If you are a ResNet member and are wondering why you have not met Tasha, it might be because she left ResNet early on into our inception when she finished her master’s. Nonetheless, her role in ResNet has been meaningful. Her project was included in the proposal to start ResNet and she came to some of the first meetings and panels before graduating. This novel experience allowed us to gain a new perspective on ResNet:   
 
It was interesting watching how such a large network of people working on such a big project got organized and structured. I’m always intrigued to see how big projects like that get pushed forward to create a useful output – it takes some serious logistical planning and creativity, which  always leaves me in awe of those who take charge. I also appreciated the non-academic job panels because it’s easy when you’re in school to be funnelled through to academia, so it was nice to get that perspective and network that way. If I had more time to work within ResNet, I would have really appreciated the networking aspect and would have tried to take as much training and participate and contribute as much as I could. 
 
One of the things that was really refreshing to talk about was the bright, nuanced perspective Tasha had on the pandemic and the opportunities it brought with it:  
 
I do appreciate all the changes made to everyday work by the pandemic – online work has really had its upsides in allowing people to work flexibly, promoting diversity and equity, and allowing connections to be made and collaboration to happen over broad geographical areas. 
 
We touched back on this idea later on when we talked about her current job at StatsCan which is remote:  
 
The remote aspect is definitely part of what drew me to the job. It allows me to work for the government without having to move to Ottawa. This likely would not have been an option without the pandemic.  
 
As Tasha mentioned, it can sometimes feel like your only career path is with academic institutions when you're a young researcher. Many of us don’t get the opportunity to learn and speak to people who work outside these halls in a meaningful way and find out if a non-academic institution might be a more suitable path for our interests. This is a big part of the reason why we wanted to sit down with Tasha. We wanted to know more about what led her to the opportunity, the day-to-day life of a government research analyst, what skills it takes and what experiences are useful for young researchers that may be interested in this kind of path:  
 
I graduated during the pandemic and was looking for work that aligned with my interest in environmental restoration and monitoring – mainly field work focused. Because I had worked at Parks Canada before, I was interested in revisiting a similar position in the government. I saw our research manager, Francois, speak at a ResNet meeting where he put the call out for people that were interested to apply for a casual contract. I got in touch with him to get more information. It seemed like a good opportunity to broaden my horizons. I didn’t really know that StatsCan did any environmental statistics work before ResNet, and it’s unlikely this would have been the direction I took if it weren’t for ResNet and the pandemic. I think this is a good example of just playing the cards you’re dealt – this isn’t necessarily the position I was looking for, but it has worked out great because I work with a fantastic team of people, the subject matter aligns with my values and interests, and I’m doing something outside my comfort zone.  
 
Working for the government feels a lot more structured than working in academia since we are working within the priorities of the government. There is a lot of trying to figure out how to navigate these massive organizational structures and find who you need to talk to in order to push things along. In academia, it seems like when you have an idea you can just act on it whereas in government there’s a few more steps because of our responsibility to the public.  
 
My position is probably somewhere in between [academic research and government work] since its research focused. My day-to-day changes depending on what the current priority of our section is – sometimes I’m researching and writing, sometimes I’m teaching myself new tools and skills, sometimes I’m contributing to small working groups working to solve very specific issues […] it’s really mixed which is great! 
 
Tasha shared a lot of enlightening advice like this throughout the interview. We compiled a list below of some of the things she shared with us:  

• Be focused and open-minded: Make sure you have some idea of what you want and what skills you want to work on and advocate for yourself to learn them, while at the same time staying open. 
• Know what skills you need & go get them:  It can be really useful to pick apart the posters for government jobs on the GC jobs website and figure out how you meet or can meet the qualifications they’re asking for. 
• Choose your own adventure: There is no one way to do anything, career and life is about choosing your own adventure. Just be sure to keep checking in with yourself, set some goals for but remember to be flexible and open to what happens along the way […] It’s the unique experiences of everyone that really inform how you can contribute to a team and having those different perspectives can help problems get solved in creative ways! 
• Know what the purpose of your role is & if you are passionate about it: A desire to work in the government is probably the biggest thing [needed to work for StatsCan]. You have to be able to remind yourself that you’re serving the public and be invested in making an impact in that way and have a little patience. 
• Look for positions that allow you to try new things and learn new skills: There are lots of great recruitment programs to get into StatsCan and other government departments that are designed to find and develop talent such as the FSWEP. There are also lots of bridging opportunities in various departments that will get you from a student position into a permanent one.  
• Be kind & keep people close to you!

 
Before our conversation was over, we of course wanted to know about what is on the horizon for Tasha and her work:  
 
Part of being a recruit is going on rotation and working in a totally different department at StatsCan so that’s coming up for me over the next year. I’m also working on actually doing the data analysis required to fill out the framework we created to produce accounts on salt marshes. 
 
If you want to learn more about Tasha’s work, check out some of her papers featured on Landscape 1’s output page or her ResearchGate profile. You can learn more about her paper with Census of Environment here and read it here.
 
This is a personal interview with Tasha Rabinowitz and in no way reflects the opinions of Statistics Canada.  

