I recently had the good fortune to interview Dr. Kathy Bleiker, a research entomologist at Natural Resources Canada’s Pacific Forestry Centre, for my Women in Science Series over at Canadian Science Publishing.
We discovered we have a lot in common, from both doing undergrad degrees in Geography at UVic (and wondering whether we should have done a Biology or Forestry degree, instead), to both having female mentors based at the BC Ministry of Forests regional office in Kamloops. It’s always fun to chat – even virtually – with people who share a common history, and Kathy was no exception. Thanks to Dr. Chris MacQuarrie for recommending her as an interviewee!
“Dr. Kathy Bleiker is the first to tell you that she didn’t find her passion for forest entomology and scientific research until her mid-20s, thanks in large part to the mentorship of a fellow woman in science she met through her undergraduate training. Now a research scientist with the Canadian Forest Service based in Victoria, BC, Bleiker studies how climate-insect interactions will affect the spread of mountain pine beetle from west to east across Canada. However, her original career aspiration was to be the Prime Minister of Canada. “
Read the rest here.
