During my time in the I-STEAM program, I worked with Dr. Carol Frost surveying invertebrate diversity within local stormwater management ponds to assess the effectiveness of enhancement measures made by the City of Edmonton. The experience was rewarding because I got to see my educational training be directly applied to a job and I got to see the benefit of its impacts unfold within my own city. I appreciate the opportunities presented by the program to undergraduate students, and I feel the program has also helped me prepare for graduate school.
My I-Steam experience has been a crucial part for me to even consider a future career in graduate school. I worked under Dr. Maya Bhatia and Dr. Suzanne Tank on a Master’s student’s project with the Canadian Mountain Network studying glacier carbon impact to the biological community in glacial streams. I have finished my undergraduate degree in Environmental Science at Mount Royal University and am highly considering a Masters at University of Alberta or University of Calgary. Without the experience I had in I-Steam, I would have never thought of going to graduate school.
I was able to be a part of the I-STEAM community for the past three years, two of which were through internships. My involvement began in the summer of 2021 which first introduced me to field research. I had never done any lab research before and I was really intimidated by the idea of working in a lab but the I-STEAM program works diligently to help students have a positive experience and see if a future in graduate school is something they would want to pursue…From this program I have been able to fall in love with bees and I am applying to graduate school in the states for fall 2024. I am actually being flown out to a campus in Colorado to see if I would like to apply to grad school there. My lab has been a huge support for me which I would have never discovered without the I-STEAM program.
The impact that the I-STEAM program had on my academic journey was immense and ongoing. My internship was supervised by Dr. Laurel Wheeler and we are still in frequent contact. Dr. Wheeler answers my questions about job opportunities, academics and graduate school very often. Currently I am a third year undergraduate student in statistics, I am planning to pursue a masters in statistics and my home band is six nations from Ontario.
My I-STEAM Pathways internship, supervised by Dr. Erin Bayne, was a turning point in my academic journey. It provided me with field experience and crucial research connections, leading me to complete an NSERC USRA in magnetotelluric research with Dr. Martyn Unsworth. These opportunities were significant in my acceptance to the Juneau Icefield Research Program, where I gained a deep appreciation for polar environments and a passion for mountaineering exploration. As a result, I’m now eager to pursue graduate education in glacial dynamics, recognizing their vital role in planetary processes and life on Earth.
In my I-STEAM Pathways internship, I had the opportunity to work in Dr. Maya Evenden’s lab. This lab introduced me to the world of insects in managed ecosystems which has become my research passion. I got to do field and lab work with Mountain Pine Beetle that has now set me up for a Master’s position in a different insect lab at the University of Alberta. I plan on using the traditional knowledge from workshops throughout my internship to guide how I do my research in grad school and after.
During my summer with I-STEAM, I had the opportunity to research with Dr. Ran Zhao’s lab. This experience allowed me to pursue various research projects throughout the summer, and present my findings at a scientific conference at the end. Dr. Zhao has guided me to pursue a MSc in Forest Biology and Management focusing on Wildfire Management at the University of Alberta. The interdisciplinary nature of this internship allowed me to gain experience that will be useful throughout my academic career and professional life.
I think it would be cool for the program to be more than a one time thing. I know myself and probably other students would love to keep doing their research with their professors over the summer!
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.
This internship totally changed my undergraduate experience. I am lucky enough to be working in the same lab this semester, and actually was able to have my contract renewed to the end of January. I have made connections, and learned many important lab skills in the process. Without this internship, none of that would have been possible, nor would I have ever dreamed something like this would happen to me. Thank you I-Steam!
