My scientific interests have greatly expanded throughout my studies. I have an Honours Bachelor in Biology from the University of Ottawa, and am excited to use my skills to work on meaningful projects across various industries. I am particularly passionate about ecology, plant science, sustainable agriculture, conservation, and food security, as well as epidemiology, mental health, one health, and outdoor leadership.
Most recently, I worked as a research assistant at Olds College in the Field Crop Development Centre. We helped breed new varieties of feed and forage barley, malt barley, and triticale.
My honours thesis was done under the supervision of Dr. Laurie Chan on the traditional seafood harvest and food security of coastal First Nation communities in British Columbia.
I spent most of 2020 studying abroad in Taipei at National Taiwan University. I took classes in 中文, pest management, crop-insect interactions, intertidal ecology, and deep-sea ecology. In-between classes I traveled across the country and even got to spend a month in Dong’ao as a volunteer teacher.
In the summer of 2019 I worked with Environment and Climate Change Canada in the Canadian Wildlife Service. I helped with the modernization of the Migratory Birds Convention Act and the Canada Wildlife Act.
I volunteered with Blueprint Earth in the spring of 2019. Our team camped in the Mojave Desert and catalogued the vegetation, soil profile, geology, and small mammal populations of this beautiful ecosystem.
In the winter of 2019 I worked with the Southern Chapter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS). My work was focused on conservation and organizing environmental campaigns in the Bighorn region. I helped write reports, did outreach at multiple events, and attended conferences on environmental conservation. I also got to go on some cool trips during my time with CPAWS!
In 2018 I spent the summer working at the Algonquin Wildlife Research Station as a Field Technician. My work was primarily based on antler flies (Protopiophila litigata) with Chris Angell as a part of the Rundle lab. I also got to work with gray jays, small mammals, turtles, and various amphibians.
Photo of antler fly by Russell Bonduriansky
I did an undergraduate research project on the spatial and temporal pollen usage patterns in native mason bees (Osmia spp.). This work was done with the Forrest lab through the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program scholarship, and the final poster can be seen here.
Photo of mason bee by Brian Buckner
Rebecca Janacek 