I-STEAM Pathways: Environmental Research Internships for Indigenous Students

The talk from the elder was a very enriching experience and one that I did not expect to have given the circumstances of COVID-19. It was really humbling. Ray is also a wealth of knowledge who I enjoyed learning a lot from. Having community members speaking to us directly regarding their experiences working with academia and the government was an important part that should be included every year.

It was an amazing opportunity and I learned so much from it. I enjoyed all the time spent doing the work, but even more importantly I enjoyed working with the amazing people involved.

I have learned that we should be managing our water bodies by investigating the health of organism populations as water scarcity can become a threat in the future if we are not monitoring for changes. By having knowledge of indicators it would help in monitoring of the Athabasca river.

I chose this work, above other offers this summer specifically because I think it will give me good experience for a masters and PhD.