Valerie Miller

Governor General's Silver Medal Winner

Beeton, ON

Joint Major Biology and Environmental and Resource Science with a Specialization in Conservation Biology

Year:
2007 – 2011; four-year degree

What does winning the Governor General’s Silver Medal mean to you?
Winning this medal is such an honour. In the four years that I have been at Trent, I have been highly focused on my studies. Being awarded this medal is the acknowledgement of all the hard work, the countless hours and sleepless nights. 

How will you make a difference with your Trent degree?
I want to embark in a career in environmental and biological sciences and help protect the environment and the organisms within it. I want to continue research that will advance our knowledge of natural systems. Completing a degree in biology and environmental resource science at Trent is the first step.

What are your future goals?
I want to make a difference. I want to help protect the environment by restoring degraded sites and preventing further damage. I want to expand my knowledge of the natural world and the organisms within it. Specifically, I plan to complete my Master’s degree in the next few years before embarking upon a career in environmental or biological sciences. This summer I will be studying the habitat selection of Upland Sandpipers at their northern range in Ivvavik National Park in the Yukon.

Why did you choose Trent?
From the beginning, I decided that Trent was the University for me. I applied to other schools, but knew that Trent was the only acceptance letter I was really waiting for. I attended the university fair as a grade 12 student and spent most of the day at the Trent booth – everyone was kind and answered all my questions. I visited the Trent campus twice while I was still deciding and even in those short visits professors remembered me. I loved the college system, which created a sense of community and family for a girl who had never been far from home before. Everything about this school drew me in: the sense of community created by the small size, the exposure to the natural environment, the opportunities for research within your first few years and the beauty of the campus. Trent is an amazing school and I am proud to now be a Trent alumna. 

What is the best thing about studying at Trent? 
The opportunities I have been blessed with through the NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Award program are invaluable. The summer after my second year, I was able to conduct research on phosphorous throughout the Kawartha Lakes with Professor Paul Frost. Last summer, I conducted research on Akimiski Island, Nunavut, studying the nest defence behaviour of Canada geese with Professor Erica Nol and Dr. Ken Abraham of the Ministry of Natural Resources. This summer I am lucky enough to be able to travel to Ivvavik National Park in the Yukon to study the habitat selection of Upland Sandpipers. I also had the opportunity to intern with the Natural Heritage Information Centre (NHIC) where I applied a new system of classification to the natural areas in Ontario for my Specialization in Conservation Biology. There are so many wonderful things about studying at Trent. The small class sizes allow you to truly interact with your professors. All of my professors have been willing and happy to answer questions and further my knowledge. I am honoured to say that I would count some of them as friends. At Trent I am a person, an individual student, rather than a number in a system – that makes Trent stand out as an amazing place to go to school. I have loved my time at Trent and will carry the memories and lessons I have learned with me for the rest of my life.

Interests and passions:
I am very passionate about the environment; I want to help protect it and restore it.  I love Canada geese because they are a symbol of hope – in a world where humans are destroying habitat and eliminating species they are able to thrive. I enjoy bird watching, especially looking for nestlings in spring. I love northern Canada – the openness and quiet of a place that few individuals have been lucky enough to visit; the joy and fear of seeing an animal as magnificent as the polar bear in the wild, and the excitement of whizzing over the mudflats in a helicopter. I also love to read, especially Jane Austen novels, and watch movies – escapes from the stresses of life.

Extracurricular activities:
I have enjoyed dance classes with the Trent Latin and Swing Club learning a variety of different Latin, swing and ballroom dances, and had the opportunity to participate in Northern Saw-whet Owl banding at the Oliver Centre. I have participated in three conferences in Ontario, where I presented the findings from my undergraduate thesis, Factors affecting Canada Goose (Branta canadensis interior)nest defense behaviour on Akimiski Island, Nunavut: 

• The Ontario Ecology, Ethology and Evolution Colloquium at the University of Toronto, Scarborough
• The Ontario Biology Day at Wilfred Laurier University
• The Trent University Northern Studies Colloquium

Volunteer work:
Peterborough Science Fair judge and judging coordinator
Feed the Children food packing to assist families in Japan

Awards and Scholarships received at Trent University:

• Governor General’s Silver Medal (Convocation 2011)
• Dean’s and President’s Honour Roll (1st-4th years)
• Lady Eaton College Senior’s Tutor Prize (4th year)
• Undergraduate Student Research Award from NSERC (Summer 2009-2011)
• Peter Gzowski Northern Scholarship (4th year)
• J. Percy MacNaughton Prize (4th year)
• Alberta Centennial Premier’s Scholarship (3rd year)
• Biology Department Scholarship (2nd and 3rd year)
• Conservation Book Award (3rd year)
• Lady Eaton College Fellows Award for Science (1st-4th year)
• Top Grade in BIOL 102h/103h and ERSC100 (1st year)
• Brian Heeney Memorial Award (1st year)
• Foresters Scholarship (1st-4th year)
• Trent University Entrance Scholarship (1st-4th year)
• Neil Maurer Memorial Scholarship through the Canadian Wildlife Federation (1st-3rd year)
• Queen Elizabeth’s Aiming for the Top Scholarship (1st-4th year)