Samantha Fuller
Samantha Fuller’s Story
Samantha has explored several different ways of gaining research experience, including coursework (APBI 398, 495, 498 and 499), research awards (NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Awards) and mentorship programs (LFS Tri-Mentoring Program and Indigenous Undergraduate Research Mentorship Program). Hear more about how these experiences have supported her exploration of research!
Samantha was actively involved in research during her undergraduate degrees, thanks to the many opportunities available at UBC, LFS, and the Animal Welfare Program (AWP). In APBI 398 (Research Methods), Samantha investigated wildlife land use at the UBC Farm using camera trap photos. In APBI 495 (Human-Wildlife Conflict), she was a part of a team of students that monitored waterfowl activity at the Vancouver (YVR) airport to better understand the potential for bird-aircraft collisions. In her final year, Samantha conducted a thesis (APBI 499) under the supervision of Daniel Weary and a research essay (APBI 498) with David Fraser. For her thesis, she conducted a survey to analyze attitudes of Canadians toward rodeo events. Her essay outlined how animal welfare can be used in a two-eyed seeing framework to include Indigenous perspectives in wildlife management.
Samantha was involved in mentorship during her time at UBC. First was the LFS Tri-Mentoring Program which paired students with LFS alumni to practice networking and learn more about potential careers. The Tri-mentoring program also taught students about valuable career skills such as resume writing and professional interviews. Secondly, Samantha was involved in the Indigenous Undergraduate Research Mentorship Program (IURMP), which pairs Indigenous students with an interest in research with a mentor in their interested field of study. Samantha was paired with David Fraser in the AWP, where she had the opportunity to learn more about research in animal welfare and get to know other researchers in the program. After the IURMP mentorship, Samantha acquired a research assistant position at the AWP, helping graduate students with their research projects.
Additionally, Samantha held two NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA), both under the supervision of Daniel Weary. During her NSERC USRAs, Samantha worked with a graduate student investigating the refinement of euthanasia procedures for rodents used in laboratory research. With the many valuable experiences at UBC and AWP, Samantha developed skills that will help her advance her future career in research. She is incredibly grateful for the kindness and support of the professors, staff and students in the Applied Animal Biology program; they helped her find her passion for research and navigate her budding career in research. Samantha is looking forward to her future research and hopes to continue investigating wildlife welfare from an Indigenous perspective.