- Programs
- Students
- Research
- Giving
- About
- Events
- News
- REDIRECT ONLY
- Sea, Land and Sky Initiative
Convocation
From curious undergrad to emerging scientist: new EVSC alumnus embarks on next step of her academic journey
Kassandra Chavarria Sosa graduates with her bachelor of science degree from SFU’s School of Environmental Science this October—but she’s not finished with SFU yet! Her master’s degree in environmental science has only just begun.
Drawn to the possibility of doing research as an undergrad, Chavarria Sosa pursued her program’s applied biology concentration, marrying her love of science with her passion for the environment.
“A lot of researchers in environmental science often have a degree in biology,” she notes. “I wanted to be able to have that biology background with this concentration, while also having a broad understanding of environmental science.”
The first time she dipped her toe into research was while volunteering with statistical ecologist and environmental science professor Ruth Joy, working on a project monitoring Double-crested cormorants in the Salish Sea.
“I took EVSC 206: Coastal Marine Science with her and asked if she had any research I could help with,” she remembers.
She then set out to do an undergraduate honours thesis under Joy’s supervision, which involved doing a statistic analysis of Brandt's cormorant GPS tracks, looking for associations between sea vessel activity and the marine bird’s different behavioural states.
Chavarria Sosa presented her honours research and the work she was doing with her lab at SFU’s Undergraduate Research Symposium this year, as well as at the Pacific Seabird Conference.
“These experiences led to really interesting conversations and connections with other researchers doing similar work,” she says. “It really opened my eyes to all the different avenues I can take after my studies.”
Throughout her degree, Chavarria Sosa also did some work with Ocean Wise.
In her second year, she was an Ocean Wise delegate at the International Marine Protected Areas Congress, an opportunity that afforded her the chance to connect with researchers from all over the world and learn about their work protecting marine areas.
Together with Ocean Wise peers, she also received funding to create educational tidepool guides for distribution to high schools and elementary schools.
The impact these experiences had on Chavarria Sosa was threefold. She not only found lasting friendships but also confidence and resilience as a researcher.
“Not everyone has it figured out, and many times projects don’t always go the way you plan them to,” she reflects. “This definitely helped make research feel more approachable.”
Moreover, she says these experiences helped her see a future for herself in the field.
“This early exposure to the science community definitely motivated me to see research as an avenue for myself.”
As a new master’s student, she is continuing her work modelling animal movement data in the School of Environmental Science.
Soon, her research will take her to the Punta San Juan Nature Reserve in Peru, where she will be GPS tagging Guanay or Neotropic cormorants to track their movements on the Peruvian coast.
Chavarria Sosa looks forward to it.
“I’m really excited to get started!”