Undergrad Scholarship – Tara Brudar

Tara is an upper-year undergraduate at UBC, studying natural resources conservation with a primary interest in science communication. Through UBC’s Harley Lab, Tara leads ocean acidification outreach across the province, closely collaborating with local organizations such as False Creek Friends Society (FCFS) to increase knowledge-sharing and community engagement. 

This summer, through UBC’s CCEL Connect to Community Grant, Tara is organizing a community-based project which seeks to advance ocean acidification (OA) knowledge, adaptation capacity, and community engagement in False Creek, with the intention of maximizing community resilience following Indigenous knowledge systems. 

Tara believes that local, intergenerational involvement and knowledge sharing is critical for the development of a sustainable future. This is why she mentors youth in Vancouver at the Green Bricks Education Society, advising high school students on academic and career goals in sustainability and presenting annually at the Green Collar Conference. 

Tara is excited to be starting a new position as an Education & Outreach Assistant at the Sea to Sky Invasive Species Council this summer, contributing to regional efforts to minimize the impacts of invasive species. She looks forward to developing her passion for science communication through the support of Nature Vancouver, and upholding the legacy of Hugh Hamilton through fostering care for the environment in her local community.

Graduate Scholarship – Daniel Stewart

Daniel was born and raised in the Lower Mainland and now resides in Burnaby with his wife and two young kids. Daniel started his career in 2014 as self-employed biologist, and over the years has specialised in species at risk, rare plants, and estuarine ecosystems in southwestern British Columbia. Daniel took a hiatus from his work to complete a Master’s at UBC in 2018, where he brought to light the  undetected invasion of hybrid cattails in the Fraser River Estuary. He is currently taking another hiatus to complete a PhD at UBC in Tara Martin’s Conservation Decisions Lab, where he is developing innovative new ways of building and restoring tidal marshes in Pacific Northwest Estuaries. His current work includes sampling for juvenile salmon, assisting in the construction and monitoring of an innovative marsh creation pilot project, and documenting past attempts at marsh creation in the Fraser Estuary.