New Student Welcome: Alex Hancock
I am so excited to be joining the FishPeoplePlace Lab as a graduate student researcher this summer. Hailing from the Annapolis Valley, located in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq people, I consider myself lucky enough to have grown up in one of the most beautiful places in the world. At two years old I went on my first kayaking trip on Kejimkujik lake and caught the bug for outdoor exploration, going on to be involved with involved with Clean Annapolis River Project as a youth volunteer. This experience helped me fall in love with our local ecology and showed me the value of community engagement with conservation efforts.
Exploring the beaches and intertidal ecosystems of Annapolis County (apparently in great detail).
These experiences led to me pursue a BSc in Marine Biology at Dalhousie University. By participating in the co-op program, I was able to be exposed to a number of different sectors and knowledge types. My honors thesis research focused on Desmophyllum pertusum coral ecosystems found within the Scotian Shelf, exposing me to a whole new world of deep-sea benthic life in the Maritime region. I was also able to explore my interest in quantitative and geospatial data through the completion of an Ocean Science minor and a certificate in GIS. Following the completion of that degree, I was drawn to further exploring the intersection of marine science and human interactions with marine environments.
My graduate project with the FishPeoplePlace Lab will focus on the growing challenges of coastal access in Nova Scotia. Looking back, many of the values and experiences that led me to a career in the sciences stemmed from my ability to access outdoor spaces and become involved in local environmental groups. Coastal access is key to the creation of a strong relationship with the natural world, but is increasingly threatened by residential and commercial development. I’m very excited to further explore issues and challenges related to coastal access in Nova Scotia.
A beautiful day for canoeing on the Mersey River in Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site.