I have always been fascinated with the natural world. I began studying biology at Concordia 2 years ago with the intention to deepen my understanding and appreciation of the natural world. I enjoyed my prerequisite math classes so much that it only made sense to pair the two and minor in math. I am excited to apply and further hone my new skills in biology and math this summer helping Dr. Pedersen test and refine a method for detecting animal habitat patches using R and a machine learning clustering technique called diffusion maps. I look forward to narrowing my focus into this particular corner of quantitative ecology - examining the big picture qualities that try to explain how organisms connect and interact with each other and how they share and move through space. I am interested in how animals perceive and make decisions about their use of space and how we might best understand their behaviours.