Growing up in Courtenay, I was fascinated by plants, animals, and insects while camping and seeing the pristine wildlife on Vancouver Island. I loved the outdoors and often participated in ocean sports such as surfing, kayaking, and stand up paddle boarding. This shaped my decision in late high school to study science and specialize in Biology when I came to UBC.
Throughout my undergraduate Biology degree, I have done a 12-month co-op in Toronto working in Biotech and also completed an honors thesis in the Altshuler lab. From these research experiences, I decided to further my journey in academia through a NSERC USRA scholarship. I am currently conducting 40 hours/week of research in the Altshuler lab.
I am also highly involved in the Biology community at UBC through my roles in the Biological Sciences Society (BIOSOC). My time as an academic officer allowed me to make lifelong friendships, share my honors/co-op experiences with students through informational sessions, and teach difficult BIOL234 material during midterm review sessions. I was also elected president of the club for this academic year and plan to further expand the positive influence that BIOSOC has on this amazing community.
By balancing my community involvement, academics, and research, I have been recognized through multiple awards including receiving the Cleveland and Rae Hickman Scholarship, Zoology and Botany Researcher Award, Dean of Science Scholarship, Patsy Hui Scholarship, Percy Walter Perris Scholarship, and an NSERC USRA.
What do you most enjoy about doing research?
What I enjoy the most about research is the collaborative process. If all research was done in a vacuum, progress would be extremely hard. I find that hashing out details with my fellow lab members and finding solutions to overcome obstacles is both satisfying and productive. For example, during my honors thesis, we needed to determine a control treatment for a unique visual stimuli that we were testing. The project came to a halt; however, after bringing this issue to multiple grad students in my lab, I received insightful feedback from experienced researchers. By incorporating their innovative ideas and resource recommendations, I was able to overcome this barrier and further improve my project.
What are you researching?
My current research project in the Altshuler lab focuses on studying how visual stimuli presented to the peripheral visual field of Zebra Finches affects forward flight path and velocity. These experiments are conducted in a virtual reality tunnel and birds are tracked using an 11-camera Optitrack system. Through this behavioral research project, I hope to contribute to the growing body of knowledge on how the brain uses global visual motion (optic flow) to guide locomotion.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
In my spare time, I enjoy playing soccer with friends (intramurals) and frisbee golfing at courses around Vancouver or Courtenay/Comox. When I have longer periods of free time like during Christmas break, I love skiing with my family. We ski at Mt Washington which is the local mountain in the Comox Valley.
What advice would you give to other students considering doing a research project?
One of the toughest parts of starting research as an undergraduate student is finding the right lab. One piece of advice I learned to get my foot in the door was asking professors if you can sit in on lab meetings. This way, you can get a sense of their research projects while also showing your commitment and interest in their work. From the professor’s point of view, this is also a low time commitment for their busy schedules and allows them to gauge how you may fit in the lab. I’d recommend reading articles that the lab has published so you can follow the scientific presentations and also ask questions if time allows.
What do you most enjoy about doing research?
I enjoy the welcoming community in academia. I have found that people are always happy to help you with projects, brainstorm ideas, and enjoy social events. While conducting research is important, meeting and building connections with your fellow lab mates is also important. I take opportunities to participate in social events such as weekly lab coffee meet ups and pumpkin carving during Halloween.
