- Programs
- Students
- Research
- Giving
- 51猎奇入口
- Events
- News
- REDIRECT ONLY
- Sea, Land and Sky Initiative
Research
51猎奇入口student RA experiences alpine adventures in B.C.’s southwest Coast Mountains
From cozy days in the lab conducting literature reviews to overnight excursions in the backcountry, fourth-year environmental science major Meghan Smith has been busy this summer researching B.C.鈥檚 coastal mountains.
Smith joined the Little Ecology Group as a research assistant last fall after approaching environmental science professor Chelsea Little.
She had previously taken courses taught by Little and was interested in her work.
鈥淪he was familiar with my skill set, which made it much easier to reach out to her,鈥� Smith recalls.
One of the projects she was eager to work on is the initiative, an interdisciplinary collaboration between researchers from SFU, the University of British Columbia, the University of Victoria, the Squamish Nation and BC Parks.
The project, first initiated in 2022 and led by Little since 2024, is focused on understanding and stewarding the alpine environment in the southwest Coast Mountains of B.C.
In her role as an RA, Smith completes field surveys of macroinvertebrates and their habitats in freshwater streams near Whistler and Garibaldi.
The data she gathers establishes baseline information about the distribution and abundance of the macroinvertebrates in these ecosystems鈥攚ork that provides BC Parks and the Squamish Nation with essential knowledge to inform conservation management amid ongoing climate change.
Even though it was her first time working in alpine environments, or doing remote field work of any kind, Smith was pleasantly surprised by how quickly she was able to find her footing.
鈥淚 felt well-prepared,鈥� she says. 鈥淎fter reading plenty of alpine research papers, I felt I had a good grasp of the environments we would be sampling in, and after successfully completing my first fieldwork trip, I felt very comfortable in the backcountry.鈥�
In addition to learning how to efficiently and thoroughly search and review literature, Smith has learned more about the research process from the experience, 鈥渋ncluding study design, data collection and the organization of remote fieldwork,鈥� she says.
Importantly, she has also found confidence in herself as a student researcher within her team.
鈥淒espite being an undergraduate and feeling inexperienced compared to my lab mates, my opinion is still valuable and my ideas are worth sharing when it comes to overall project direction and on-the-fly decisions,鈥� she says.
Speaking of her lab mates, Smith says that one of the things she enjoys most about being an RA in Little鈥檚 lab is getting to work with people from a variety of different backgrounds and connect over their research and shared interests.
鈥淚t was very cool to learn how everyone ended up in the Little Ecology Group and the work they did to get there. It was also a great opportunity to learn from others in the lab, through after-work activities, and during our remote fieldwork trips,鈥� Smith says, remembering how they all once took a helicopter together to get to a field site, 鈥渨hich was really cool!鈥�
Her experience has been so positive that Smith encourages friends and peers to pursue their own opportunities to get involved in research, citing all the ways it鈥檚 benefited her as an undergrad.
鈥淭his opportunity has made me a more confident student and more appreciative of the concepts I learn in lecture,鈥� she points out. 鈥淲ith practical research experience, I feel much more confident in what I want to study, where my interests lie and what my limits are.鈥