Claudia Tanamale
I received my undergraduate degree in Biomedical Science Honours in December 2015 at the University of Ottawa. During my undergraduate, I had the opportunity to help out in Dr. Tony Durst’s Chemistry Lab in the extraction of Betulinic Acid, a cortisol-lowering compound aka anti-anxiety drug, from White Birch bark, and to chemically modify the compound to increase its bioavailability. I am currently a Master’s student in Chemical and Environmental Toxicology at the University of Ottawa, under the co-supervision of Dr. Jules Blais and Dr. Laurie Chan. I am working on the bioaccumulation and current exposure of the now-inactive Giant Mine contaminants in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. My research is mainly focusing on Arsenic concentrations and speciation in fishes in different geographical locations in proximity to the mine and mine tailings, as well as trophic transfer of inorganic arsenic species in fishes. I am particularly interested in this topic because fishing is a very common and popular activity or way to get food among the local residents, especially the Dene First Nation community in Yellowknife.