Anne Huber

Following a long flight and two days to get my bearings in Ottawa, I had my first day at Carleton University. I received a very warm welcome from the whole working group and my immediate supervisor, and was able to set up my workplace right away. My goal was to establish contacts with experts from the area of landscape ecology and to locally engage in exchange as part of working on my first publication for my doctoral thesis in this field. This field of research is very strong in Canada, owing to the fact that there are much larger uninterrupted natural landscapes, and this is something I greatly benefited from.

Privat

A visit to Parliament Hill in Ottawa

My regular meetings with my professor, in particular, were very helpful for advancing the project. I was able to present my latest challenges and the status of my analysis on a weekly basis, and received very useful feedback. My professor’s targeted questions usually enabled me to find my own solutions. She helped me to develop a deeper understanding of the discipline, not only because she is a very inspiring scientist herself, but also because she always encouraged me to consider different angles and to further develop the project in my own way.

Experiencing this different working context has helped me to discover other perspectives and approaches with regard to my research work. The immediate working environment in the working group was characterised by open-mindedness and mutual interest, and the group comprised a number of professors and their associates. I therefore had the opportunity to have many conversations about my research work with a wide range of people who focus on different aspects of ecology and conservation. This has not only opened my eyes to many new perspectives and various other topics, but has also re-ignited my enthusiasm when it comes to talking about my research with confidence. To leave my familiar environment in Germany and to explain my own research to new people over and over again, has opened up new points of view and different perspectives for me.

Carleton University

The main building of the Carleton University

As time went by, this enabled me to finalise my research questions and to carry out the data analysis for my publication. I addressed the central question, whether multiple smaller reservations or one large reservation with the same total area feature greater biodiversity in natural forest reserves. The working group included other people working on similar issues, and the ways in which fragmentation of habitats impacts biodiversity is one of the key focus areas of the professor I worked with. This particularly helped me to understand my data and interpret it effectively.

The next steps in my project are to present the findings at an international conference, esa2024 in Long Beach (California), and to finalise the manuscript and therefore my publication. Thanks to my stay in Canada, I feel well prepared for confidently presenting my research findings at the upcoming international conference.

As a German I really appreciated how open and friendly people were in Canada. I perceived them as being extremely attentive and warm, both at the university and beyond. This is also reflected in the contacts I was able to establish through the working group. I have no doubt that the researchers I met there will always lend me an ear in any future research or discipline-specific questions. This open-mindedness is not always the case, despite the fact that it is essential to research, which is why it is something I greatly appreciate. I am sure that these contacts can lead to further collaboration in the future.

Privat

Anne Huber also visited the “Museum of Nature”

I was definitely able to establish contacts that will last beyond my time in Canada, both personally and academically. Enjoying the beautiful, vast natural landscape was a great experience. I also took part in a camping trip that was organised through the university. The vastness and untouched nature that can be found in Canada alone, are very impressive from a central European point of view. This event also helped me to get to know the people from my working group on a more personal level and to form friendships.

It was in particular due to the fact that my time here was limited to a few months, that I actively reached out to people right from the start to establish contacts. As people in Canada tend to be very approachable, they generally responded in an interested and engaging way. So bringing up the courage to approach others proved to be very worthwhile!

Right from the start I attended cultural festivals in Ottawa, such as the tulip festival or a Columbian street festival, and I also encouraged people to visit museums with me, such as the natural history museum and the national gallery in Ottawa. I also went to Toronto on my own one weekend to see the city. Canada is home to many immigrants, and many people have ancestors from other countries, and this is reflected in great cultural diversity, and especially in the food: you can find excellent Mexican, Indian or Vietnamese food here!

Carleton University

The Careleton University campus from the air

Following my stay, establishing an academic network seems even more important to me than before. It is essential to good academic and inter-disciplinary research to know, who to ask about which topics, or who knows the right people to answer such questions. Being able to go abroad thanks to the scholarship has really helped me to develop both personally and academically, and it has been an experience I can very much recommend to anyone.