Wilfrid Laurier University will welcome a renowned Arctic ecosystem expert for the 2025 Anne Innis Dagg lecture on March 6.
Isla Myers-Smith (Photo: Ciara Norton)
Isla Myers-Smith, Canada Excellence Research Chair in Forest and Conservation Sciences at the University of British Columbia, will speak about rapid changes in the Canadian North as a result of accelerating climate change, including changes to vegetation, permafrost, wildlife habitat and food webs.
Hosted annually by Laurier's Department of Biology, the free public lecture series celebrates the remarkable career of the late Anne Innis Dagg, who performed groundbreaking work on giraffe biology, behaviour and conservation despite the systemic barriers she faced. The event aims to encourage discussion about the importance of gender equity in STEM and help inspire women to pursue a career in science.
"Dr. Anne Innis Dagg once said, You must keep pushing, even if things are not going your way or seem insurmountable,'" said Myers-Smith. "I will share my own perspectives on the need to push through during my research career in northern Canada by taking chances on jobs, funding, hiring, and coping with unpredictable environments and wildlife."
Myers-Smith has been working in the Arctic since 2002, spending cumulatively more than three years in the field. Her research explores how a warming climate is leading to a "greening of the Arctic," using tools from measuring tapes to drones in Yukon and around the tundra biome. She works with northern partners including Indigenous communities, photographers, educators and storytellers to visualize permafrost thaw, shrub encroachment, coastal erosion and flooding.
Registration is open for the free public lecture on March 6. The event will be held in-person in the Senate and Board Chamber on Laurier's Waterloo campus, and virtually on Zoom. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. The lecture takes place from 7 to 8 p.m., with a reception for in-person attendees from 8 to 9 p.m.
Laurier is grateful to the Lloyd Carr Harris Foundation for their support of this event.
