EGS Master's Student Sabeehah Desai Hosted by Université de Montréal
Sabeehah Desai is an atmospheric science researcher studying wind erosion, dust emissions, and their impacts on air quality.
Her interest in the movement of dust and fine particles emerged during her undergraduate years when she studied air pollution in Gambia.
She went on to complete an Honours project modelling wind erosion risk in South Africa’s Northern Cape using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model, with the aim of identifying high-risk regions despite limited ground-based data. Now pursuing a Master’s at the University of Cape Town as part of the Climate Systems Analysis Group (https://www.csag.uct.ac.za/) with her supervisors Dr Sabina Abba Omar and Dr Johanna von Holdt.
Sabeehah is using the WRF-Chem model to better understand how dust events affect particulate matter concentrations in the region. She aspires to identify vulnerable areas and support interventions that reduce dust health risks in a changing climate. She currently returned from the University of Montreal where she was hosted by Professor James King as part of a research internship funded by the Queen's Scholarship on Climate Change Adaptation.
She shared her experience during an interview with UdeM, which has been translated below.
What have you learned from your experience?
I learned how essential communication skills are to share my work. I also understood that it is quite normal not to know everything, and that there is a lot of knowledge to be acquired by listening to others and actively engaging in exchanges.
During my stay, I gained valuable knowledge, leadership and networking skills through my internship, exchanges with other researchers and colleagues at UdeM, sessions with my coach, and volunteering with Climate Reality Canada.
I also had the opportunity to participate in a workshop to learn about other ways models are used to better understand wind erosion, both in current and past environments. Finally, I was able to work alongside other master's and doctoral students in the department, which allowed me to learn more about how wind erosion is studied in Canada's cold climate.
How has this experience enhanced your professional and personal career?
The knowledge acquired during this internship as well as the resources at my disposal will allow me to obtain even more convincing results as part of my master's project in climatology. I also greatly appreciated the opportunity to study wind erosion in a completely different climate, which gave me a broader perspective on this phenomenon.
This experience allowed me to expand my professional and personal networks, and to gain confidence in my work and abilities through the sessions with my coach. I have also developed my problem-solving skills and now feel more comfortable communicating my research choices and convincing people of their relevance.
What are the benefits you anticipate for the future?
My experience will help me stand out in my future professional applications. Not only has it allowed me to discover the opportunities available to me beyond South Africa, but it has also allowed me to learn valuable skills that I can take back to my country to advance wind erosion research in a region with more limited resources and data.
About the Queen's Scholarships for Climate Change Adaptation
This scholarship program supported by the Université de Montréal and its partners supports scholarship recipients in carrying out research internships on the theme of adaptation to climate change.
It aims to promote capacity building for young scholarship leaders, their networking and networking with local community settings. Upon their return from their international stay, the scholarship recipients will be able to promote the development, in their community, of lasting and constructive exchanges and partnerships with the communities and networks they meet.