Marina TaskovicVice PresidentProgram and Department: MSc (thesis) in Biological Sciences, Academic supervisors: Dr. Suzanne Tank, Dr. Brian Lanoil
Marina is studying the effects of permafrost thaw on stream chemistry and ecology. Her work is focused on assessing how microbial and benthic invertebrate communities respond to thermokarst on the Peel Plateau in the Northwest Territories. During the summer of 2021, Marina lived in Inuvik and Fort McPherson, NT, where she was able to sample from retrogressive thaw slump features and fell in love with the landscape. At the U of A, she is excited to collaborate with other students and researchers to share her growing fascination with the Arctic as well as contribute to initiatives that will promote Northern and Indigenous community engagement through Arctic research. In her spare time, she loves to cook, bake, and some of her favorite hobbies include gardening, kayaking, and free-hand embroidery. |
Renae ShewanPresidentProgram & Department: MSc Land and Water Resources, Renewable Resources.
Renae is a first year MSc student in the Catchment and Wetland Sciences Research Group supervised by David Olefeldt. Her research focuses on the influence of land cover and permafrost thaw on mercury dynamics in streams and rivers of Northern Alberta and the Northwest Territories. Raised in Nova Scotia, Renae came to Alberta for her undergraduate degree in conservation biology and is still here 6 years later. This year with the CSA Renae is excited to meet others with similar interests and discuss some cool Northern research! Outside of academia Renae enjoys camping, hiking, and baking. |
Kate MarouelliTreasurerProgram and department: BSc Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
Kate is in her last year of her Bachelor's degree in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and has a strong love for the environment and conservation. She is currently a research assistant for the Catchment and Wetlands Sciences Research Group at the University and is excited to continue to use high-frequency data to monitor water quality of rivers in Northern Alberta. Outside of school, Kate enjoys camping, hiking, biking and photography. Through the CSA, she is excited to meet other like-minded people and learn new perspectives on Northern research. |
Selina ErtmanSocial MediaProgram: MA Socio-Cultural Anthropology
Selina is a second year master’s student in socio-cultural anthropology studying under Dr. Mark Nuttall. Her research focuses on historical and ongoing processes of educational self-determination in Nunavut, as well as climate change education policy in the territory. She employs archival and ethnographic research methods. Outside of academia, she enjoys reading, hiking, and spending quality time with her cat, Luna. Selina is looking forward to serving on the CSA’s exec team this year! |
Aidan SheppardSecretary
Program: PhD Conservation Biology
Aidan is a PhD student at the University of Alberta and Yukon University co-supervised by Dr. Fiona Schmiegelow and Dr. Scott Nielsen. He grew up in Edmonton and has since moved to Whitehorse, Yukon. His thesis focuses on working collaboratively with First Nations in Yukon South Beringia to map climate refugia for priority wildlife species through the weaving of Indigenous and Western knowledges. Aidan is also an illustrator and enjoys creating research graphics, cards, custom prints, and stickers. He loves teaching, roaming around in the bush, skiing, fly-fishing, playing guitar, and reading. Jaedyn SmithGeneral MemberProgram and department: MSc Biological Sciences (Ecology)
Originally from Whitehorse, Yukon, Jaedyn (she/her) has always been connected to the North and fascinated by the resilience of both the people and the land in northern areas. She is in her second year of her Master's in Suzanne Tank's lab investigating how changes in climate are impacting permafrost thaw in the Northwest Territories, specifically looking at how thaw slumping activity over the past three decades has impacted downstream carbon cycling and sediment deposition within fluvial and lacustrine environments in the Willow River Catchment. She is excited to engage with other students who are passionate about the North through her involvement with the CSA. |
Jared GonetYukon University RepresentativeJared is a born and raised Yukoner. Here he is hanging out with this brother in NWT. He is a member of the Taku River Tlingit, with roots throughout the Yukon and Northwest Territories. Currently pursuing a PhD in Conservation Biology around biocultural indicators, he completed a MSc in Wildlife Ecology on Northern Mountain Caribou in 2019. A long-time runner, with a deep-appreciation for the North and its natural systems, large-landscape questions have always fascinated him. Backgrounds in studying industrial ecology, environmental science, and conservation planning has given him a deep appreciation of the need for harmonious human-ecological systems. Throughout his studies, work, and volunteering he hopes to bring forward indigenous ways of knowing and seeing the world.
Nora AlsafiGeneral MemberProgram and department: MSc Biological Sciences
Nora is a MSc student in Biological Sciences - Ecology in Suzanne Tank's lab. Her current project is studying the effects of warming and permafrost thaw on icing and riverine biogeochemistry in Yellowknife, NT, and focuses on the evolving nature of wintertime river flow in the north. She completed her BSc at the University of Guelph in Environmental Science, and got her first taste of research after publishing a paper about the sexual selection patterns of an intertidal sea snail. She became interested in the Canadian Arctic after organizing a symposium involving science and communities in the north. After working in environmental consulting, outdoor education, nature guiding, and spending a year abroad in Korea, she's finally settled down in Edmonton. In her spare time, she likes painting, reading, hiking, and is a volunteer writer for The Starfish - a youth-led environmental magazine. |
Patrick WhiteGeneral MemberProgram: MSc (thesis) Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
Patrick started his MSc with Dr. Maya Bhatia in January 2021 and is co-supervised by Dr. Erin Bertrand at Dalhousie University. During the 2021 summer, Patrick traveled to Grise Fiord (Asuittuq), Nunavut to investigate how marine-terminating glaciers in the Canadian Arctic are enriching surface waters in marine ecosystems with biologically relevant nutrients. Outside of the lab, Patrick enjoys photography, hiking, and cycling. Patrick is excited to be involved with the CSA and facilitate open communication about northern research! |
Madison PuschGeneral MemberProgram: BSc Environmental and Conservation Sciences (Conservation Biology)
Madison is in her second year of her undergraduate degree in environmental sciences majoring in conservation biology. She was born and raised in Alberta but hopes to travel to many places in Canada to do conservation related work in the future, and the Canadian North is definitely on her list! When Madison is not busy studying, she also instructs dance and drama, as well as taking ballet and hip hop classes herself. She is excited to learn more about the Arctic and Canadian North through her time with CSA, as well as connecting with graduate students and meeting people who share the same passion for the natural world. Alanna ThompsonGeneral MemberProgram: Bsc Dental Hygiene
Alanna has long been interested in Northern practice and in the promotion of health services in Northern communities. Her passions and values are rooted in health care, nature, and balance. Alanna is looking forward to better understanding challenges that Northern communities and their ecosystems are currently facing. Through CSA, she is excited to connect with others and to engage in newfound awareness, knowledge, and perspective. |