Media Releases and Opportunities

Working alongside 450 feral horses, herds of grey seals and shifting weather on a skinny island in the middle of the North Atlantic can bring its own special challenges.

For three early career researchers doing fieldwork on Sable Island, those challenges ranged from lugging in all their lab equipment and fixing that gear in an isolated setting to living in close quarters and contending with weather that could swing from blazing heat to dense fog in a matter of minutes.

The trio -- one from Dalhousie University and two from the University of Saskatchewan -- have described the experiences in a newly published Nature Career Column, which offers useful tips for new researchers heading into the pressure-cooker environment of remote, and sometimes difficult, fieldwork.

Justine Ammendolia, a PhD candidate in Dalhousie's School for Resource and Environmental Studies and a National Geographic explorer, was on the island for two five-week sessions in 2023 and 2024 researching microplastics. Her colleagues were there to study the horses, putting in 16-hour days on field surveys and lab work.

Ammendolia is available to discuss her experience and how learning to 'MacGyver' gear, co-exist in cramped spaces, conduct research with unconventional equipment (water bottles, cooking pots, for example) and manage the isolation have helped her build resiliency and prepare for the demands of fieldwork, while delighting in moments of discovery.

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Media contact:

Alison Auld
Senior Research Reporter
Dalhousie University
Cell: 1-902-220-0491
Email: alison.auld@dal.ca