R&D Co-ordinator

Brenda Vaness graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point with a Bachelor of Science in biology and wildlife ecology and management. Following graduation she took a position at Lostwood National Wildlife Refuge in North Dakota working as a technician on a leafy spurge mapping project. She received her Masters of Science in biology at the University of Regina, where she researched the effects of crested wheatgrass invasion on root and resource heterogeneity in native prairie. Before coming to Western Ag Innovations she worked as a research technician on a climate change project with the University of Alberta and the University of Regina. Currently, Brenda is a R&D coordinator at Western Ag Innovations and she enjoys assisting researchers in obtaining quality data from the PRS™ probes so they are able to recommend sound management decisions for various ecosystems.

Publications

• Vaness, B.M. 2008. Heterogeneity of roots and resources in crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum) and native prairie grasses. M.Sc. thesis. University of Regina, Regina, Saskatchewan. Pg. 1-67.
• Vaness, B.M. and S.D. Wilson. 2007. Impact and management of crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum) in the northern Great Plains. Canadian Journal of Plant Science. 87:1023-1028.

Major Scientific Conferences attended

• 2008 Annual Meeting of British Ecological Society (BES)
• 2008 Annual Meeting of Ecological Society of America (ESA)
• 2007 Annual Meeting of Ecological Society of America (ESA)