Sarah Boon

Sarah Boon (PhD, FRCGS) is a science writer and editor. Her articles have appeared in Nature, Science, Water Canada, Hakai Magazine, iPolitics, and CBC’s The Nature of Things. Sarah is a co-founder and serves on the Board of Science Borealis.

Women in Science: Dr. Kathy Bleiker

May 20, 2015 | 5 minute read

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.

 

“I had some strong opinions and I thought being Prime Minister would be the best way to create change. This was around 1983, and I was livid that Trudeau had agreed to allow cruise missile testing over Canada. I drew a caricature of him with a cruise missile tucked under one arm and a peace-loving dove with a knife stuck in it dripping blood in his lapel, instead of his signature flower, and sent it to the PM’s office,” she recalls.

However, after experiencing firsthand the tediousness of Question Period in the House of Commons, she gave up her political aspirations and thought – briefly – about being a veterinary technician or running a mobile dog grooming business. Though she’d grown up on a small farm and liked animals, neither of these options really appealed to her. It wasn’t until Grade 13 that she heard a visiting speaker from Ryerson Polytechnic (now Ryerson University) talk about urban planning.

“Urban planners made more money than I could imagine, so I decided to try it out. I lasted a year,” she laughs. “The program was great, but I realized urban planners usually live in big cities and – although my year in downtown Toronto was certainly enlightening – I learned I am not a big city person.”

However, urban planning is a gateway to geography, and Bleiker escaped the city to head west to Victoria, where she earned a Geography BSc (1995) from the University of Victoria. “Geography has many different aspects, which was good since I still didn’t know what I wanted to do. UVic also had a co-operative education program, which I needed so I could earn money to pay for school. Co-op also offered work experience – which was great for a practical person like me.”

It was the co-op program that led to Bleiker’s first job after completing her BSc. She found a keen mentor – and employer – in the BC Ministry of Forests’ regional entomologist in Kamloops, Dr. Lorraine Maclauchlan. “Her passion for entomology was contagious, and after a few years she motivated me to go to grad school,” recalls Bleiker. “I really enjoyed the problem-solving, analytical side of science as well as the creative part of designing studies.”

Because she didn’t find her passion until later in her career, Bleiker sometimes feels she should have taken biology or forestry – instead of geography – as her undergraduate degree. “Unfortunately, I let the fact that I wasn’t a fan of my high school biology teacher taint my view of Biology. And growing up on a farm in south-western Ontario, I didn’t even realize forestry was an option.”

After a few years of work and travel, Bleiker decided to do an MSc (2001) at the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC), on the susceptibility of subalpine fir to western balsam bark beetle. “My intention was to stop with the Master’s,” she says. “But after finishing it I realized how much I loved scientific research. I also knew that with my independent nature I’d want to lead research projects, which would require a PhD.” So she moved on to the University of Montana to complete a PhD (2007) on mountain pine beetle-fungal interactions.

She followed her PhD with a two year postdoctoral fellowship at the Canadian Forest Service in Victoria, on mountain pine beetle endemic population dynamics. “I happened to be in the right place at the right time,” she notes. “There’d just been a big mountain pine beetle epidemic in BC, which had breached the Rockies and was spreading east into Alberta. Given my PhD, I had a good understanding of the biology of the beetle, and I had a lot of field research experience. It was a timely topic, and I really enjoyed that the project involved a lot of fieldwork in northern Alberta.”

Bleiker also obtained her qualification as a BC Registered Professional Forest (RPF), which she feels gives her additional credibility with the timber industry as it demonstrates some understanding about operations in the commercial forest.

When asked how she balances career and family, Bleiker laughs when she answers “not well”, even though she has few family commitments. “Bucking societal norms and pressures by being unmarried and childfree isn’t always easy; it can make some people uncomfortable if you don’t fit in their mold,” she explains. “I’ve sometimes felt the expectation to work long hours, weekends, and holidays since I don’t have family commitments.” That said, she’s also aware that, because she enjoys her work and works a lot, she’s her own worst enemy, and is aiming to achieve better balance between work and life.

Bleiker has benefited from being aware of her own strengths and needs, particularly her interest in the creative aspects of science and her passion for doing original research. She’s also had some excellent female mentors: Dr. Maclauchlan as a post-BSc employer and MSc co-supervisor, and Dr. Diana Six (University of Montana) as a PhD co-supervisor. But she has some additional advice for women in science.

“Be aware that there can be differences in how some senior male colleagues may interact with newer male versus female scientists,” she notes, based on her own experience. “Another challenge is that men and women can be judged differently for the same behaviour. For example, a particular behaviour in a man may be seen as strong whereas in a woman it may be regarded as pushy.” She also feels that, while many people suffer from imposter syndrome, it’s particularly prevalent among women. She recommends a Ted talk by Amy Cuddy, and says that sharing stories and experiences can also help with these types of issues. She also suggests that women do things they may not be comfortable with, like speaking up in a meeting or interacting with colleagues by whom they may initially feel intimidated.

Working in government also requires the patience to deal with detailed processes and defined bureaucracy, which can be frustrating for those who are more direct. “When things start to really get to me, I think of something a professor told me a long time ago: You have to laugh or else you’d cry,” she says. “But honestly, I love my job. It’s interesting and has an analytical and creative component, which I like. I’ve recently become involved with a couple of grad student projects and find working with students is very rewarding. I’ve also seen some beautiful places, and work with a lot of excellent people.”


Sarah Boon

Sarah Boon (PhD, FRCGS) is a science writer and editor. Her articles have appeared in Nature, Science, Water Canada, Hakai Magazine, iPolitics, and CBC’s The Nature of Things. Sarah is a co-founder and serves on the Board of Science Borealis.