Hannah alongside the rest of the team of landscape 6, organised a workshop in British Columbia with Indigenous Collaborators and their knowledge holders. The focus was on centring L6’s indigenous collaborators and their knowledge holders, so only a few scientists were invited to bear witness and lead some discussions. A safe space was created in which the Hereditary chiefs discussed how they envision their future. The relationship of sea otters-shellfish-people-kelp was debated, and how the desired future can be achieved while upholding cultural protocol. Hannah reflects, that she and the other invited scientists learned a lot, especially how to decolonise their methods and how to let go of the rigorous academic process.   ​

This workshop was successful and rewarding for Landscape 6 and will hopefully be repeated sometime soon! 

You can find more information about Hannah's and Anne's work here; an overview of landscape's 6 work can be found here.

I presented my research and was greatly supported by people from the ResNet network at my presentation. I also met Human Ecology Section committee I am part of and co-organizers of a mixer event I helped with. I met other many interesting and inspiring presenters and participants at some of the sessions and mixers. 

Throughout the conference, I explored different sessions on different topics at different scales ranging from local to global and from past to future (e.g., historical context of data, seed initiatives). I learned from ecologists specialized in specific ecosystems (e.g., agriculture) and ecological components (e.g., pollinators, soil), engaged in education and communication, and experienced in different career paths. I felt very supported at my presentation where I shared models linking ecosystem services beneficiaries and supply. At the ResNet session, I enjoyed celebrating with the team the various accomplishments our researchers had. Through helping with and participating in a social event, I connected with researchers who share the interest in human dimension of ecology and developed an interest in organizing events. I also enjoyed interactions with theorists and empiricists focused on different theories and empirical contexts at another social event. I also spent some time enjoying the pleasant views of the city with participants new to Montreal and had thoughtful conversations about researching and teaching ecology on our walk. At the Human Ecology Section business meeting, I was elected VP and will continue my involvement in the Section including planning events for next year's ESA. 
​
I really appreciate the opportunity to do research at ResNet and the support from our enthusiastic and knowledgeable memebers. I look forward to being in touch with connections I made during the conference again and contributing to the Human Ecology section where I had unique and important experience and memories. ​

The second entry for the HQP summer travel series, is contributed by Hugo Thierry, a Post Doc from T1! Hugo is currently working on modelling the supply and demand flows of Ecosystem Services across Canada for decision making purposes. ​

​​The International Association for Society and Natural Resources (IASNR) is a prestigious, international community of social scientists, policy makers, and practitioners that study and manage human relationships with the environment and natural resources. IASNR hosts an annual conference for its members with the primary objectives of sharing and enhancing scientific understandings of society-natural resource relationships and facilitating cross-sectoral collaboration among social scientists (students, faculty, and industry), policy makers, and practitioners in these fields.
​
I had the privilege of attending the 2022 IANSR conference at the University of Costa Rica in San José from June 26-29. Costa Rica is a global leader in conservation and presented an ideal venue to deliberate the conference’s theme, Sustainable Development in Practice: Integrating People, Place, and Policy. I contributed a poster describing the preliminary results of my research on relational values in Indigenous contexts – if you’re curious to read more, refer to the information box below: 

​During the main conference days, I attended presentations, workshops, and organized sessions on numerous topics that all centred on the intersections of natural resources and societies. Practitioners and researchers shared emerging knowledge on topics like stakeholder engagement in social-ecological systems (SES), Indigenous action, innovative qualitative method tools, ecological restoration, and coastal and marine management. If you’re familiar with ResNet’s Landscape One (L1), you can appreciate the uncanny alignment between these topics and our own research. I was in my niche. I am coming away from these sessions with practical lessons for my work, such as relevant theories and soon-to-be-released papers, as well as direct connections with the experts that are advancing knowledge in these fields.

Gratefully, there was an abundance of spaces and opportunities to connect with these experts informally outside of the sessions. I attended a pre-conference field trip to Tapantí National Park, a student forum, and a closing banquet on the hilltops that overlook the nation’s expansive capital city, San José. As a COVID-era graduate student, I have had limited opportunities to expand my professional and academic network, especially in-person. I am also new to social sciences, making the IASNR conference an exceptional opportunity to cross pollinate with people that share my interests and fields. I became more adept at identifying common interests with potential mentors and colleagues, which led to more meaningful and fruitful conversations. My contact list grew exponentially with each day of the conference. I am leaving the conference feeling energized and excited about future research, practice, and networking.

Moving forward, I am preparing my literature review results presented at the conference into a manuscript. I am contacting key colleagues from IASNR to establish ongoing relationships through mentorship and occasional coffee dates.
​
I am indebted to numerous people for the opportunity to attend IASNR 2022. I would first like to thank Dr. Kate Sherren, my supervisor and the L1 co-lead, for providing generous and continuous support throughout my thesis, including this literature review and conference. Her long-standing involvement in IASNR became a great conversation starter, and she was highly encouraging of me attending and making the most of it. Second, I thank the IASNR conference organizers for pulling together an impactful and safe conference; I can hardly imagine the challenges of organizing an in-person event for such a volume of people from around the world, yet they did so (seemingly) seamlessly. Finally, I would like to thank the many bodies that fund my learning: Dalhousie’s Department of Graduate Studies (DAGS) provided a travel grant for this excursion, while Nova Scotia’s Department of Agriculture, the Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Canadian Graduate Scholarship (CGS-M), and, of course, NSERC ResNet fund my thesis. ¡Muchas gracias!