Trent University Graduate Student Receives National 3M Fellowship for Outstanding Leadership
Environmental and Life Sciences graduate student Debbie Jenkins named 3M national student fellow
The Society of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education and 3M Canada has named Debbie Jenkins, an Environmental and Life Sciences graduate student at Trent University, one of ten 3M national student fellows – the second year in a row a Trent student has been recognized with the honour.
The 3M fellow recognizes students in Canada who have demonstrated qualities of outstanding leadership and embrace a vision of education that enhances their academic experience and beyond. Ms. Jenkins, a Ph.D. candidate at Trent University, is being recognized for her contributions as a trained Arctic ecologist and commitment to conveying environmental science to a broad audience.
Having completed her M.Sc. at Trent University in Watershed Ecosystems in 2005 with a thesis entitled “Habitat Selection of Reintroduced Elk & Sympatric White-tailed Deer Across Multiple Spatial Scales,” Ms. Jenkins returned to Trent to pursue her Ph.D. in 2014. She is currently nearing completion of her doctoral dissertation on “Islands, Ungulates & Ice: The Response of Caribou and Muskoxen to a Changing Environment.”
“We are very proud to have had students from Trent University recognized for two consecutive years by the Society of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education and 3M Canada. In 2017 Erin Hayward was recognized for her work in the area of environmental science, and her passion and dedication to Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities working together and learning from each other. This year Debbie Jenkins is being recognized for her ongoing work in Arctic ecology and community involvement in environmental education and conservation,” said Dr. Cathy Bruce, dean of Education, Teaching and Learning at Trent. “We celebrate both Debbie and Erin having been welcomed into this distinguished fellowship, which only recognizes a few students from colleges and universities across Canada.”
For Ms. Jenkins, part of the motivation for her scientific research and community work is a vision of building better bridges between academic communities and the broader public at local and national levels. Speaking of her experience, Ms. Jenkins said:
“My personal inspiration has been global. Around the world in classrooms, field camps, remote villages and wild places, I have become connected and inspired. Rich and diverse experiences have highlighted the values of inclusiveness, different knowledge systems, and unique talents and perspectives.”
The ten 2018 3M national student fellows will jointly deliver the final plenary address at the national conference of the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE) in Sherbrooke, QC this coming June. Together with the other student fellows selected from across the country, Ms. Jenkins will have the opportunity to develop a national collaborative project with the goal of enhancing teaching and learning at the postsecondary level. The student fellows will then implement that project over the course of 2018/19, with the support of STLHE.
About Trent University
One of Canada's top universities, Trent University was founded on the ideal of interactive learning that's personal, purposeful and transformative. Consistently recognized nationally for leadership in teaching, research and student satisfaction, Trent attracts excellent students from across the country and around the world. Here, undergraduate and graduate students connect and collaborate with faculty, staff and their peers through diverse communities that span residential colleges, classrooms, disciplines, hands-on research, co-curricular and community-based activities. Across all disciplines, Trent brings critical, integrative thinking to life every day. Today, Trent's unique approach to personal development through supportive, collaborative community engagement is in more demand than ever. Students lead the way by co-creating experiences rooted in dialogue, diverse perspectives and collaboration. In a learning environment that builds life-long passion for inclusion, leadership and social change, Trent's students, alumni, faculty and staff are engaged global citizens who are catalysts in developing sustainable solutions to complex issues. Trent's Peterborough campus boasts award-winning architecture in a breathtaking natural setting on the banks of the Otonabee River, just 90 minutes from downtown Toronto, while Trent University Durham Greater Toronto Area, delivers a distinct mix of programming in the east GTA.
Kate Weersink, media relations & strategic communications officer, Trent University, (705) 748-1011 x6180 or kateweersink@trentu.ca