TWU ALUMNI
TWU’S BIG FISH IN MARINE BIOLOGY Lifelong love of marine mammals shapes alumna's career path BY HANNAH MARAZZI ’15 (’13) was only 11 y ears old when she had her first encounter with a whale in the wild. But she can recall the moment in vivid detail. “He had the perfect orca fin,” she says. “It was straight. It didn’t have notches, and it had a beautiful curve on its leading edge.” A graduate of twu’s Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences, Zwamborn loved whales long before she saw their beauty in person. “My parents say I started showing affinity for marine things at a very young age,” she laughs. With the dream of becoming a marine biologist, Zwamborn arrived on twu’s campus in 2009, eager to take the first step forward—a Bachelor of Science honours degree in biology, with an emphasis in ecology and a minor in environmental studies. Today, she works in the only lab in Canada conducting research on pilot whales. Citing the influence of faculty such as Karen Steensma, M.Sc., and David Clements, Ph.D., Zwamborn is grateful for the mentorship and field study opportunities that were a part of her twu experience. “Some of the major things I found beneficial about twu were the small class sizes and the opportunities to be a part of the unique research that was happening,” she explains. At Trinity Western, Zwamborn invested her time in creative ways—including serving as President of the twu Environmental Alliance, a student-run program that continues today. She is most proud of the efforts that she and the other members of the program made to bring students together from across the disciplines, bound by a common commitment of environmental stewardship. Zwamborn also completed a Masters of Biology at Dalhousie University. Her thesis examined the vocalizations of long-finned pilot whales in Western Canada. “We study their behavioural patterns and how they communicate amongst their family units,” she says. “While much is known about orcas and sperm whales, there�s still so much that we don’t know about pilot whales.” Researchers have been unable to find a distinctive call that links pilot whale family units—a surprising fact that makes this species different from the bottlenose dolphins and orca whales to which they are often compared. “We also found that repeated calls are produced more in certain behavioural contexts, such as socializing,” Zwamborn says. “They are produced more often when there is a greater number of whales around, suggesting that they might function in the coordination and cohesion of the whales within a group setting.” These days, Zwamborn takes every opportunity to be out in nature, among her beloved whales. In the past few years, this has included contributing to the fieldwork of a doctoral student on the social networking of sperm whales off the Galapagos Islands and serving as a stranding volunteer for Marine Animal Response Society on the East Coast. Additionally, Zwamborn has taught a marine mammal field course in Washington State with Au Sable Institute of Environmental Studies. eliz abeth z wa mbor n
Elizabeth Zwamborn’s love of whales has taken her around the world, from the shores of Nova Scotia to the Galapagos Islands.
Most recently, she worked with the Federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans on a Halifax-based photo id project for endangered northern bottlenose whales, in a remote location off of northeastern Vancouver Island. But, Zwamborn admits, pilot whales still hold her heart. “I have unfinished business with them,” she laughs. This fall, she returns to Dalhousie to pursue her doctorate degree, where she’ll further study the “WHALES ARE behaviour and health of pilot whales. While there are other long-term projects A SYMBOL OF with pilot whales taking place in the HOPE FROM THE Strait of Gibraltar, the Faroe Islands in PAST, A SYMBOL Norway, and New Zealand, Zwamborn notes that studying long-finned pilot OF RESILIENCE, whales is a challenge as these species AND A SYMBOL often “live far offshore, in deep waters.” OF WHAT CAN BE While Zwamborn is quick to DONE BETTER.” point out the many environmental and academic benefits of marine biology, there is no doubt that her dedication to her craft remains highly personal and hopeful in nature. “There is this idea that whales are a symbol of hope from the past, a symbol of resilience, and a symbol of what can be done better,” she says. “For me they represent a peace and a completeness that we don’t often have in our lives.”
2 0 1 7 | T W M AG A Z I N E
37