Meet Hannah Blanchard: The Marine Biologist Who Plays With Giant Squid!

1. What is Marine Biology and how did you come to love the ocean?

 Marine biology is all about studying life in the oceans. Whether it’s microscopic phytoplankton or a blue whale (the largest known animal in Earth’s history), understanding their biology, life histories, behaviour, and potential threats are essential to protecting marine life. The ocean is the biggest ecosystem on Earth, it actually contains about 99% of the total living space, even though it only covers about 70% of the surface. Almost 2000 new marine species are discovered every year; that averages out to around 5 every day!

 I think I always loved the ocean. I spent several summers sailing with my best friend’s family in coastal Maine growing up, and being on the ocean always kind of felt like home to me.  Pursuing marine biology was a subconscious choice when I was applying to university. It just seemed like the natural thing to do!

 2.What animals are your favourite?

 There are so many! Sea otters are definitely one, they are just so cute and cuddly looking, and their recovery in the Pacific Northwest is really encouraging!

 I also think cuttlefish are pretty much the coolest thing ever, they’re very intelligent and they can literally camouflage themselves into a checkerboard! Sunfish are also amazing, they’re the world’s largest bony fish and they honestly don’t even look real.

3. How do humans interact with the ocean?

 No matter where you live on the globe, you’re constantly interacting with the ocean. Every other breath you take contains oxygen produced by marine phytoplankton! Humans rely on the oceans for almost everything, including seafood, oil, gas, shipping, recreation and tourism! 

 We even need it as a water supply now that desalination plants are essential to providing drinking water in many regions. It’s safe to say any of our behaviours that affect the environment, like producing pollution or greenhouse gases, are going to affect the ocean eventually.

 4. What should we be most concerned about with our marine environment?

c Therefore, it’s really essential that we start taking drastic steps to tackle all these issues because we are running out of time to conserve the ocean as we know it.

 I think 2018 is going to be a scary year for the oceans. 2017 was the hottest year on record in terms of average global water temperatures. Global CO2 levels have reached an all time high in 2018, which will lead to further climate change and ocean acidification.

 Micro-plastics have also been emerging as a huge threat to marine life; they’re present everywhere in the oceans, even the bottom of the Marianas Trench! Overfishing and marine pollution are also major issues in most areas.

 On a brighter note, ocean awareness has never been more prevalent, especially on social media. So I think we will start seeing some changes in how people live their lives, and hopefully that leads to changes in environmental law and more widespread conservation efforts!

5. What was the most fun part about working on off shore commercial fishing vessels?

I worked on commercial fishing vessels off Vancouver Island, so I got to seem some amazing remote areas that you can only access by boat. I also got to see a lot of cool marine life.I got to see several different whale species, killer whales, sharks... also some creepy looking deep sea creatures like sea lions, otters, a 2 m long squid, giant Pacific octopus... there are so many!

 But it was a really hard job; the hours were long and being out at sea for days at a time without being able to talk to friends and family was challenging. It definitely made me a stronger and more independent person. I really recommend going out of your comfort zone and taking any wild opportunity you can, no matter what sector you work in!

6. What marine wildlife should we be most concerned about? 

 It’s so hard to pick just one... the north Atlantic right whale is one animal that’s been in the Canadian news a lot the last few years. I think there were at least 17 that died last year out of a population of only 400-500, so it’s a huge issue. Corals are the most at-risk of any marine animal from a climate change perspective, and they’re also really sensitive to overfishing and marine pollution.

 7.What was your biggest challenge when studying marine biology?

 I think my biggest challenge was trying to decide what area I wanted to specialize in. The field is very broad and I find it all really interesting, so it was hard to stay focused on one area while completing my major term projects. It also can be a depressing field to learn about what is happening in the ocean, but staying optimistic is key to being successful!

 8.What can we do to help keep our ocean safe?

 As I mentioned before, everything is connected. Any environmentally conscious behaviour is going to make a difference, both on land and in the ocean. Try to produce less waste, take public transportation, only eat certified sustainable seafood, and encourage your friends and family to do the same!

 Depending on where you’re located, there are lots of great volunteer opportunities to help clean up and preserve your local environment. You can also participate in movements like signing petitions that advocate for banning plastic straws, offshore drilling, etc. All these little things you can change in your day-to-day life really do add up! 

Wonder Woman Extravaganza: A Chemical Engineer

 had the pleasure of interviewing Sophia He, a chemical engineering teacher at Dalhousie University. During the interview Sophia expressed a need to encourage more women in the field of engineering. Of all the STEM options, engineering is the field with the fewest women making up only fourteen percent of the employees that have careers in engineering.  

What did you want to be when you were growing up?

I don’t really remember what I wanted to be as a little girl but I do know in high school I wanted to be a chemist. Chemistry was so mysterious and it was everywhere. When it came time for college I did not know specifically what I wanted to do, I just loved chemistry. Here in Canada, during high school there are resources to help you choose the right path, there are guidance counsellors to help you in the process of choosing the right career. However, back in China there is not much guidance to help you understand what each profession involves."

 What was the toughest part of university?

 Well I chose chemical engineering thinking it was chemistry and in my first year I was unprepared for the level of math in engineering. I had never taken any calculus before and my first class was a disaster. After almost failing my calculus midterm, I studied all semester and I finally scored a 93% in my final. From then on I fell in love with engineering.”

 What do you love most about engineering?

 There are immediate benefits. Engineering is focused on application and that is the beauty of it. When I started working at the university I was immediately approached by a farmer who had a bio-diesel setup in his farm. I could improve and maximize his bio-diesel production after a few changes to his processing system. Now, I am working on converting old cooking oil into bio diesel. We will need alternative sources of energy in the future and if we can use waste, it will be an inexpensive alternative to coal or gas. There are also many engineering related jobs, there is a wide spectrum of fields that require an engineer like project management or energy consumption.

 What would you say to young girls who wanted to be engineers in the future?

I would tell young girls to be especially adventurous. Boys are raised to be brave and to push the limits, but girls are often taught to be a little gentler and demur. Girls are different in terms of the way they assess design, how they evaluate customer needs and how they solve problems. Girls should be just as brave and I think they would make fantastic engineers. In fact, I think women would make better engineers. They are very creative and good at solving different problems. I am currently a minority in my field and I would love to see more women in chemical engineering.

 This was a great interview as it shows how engineering can make a difference to peoples lives. In the future, we will need to have alternate sources of energy because we will run out of fossil fuels soon enough. These Wonder Women posts are here to create awareness about what Scientists and engineers do and it gives the chance for us to show case some of the brilliant women in the STEM fields.

 Comment, Like & Share! Do You Know Someone In The STEM fields?! 

Understanding the profession of these role models in important when trying to stimulate creativity and learning for the sciences.