Opportunities
Graduate students I am always available to discuss possible opportunities. If you are interested in research on the edge, please contact: [email protected].
M.Sc. project in PLANT ECOLOGY (Forest edges)
I am looking for an accomplished and motivated M.Sc. student to study the impact of harvest roads on nearby vegetation structure and wildlife habitat in Acadian forest in Nova Scotia. The fully-funded two-year project would begin in 2025 in the Masters in Applied Science program at Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, N.S. Connectivity for wildlife depends on habitat or vegetation structure, which can be impacted by edge influence from roads. The recent transition from clearcutting to an Ecological Forestry model in Nova Scotia requires more frequent harvesting interventions, which may increase the footprint of the road network. Vegetation next to road edges might be affected differently due to increased use. This investigation of the change in vegetation structure from road edges into the forest could include field data collection and drone imagery with LiDAR. Vegetation structure at edges will be compared among different forest types, road widths, road usage and/or edge ages. This joint project between Saint Mary’s University and Dalhousie University is part of the Ecological Forestry Research Initiative. Students will have opportunities to participate in conferences, training, and networking.
Saint Mary’s University is committed to an environment that is inclusive, equitable and dedicated to embracing global perspectives. All inquiries are welcome. This project can be made more accessible by omitting field data collection.
If you are interested, please send a cover letter, cv and unofficial transcript to: Karen Harper, Adjunct Professor, Saint Mary’s University, [email protected]
Undergraduate students I usually recruit one or two students to hire as field research assistants each summer for projects in plant ecology. I like to hire adventurous and motivated students, preferably third-year students who would collect data as part of an honours thesis the following year. If you are interested, please contact: [email protected]
M.Sc. project in PLANT ECOLOGY (Forest edges)
I am looking for an accomplished and motivated M.Sc. student to study the impact of harvest roads on nearby vegetation structure and wildlife habitat in Acadian forest in Nova Scotia. The fully-funded two-year project would begin in 2025 in the Masters in Applied Science program at Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, N.S. Connectivity for wildlife depends on habitat or vegetation structure, which can be impacted by edge influence from roads. The recent transition from clearcutting to an Ecological Forestry model in Nova Scotia requires more frequent harvesting interventions, which may increase the footprint of the road network. Vegetation next to road edges might be affected differently due to increased use. This investigation of the change in vegetation structure from road edges into the forest could include field data collection and drone imagery with LiDAR. Vegetation structure at edges will be compared among different forest types, road widths, road usage and/or edge ages. This joint project between Saint Mary’s University and Dalhousie University is part of the Ecological Forestry Research Initiative. Students will have opportunities to participate in conferences, training, and networking.
Saint Mary’s University is committed to an environment that is inclusive, equitable and dedicated to embracing global perspectives. All inquiries are welcome. This project can be made more accessible by omitting field data collection.
If you are interested, please send a cover letter, cv and unofficial transcript to: Karen Harper, Adjunct Professor, Saint Mary’s University, [email protected]
Undergraduate students I usually recruit one or two students to hire as field research assistants each summer for projects in plant ecology. I like to hire adventurous and motivated students, preferably third-year students who would collect data as part of an honours thesis the following year. If you are interested, please contact: [email protected]