Profile

• Time Zone

  Central

  
  
• Organization

  University of Winnipeg

  
  
• Role

  Scientist Mentor: I will mentor teams of students online

  
  
• Research Interests (300 words)

  My research interests involve the preservation and restoration of natural ecosystems across the prairie provinces of Canada. This involves identifying invasive species and current threats to ecologically intact areas and finding methods to limit these threats, and map the current distribution of native and non-native plant species.

  
  
• Profile Question 1

  When and why did you decide to go into a science career?

  
  
• Answer the question you selected for profile question 1 here (300 words):

  After high school I took a year off to figure out what kind of path I wanted to take. I originally decided on working in the medical field but throughout my university classes I realized working in a lab setting doing mostly chemistry and physics were not my strong interests. I decided to explore the world of biology since I was always interested in the environment, and slowly after taking many classes I realized my true passion was and always has been plant science.

  
  
• Profile Question 2

  What is best about being a scientist?

  
  
• Answer the question you selected for profile question 2 here (300 words):

  The best part about being a scientist, is being able to talk and listen to other scientists about their passions. I find in the plant science world everyone is eager to learn from each other and being able to communicate science with the public brings out the best questions and discussions. The researchers and fellow students in my field that I have talked to are genuine about saving the planet, and helping others understand their life work. The passion other researchers have on a topic, makes me passionate about things I may not fully understand but it always sends me home wanting to do more work!

  
  
• Profile Question 3

  Do you have advice for students about preparing for a science career?

  
  
• Answer the question you selected for profile question 3 here (300 words):

  The advice I have for students preparing for a science career is to try as many fields as possible. I would give the advice of going out and looking for places to volunteer, talking to professionals in their fields of work of what they actually do, and talking to your teachers and/or professors about your interests. I found the more knowledge I learnt of the years, the more there is out there that I actually don't know about. I would say, ask as many questions as you can and be okay with failure. I would say, gain as much experience outside of your classes as you can, and prepare to work extremely hard for a long time without any recognition. It's okay, to fail, and it's okay to take a long time to figure out where exactly you fit in best in the science world.

  
  
• Availability

  I am NOT available, please temporarily remove me from the available mentor list

  
  
• Capacity: How many teams at a time are you comfortable working with?

  4