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 Rebecca Pollock
When deciding where to pursue her doctorate in Canadian Studies, Rebecca Pollock looked no further than Trent University. “Trent is the birthplace for Canadian Studies,” she says. “It has a strong interdisciplinary approach that encompassed my interests in both environmental and political studies. Trent also offers a small graduate program with the flexibility I needed.” A new graduate of the groundbreaking doctoral program at Trent, Rebecca is a dedicated community organizer who works hard to support local sustainability initiatives. When she isn’t actively out in the community, working or taking care of her nearly 12-month-old baby, Rebecca spends her time outdoors, gardening, canoeing, kayaking, and cross country skiing. Rebecca came to Trent in 2003 after receiving a Bachelor of Environmental Studies from the University of Waterloo and completing an M.Sc. in Geography from the University College London in the U.K. where she studied as Commonwealth Scholarship winner. During her time at Trent, her Ph.D. research was focused on the United Nations Environmental Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) world biosphere reserves. Her innovative work in this area earned her the prestigious Trudeau Foundation Scholarship from the Pierre Elliot Trudeau Foundation, which aims to promote outstanding research in the humanities and social sciences and fosters dialogue between scholars and policymakers In describing her research, Rebecca explains, “These biosphere reserves are globally significant ecosystems where communities are trying to pursue sustainable development. There are currently 15 in Canada and over 500 world-wide. I wanted to know how these areas and their organizations contributed to governance for sustainability – how did they help to shape collective social decisions about conservation and economic development.” She conducted her work under the supervision of Drs. Bob Paehlke and John Wadland of Trent University. For all of her work at Trent, Rebecca was presented with the prestigious Governor General’s Gold Medal at Convocation. “Winning this medal is a great honour and for me. It symbolizes the experience of intensive doctoral study, the support of Trent faculty, and a great feeling of accomplishment,” she says. Already in pursuit of her next goal, Rebecca is a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Environmental Resources Studies at the University of Waterloo. She is acting as an environmental consultant for the UNESCO biosphere reserve in eastern Georgian Bay and hopes to establish a community-based research centre near Parry Sound to facilitate academic and visiting researchers and support community sustainability projects. |
Parry Sound, Ontario