Em recognized for research excellence at the Entomological Society of Canada

Paul here again, with another proud thesis advisor moment!

This month, MSc student Em Stainforth was recognized with the Entomological Society of Canada’s Excellence in Graduate Research Award! This meant, that alongside three other outstanding graduate researchers, Em had the opportunity to travel to Winnipeg and present her MSc research at the 2026 ESC Annual General Meeting – in the plenary room, to a packed house, with a whopping 30 minutes of speaking time! This is a HUGE deal! We are SO PROUD!

In a presentation titled “What’s Hoppening in Nova Scotia?”, Em walked the audience through her work investigating leafhopper communities in Nova Scotia lowbush blueberry fields. Over the course of her MSc, Em identified more than 50,000 leafhoppers (yes, really), documenting new provincial records (n=18!) and uncovering species that had never before been recorded in the entire country. Em has also done some very cool work on predatory spiders in blueberry, characterized a phenotypic change in the most abundant local leafhopper species, and has done some digging into the transmission of a plant pathogen in lowbush blueberry (blueberry stunt phytoplasma). In short – Em has been very, very busy.

One of the great joys of research is watching students become experts in a topic. Over the past few years, (alongside co-advisor extraordinaire Edel Perez-Lopez), I’ve had the privilege of watching Em develop an incredible depth of knowledge, remarkable attention to detail, and the persistence required to tackle a project of this scale. Identifying tens of thousands of tiny insects is not for the faint of heart, but Em approached the challenge with enthusiasm, curiosity, and a level of dedication that continues to impress me.

Research can sometimes feel like a series of tiny incremental steps forward (Not to mention the backwards steps), but I’ve found it’s just so crucial to pause and celebrate moments like these. Presenting your work to a national audience of entomologists is a tremendous achievement, and Em did a fantastic job representing both her research, our lab, and our institution more broadly. Em practices scientific excellence in a way that is inclusive, accessible, joyful, and incredibly rigorous. What more could you really ask for?

Em is now wrapping up the final stages of her lab work and diving headfirst into writing. The finish line is in sight! Em, I am incredibly proud of everything you’ve accomplished. Congratulations on this well-deserved recognition, and thank you for all of your hard work, passion for science, dedication to “getting it right”. I can’t wait to see what comes next for you! Keep on making us proud!