Understanding the Research Process

I have a strong understanding of the research process, evidenced by my successful completion of a variety of research programs at TRU. Programs I have completed include a UREAP project, a research assistantship, two directed studies courses, and a research coach position. Evidence for the completion of these programs is included below.

Research Proposal:

UREAP application for The Geographies of urban gardens: Evaluating the geographic palimpsest of Kamloops gardens. Funding awarded for Summer 2024.

Research Programs:

TRU UREAP “The Geographies of the Nature-Culture Interface: A Holistic Evaluation of Kamloops Gardens,” supervised by Dr. Lyn Baldwin and Dr. Robin Westland. Completed September 2024.

TRU Research Assistantship on “You Are Here,” a collaborative project with TRU, the City of Kamloops, and the Kamloops Museum and Archives. Supervised by Kate Fagervik, Sukh Heer Matonovich, Dr. Will Garrett-Petts, and Dr. Cheryl Gladu. June 2022 – August 2022. This project used cultural mapping to get community perspectives on culture in Kamloops, which were incorporated into the City of Kamloops’ 2024-2034 Cultural Strategic Plan. Relevant sections of the cultural strategic plan are as follows: pg 17-25, 41.

BIOL 4480 Directed Studies in Biology “Using Art to Explore Gardener-Garden Relationships,” supervised by Dr. Lyn Baldwin. Proposal accepted September 2024. Course completed December 2024. Art pieces created as part of this directed studies are showcased in images below. Poster presented on directed study research at the 2025 Undergraduate Research and Innovation Conference. This poster will also be presented at SUPER 2025. Talk given on directed study research at WDCAG 2025.

GEOG 4480 Directed Studies in Geography “Exploring Gardener-Garden Relationships Through Interview Analysis,” supervised by Dr. Robin Westland. Application accepted January 2024. I created an abstract for conference and journal submission as the final product for this course. Course completed March 2024.

TRU Research Coach GEOG 4990 Empowering Geographies, supervised by Dr. Robin Westland. This course took place in the Winter 2023 semester. For this research coach position I had to understand the research process well enough that I could communicate it to other students, and mentor them as they engaged in the research process. The course outline for this class outlines the specifications for the community engaged projects that the students had to complete. This class also partnered with a visual arts class, and I worked with another research coach to organize students, logistics, and events. A picture of the project showcase at our community partner’s (The Kamloops Food Policy Council) venue, The Stir, is shown below.