Dr. Helen Gurney-Smith is a research scientist at Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s St. Andrews Biological Station in New Brunswick. She specializes in shellfish aquaculture and improving techniques for larval survival and her role with the InFORM project is to gather shellfish for our biotic monitoring efforts. Her work with some of BCs shellfish growers meant that she had established connections to obtain samples from their farms and other natural habitats. Dr. Gurney-Smith joined the InFORM project to help educate the public about the safety of seafood products that are cultured or collected in BC waters and hopes that the public will see that scientists are responding to their concerns. She believes that part of the power of the InFORM project is the diversity of groups coming together to provide information on the matter.
Helen became a scientist because she was motivated to be a contributer to global knowledge. She believes that through science we can protect the environment, our resources, and address societal concerns. She takes pride in knowing that her work in the shellfish world is contributing to the bigger picture of human understanding. When Helen isn’t in the office or lab, she can often be found playing and crafting with her daughter, designing and weeding her garden, and trying to catch up on lost sleep. 😉