My graduate studies have prepared me to effectively communicate scientific information and collaborate with stakeholders, academics, industry and government organizations. In June 2023, I successfully defended my PhD while employed with PHAC. My PhD research project focused on several aspects of bumble bee health that will inform the development, management and potential recovery programs for native at-risk bumble bees. My program was unique in that I was co-supervised by Dr. Cory Sheffield, the invertebrate zoology curator at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum, which allowed me to work collaboratively with the Government of Saskatchewan before my current tender as a Database Manager with the PHAC. I thrive on interactions where I can work collaboratively with others, including researchers, undergraduates, government and non-government organizations. In 2019, I participated in designing the management plan of the Yellow-banded Bumble Bee (Bombus terricola) and was an invited member on the Technical Advisory Team for the Western Bumble bee (Bombus occidentalis) in 2022. Both those endeavours involved collaboration with academics, non-profits, and industry experts across Canada. During my PhD, I attended two online workshops for microbial analyses, and four open science-oriented courses through the Living Data Project (Synthesis and Statistics, Scientific Collaboration, Productivity and Reproducibility and Scientific Data Management). Both opportunities helped me develop my passion for open science and communication as well as develop and refine my coding skills in R and data management practices.
My goal as a scientist is to make science open, accessible and inclusive, and I continually engage others with these topics and design accessible educational resources. The National Microbiology Lab (NML) hosts a diverse group of researchers, managers and partners in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation and backgrounds. I have participated in three workshops on equity, diversity and inclusivity, and am an advocate for incorporating traditional ecological knowledge into Western science. I was employed as a writing tutor for the Student Success Center at the University of Regina, where I led the development of a scientific lab report checklist and “How to write a lab report”. These documents were designed to help incoming undergraduate students acclimate to scientific writing. During the COVID-19 pandemic when students transitioned to online learning environments, I was an integral part of the Plant Physiology teaching team where I offered technical support for students being introduced to the programming language R. This integration of R into undergraduate Biology courses was the first of its kind in the department. In the Spring of 2022, I successfully completed the Graduate Teaching Enhancement Certificate offered through the University of Regina. In 2022, I participated in the working group “Data Bites in Ecology” through the Living Data Project. The working group consisted of 12 graduate students from across Canada and was held across four days in April through Zoom. The goal of the working group was to develop publicly available tutorials to teach ecological and evolutionary concepts using visuals and data analysis through the programming language R using openly available Canadian public datasets. I am currently the lead in the development of a Database Managers course for the NML aimed at incoming Database Managers hired at the NML and/or external partners.
My passion for conservation and science outreach reaches far beyond my PhD program and my current employment with the NML, my extra-curricular involvement has provided me with strong leadership and organizational skills. Currently I am serving as a board member with Nature Regina, a local organization focused on public education and conservation. I have been an integral member of the Nature Regina board wherein I recruited speakers for monthly seminars, managed events with volunteers, and developed educational programming. I was the lead organizer for the City Nature Challenge in Regina for the past three consecutive years and have been successful in applying for and being awarded grants for citizen science programs, scientific outreach, and educational program development. For example, I fostered a relationship between Nature Regina and the University of Regina in which an undergraduate was recruited to conduct a research project to monitor window strikes on campus to support Nature Regina’s current status as a Bird Friendly City.
Writing
