Featured Student: Kristen Hardy

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

I'm majoring in Biochemistry and Forensic Science and will be graduating in April 2025.

Why did you choose to enroll in Co-op?

I decided to enroll, because I had heard many great things about the program, such as how it opens doors in your future by giving you both experiences and connections in your field of study.  

As well, I heard that it could be incredibly helpful in determining what you're really interested in; sometimes things that you never thought that you would like end up becoming a passion and Co-op can help you discover those passions before you pick a career.  

Which positions did you work during Co-op?

I worked as a research assistant at the UBC Centre for Occupational and Environmental Respiratory Disease/Air Pollution Exposure Laboratory for 8 months, but ended up extending that 8 months into 12 months. I then worked as a lab technician at the RCMP’s national forensics laboratory in the toxicology department for my last 4 months.  

Can you talk about your experiences as a research assistant for UBC Centre for Occupational and Environmental Respiratory Diseases (COERD) and the Air Pollution Exposure Lab? Were there any exciting findings or developments? 

I had a wonderful experience working at COERD and definitely learned a lot!  

I witnessed how studies that involve participants are run, as well as the ethics involved and the actual experimental part of it. 

I also built a ton of experience with using different biological sample processing techniques, as I was involved in processing all of the samples produced by the participants during our studies. I was also lucky enough to be given a project in which I worked on optimizing a newly-built woodsmoke generator in the lab. This project gave me an opportunity to learn how to collaborate with other researchers, communicate my findings, direct my own research and troubleshoot when things don’t go as planned.  

These skills – both working collaboratively and independently – are incredibly versatile and necessary in research settings and I was grateful for the opportunity to exercise them during my time at COERD.

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

It’s difficult to pick just one, but I think getting to meet the researchers at COERD and the forensic scientists at the forensics lab was my favourite part.  

I really enjoyed seeing the work that everyone did in their respective fields and every single person that I interacted with during my Co-op taught me something new or offered me life advice that I didn’t have before.  

Everyone at both my placements was happy to share their life and academic/career story with me — this gave me insight for my own future. School courses can teach you a lot, but there are some things that you can only learn through experience or talking to someone that has been there and done it themselves!     

Can you talk about your experiences of relocating or any challenges you may have faced and how you resolved them?

I was lucky enough to not have to relocate for either of my placements. However, I did have an hour and 45 minute commute each way for my second Co-op at the RCMP forensics lab.  

I know that many students have an equally-long or even longer commute to class each day, but this was not something that I had experienced before so it was a bit of a shock to the system! I quickly got used to it — and if you can find a few good podcasts to listen to or an audiobook, it goes quite quickly! 

What was your best achievement in Co-op?

I think my greatest achievement was presenting my research on woodsmoke at UBC’s Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research Conference (MERC).  

Not only did I optimize the woodsmoke generator, but I also collaborated with another researcher in the lab to characterize the woodsmoke particulate matter produced by the generator. I created an oral presentation on our characterization of the woodsmoke and presented it at MERC in March of 2024.  

This was an amazing opportunity to not only see what other undergraduate researchers from all faculties at UBC were doing, but also to practice my public-speaking skills — something that I believe is a vital skill to have as a researcher. 

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

I would say the biggest challenge was the first six weeks of my first Co-op, because at that point I had no experience working in a research lab. 

One of the studies that I helped with involved the participant coming in for a full eight hour day, with samples collected at five different time points throughout the day. In order to not get overwhelmed with the amount of work to do, I needed to be confident in what I was doing and what step came next, because it was vital to not mix up sample types. 

Of course, I wasn't the only one working on the samples and I had lots of amazing support throughout the learning process; however, I would say becoming comfortable with how to process each sample type, and how to time things so multiple different types of samples could be processed simultaneously, was the most challenging part.

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

I believe Co-op helped my personal growth by expanding my skill sets in a number of ways.  

I gained a plethora of wet-lab and research skills at COERD, as well as some administrative experience that is also incredibly important in science. I also improved my ability to communicate to a variety of audiences, as I presented my work at multiple lab meetings throughout my year there, as well as at the MERC conference. 

I also believe that the opportunity to work in a government lab with the RCMP forensics team gave me a different type of experience, as this was not a research lab. Getting to see a different type of work in my field helped my growth by giving me more insight into the type of career that I want to have in my future. 

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

It’s helped in multiple ways!  

For one, I really enjoyed my time at COERD and felt that it was a good fit for me. Because of this, I actually plan to do my graduate school with Dr. Carlsten, who runs the lab, and am looking forward to continuing my research on woodsmoke and other air pollutants! I hope that graduate school will open more doors for my future career.  

As well, toxicology is a field that I'm incredibly interested in and could see myself pursuing as a career.  Getting to work in the toxicology lab with my second placement gave me the opportunity to network with the scientists and put my name out there for future job openings that come up. It’s not a guarantee, of course, but getting your foot in the door in a competitive industry can be a huge help!

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?

I believe that the practice interview, as well as the feedback that the coordinators gave on my resume and cover letter were the most helpful. 

It's difficult to know what employers look for, so the expertise and advice given to me by my coordinators was incredibly helpful and I'll carry that knowledge with me into my future career endeavours.

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

I would say my biggest advice is to just go for it with the applications. 

Even if you don’t think you're qualified for a job, apply anyway!  I had absolutely no experience with air pollutants or respiratory research before working at COERD and it wasn’t something that even immediately stuck out to me as something I would love, but after a year working there, I’m planning to spend the next several years with them in a graduate program continuing on my research!  

Some other advice would be to not rule out a job just because it's far away. I was a little hesitant to accept the offer at the forensics lab, because the commute was so long, but I am beyond happy that I decided to go for it and wouldn’t have had it any other way.

What are you looking forward to after graduation?

I'm looking forward to spending some time with my family, travelling with friends, relaxing a bit and maybe working a fun summer job, before I head right back to school the following September to further my education!