Erin MacDonald

MSc student
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta

BSc University of Waterloo

Email: enmacdon@ualberta.ca

During my BSc I completed 5 coop placements ranging from a municipal waste centre to a government office, to my last placement where I finally found the job that I would go to even if I wasn't being paid: field research. In preparation for my Honours thesis, I was given the opportunity to travel to Fort Chipewyan in northern Alberta which sparked a deep interest in northern research. My Honours project investigated the hydroecological patterns and metal concentrations of a sediment core to compare recent conditions with pre-industrial levels. After graduation I joined a peatland and greenhouse gas lab that studies restoration post-peat harvesting and contributed to a project using the Tea Bag Index to measure decomposition rates. In preparation for my MSc, I was able to explore the Northwest Territories by foot, boat and helicopter where I gained invaluable knowledge about the land, while learning about traditional culture by interacting with community members and attending local events. My current research will contribute to investigations on carbon cycling within thaw slumps in the Peel Plateau, using sediment cores collected from various land boundaries to quantify gas flux along a temporal and spatial scale. Outside of science I enjoy cooking & baking, music, photography, drawing & painting, yoga, hiking and hockey.