Tyler Herrington's undergraduate co-op terms took him to the Selwyn Mountains of the Yukon, where he was involved with a project exploring for lead and zinc deposits, and to former DEW Line radar stations in the Arctic, where he was involved with the reclamation effort, testing soil, and water for the presence of contaminants.

His undergraduate research experience prepared him well for asking important questions as part of his master's research program, where he'll be investigating climate change. His research question: What cumulative CO2 emissions are compatible with regional level tipping points in the Earth’s climate system, such as those affecting the Amazonian rainforest die-back, Greenland ice sheet decay, and complete disintegration of arctic sea ice?

He says, "With my proposed research project, I hope to gain insight into the relationship between regional climate targets and allowable cumulative emissions — information that will have implications for climate policy; an area I hope to work in after finishing graduate school."

He's working with Dr. Kirsten Zickfeld, and has the double distinction of both being Dr. Zickfeld’s first student at SFU, and the first graduate student in the Department of Geography to conduct climate-modeling research since 2006.

He's already a proven leader. As an undergraduate, he was active in the Geography Student Union and helped bring fellow students together to get involved in their department, as well as representing them in discussions about proposed changes to the Geography program. He's also volunteered to tutor Native Education College students in Vancouver's downtown eastside, and is currently involved in the Let's Talk Science program at SFU.

• Tyler Herrington on LinkedIn
• Tyler's academic website
• Let's Talk Science
• SFU Department of Geography (see also Geography at a glance page)
• Supervisor: Dr. Kirsten Zickfeld (who is still accepting new graduate students)

Tags: Student Profiles; Faculty of Environment; Department of Geography