June 1^st 2023

This year, the Gault Nature Reserve presented two research awards to students from the McGill University Faculty of Science for projects to be carried out at the Reserve in 2023. Congratulations to our awardees: Akhil Sanjay Kholwadwala and Lindsay Trottier.

The awards were given for projects that complement the Reserve’s mission. Their findings will have tangible impacts on 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 2023 awardees

Akhil Sanjay Kholwadwala is a doctoral student in biology under the joint supervision of McGill’s Dr. Rowan Barrett and Dr. Jesse Shapiro. For his project, Akhil will use the Large Experimental Array of Ponds (LEAP) to study the capacity of bacteria and freshwater plankton to adapt to common herbicides.

Originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico (USA), Akhil will soon start his second year at McGill. When he is not in the lab, you can find him baking, reading and hiking.

Lindsay Trottier is a doctoral student in biology supervised by Dr. Lars Iversen. She is interested in the morphology and function of aquatic plants in southern Quebec. For her project, Lindsay will study the aquatic plants of Lac Hertel on Mont Saint-Hilaire and Lac Memphrémagog, where the Wilder and Helen Penfield Nature Conservancy is located. This research station, managed by the Gault Nature Reserve since 2009, gives direct access to the shores of the lake.

Lindsay grew up in Ontario, where she likes hiking and sailing with her family.

Header: A researcher in the laboratory of the Large Experimental Array of Ponds (LEAP) (photo: Alex Tran)

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