Maclean Rivers is currently in his fourth year of BSc in Biology with a minor in Environmental Science and is looking forward to completing his honours work in the Gunawardena lab for the fall of 2022. While he always had a passion for the natural sciences, witnessing a presentation on the lace plant by Dr. Gunawardena in 2021 sparked in him a newfound interest in plant biology. This interest soon blossomed into a passion, and he was fortunate enough to spend the summer of 2022 working in her lab, after being awarded the Sarah Lawson Research Scholarship, analyzing RNA-seq work done by PhD candidate Nathan Rowarth as well as doing some new research into BAG gene homology.
In addition to his work in the lab, Maclean loves working within his community and spending time outdoors. He is currently the sports coordinator for the Dalhousie Association of Biology (DABS) Students, as well as a volunteer with the Atlantic Science Links Association (ASLA). When not working or volunteering, he can often be found tearing across town on his bicycle.