Student Experiences

Dylon Montgomery

I completed my undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering at the University of New Brunswick. Wanting more education on environmental topics, I found that the TRANSFOR-M program would give me the most knowledge on my areas on interest. I will be completing my Master of Forestry at UNB and my Master of Science in Water Management and Environmental Engineering from BOKU in Austria.

Outside of school I am an outdoor enthusiast – fishing, hunting, hiking, camping. My love for the outdoors is what drives me to pursue education and eventually employment in this field. I want to do my portion to work towards sustainability.

When not enjoying the great outdoors, I am an avid rugby player and you can always find me training on the field or in the gym. To relax I enjoy hanging out with friends and playing video games.

 

Konstantin Schwarz

I grew up in Karlsruhe, Germany, and completed my bachelor’s degree in forestry, with a minor in international forestry, at the University of Freiburg. I have always tried for an inter-disciplinary approach to my studies, also considering natural resource management in other countries. This is why I spent an Erasmus study semester at the Polytechnical University of Madrid, Spain, did an Erasmus internship at an agroforestry startup in Copenhagen, Denmark, and decided to apply and join the TransFor-M program.

The first year I spent at the University of New Brunswick, studying the Master of Environmental Management. I had a great experience living Canadian university life, connecting with friendly people with diverse backgrounds, getting to know about different forestry and environmental management approaches, and having to deal with serious amounts of snow for the first time. Now, I am back in Freiburg to complete the second year with the M.Sc. Forest Sciences. In my spare time I enjoy being active outdoors - mainly with cycling and soccer - travelling and being part of the International Forestry Students’ Association. My most consistent research interests comprise integrated land use systems, agroforestry and forest landscape restoration.

The TransFor-M program has been a great enrichment of my study path and I am thankful about being a part of it.

Ogunijobi O.Felix

I am from Esa-Oke, a small town in Osun State, Nigeria but I grew up in the ancient city of Ibadan in Southwestern Nigeria. I received my Bachelor of Forest Resources Management from University of Ibadan after which I worked and volunteered for several elementary academic institutions and environmental organization.

I am drawn to using remote sensing technology to understand forest stand characteristics. Forestry is universal but its richness lies in its difference from place to place and how it impacts people. I have always wanted to explore and study forests beyond the shores of my country hence my reason for enrolling for the Transatlantic Forestry Masters Program. I started my program at University of Padova, Italy and I look forward to completing at University of New Brunswick, Canada.

I am very confident that this opportunity will equip me adequately for a career in forest management, teaching and research. Through this program, I look forward to enriching my professional circle by meeting new people and collaborating on environmental projects.

My hobbies include taking lovely pictures of scenes and people, trying out cuisines, watching football, forest bathing and writing. When I am bored, I cook. Cheers to the amazing memories this platform will birth.

Abraham Olatunji

I am from the city of Ibadan (largest city by Geographical area) in Nigeria. I was awarded my Bachelor of Agricultural Technology degree in Ecotourism and Wildlife Management at the Federal University of Technology, Akure in 2018.

I have just been accepted into the Master of Forestry program at the University of New Brunswick (UNB) in Canada as my home institution and at the M.Sc. Mountain Forestry program at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna in Austria as my host institution as part of the TRANSFOR-M dual-degree Master program

Prior to this time I worked as a graduate intern at Transverse Engineering LTD Nigeria as an Environmental Risk Analyst. My job description involved the application of environmental impact assessment techniques in advising on-site locations, construction projects, use of heavy-duty equipment, and engineering operations.

My interest in environmental conservation and natural resources management has spurred me into a further pursuit of knowledge and techniques within my dual-degree master program which could be applied in the practice of environmental protection and wildlife preservation. I look forward to a fulfilling experience in Canada and Austria.

 

Jason Heffner

My name is Jason. I graduated UNB's BSc Forestry program in 2017 and am now enrolled in the Trans-Atlantic Forestry Master (TRANSFOR-M) dual degree program. My interests in environmental policy and alternative forest practices led me to pursue a Master of Environmental Management at UNB and a MSc in Forestry at the Albert-Ludwigs University in Freiburg, Germany. My research involves calculating predictive models for forest carbon from historic Nova Scotia forest data.

 

Pedro Bremberger Pássaro

I studied forestry with a focus on international forestry at University of Freiburg, where I completed my undergraduate degree.

I had the pleasure to be accepted in the TRANSFOR-M program and be able to visit the University of New Brunswick where I completed the first year of the Environmental Management course. This course was a great enhancement of the Forestry Sciences course at the University of Freiburg which is more focused on traditional European forestry.

I met a lot a wonderful and friendly people in the University but also in Fredericton, and had a great time in Canada. This exchange experience changed how I see forestry and forests. I learned a lot from the courses I visited but also from the people I met during the TRANSFOR-M program. I can only recommend applying for TRANSFOR-M.

I am currently interested in forest restoration efforts, forest and nature conservation and rewilding projects.  

 

Testimonials from other students:

“The TRANSFOR-M program seemed like the perfect fit for my experiences, interests and future career.” (Nicole Bakker)

“I think it’s great that the program includes field trips in both Europe and Canada.” (Anders Johansson)

“I think this is a great opportunity to help promote the international exchange of information and get to know both students and professors tackling a variety of forestry issues.” (April Connolly)

“Combine this (TRANSFOR-M) knowledge with my own to improve current practices wherever my future career takes me” (Christopher Smith)

“I am keen to build my international professional network so that I can more easily collaborate with international partners to address global problems.” (Miriam Isaac-Renton)

“I hope that by the end of the two years I will get an improved understanding of forestry practiced in Europe and Germany.” (Vlad Strimbu)