Grad profile: Connected to the coast

Amanda Ring, Environmental Science

- October 5, 2016

Amanda Ring. (Ryan McNutt photo)
Amanda Ring. (Ryan McNutt photo)

Amanda Ring came to Dal in part because she wanted to experience the Maritime lifestyle. Originally from Richmond, B.C., Amanda knew she had to be near the ocean, but she didn’t know just how much studying seaside would impact her career.

This week, Amanda graduates with a Bachelor of Science degree (both co-op and honours) in Environmental Science, along with a certificate in Environmental Impact Assessment and a minor in Biology.

Excited and confident, she knows Environmental Science is exactly where she wants to be.

“I’ve never once doubted it,” she says. “This is what I want to do.”

Amanda was drawn to Dal’s program for its interdisciplinary nature. “It provides the opportunity to both be in and learn about nature. It’s a dynamic work environment and it also offers me the opportunity to make the world a better place, which is something I really value.”

She jumped into fieldwork as soon as the opportunity presented itself, completing the Integrated Science Program in her first year. It allowed her to recognize and appreciate the intersections of the various science disciplines and the value of working in a team with different strengths.

“It gave me my first taste of research experience, and it proved to me how much I love studying the natural world,” she says.

Amanda soon began more in-depth research and had the opportunity to present her findings at the Science Atlantic Conference in 2016 where she was awarded the K.C. Irving Environmental Science Centre Award. During her time at Dal, she completed co-op terms with organizations like Environment Canada, worked as an intramural sport official with Dalhousie Athletics, took part in this year’s BioBlitz event and served as treasurer of the Environmental Programs Student Society.

“You can always find people with common interests,” she says “There are so many opportunities to escape the city and explore nature.”

Amanda is currently working as a teaching assistant for Environmental Science courses at Dal and hopes to spend her year in the field.

“I will go back to school eventually, but for now I am working to find my specific passions. I want to explore, and hopefully specialize in something I love.”

Learn more about Fall Convocation.


Comments

All comments require a name and email address. You may also choose to log-in using your preferred social network or register with Disqus, the software we use for our commenting system. Join the conversation, but keep it clean, stay on the topic and be brief. Read comments policy.

comments powered by Disqus