University of Alberta
This summer, I had the opportunity to work at the University of Alberta in Dr. Barb Thomas’s Tree Improvement Lab funded partially by NSERC. In particular, I was assigned to a project looking at drought tolerance of lodgepole pine trees, which involved daily duties of watering, maintaining, harvesting, and data analysis of approximately 500 seedlings located within a university greenhouse. Not only was I able to meet a group of fun professionals, I was also able to participate in a variety of other exciting projects involving field work. Some examples include visiting greenhouses throughout Alberta measuring seedling heights and diameter for a realized gain trial and a trip to an orchard to research cone abortion rates. My work term has been a good balance of field and lab work, which has provided me valuable experiences and knowledge of tree research and improvement. I am very thankful to Co-op and the Barb Thomas Lab for giving me this chance to explore the world of forestry research.
