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By Emma Geldart

Despite female students typically not being interested in this particular discipline, Emily Merks always knew that she wanted to be a mechanical engineer.

鈥淚 am fascinated with science and math related topics so becoming an engineer seemed to be the best option for me,鈥� she explains.

Growing up on a poultry farm in Grand Pre of the Annapolis Valley, NS, Emily came to 鲍鱼tv University Faculty of Agriculture because of the good things she had heard about the campus. After hearing about the knowledgeable professors, the small class sizes, and the opportunity to play sports, Emily knew that the Faculty of Agriculture was for her.

鈥淚鈥檝e heard so many positive things about the atmosphere and people here on campus,鈥� Emily says. 鈥淓veryone I knew who had come to the AC kept telling me how nice the faculty, staff and students are.鈥�

Not only does Emily enjoy her program, she鈥檚 excelling at it too. After completing her first year in engineering, Emily was awarded an Undergraduate Student Research Award (USRA). USRA鈥檚 are awarded to undergraduate students who are interested in natural sciences and engineering. Students who are interested in a career in their field of research are encouraged to apply. The USRA鈥檚 allow students to work with researchers over the summer and gain experience in their area of study. USRA鈥檚 also allow for financial support.

鈥淚t means a lot to me to receive an Undergraduate Student Research Award,鈥� Emily says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a dream come true to already be working in the field after completing only the first year of my diploma program.听 This award has provided me with an opportunity to study a growing worldwide problem.鈥�

This summer, Emily is working alongside Dr. Tri Nguyen-Quang and his team of researchers in the Biofluids and Biosystems Modeling Lab (BBML). They are researching the possible causes of abnormal and toxic, blue-green algal blooms in Mattatall Lake.

鈥淚 am focusing on the land use within the watershed to try and make links to it and various chemical patterns in and around the lake,鈥� she explains.

Emily explains that algal blooms are a rapidly growing problem, not only in Nova Scotia, but worldwide. Algal blooms, which are large accumulations of algae cells in a body of water, typically occur in freshwater and marine environments. The blooms are becoming more and more frequent and are threatening safe drinking water supplies.

鈥淯nfortunately, Nova Scotia has little research being done on this problem compared to other provinces,鈥� Emily says. 鈥淎n abundance of specific nutrients, like phosphorous, is considered to be a major contributing factor to the occurrence of algal blooms. This summer, I want to help locate and address the major contributing sources of nutrients to Mattatall Lake.鈥�

Through her and her coworker鈥檚 research at BBML, Emily hopes to find what is causing the occurrence of algal blooms in Mattatall Lake. They then want to propose a solution that will help the residents of Mattatall Lake prevent future algal blooms. On a personal level, she would like to sharpen her sample taking and analysis skills.

Emily is set to graduate next spring from the engineering diploma program. After she graduates, she plans to move on to 鲍鱼tv鈥檚 Halifax campus to pursue a bachelor鈥檚 degree in engineering. With her degree in hand, Emily would eventually like to be involved in the research and design of renewable energy systems or some other project focused on improving our environmental state. Emily鈥檚 passion and determination for engineering and improving the environment has lead her on a successful path so far. And her journey has only just begun.

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