Stephanie Gower

I am this close to being done with my PhD in environmental health risk assessment. My research is all about exposure and health impacts of air pollutants … which basically means that every time I go for a run near my home in downtown Toronto, all I can think about is the guck that’s getting into my lungs, anytime I drive anywhere, I feel guilty about the car’s emissions, and I’m obsessive about turning off all the lights before I leave home. I’ve always been a bit of a science nerd - when I was a kid my favorite magazine was Ranger Rick and my biggest dream was to visit the Ontario Science Centre. Luckily most of my friends are right there with me when I want to make a statistical model analyzing the relative speed of checkout lines at the grocery store, or criticize radio announcers who conflate correlation with causation. And my last visit to the Ontario Science Centre ended with my husband and me being “encouraged” out the door as they turned off the lights. I’m particularly drawn to environmental issues – perhaps because even though I often have to do boring old work, most of the time I’d rather be outdoors or traveling. If I’m lucky you might find me paddling Lake Superior, mountain biking in the Colorado Rockies, cycle-touring in Cuba, or trying to figure out where to get the ferry south along the Mekong River. I’ve seen a few bits of unspoiled nature and damn, it’s nice; I’ve also been to a few places where a little pollution control would be a grand idea. So yeah, if you’re looking to pay someone to go on really cool trips or outdoor adventures, PICK ME!! No? Oh well. Wish me luck on my upcoming PhD defence, then.