"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}