Introduction

My name is Jess, and I am a graduate of the natural resource sciences program from Thompson Rivers University. Unlike most of my friends in our second or third year of university, the path of research did not find me until I was the fourth year of my degree. In the first week of classes, my professor offered an opportunity to look into the effects of streambank restorations on aquatic macroinvertebrates – I was the only student to show interest. Learning more about this research opportunity was the best choice I have made throughout my entire degree, leading me down a successful two-year research path. 

That being said, throughout my degree, I have partaken in two long-term studies, both regarding wildlife in and around the Kamloops region. Both studies allowed me to engage in raw data collection, data analysis and presenting the findings. These provided valuable experience that further supported my own research project. 

My experience in the research world has allowed me to discuss the importance of stream restorations for native BC fish populations to the directors of the documentary If Salmon Could Talk: Rebuilding BC’s Salmon Habitat, present my research in the Undergraduate Research Conference and In a Nutshell: Undergraduate Thesis Competition. Nonetheless, this e-portfolio provides an overview of my research involvements.