INUVIK - Aquatic ecosystem health in the Upland Lakes, wind energy feasibility in Sachs Harbour and the development of native seed banks - this is what Jolie Gareis loves about her job.

Jolie Gareis, pictured in a lab at the newly-built Arctic Research Institute in Inuvik, moved to the North four months ago after travelling here for seven years as a visiting researcher. - Nathalie Heiberg-Harrison/NNSL photo

As manager of the Aurora Research Institute in Inuvik, Gareis gets to stay on the cutting edge of Arctic research.

"I guess I'm just a scientist and researcher by trade," she said in an interview Thursday from her new office in Inuvik.

"That's what I did for 10 years and I still love it. For me, the coolest part of my job is getting to hear little snippets of what everyone's doing, and hearing about different grants, initiatives and research that's taking place."

The 31 year old moved to Inuvik from Burnaby, B.C., four months ago to take on the position at the research institute, although it wasn't her first trip up North.

For the past seven years, she has been travelling to the region two or three times a year as a visiting researcher. As a masters of biology student at Simon Fraser University, she studied aquatic chemistry and nutrients in the Mackenzie Delta. Now, she gets to oversee all the research done in the region.

"It's been a lot of learning the ropes and learning about the different research projects that (the Arctic Research Institute) either does ourselves or that we do in partnership with other researchers," she said of her first four months on the job.

In addition, Gareis is on hand to welcome all the visiting researchers who come from across Canada, the U.S. and abroad to study Arctic life. Each year, they facilitate the work of dozens of researchers by providing accommodations, lab space, a loading bay to prepare field equipment, a walk-in fridge and freezer and warm and cold and long-term storage for equipment and samples.

They also provide office space, Internet and a library with more than 20,000 volumes.

"It's kind of neat to go and talk with them and see what they're doing, and keep up to speed with all the current research that's going on," she said.

The research institute also does its own in-house projects and licenses research done in the NWT.

Some of their ongoing projects include looking at wind energy feasibility in communities across the territory, such as Sachs Harbour, Lutsel K'e and Inuvik.

Researchers decided where the best spots for wind towers were and then used computer modelling to see how much savings each town would have.

"It's a great position to be in to stay on the cutting edge of Arctic research," Gareis said.

"I'm not considering leaving."

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