Joannie Ferland is the real dynamo at the Ice Camp!
Passionate about the environment and research, the ice camp coordinator, with her bubbly personality, takes each of her scientific missions to heart.
An oceanographic career
After receiving her BSc in Marine Biology from l’Université de Quebec à Rimouski, Joannie continued her studies in oceanography (MSc). During her student days, she was able to cultivate her interests and develop sufficient knowledge and laboratory skills to work on subjects of interest to her. She sailed Arctic seas for the first time in 2005 onboard CCGS Amundsen and has accumulated more than 5000 hours at sea since then for ArcticNet, MERICA-North, Tara Polar Circle and SUBICE oceanographic campaigns. She was one of the first members of the “Canada Excellence Research Chair in Remote Sensing of Canada’s New Arctic Frontier” and is currently enjoying her second field season as coordinator of the GreenEdge Ice Camp (2015, 2016). Joannie is involved in diversified research in Arctic oceanography: ecophysiology, biogeochemistry, optics and ecology, all in an effort to understand the impacts of climate change.
When she puts on her white lab coat …
In the laboratory, Joannie makes sure all of the instruments are working properly from the pure water system to the optical measurement equipment such as the fluorometer, spectrophotometer and ultrapath. In the field, she oversees a lot of different filtration protocols and manages the proper organization, conservation and return of the precious load of samples that are collected at the ice camp each day. She also is responsible of the analysis of photosynthetic rate through carbon 14 sequestration, and studies the relationship between photosynthesis and irradiance through the P vs E technique. Security is the top priority,forJoannie, both on the ice and in the lab.
She gives 100% to everything she does
Science is far from Joannie only passion! Athletic and with energy to spare, she has been part of an ice canoe team for several years. Her dynamism and competitive spirit carry over into her fieldwork. One of her colleagues even declared, “ She is able to combine 4 full days of work into a single day! “ Good-natured and respected by all, she can motivate the troops at the slightest decline in morale. Joannie is thoroughly committed to any activity in which she is involved, including the educational and communication aspects of the project. Her enthusiasm is contagious and her goal is to ensure that everybody’s ice camp experience is both enjoyable and scientifically rewarding.
