Canadian Women in STEM blog posts - 2019

Dr. Anne Smith is a research scientist at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) at the Lethbridge Research and Development Centre, Alberta. She specializes in the use of remote sensing technology applications in agriculture.

"Don’t be scared to try something and to ask questions. If some aspect of science tweaks your interest, search out who to talk to, ask to visit them, or better yet spend a day job-shadowing. Find some aspect of science that interests you and that you enjoy."

Jake Freeman is a resource technician at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) in Winnipeg. She is currently on assignment with the Indigenous Support and Awareness Office and is also co-chair of AAFC’s Indigenous Network Circle.

"While I studied to be a lab technician, I found that I needed to be more connected to the outdoors. When I started as a soil and water conservation technician with the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration (PFRA), my attention to detail, note keeping, and lab protocols came in handy. Not being afraid of getting dirty was also an asset."

Josée Owen is an Associate Director at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) in Fredericton, New Brunswick. She has also worked as a scientist studying horticultural cropping systems.

"Now that I am the Associate Director of an Agricultural Research and Development Centre, I think people would be surprised that I don’t make decisions all day long. It’s really more about finding ways to enable people to use their own creativity, expertise, and character to make great decisions about how they will move their science forward, and how they will in turn enable their own people to make great decisions."

Jan. Holmes is a Farm Operations Manager at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.

"I think my strong suits are organization, planning, and problem-solving. Those things are important in this kind of job because it’s like a moving puzzle. You have to be flexible because equipment can break down, someone can call in sick, or it starts to rain. I probably have three plans in my head at any one time."

Dr. Cezarina Kora is a Senior Strategy Coordinator with the Pesticide Risk Reduction team of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) Pest Management Centre in Ottawa. She specializes in integrated pest management and strategic stakeholder engagement to enable sustainable agriculture.

"Follow your aspirations and passions, explore your desire to study natural phenomena, and protect life on earth – this science field is full of interesting surprises and great challenges, and can also lead to rewarding discoveries and exciting innovations!"