Sobey Fund for Oceans Scholar Spotlight

During my M.Sc. at Dalhousie (and while holding the Sobey Fund) I was asked to participate in a round table discussion with German Chancellor Angela Merkel when she visited Dalhousie to discuss German-Canadian research partnerships. This was again very motivating in showing me that science matters on the biggest stage.

After my M.Sc. at Dalhousie, I went on to the University of California to do my PhD. A highlight from that time was publishing a cutting edge paper in the journal Science that demonstrated unanticipated climate impacts predicted from very long term climate and ocean model forecasts. Until that study, most climate impacts on the ocean had been forecasted to the end of year 2100; our paper extended those forecasts to show a dramatic reorganization of ocean productivity expected as climate change continues several hundred years into the future.

I have been at MIT since finishing my PhD in 2018. I am now using my undergraduate training in statistics to merge observational datasets with ocean and climate models. A big highlight so far has been a workshop I developed and ran here at MIT where oceanographers came together from all over Canada and the United States to learn how to leverage modern statistical tools to better understand the uncertainty in ocean model predictions. I think the workshop will have an important impact on many scientists research going forward.

A big tip I give younger students is to avoid excessive career strategizing – particularly early on. Just work hard and follow things that catch your attention. I can’t count the time I wasted stewing over all the various career paths I could choose and how my choices in the short term would impact my long term goals. As time played out, I realized that paths through science are *always* serendipitous. A year’s worth of planning might (and often should!) fly out the window when, for example, a great scientist asks you to participate in an exciting project. The project might not be exactly the topic you planned, or you might not know much about it, but it’s an opportunity that could lead you down a wonderfully interesting path you could have never imagined. 

Prior to grad school, I interned with a marine conservation group off the coast of Cambodia, as well as with the Nature Conservancy of Canada. I studied Environmental Science at Acadia University, gaining experience in tidal energy and plant physiology research through co-op work terms. My honours research assessed marine mammal activities near the Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy in the Bay of Fundy.

From searching for seahorses and conducting reef assessments in Cambodia, to free diving in the Grenadines to assess anchor damage, I’ve been so fortunate to experience truly wonderful days submerged while ‘on the job’. While these experiences offered a lot of joy, they also revealed sobering marine degradation and poverty in fishing communities. I note this, not because I’m terribly dark, but to raise the need for action and to be clear that this type of work entails multifaceted challenges.

I have also had the opportunity to travel to Canada’s North, where I met many incredible people that live in what seems like a different reality than the one we experience in the South. 

All of my experiences have taught me that humans are incredibly resilient beings and that diversity contributes to this resilience (remember that ecology class on adaptability?!). In facing the intensifying climate crisis, I believe we need recognize the significance of diversity – individual, cultural, and biological – as we come together to create and implement solutions. 

Step outside your comfort zone! If you pursue research or job opportunities that are outside of your area of expertise, you’ll only enrich your perspective and broaden your skill-set. 

Since starting the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program I have published two articles as sole author:

1)    Beveridge, L. (2018). Arctic pilots for Canadian Corridors: Is there a role for pilotage in the Canadian Low Impact Shipping Corridors? Ocean Yearbook, 32 (1), 409-426. 

2)    Beveridge, L. (forthcoming). What’s in a Worldview? Inuit conceptualizations of and relationships with marine spaces and the implications for the governance of Arctic shipping in Canada. In: A. Chircop, F. Goerlandt, R. Pelot, C. Aporta (Eds.), Governance of Arctic and Northwest Atlantic Shipping: Perspectives, Issues and Approaches.

In the Summer 2018 issue of the StFX AlumniNews Magazine, the cover story was on StFX, Women, & Leadership. As part of this story, the writers highlighted some of the female graduates who have gone on to various leadership roles in different fields, and I was selected as one of the women to speak to the role and influence of StFX in developing my leadership. 

In the summer of 2019, I became a candidate of the federal public services’ Recruitment for Policy Leaders Program. Applicants were evaluated based on academic excellence, knowledge of public policy, policy-relevant experience, and a record of personal initiative and leadership. Less than 10% of applicants from across Canada became part of the 2019 cohort, which provided me a mentor in the federal government and opened the door to unique learning opportunities and a wide professional network.

My biggest piece of advice for incoming students is to invest time into meeting and listening to people who work in your field, and to letting them get to know you. It is not simply about going to conferences, but about engaging with others; sharing ideas, building partnerships, broadening your perspective of the issues you are studying, and ultimately opening doors for your future.