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Karen A. Harper is an Adjunct Professor at Saint Mary’s University and Dalhousie University with over two decades of experience in ecology and environmental science. She holds a Ph.D. in Renewable Resources from the University of Alberta and has taught extensively at multiple universities across Canada. Her research background includes post-doctoral work in forest ecology and a past appointment as Assistant Professor at Université Laval. She is also an Associate Editor for Plant Ecology and has been actively involved in academic union leadership.
Name: Christina Rinas
From: Asheville, NC, USA. I am a community ecologist who specializes in lichens, bryophytes, and vascular plants in temperate, boreal, and subarctic ecosystems. Program: Currently, I am a postdoc with Dalhousie University and the Nova Scotia Museum, where I study how forest edges affect cyanolichen community composition in Nova Scotia. In the past, I have studied how tall shrubs are expanding upslope onto alpine tundra in southcentral Alaska, and the diversity and distribution of lichens and bryophytes along a temperate to boreal altitudinal gradient in Southeastern Québec. Name: Rachel Schillinger From: Dartmouth, NS Program: Herbivory in restinga vegetation in North-eastern Brazil I'm a 4th year honours biology student at SMU, minoring in global environmental politics Name: Anna Gloria From: Italy Program: I graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Natural and Environmental Sciences, and I’m now starting a Master’s in Applied Sciences at Saint Mary's University in Halifax. My current project, “Impact of Abandoned Mines on Forest Edges,” focuses on understanding how pollutants, especially mercury and arsenic, affect forest structure. This research is especially relevant now, as potential new mining explorations are being discussed in Nova Scotia. I’m excited to combine my two main passions, Geology and Botany, in this work! |
Past Team Members
2023
Nina Bahia, M.Sc. student
- Department: Ecology Applied to Environmental Management at Federal University of Bahia.
- Project: To provide guidelines for fire management at rainforests protected areas in Brazil
2020
Sean Ryan Haughian, Post-doctoral fellow
- Department: Biology, Saint Mary’s University
- Project: Disturbance thresholds and factors influencing community dynamics of epiphytic cyanolichens in Nova Scotia, with an emphasis on rare and at-risk species.
2019
Iain Wilson, B.E.S. student
Morgan Rice, M.R.E.M. student
- Project: Bridging Knowledge Gaps and Informing Policy: A Focus on Forested Wetlands in Atlantic Canada
2018
Ruoqian Wang, M.E.S. student
- Department: School for Resource and Environmental Studies, Dalhousie University
- Thesis: A Multi-Method Assessment of the Temporal Dynamics of Treed Bogs in Nova Scotia.
Tara Mulloy, B.Sc. student
- Project: Effects of fertilization treatments on tundra ecosystems in the Icelandic Highlands, Dalhousie University
Julie Dyer, B.Sc. student
- Project: Edge influence on plant taxonomic diversity in forest fragments of the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest, Dalhousie University
Krista Jager, B.Sc. student
- Project: Natural edge influence on the structural diversity of the broadleaf moist forest in Belize from a riparian edge, Dalhousie University
2017
Natasha Dazé Querry, M.Sc. student
- Project: Spatial pattern and habitat characteristics of Atlantic Coastal Plain Flora across lakeshore edges in Nova Scotia, Saint Mary’s University
Emma Brooks, B.Sc. student
- Project: Lake-level habitat characteristics of Atlantic Coastal Plain Flora, Dalhousie University
Amanda Ring, B.Sc. student
- Project: Evaluating optimal habitat conditions to promote the conservation of Atlantic Coastal Plain Flora, Dalhousie University
2016
Renee Yang, B.Sc. student
- Project: Vertical structural diversity across agriculture-forest edges of different slopes in Sao Paulo state, Brazil, Dalhousie University
2015
Pavel Dodonov, Ph.D. student
- Project: Assessment of edge influence in heterogeneous vegetation using spatial pattern analysis, São Carlos University, Brazil
Emma Wofe-Parthun, B.Sc. student
- Project: Examining duration of impacts to tundra vegetation in the Mackenzie Gas Project: a case study on the role of science in the EIA process, Dalhousie University
2014
Amanda Lavallée, B.Sc. student
- Project: Spatial pattern of the shrubs layer across the subarctic landscape of Churchill, Manitoba, Dalhousie University
Caroline Franklin, M.Sc. student
- Project: Moose-browsed spruce budworm forest edges in Cape Breton, Saint Mary’s University
Danielle St. Louis, M.R.E.M. student
- Project: Spatial interaction of trees and tall shrubs with berry-producing shrubs in Churchill, Manitoba, Dalhousie University
2013
Liam Murphy, B.Sc. student
- Project: Dendrochronology at moose-browsed spruce budworm forest edges in Cape Breton, Saint Mary’s University
Sarah Coley, B.Sc. student
- Project: Tree age and growth across forest-barrens edges in Cape Breton, Dalhousie University
2012
Danielle St. Louis, B.Sc. student
- Project: Plants used by humans at treeline, Dalhousie University
Frances Ross, M.E.S student
- Project: Teaching modules for arctic vegetation, Dalhousie University
Rebecca Hoffer, B.Sc. student
- Project: Forest structure at edges of different ages in Kenya, Dalhousie University
Alain Belliveau, M.R.E.M. student
- Project: Habitat of rare species in southern Nova Scotia, Dalhousie University
2011
Wendy Wilson, B.Sc. student
- Project: Mosses at forest edges of bogs, Dalhousie University
Kaitlyn O’Handley, B.Sc. student
- Project: Understorey species composition at forest-bog edges, Saint Mary’s University
2010
Ian Boucher, M.Sc. student
- Project: Intéractions de facilitation et competition avec Leymus mollis, Université Laval
Elena Albertsen, B.Sc. student
- Project: Structure and composition of tree islands, Dalhousie University
Alex Heathcote, B.Sc student
- Project: Effects of partial burning on understorey species diversity and composition, Dalhousie University
Conor Stuart, B.Sc student
- Project: Effects of partial burning on Jack pine regeneration, Dalhousie University
2009
Danielle De Fields, M.E.S. student
- Project: Spatial pattern of juvenile and adult trees and shrubs in the forest-tundra ecotone, Dalhousie University
Stephanie Daley, B.Sc. student
- Project: Effects of rocks on krummholz establishment and growth, Dalhousie University
Brian Starzomski, Post-doc fellow
- Project: Mechanisms of treeline migration, Dalhousie University
Elisabeth Oakholm, B.Sc student
- Project: Methods of measuring tree growth rate, Dalhousie University
Julia Pelton, B.Sc. student
- Project: Spatial configuration of treeline, Dalhousie University
2007
Ikuyo Kikusawa, M.R.E.M. student
- Project: Altitudinal distribution of berry species, Dalhousie University
Alexis Deshaies, M.Sc. student
- Project: Restoration in a northern community, Université Laval
2006
Joannie Savard, B.Sc. student
- Project: Regeneration at forest edges, Université Laval
Ian Boucher, B.Sc. student
- Project: Structural damage following an ice storm, Université Laval
2004
Liliana Mascarúa, M.Sc. student
- Project: Regeneration and structure in cutblock separators and riparian buffers, UQAM