This text is part of a special issue of Feminine Leadership
Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at Concordia University, Nicola Smith studies the effects of climate change on coral reefs and invasive species such as lionfish. The researcher wants to play the role of a mentor and encourage the younger generations of the black community to enter the scientific and maritime field, as passionate as she is determined.
Nicola Smith was born in the Bahamas, an archipelago of coral reefs between Cuba and Florida. The strong bond that connects her to nature and the ocean was built by her mother, a biology professor who died of cancer when the researcher was just 16 years old. “Very young, I was subscribed to a lot of magazines,” she recalls. On Sundays, the TV was always tuned to National Geographic shows. It was or nothing! »
Their conversations had an immense influence on the researcher. “When I said I hated mosquitoes, she told me they were important because they feed the frogs,” she continues. I later understood that she was explaining to me how an ecosystem works, that is, how different organisms depend on each other to survive. »
Numerous trips to the uninhabited islands south of the Bahamas still fill his memories. “My mother collected endemic wild orchids, meaning they were not found anywhere else on the planet. She was so happy to bring them back to our garden, she says. Today, some of those butterfly orchids planted when I was 13 are still in the garden. His death and numerous hurricanes failed to make them disappear. »
After the disappearance of her mother, Nicola Smith went to study in Canada. Today, she aspires to serve as a mentor to young students, having only known one black teacher while in school. “When you realize you’re always the only black person in the room, it’s very hard,” says the woman, who has experienced several bouts of depression. We wonder if these spaces are made for us. Should we be there? It’s a terribly lonely experience. » The professor works to reduce these barriers and promotes the inclusion of blacks in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
The passion of lionesses
After a BA in English and Zoology at the University of Toronto, she went on to do a MA in Zoology at the University of British Columbia, where she studied marine dynamics and more specifically lionfish. This invasive and poisonous species, also called lionfish, piqued Nicola Smith’s curiosity.
“I spent a year in the Bahamas as a research assistant at the Institute of Environmental Studies,” she explains. I did a lot of diving around the archipelago and kept coming across this red and white fish that was not from the Bahamas but rather from the Indian and Pacific oceans. I wondered what impact this species might have on ecosystems. »
After a doctorate and two postdoctoral positions, he is still researching this animal. “Putin never left my mind, as if he had a lot of hold on me,” he emphasizes. The more I study it, the more questions I have. » A researcher asks how the massive arrival of these scorpions in the Caribbean can serve as a “model phenomenon” to answer larger questions about invasive species and the impact of climate change. Specifically, he is interested in the impact of extreme heat in water, as well as ocean acidification, which reduces available oxygen.
Creating new rules of the game
Nicola Smith was deeply affected Dorian, a Category 5 hurricane—the highest intensity—that killed hundreds of people and destroyed much infrastructure in the Bahamas. “When I saw the devastation, I understood that it was related to climate change,” she says. I felt obliged to study it through biology. »
His latest research, which has not yet been published, suggests that climate change generally makes it easier for invasive species to breed and threaten more vulnerable fish with extinction. But questions remain. Will lionfish continue to benefit from this? Which species will benefit more from these disturbances? Because if certain invasive species have access to more food as the water temperature rises, acidification creates the opposite effect.
“Once we have a better understanding of all the mechanisms, I want to find a way to mitigate the impacts and better protect the ecosystems,” explains M.me Blacksmith. While current strategies will soon become obsolete, all the rules of the game must be reinvented. And Nicola Smith is set to star.
The 42-year-old researcher is particularly proud of her work for the United Nations in the Bahamas after her master’s degree, which trained many local scientists in diving research. To this day, this reef protection educational program he introduced continues and is passed on to new generations.
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