Advocating for a national bird, surveying perspectives on biofuels and launching a media campaign to raise awareness of conservation practices are all in a day’s work for Andrea Robson.
The fourth year environmental studies major is logging 90 hours in volunteer work at Nature Canada, a not for profit organization, as a research assistant. Getting an early start on completing the requirements for her Carleton placement program, Robson is acquiring new skills in addition to the theoretical knowledge developed through her course work.
“In the environmental studies degree program, there is a strong focus on developing practical research skills that can be used in the field,” said Robson. “A lot of the skills I have used during my placement at Nature Canada were initiated and refined while in school.”
However, her experience so far has not been limited to research techniques alone. Over the summer, she will dabble in media relations and lobbying. The first project aims to engage local media outlets in an attempt to raise community awareness of the Prince Edward County Natural Wildlife Area.
Nature Canada has also been developing a strategy to lobby the government to designate a national bird to represent Canada. Robson is working with similar organizations in other countries to determine how they developed similar campaigns.
A final project involves assessing Canadian opinions on biofuels. While the topic has been making headlines in the United States, Robson says that only now are Canadians paying attention to the issue. As a result, the research has proven challenging. To date, little can be found about this issue in secondary sources, and what information exists is contradictory in nature.
Robson appears undaunted by her dual role as an undergrad and NGO researcher. In addition to her course load, Robson has also taken up a daunting number of extracurricular activities. She was one of the volunteers who travelled to Mexico last February to work on community-based projects for Alternative Spring Break. She has also been active in the FYEO as a Community Service-Learning Peer Helper. While she hasn’t pinpointed an exact career focus, she is increasingly interested in the influences of geography on health.