As part of a Biology internship, Scotia Brailsford gets to share her passion for the environment with school children through planning conservation-themed games, leading discussions on wintertime ecology and teaching student about nutrient cycles in the wetlands.

The fourth-year student, who is specializing in Conservation Biology, says her placement at the Camp Kawartha Environment Centre has given her invaluable hands-on learning experiences.

“This internship gave me the opportunity to connect with people, to share my love of biology and to make a difference, instead of doing research and writing a paper,” says Ms. Brailsford. “While research is extremely important, I prefer to be very hands-on and work with people. I got to experience and learn about what types of programs are effective, what teaching strategies should be used with different ages, and how to create programs and educational resources of my own. Now that I am looking to pursue a career that focuses on environmental education and working with the public, I already have experience in the field, and a great toolbox of skills that I can bring to the table.”

Sharing a Passion for Turtle Conservation
Ms. Brailsford says she always wanted to study biology because she loves the outdoors and she knew the Trent School of Environment had a fantastic reputation for its environmental science and biology programs.

While studying in Peterborough, she volunteered with the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre and then saw an opportunity, during her internship, to share that passion for turtles by developing a new turtle-themed program.

Her program includes fun learning experiences such as a game showing students how researchers use creative methods to identify turtles.

Trent has also offered plenty of hands-on learning opportunities outside of this placement.

“I have used a seine net to catch littoral fish species in the Otonabee, collected benthic invertebrates in Jackson Creek, dissected various bird and fish species in lab and had the opportunity to work on a rain gauge monitoring project with the Ministry of Natural Resources,” Ms. Brailsford says.

Solid Experience for Future Employment
As she prepares to graduate this spring, she says she’ll likely pursue a career in eco-tourism or become a park warden. Whatever career she chooses, Ms. Brailsford says she now has solid experience with environmental education with a multi-faceted view of conservation biology.

“This was a valuable placement because not only does it show future employers that I have knowledge in biology,” she says, “but it also shows that I can work in a team and work with and educate large groups of people at a variety of ages.”

Learn more about Trent’s Biology program.