Paige Goshko spent a good chunk of her summer cozied up to a microscope analyzing plant macrofossils – preserved plant remains (leaf, needle, cone and stem debris) used to identify plants that have grown in the Canadian Rockies during the last 12,000 years.

The Bachelor of Science student, now in her final year, was building on a work-integrated learning project she completed in the Winter 2021 term in Dr. Robin Woywitka’s EASC 324: Quaternary Environments course with Diana Tirlea, assistant curator of Quaternary Environments at the Royal Alberta Museum. Goshko was invited to continue her work, so she applied for an Undergraduate Student Research Initiative (USRI) project grant and did a LevelUp work-integrated learning program supervised by Dr. Woywitka and Tirlea. 

It was the perfect transition, says Goshko. “I had been contemplating trying some research or internships while doing my undergrad, but it seemed daunting.” Having some experience in the classroom before starting her LevelUp work and USRI research made things easier. 

The highlight of a summer spent conducting literature reviews; sorting, identifying and preparing samples for analysis; and drying and preparing macrofossils for storage wasn’t something Goshko saw through the microscope – it was the growth she saw in herself. 

“At first, I would look at a sample and have a hard time knowing what I was looking at, but before I knew it, I could pick out plant species easily – even if fossils were only a fragment of plant matter,” she says. “It was amazing to feel like I was truly mastering something new.”

Goshko thinks the skills and lessons she learned this summer will serve her long into the future. “I’m so grateful for this opportunity and for all of the support I received to complete it successfully.”

To be considered for a future Student Snapshots story, or to suggest someone we should feature, please contact our communications team (communications@macewan.ca).