A spring PhD graduate has become a leader in the N.L. nature conservation community during his time at Memorial.
Originally from Trinidad and Tobago, Kavi Heerah moved to Whitby, Ont., when he was 15.
Together with his partner, the pair decided to pursue graduate degrees at Memorial University.
“We both knew we wanted to work in marine-related fields and applied to schools on the coasts of Canada, and chose Memorial as the graduate projects we were both offered appealed to our interests,” he said. “Now that I am here to stay in Newfoundland, I consider it home and like to say I moved from one island home to another.”
On Wednesday, May 27, he will collect his doctoral degree in environmental science as he walks across the St. John’s Arts and Culture Centre stage during convocation ceremonies at 7 p.m.
Interconnected environments
A love of the environment and a desire to better understand and improve conservation efforts drew Mr. Heerah to his specialization.
He says the interconnections of different environmental systems resonated with him.
“The idea that changes in land cover could have impacts on the water cycle as well as atmospheric patterns further cemented my love for environmental sciences.”
At Memorial, he continued exploring these interests through studying environmental chemistry and researching dissolved organic matter (DOM) — a culmination of the physical, biological and chemical processes occurring in the environment.
“Studying DOM helps you gain insight into all these different processes, and you can see how one environment can influence the other, such as the transport of terrestrially derived DOM into the ocean.”
Mr. Heerah and his supervisor, Dr. Heather Reader, Canada Research Chair in chemistry of the ocean and atmosphere, recently published a paper on their research exploring the effects of extreme weather events, such as Hurricane Larry, on the global carbon cycle and dissolved organic matter.
“Kavi represents Memorial incredibly well in the wider community: he’s peer-mentored many students in our lab and through teaching assistant positions in first-year labs, and I know he’s made a difference for them, as well,” Dr. Reader said.
Dr. Reader says Mr. Heerah has been instrumental in her monitoring program and has taken on numerous leadership positions in the community focused on conservation and nature.
“Now that I am here to stay in Newfoundland, I consider it home.”
He also participated in several international, national and local conferences, such as the Women in Science and Engineering N.L. conference and Scientific Endeavours in Academia.
Mr. Heerah is a member of environmental groups in the St. John’s area, acting as a board member for Nature Newfoundland and Labrador and as vice-chair of the Aquatic Conservation Initiative.
Among his achievements, he says the most significant was establishing a long-term monitoring station in Cappahayden, N.L., which measures the export of carbon and iron from Seal Cove Brook.
“I have been going to the river every month for five years. Currently, this dataset serves as the longest, most complete monitoring station on the Avalon.”
Future plans
Doctoral degree now in hand, Mr. Heerah has already begun a post-doctoral fellowship program, working in collaboration with Memorial University and Fisheries and Oceans Canada to collect baseline environmental data in Fortune Bay, N.L.
He says he’s looking forward to beginning his career and continuing to build his life here in Newfoundland and Labrador and would like to be a public servant in either the federal or provincial governments.
“I would like my future work to help develop our ability to monitor the environment around us and to make environmental monitoring accessible to everyone,” he said.
As he plans to celebrate his graduation, Mr. Heerah shared some advice for future Memorial students.
“Don’t compare your progress to other people. There’s a lot of pressure with the timelines for graduate school, and it’s easy to feel like you are falling behind or not doing well, but everyone does things at a different pace.”