Featured Student: Shauna Ndoping

What is your field of study and when will you graduate?

I study Atmospheric Science and will graduate in May 2026.

Why did you choose to enroll in Co-op?

I chose to enrol in the UBC Science co-op program, as I wanted to gain more work experience and expose myself to areas of the environmental sector that I might be interested in post graduation.

Which positions did you work during Co-op?

I worked as a Compliance Promotion student with Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) and an Optical Instrument Design and Atmospheric Modelling intern with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).

Can you walk us through a "day in the life" of a Compliance Promotion Student with Environment and Change Canada?

With my Compliance Promotion role, one of the main regulations that I worked on was the Wastewater Systems Effluent Regulations (WSER).

My role with this regulation was to work on a project called the WSER Indicator project with an objective of assessing Indigenous communities' awareness and understanding of the WSER, as well as determining the effectiveness of our compliance promotion activities by observing over a year's time if awareness and understanding of the WSER improves when visited in person by ECCC.

I worked on this project with Compliance Promotion Officer and former team member, Brittney Chung. My activities varied depending on the day, but some of my tasks with this project included attending two site visits to Indigenous communities to learn more about wastewater systems, sampling and any challenges that may arise. My duties also included revising our Indicator project questionnaire in both English and French, drafting an evaluation process for the questionnaire, updating project timelines and creating a campaign, as well as marketing lists for the mailout of the questionnaire to communities.

With the Canadian Space Agency, you worked as a Support to Optical Instrument Design and Atmospheric Modelling - Instrument Performance Analyst – wow!! Can you share anything that you worked on?

With the Canadian Space Agency, I worked on the High-altitude, Aerosol, Clouds and Water Vapour satellite mission, also known as HAWC.

This is an Earth observation mission created so that we can better understand atmospheric processes, reduce climate projection uncertainty and better prepare for extreme weather.

This is an Earth observation mission created so that we can better understand atmospheric processes, reduce climate projection uncertainty and better prepare for extreme weather. The reason we want to look at aerosols is that aerosols are one of the main reasons why we have such large uncertainties with our climate projections.

Different types of aerosols can contribute to either warming or cooling effects on our atmosphere. Aerosols can also serve as cloud seeds, essentially small particles on which water can condense. Depending on their size and quantity, different types of clouds can result. Different types of clouds have different reflective properties and thus can either contribute to warming effects or cooling effects on our atmosphere. For example: large, lower altitude cumulus clouds can reflect more incoming solar radiation and absorb more outgoing radiation. All this to say, the data obtained from the HAWC mission will help us better understand these processes and interactions, which will allow us to better foresee how our climate system will change.

My role with the Optics group was to analyze simulated atmospheric radiances. Essentially, it's the light from the sun that enters the atmosphere, interacts with the particles in the atmosphere through scattering, absorption and re-emission, then returns to our instruments.

I simulated the orbit of our satellite and instruments, then obtained positional and solar geometric data, as well as simulated a model atmosphere with atmospheric properties such as aerosols, water vapour and gases. With these two elements, I could simulate the radiances viewed by the instruments aboard our satellite using an open-source radiative transfer model developed by the University of Saskatchewan.

Here is the HAWC website, which goes into some more detail about the mission: https://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/satellites/hawc/

UBC Science Co-op Atmospheric Sciences student Shauna Ndoping stands in a lobby at the Canadian Space Agency.

Can you share your favourite experience while in Co-op?

It's hard to pick just one experience.

I definitely enjoyed the team that I got to work with at ECCC. The working environment was very positive. I also enjoyed moving to Montreal for my internship with the CSA. There was a large student community, so I got to connect with plenty of like-minded individuals from schools across Canada.

What was your best achievement in Co-op?

My biggest achievement, I'd say, was getting to work on a satellite mission.

I never thought that I'd get such an opportunity through doing Co-op; I'm happy to say that I was able to land this position with the CSA and make a valuable contribution.

What about the best day you had in your Co-op city, Vancouver and beyond?

It's hard to choose just one day.

I definitely enjoyed the days that I went to concerts and festivals in Montreal while I was there for my internship. I went to the concert of a French artist named GIMS, the Nuits d'Afriques festival and the OSHEAGA music festival in Montreal. I got to see some of my favourite artists with friends and get exposed to new music.

What did you feel most challenged by and how did you overcome it?

I felt most challenged by the Python code implementation updates that I needed to make for my internship with the CSA. I ran into quite a few errors and bugs, which at times felt very frustrating. Ultimately, patience, perseverance, documenting changes and knowing when to ask for support is what got me through.

Managing the balance between academics, Co-op responsibilities and a personal life can be intense – what are your self care practices and/or how do you manage stress?

One thing that has helped me considerably with stress management is reminding myself to take things one step at a time, while focusing on the most immediate/urgent tasks.

One thing that has helped me considerably with stress management is reminding myself to take things one step at a time, while focusing on the most immediate/urgent tasks.

I find that I'm quick to get overwhelmed when I think about every single task that I need to check off, especially when there's a time crunch and it feels like I have to complete the tasks all at once.

While breaking things down and noting what needs to be completed in my agenda helps keep me organized, it's also important for me to hone in on a few specific things first and take things one day at a time. It's a delicate balance of future-thinking and focusing on what needs to get done currently.

Being a part of the Co-op program has helped me to explore new cities, engage in culture and put myself out there—which I find to be invaluable.

How do you feel Co-op helped your personal growth?

Being a part of the Co-op program has helped me to explore new cities, engage in culture and put myself out there—which I find to be invaluable.

How do you feel Co-op has helped your career?

The Co-op program allowed me to expand my skillset, strengthen both my soft skills and technical skills, as well as try a few different kinds of roles.

I've definitely gained better insight into my areas of interest, which will help me further along the road post graduation.

Which supports from the Co-op program (workshops, practice interviews, etc.) do you feel best supported you? Can you talk about the direct impact on your career and/or personal growth?

The one-on-one resume and cover letter feedback, as well as the practice interviews helped me the most.

Getting this level of support and critique from my Co-op coordinator helped me to identify the areas that I needed to improve upon and overall strengthened my applications for positions.

These supports also helped me learn how to receive constructive criticism.

What advice would you offer to future Co-op students?

My advice would be to remain open to different kinds of roles.

My first Co-op role as a Compliance Promotion student was not as related to my major as my second one with the CSA.

While Atmospheric Science is more math-heavy and computational, the Compliance Promotion role was more communication-oriented, given that it was about promoting environmental compliance. Despite the role being a bit different, I got to complete a science communication training and work with an amazing team who supported both my career and personal growth. I got to make connections with employees who worked as operational meteorologists and/or worked in support of operational meteorology.

All this to say, you never know what new things you might discover about yourself, what new connections you might make and what doors might open, so be open-minded, but also self-reflective enough to know when something might not be a good fit or might not be working.