The Centre for Applied Research, Technology and Innovation (CARTI) supports projects that engage students and staff in community-based research initiatives. Our research expertise is always growing, and we welcome new staff and faculty to let us know about their research and innovation interests. Some of our current and recent researchers include:
Allison Byrne, Researcher
Allison Byrne (Allie) is a researcher in NIC's Centre for Applied Research, Technology and Innovation, where her focus is applied aquaculture research. Most of her work involves field-based seaweed and shellfish research projects that engage local industry partners and NIC students. Allie has an MSc in Geography from the University of Victoria.
Logan Zeinert, Researcher and Senior Research Technician
Logan hails from New Zealand but completed his master's degree at Memorial University in Newfoundland and Labrador. Logan has extensive marine surveying and aquaculture research experience and is an accomplished diver. Logan's work on kelp has involved permitting sites, determining yields and biomass, planning hatcheries, and processing harvested kelp.
Evelyn Voyageur, Researcher
Evelyn is of the Kwakwaka'wakw Nation, of the Dzawadainox tribe. She speaks Kwak'wala fluently. She has worked in hospitals and communities in Alberta and BC, as well as taught and developed nursing curricula at the University of Victoria and NIC. Evelyn counsels survivors for the Indian Residential School Society. She has received many awards for her contribution to Indigenous nursing, including becoming one of Health Canada's First Nation and Inuit Branch's first recipients of the Award of Excellence in Nursing.
Joanna Fraser, Researcher
Joanna has been a nurse educator at NIC for the past 21 years. Her focus is curriculum reconciliation through inclusion of Indigenous people and ways of knowing. Her research interests include the use of indigenous and relational methodologies in understanding the healing and transformational possibilities of relational, land based and experiential learning.
Lisa Domae, Researcher
Lisa Domae assumed the role of President of North Island College on April 12, 2021. She has lived in the Comox Valley and worked at North Island College since 2000, most recently as NIC's Executive Vice-President, Academic and Chief Operating Officer. She holds a bachelor's degree from University of British Columbia, a post-baccalaureate diploma from Simon Fraser University as well as a master's from Queen's University and a PhD from University of Victoria. She is also a Registered Professional Planner and member of the Canadian Institute of Planners.
Kathleen Haggith, Researcher
Kathleen is currently the Dean of the Faculty of Health & Human Services at North Island College and has been involved as a member of the Walk With Me Leadership Team since inception in 2019. Kathleen has held a variety of instructional and administrative roles within both colleges and universities in the British Columbian post-secondary sector. Kathleen also worked in community for a number of years in both the human services and educational fields.
Cory Batch, Researcher
Cory has been an instructor at NIC for 16 years. Cory is a graduate of NIC's Industrial Automation program and is certified in residential, commercial and industrial electrical and instrumentation. Cory has worked in the mining, food and beverage, pulp and paper industries, as well as working with BC Hydro, Delta Port Terminals and Westshore Terminals. He has additional certifications in home automation, networking, lighting control, powered blinds, cameras, security and HVAC.
Jen Wrye, Researcher
Jen Wrye is a broadly trained sociologist with expertise in food studies, animal-human relations, teaching and pedagogy and social justice studies. Jen joined North Island College in 2012 to teach introductory and second-year university transfer sociology courses after holding teaching appointments at Carleton University and the University of Ottawa. In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Jen sits as co-chair of the Teaching and Learning Committee at NIC, institutional representative of the BC Committee of Universities, Colleges & Institutes Professional Developers, and Director of LUSH Valley Food Action Society. She is working on research projects related to teaching and food security in the Comox Valley. Originally from Windsor, Ontario, Jen relishes living in another storied, working people's town, Cumberland, BC.
Sara Child, Researcher
Sara carries the name T̓łakwama'og̱wa, she is of Kwakwaka̱'wakw, Mowachat, Tlingit, English, and Scot ancestry and is a member of the Kwakiutl Nation. Sara is a language revitalization enthusiast, instructor, researcher, curriculum developer and founder of the Hase' and Sanyakola Societies. Sara holds a Master's of Education, Indigenous Language Revitalization and has been working in education for most of her life. She is passionate about Indigenous language revitalization and believes that it is central to restoring wellness and the calls to action of TRC. Sara strives to provide language learning, capacity and has created many courses for high school and college. To date she has created all of the Kwak'wala course currently offered at NIC, and in 2020, she completed the Indigenous Language Fluency Certificate (ILFC) for NIC that is now being offered for both Kwak'wala and Nuu-chah-nulth. Sara is proud to be spearheading this research with her amazing all-Indigenous team that will create avenues and networks that reach beyond the borders of Kwakwaka̱'wakw communities, cast a web of language revitalization over the entire Kwakwaka̱'wakw nation and have implications for Indigenous language revitalization beyond her community.
