Hello everyone! My name is Julian Stokes. I was born and raised in New Hazelton, BC, and I moved to Prince George in 2017 to pursue my BHSc Honours degree here at UNBC. Now, I am excited to be starting my MSc in Health Sciences under the joint supervision of Dr. Luke Harris and Dr. Tammy Klassen-Ross. My currently planned master’s thesis will use near-infrared spectroscopy to investigate the relationship between meditation and pain tolerance in relation to the possible role of this cognitive practice as a chronic pain management technique.
 

My current research is a progression of my earlier research experiences at UNBC, which have been centred in the Northern BC Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Research Laboratory (NBC NIRS Lab). Beginning with a URE in 2020 and continuing with my honours thesis the following semesters, I have had the opportunity to explore applications of NIRS in investigating human brain, muscle, and bone tissues.
 

I first chose UNBC for my undergraduate degree due to it being a top-rated small university that was conveniently close to my hometown. Since then, I have been continually amazed by the readily accessible opportunities, mentorship, and sense of community at UNBC. Having had the opportunity to experience life, classes, and research as part of the UNBC community, it was the natural choice to further my education here.
 

Research was an irreplaceable part of my undergraduate experience, and my only regret is that I didn’t get involved sooner! Research at UNBC has been an incredible learning experience that has helped me expand my horizons and feel as though my work is making a meaningful contribution. I look forward to working with you as one of UNBC’s Research Ambassadors.
 

Hello everyone, my name is Nahid Hassanshahi. I am a PhD candidate in Natural Resources and Environmental Studies at UNBC. I started my PhD studies at UNBC in May 2019. I achieved my bachelor degree in Water Engineering in my home country of Iran. During this time, I discovered I have passion in environmental studies and dealing with environmental issues. As a result, I changed my major to Environmental Engineering for my Master’s studies and continued this field of research to a PhD level. Environment means air, water, and soil, and our life highly depends on the quality of them. Obviously, it is essential to protect our environment. The most reliable approach to find the best strategy to protect our environment is conducting research. I have gained valuable experiences in working on different research projects dealing with environmental issues, including wastewater treatment, solid waste management, and air pollution control, which have shaped my abilities and skills as an environmental expert. My PhD research study is focused on treatment of oily wastewaters generated in oceans due to oil spills, the outcome of which will be one possible step to protect the marine environment.
 

From my point of view, research is like a remarkable KEY to open locked doors, and curiosity is one of the main features of a researcher. This allows us to find those locked doors by asking different questions. Research helps researchers to develop their critical thinking, improve their skills and abilities, and to answer important questions.
 

I chose UNBC to do my research because it offered me the opportunity of working on a major Oil Spill Response project, which is supported by Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Multi Partner Research Initiative in Canada. It was absolutely an incredible offer to me as a researcher, but this is only the first part of the story! UNBC surprised me because, although it is a small university, it ranks among the best small universities in Canada. Not only is UNBC equipped with different research laboratories, it provides many different facilities to support students’ demands and requirements through different academic centers and clubs. UNBC engages students by organizing useful workshops and events where students can improve their abilities and skills. UNBC goes beyond my expectations by offering many different research funds and research projects for undergraduate and graduate students annually, where researchers gain valuable experiences. These golden research projects can be conducted at different advanced research laboratories, which all incorporate to support interdisciplinary research at UNBC. Wow! I am a researcher and yes, I am in the right place! If you are excited, the same as I am, by these wonderful opportunities and would like to know more about them, please feel free to reach out me. We can go around on Campus, have fun, and discuss more.