About the Presenters
Jessica Smart is a graduate student in the Natural Resources & Environmental Studies program at UNBC working under the supervision of Dr. Tristan Pearce. Her graduate work is interested in co-producing knowledge among Inuit and scientists to better understand recent changes observed in Arctic char in the Western Canadian Arctic. In this presentation, she will discuss her research journey from her undergraduate experiences to what led her into Arctic research. Jess will touch on some challenges posed by COVID-19 and how it has impacted her ability to conduct community-led, interactive research.
Kerrie Pickering explores the intersection between health and the environment. As a PhD candidate at the University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia Kerrie’s research PhD examines the relationship among food security and social and ecological change in Fiji. Her interest comes from an international career as an RN and having completed a BSc Environmental Studies followed by a MA Geography. Her past research has included exploring if engagement in citizen science impacts the well-being of nursing home residents; assessing the adaptive capacity of the Ontario wine industry for climate change adaptation; project management for a Niagara climate change collaborative management project; research assistantship investigating adaptive collaborative management in biosphere reserves in Canada and Sweden. As Kerrie is completing her PhD, she is beginning work with the COVID Observatories and exploring how indigenous people in Fiji are experiencing and managing food security during the covid-19 pandemic.