Undergrad Scholarship – Emma Kingsland

Emma is currently completing an undergraduate degree at Simon Fraser University in Resource Environmental Management with a minor in Biology.  Emma was a Co-Lead on the Year of the Salish Sea Initiative which was created in an effort to improve the health and management of the Salish Sea and raise awareness about the importance of healthy marine ecosystems. Through her volunteer work Co-leading the Year of the Salish Sea initiative Emma was asked to serve on the Wonders of the Salish Sea Planning Committee and on a Community Advisory Board for the City of Vancouver’s Ecological Inventory and Networking Project. Additionally, Emma currently works as a Field Technician for the B.C. Wildlife Federation where she assists with wetland restoration, monitoring, and assessment projects to protect and enhance critical habitats throughout British Columbia. Emma empathizes with Hugh Hamilton’s awe and care for all species in an ecosystem, no matter the size. Growing up, she had an interest in insects and would spend a lot of time digging through the garden in her backyard looking for different types of bugs and worms. 

In the future, Emma aspires to continue her work in environmental stewardship and habitat restoration, aiming to become a Registered Professional Biologist.  She envisions creating opportunities for community engagement and place-based learning to foster a deeper connection between people and nature.

Graduate Scholarship – Yi-Chin (Sunny) Tseng

Sunny is a PhD student at the University of Northern British Columbia, currently residing in Vancouver. Originally from Taiwan, her passion for recording wilderness sounds brought her to Canada. She first became captivated by bird recording during an expedition to the Arctic Siberian Tundra, where she captured the beautiful calls of the wild Siberian Crane. Vancouver has become her second home, where she has built a community of friends who share her passion for nature. Sunny is deeply involved in various organizations: she participates in bird banding at Iona Beach, leads bird walks and talks for Nature Vancouver, creates bird specimens at the UBC Biodiversity Museum, and builds bird boxes with the Cascade Bird Box Team.

She is grateful for meeting all the wonderful people on her journey.

Sunny’s PhD research focuses on avian acoustics, using AI algorithms for vocal individual identification of owls and community analysis. Check Sunny’s personal website to know more about her projects.