UBC researcher planning jellyfish world tour
A UBC researcher will soon embark on the trip of a lifetime, circling the globe over the course of several months to further her understanding of a creature that has captivated her for years: jellyfish.
Jessica Schaub is a first year PhD student at UBC's Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries. Her trip is being funded by a Hugh Morris Fellowship, administered by the Kimberley Foundation.
The funding allows Canadian graduate students researching a priority area related to earth sciences to pursue self-guided travel and experiential learning.
Schaub's trip will take her first to Japan, where she will learn from local scientists and fishermen about the problems large jellyfish blooms pose for fisheries. Then, she will travel to France, where she will work with researchers studying jellyfish polyps – the tiny, ocean-floor-dwelling creatures that determine the success of jellyfish blooms.
Polyp research will continue in Argentina, before Schaub rounds out her trip in Australia studying blooms of dangerous Irukandji jellyfish and working with a team developing a rapid test that uses environmental DNA to quickly determine whether the sometimes-deadly jellies are present.
"It's quite an array of experiences," she told CTV News in a recent interview.
"I'm really excited to get the breadth of knowledge and information from all the people that I'll be visiting."
Schaub grew up in rural Alberta and moved to Vancouver to attend UBC as an undergraduate. She's been studying marine biology ever since.
Asked what attracted her to the topic, she likened it to having a favourite colour.
"You don't really know why your favourite colour is yellow," she said. "It just is. I've just always really been drawn to ocean science and especially marine biology."
Schaub also mentioned watching a documentary about Japanese fishermen dealing with giant jellyfish when she was in Grade 12. The experience heightened her fascination with ocean science, and Japan eventually became one of the destinations for her upcoming trip.
She said those interested in following her trip can do so by following @jellieswithjess on TikTok and Instagram.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.