It is the highest achievement offered to Canadian graduate students, but when Julie Schooling walks across the stage to accept the Governor General’s Academic Gold Medal on Wednesday, she is humble enough to offer credit to those who helped guide her through her academic journey.

Schooling, who completed her Master of Science in Environmental Science last fall, is TRU’s inaugural gold medal winner. For more than 140 years, Governor General’s Academic Medals have recognized the outstanding scholastic achievements of Canadian students, but this is the first time TRU has awarded the gold medal for graduate students.

“When I got the call that I would receive this award, it took me back to the challenges and accomplishments of my research project, and reminded me of all the help I had along the way,” said Schooling, who completed her master’s degree under the supervision of Dr. Darryl Carlyle-Moses.

“The research that we did drew in so many people—advisors, professors from different disciplines, funders, research assistants, and volunteers. I don’t feel like this is just my medal—completing a thesis is definitely a team sport!”

Spring Convocation runs June 10 – 12. Watch the live broadcast.

Schooling began her post-secondary career with undergraduate degrees in science and landscape architecture from the University of Toronto. She then moved to Kamloops in 1995, where she worked as a landscape architect for five years before the birth of her son.

When she went back to work, she opted for a change and accepted a role as managing editor for a non-profit organization’s scientific publications. While there, she took a series of distance courses focusing on the restoration of natural systems.

“All this stuff excited me—especially the applied science part of it,” said Schooling, adding she was thrilled when she discovered she could complete graduate study in Kamloops. Dr. Carlyle-Moses is an expert in forest hydrology, and Schooling was interested in urban forestry and storm water management, so they managed to find common ground.

“Between the two of us, we put together this project that uses his specialty, but in a different context,” she said.

Schooling’s thesis, “The Influence of Tree Traits and Storm Event Characteristics on Stemflow Production from Isolated Deciduous Trees in an Urban Park,” was the product of a two-year partnership between TRU and the City of Kamloops. Schooling investigated 40 deciduous trees of 22 different species in McArthur Island Park to gain a better understanding of how stemflow and canopy interception work together in Kamloops’ climate, and whether runoff can be reduced by planting certain types of trees.

Read more about Schooling’s research in the Spring 2015 issue of Bridges Magazine, coming in June.

While studying, she received an Industrial Postgraduate Scholarship from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC). The scholarship, sponsored by Golder Associates, allowed her to concentrate on her research and coursework.

Schooling’s work was visible—her research involved wrapping stemflow collars around the trunks of trees in McArthur Island Park—and was featured by a variety of local media outlets. Her work is featured on the City of Kamloops website, where her full thesis has been made available. Along with co-authoring academic papers in peer-reviewed international journals Urban Ecosystems and Hydrological Processes, Schooling and Carlyle-Moses will present their research as part of the Speakers Forum at the Big Little Science Centre on June 17, and later at TRU on “Urban Trees’ Role in Site Hydrology Research Highlights and Design Applications” for the British Columbia Society of Landscape Architects Interior Chapter.

Upon completing her degree, Schooling began working with McElhanney Consulting Services Ltd. as a landscape architect, where her expertise in urban forestry has proven valuable.

“When you think about it, it’s impossible to do any landscaping without addressing water. You need to know where your water is coming from, and where it will go. Given vegetation’s role as an intermediary between precipitation and the earth’s surface, trees can greatly influence site and watershed hydrology.”