Past
I grew up on a ranch in small-town Saskatchewan. Sustainability was a guiding principle of our ranch where we raised grass-fed sheep and cattle. We utilized practices such as rotational grazing and limited the use of antibiotics and hormones. This early education in sustainability sparked my interest in environmental issues. Following graduation from high school, I was still undecided on what I wanted to study at university, so I took a few years to work and travel.
One of the places I traveled was New Zealand, where I worked as an equipment operator for a silage contracting crew. My experiences in New Zealand made me curious about the landscapes that surrounded me and I finally settled on pursuing a degree in environmental science. I attended the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan campus where I graduated in 2020 with an Honours BSc in Earth and Environmental Sciences and a minor in Chemistry. As an undergraduate, I had the opportunity to participate in several research projects and aid in laboratory instruction as a teaching assistant. Please see my CV for more information.
Present
In 2020, my passion for research led me to pursue a masters in Earth and Environmental Sciences at UBC Okanagan. The aim of my research is to develop a spatial model of the Okanagan landscape that characterizes the social-ecological dynamics of wildfire management and predicts the potential environmental outcomes of wildfire mitigation strategies. After the successful completion of my masters, I plan to pursue a career in resource management.
Contact
Email: renee.larsen@ubc.ca
Phone: (306)-301-0069