Krista is a Research Technician for Environmental Stewardship at Olds College. She finds it rewarding that her research is helping to provide solutions for farmers and feedlot producers to make environmentally sustainable choices. She says every day is an opportunity to learn and share ideas with the industry, colleagues and students, and to be on the forefront of new and innovative ideas and products.
Krista's main focus at the College is on the floating island technology project. Krista and a fellow research technician regularly monitor the ponds and floating islands involved in the applied research project, perform water and plant sampling, and check weather parameters, precipitation and contaminant concentrations at the sites. The research team recently launched 55 floating islands on the water, and will be collecting and analyzing data over the next two years to see if they can produce high-quality recycled water for producers.
Krista has been part of the floating island project for years, and has been front-and-center watching it grow in scope from the greenhouse to producer sites. She says it is truly amazing to be involved in a trial where research has been conducted in a controlled environment, and then taking that knowledge and applying it to real-world applications. Krista says the results from the controlled trials gave a promising glimpse into the power of how native wetland plants have the potential to give feedlot producers a clean water source they can tap into!
Krista’s favourite part of her job is that each day is completely different from the day before. For data collection, everything needs to be collected and analyzed in the exact same way each and every time, but Krista finds it interesting to watch the data itself change. Understanding why the data is reading the way it is keeps Krista’s mind active and engaged, and working out in the field keeps her physically active.
Krista enjoys that a good part of her day allows her to be outdoors. She’s always loved to spend a lot of time outside — whether it’s going for a walk, sitting on a beach or gardening in the backyard. Krista loves the physicality of working outdoors, getting her hands dirty and battling the elements.
Krista’s husband, Jason Pick, also works at the College and is an Instructor in Turfgrass Management and the Executive Director of the Alberta Turfgrass Research Foundation. They have two sons who are super active in sports. Before coming to the College, Krista and her family lived across Canada in Ontario, British Columbia and New Brunswick, as well as living in Bermuda, before settling in Alberta in 2009.
In her free time, Krista is with her family who spends a lot of time in arenas, on ski hills or at the swimming pool. When they aren’t at sporting events, they’re usually curled up together in the living room watching movies or planning their next travelling adventure. They also always make time for Bernie, a sweet three-legged St. Bernard, and Chester, a lovable labradoodle, who both enjoy walks and treats.
Environmental Stewardship
