June 1^st 2022

This year, the Gault Nature Reserve presented five research awards to students from the McGill University Faculty of Science for projects to be carried out at the Reserve in 2022. Congratulations to our awardees: Savannah Bissegger O’Connor, Emma Derrick, Maxime Guglielmetti, Kari Hollett and Maude Lachapelle.

The awards were given for projects that complement the Reserve’s mission. Their findings will have concrete impacts for the Reserve. More than that, however, the research will be an invaluable experience for these students and an important springboard for their careers. They can carry out their research thanks to the generosity of our numerous donors. Thank you so much for your support!

Meet the 2022 Gault Research Award recipients

Photo: Alex Tran

Savannah Bissegger O’Connor, undergraduate student in biology, under the supervision of Dr. Jeffrey Cardille and Dr. Tim Elrick, Savannah will use an innovative method, a temperature-sensing drone, to survey Mont Saint-Hilaire’s white tailed deer population.

Photo: Alex Tran

Emma Derrick, master’s student in microbiology, under the supervision of Dr. Jesse Shapiro, Emma will look at how aquatic bacteria are evolving in response to herbicides.

Photo: Alex Tran

Maxime Guglielmetti, undergraduate student in biology, under the supervision of Dr. Rowan Barrett. Maxime will study how freshwater plankton and bacteria respond to glyphosate, a common herbicide.

Photo: Alex Tran

Kari Hollett, master’s student in biology under the supervision of Dr. Virginie Millien. Kari will look at the effects of white tailed deer overpopulation on the Mont Saint Hilaire ecosystems and the risk of contracting Lyme disease.

Photo: Alex Tran

Maude Lachapelle, doctoral student in biology, under the joint supervision of McGill’s Dr. Irene Gregory-Eaves and Dr. Zofia Taranu of Environment and Climate Change Canada. Maude will study contaminant accumulation in freshwater plankton. To learn more, read this post about Maude’s research we published last fall.

Header: Frédérique Truchon measures a white trillium leaf inside a deer exclosure in 2019 (photo : Alex Tran)

Learn more about their projects