Keisha Everson, Researcher
Keisha Everson carries the name "La̱lx̱sa̱n Dala'og̱wa from her great-grandmother, Margaret Frank, née Wilson. Keisha is of Kwakwaka'wakw, K'omoks, Tlingit, Dutch, and English ancestry and is a member of the K'omoks First Nation. In September 2019, Keisha began co-teaching the Kwak'wala KWA-096 and KWA-097 courses at North Island College; teaching adults has been a powerful learning experience. Keisha is also in the final months of a Master's of Education in Indigenous Language Revitalization from the University of Victoria.
Scott McGregor, Researcher
Scott is a professional physicist with a background in physics, mathematics and environmental engineering. A lifelong love of teaching led Scott to return to instructing physics at North Island College in 2019. For the previous 15 years, Scott worked as an environmental scientist in the field of environmental engineering. During this time, he conducted and managed environmental investigations, remediation planning and hydrogeological investigations.
Georgie Harrison, Researcher
Georgie Harrison has been teaching biology courses at North Island College since 2006. Prior to joining NIC, Georgie held teaching appointments at Vancouver Island University and the University of British Columbia. Georgie completed her MSc at the University of Northern British Columbia, where she studied the ecology of mountain goats in north-west Alberta. Georgie's academic training and practical experience is in wildlife ecology and the ecosystems that support wildlife populations. In addition to her research work in BC, she also has worked in Europe and remote areas of Argentina, Botswana, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Laos.
Amber Stroeder, Researcher
Amber is a biology instructor and marine biologist. She has worked as a consultant, an academic researcher, and a marine educator with several environmental organizations. She has a background in aquaculture and has previously done field and lab work measuring and sorting algal species, bivalves, and crustaceans. Amber worked at the Vancouver Aquarium as a curriculum coordinator and the Monterey Bay Aquarium as an aquarist doing animal husbandry. She has worked in partnership with the Xwémalhkwu (Homalco) First Nation and the Kwiakah, Lekwala speaking peoples, developing educational material. When not at work she enjoys volunteering with environmental organizations to help restore and protect local habitats.
Jan Meiers, Lead Faculty
Jan worked in the acute care setting for 12 years prior to teaching in the BSN Program at North Island College in January in 2000. In 2006, she completed a Master of Nursing degree at Athabasca University. During this program, Jan focused her work on fostering student success and integration of technology into nursing education and practice. Jan's academic interests include the role of simulation in nursing education, supporting student success, and nursing leadership and advocacy.
Aisling Brady, Researcher
Aisling is an instructor in the math/science department. Her research background stems from a master's degree at the University of Toronto in physical geography, and a PhD from the University of Calgary in marine biology. Aisling has a breadth of experience in biology, ranging from ecological processes to molecular biology and genetics. She played a pivotal role in developing North Island College’s Island Pre-Health Science program and will guide students through various research projects in health science as part of their course work. Aisling was also the lead researcher for NIC’s first NSERC Innovation Enhancement grant, where she worked closely with aquaculture industry members to investigate benthic impacts from finfish aquaculture on hard substrates, looking at various indicator taxa, the role they play in the ecosystem, and their importance in monitoring practices.
Tony Trudel, Researcher
Tony is an accredited Virtual Reality (VR) educator and small-business owner with a wide range of expertise in the use of emergent technologies. He has attended or helped facilitate hundreds of educational events that were held on social VR platforms, and he recently graduated from UBC’s Master of Educational Technology program. As such, Tony is well-prepared and eager to share what he’s learned to support others in their selection and use of emergent educational technologies, which includes not only those related to VR but those related to Augmented Reality (AR), Mixed Reality (MR), and Artificial Intelligence too. Tony has been teaching at NIC for well over a decade, first English then math, and he continues to teach in those areas. Before establishing his place at NIC, Tony had been an assistant language teacher in Okinawa, Japan and a teacher on call for the Sooke and Comox Valley school districts.
