We are excited to announce this year’s recipients of the HCTF Don McCubbing Undergraduate Scholarship. This year, HCTF has revamped the Don McCubbing Scholarship, making it an internally managed scholarship available to applicants from post-secondary institutions across BC. This scholarship demonstrates our commitment to supporting the academic and professional growth of students, ensuring they have the resources and opportunities to excel in their studies and future careers. This years recipients are: Tlell Schreiner, Emma Richardson, Johanne Marshall, Caio Nicholson de Figueiroa, and Robin Jans
For several years, Don McCubbing actively contributed to the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation’s Fisheries Technical Review Committee. His extensive practical experience and science-based decision-making greatly enhanced the project review process. In honor of his contributions, the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation has established the Don McCubbing Scholarships. These scholarships, valued at $4,000 each, are awarded annually to up to five students who are pursuing studies in fish and/or wildlife conservation.
2025 Recipients
Caio Nicholson de Figueiroa
Caio is an undergraduate biochemistry student at the University of the Fraser Valley studying how rainbow trout muscle cells respond to ammonia stress. He focuses on lysosomes and the vacuoles that form when these lysosomes (cellular recycling centers) are disrupted, investigating mechanisms such as lysosomal membrane proteins and using chemical tools to test their role. By helping understand how fish cells are damaged by and defend against ammonia, this research supports both aquaculture and wild fish conservation.
Robin Jans
Robin is currently studying Natural Resource Science at Thompson Rivers University. As an honours student at TRU, her research focuses on understanding how the presence of invasive cheatgrass affects the foraging behaviour of California bighorn sheep. Her research has given me an even greater appreciation for how important ecological balance is in supporting healthy wildlife and resilient ecosystems.
Johanna Marshall
Johanna is a 4th year student in Combined Honours Biology and Oceanography at the University of British Columbia. She is working on her Honours thesis under the supervision of Dr. Evgeny Pakhomov in the Marine Zooplankton and Micronekton Lab. Her project uses stable isotope analysis to study the trophic interactions of the invasive freshwater jellyfish Craspedacusta sowerbii in BC lakes.
Emma Richardson
Emma is a fourth-year undergraduate student at the University of Victoria. Their research is examining the genetic diversity of the Pacific marten across coastal B.C. to better understand the connections between populations of marten in different areas in relation to the availability of old growth forest. Emma’s research will expand our knowledge on the habitat needs of Pacific marten and how vulnerable they are to habitat changes from forest management and climate change.
Tlell Schreiner
Tlell is an undergraduate student studying wildlife and fisheries at the University of Northern British Columbia. She is working on an undergraduate thesis under the supervision of Dr. Heather Bryan. The thesis explores the larval winter tick abundance in different forest age stands in the Prince George South area. In addition to a climatic and habitat analysis of the winter ticks, she is hoping to dive into the idea of subalpine fir needles and their effects on the winter tick larval survival, as extracts of the conifer have shown lethality to other hard tick species.
