I am an MSc student in the Forest Sciences Department at UBC, under the supervision of Suzanne Simard. My background includes work in operational forestry (road and cut block layout, silviculture surveys, research trials, policy analysis, hydro line vegetation management and layout), applied biology (stream assessments, bioengineering/restoration, in-stream monitoring) and environmental science (mine tailings containment). I hold a diploma in applied environmental science and a degree in English literature. My research focuses on linking below ground ecosystem succession with above ground vegetation community dynamics. Neither below ground vegetation communities nor their successional pathways are adequately understood. With global change and altered climate affecting ecological processes in unexpected ways, the race is on to understand these phenomena before they are altered irrevocably. I hope my graduate work furthers our understanding of these principles and enables appropriate decisions in a demanding future. I look forward to learning from my cohorts in the Below Ground Ecosystem Group and contributing to the growing pool of knowledge concerning function and structure of the ground below our feet.