Meet the Ignace Lab

Danielle D. Ignace, PhD

Prior to joining the Faculty of Forestry at the University of British Columbia, Dr. Ignace was an Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences, the Environmental Science & Policy Program, and Climate Change Concentration at Smith College. She also holds a Research Associate position at Harvard Forest (Harvard University).

Danielle grew up in Milwaukee, WI and received her BS in Zoology and Environmental Studies from the University of Wisconsin - Madison. She earned her PhD from the University of Arizona studying the physiological function of native and non-native grass species in response to changes in precipitation in the Sonoran Desert. During her postdoc at the University of Arizona, Dr. Ignace studied the impacts of an invasive annual plant on the diversity and productivity of a Chihuahuan Desert ecosystem.

Danielle is an enrolled member of the Coeur d’Alene tribe, and as an Indigenous woman in STEM, is always seeking to be a role model and advocate for people of color. Danielle’s father is an enrolled member of the Coeur d’Alene tribe and grew up on the reservation located in northern Idaho. Danielle’s mother is an enrolled member of the Menominee tribe and grew up on the reservation located in northern Wisconsin.

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Click here to learn more about the Coeur d’Alene tribe

Dr. Danielle Ignace, danielle.ignace@ubc.ca

Dr. Danielle Ignace, danielle.ignace@ubc.ca

 
 

Did you know?

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Inspired by her father and brother becoming doctors, specializing in internal medicine, Danielle almost went to medical school. Danielle’s family has been dedicated to the Indian Health Service and ensuring direct health care for Native Americans in Milwaukee since the 1970s. Danielle’s father, Dr. Gerald Ignace, opened The Gerald L. Ignace Indian Health Center (GLIIHC) in 1999 as a non-profit 501(c)(3) in Milwaukee. Danielle’s brother, Dr. Lyle Ignace, is the Chief Executive Officer for the clinic.

Click here to learn more about the clinic.

Danielle’s mother, Georgianna Ignace, was raised on the Menominee Reservation in northeastern Wisconsin. She chaired GLIIHC’s board from 1996 to 2014 and was president of the National Council of Urban Indian Health (NCUIH). Georgianna served several years on the board of trustees of the Institute of American Indian Arts, which is a national position appointed by the President of the United States.

Click here to learn more about the Institute of American Indian Arts.

Danielle used to serve on the Board of Directors for for Native Seeds/SEARCH (Southwestern Endangered Aridland Resource Clearing House), which is a non-profit organization located in Tucson, Arizona. The mission of Native Seeds/SEARCH is to conserve, distribute and document the adapted and diverse varieties of agricultural seeds, their wild relatives and the role these seeds play in cultures of the American Southwest and northwest Mexico. Danielle’s role in the organization grew from Board Member to Chair of the Native American Committee, Chair of the Marketing Committee, Board Secretary, and Board Vice-chair. While serving as Chair of the Native American Committee, Danielle led a team of Board Members and staff, including the Executive Director and Director of Conservation, in developing a Code of Ethics that now guides the interactions between the organization and Native American communities.

Click here to learn more about Native Seeds/SEARCH.

Danielle competed in the 2014 U.S. National Snowshoe Championships while representing the Western Mass Distance Project running team. At some point she will strap on the snowshoes again!

Danielle ran in the 2014 Boston Marathon. Danielle ran cross country and track since the 6th grade and still loves it. After injuries and setbacks she is in a rebuilding phase. Stay tuned for the comeback!

Danielle finished 38th in the international field. The course was located in Woodford, VT.

Danielle finished 38th in the international field. The course was located in Woodford, VT.

This was Danielle’s 4th marathon in blistering heat on the Boston course and it won’t be her last.

This was Danielle’s 4th marathon in blistering heat on the Boston course and it won’t be her last.


CURRENT lab members

Miah Godek

Miah is a PhD student working with Dr. Ignace. She is originally from the Seattle area and completed her undergraduate degree in Environmental Science, with a minor in Philosophy, at Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta where she played on the school’s soccer team. She then moved to Vancouver, British Columbia to complete a Master of International Forestry with a focus on community and Indigenous-led forestry and conservation. She also has experience working for environmental consulting and forestry companies. Her current research interests include interactions between soil microbial systems and both wildfire and prescribed fire in the context of a changing climate and increasing recognition of the importance of Indigenous fire stewardship. In her free time, Miah enjoys rock climbing and running.

Jasper (left) was adopted from an animal rescue center in Washington State where he was transferred from an over-capacity shelter in Texas. Cedar (right) was adopted from a rescue center in Calgary, which he was transferred to after being born on the streets in Mexico. They are not genetically related but are brothers now and the best of friends. In their free time they enjoy wrestling, cuddling, and watching birds.


Gracie Crafts

My name is Gracie Crafts (she/her). Niizhogiiziskwe - Two Suns Woman is my Anishinaabe name. I am of the Marten clan from Wasauksing First Nation. I am a Two-Spirit Anishinaabe and non – Indigenous (mixed European and Jewish) woman.  I am a Master of Science in Forestry student working with Dr. Danielle Ignace and Dr. Lori Daniels at the University of British Columbia. I am from Wasauksing First Nation but lived in Parry Sound, Ontario my whole live. It is located on Georgian Bay, attached to Lake Huron. I grew up (and still spend a lot of time) camping, paddling, cross country skiing and spending most of my time outside. In fact, I used to work at a paddling centre for 6 years and instructed sea kayaking courses and guided kayak camping trips on Georgian Bay! 

I completed my BSc in Indigenous Environmental Science at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario in 2022. During my time at Trent U, I worked as a fire keeper in the First People’s House of Learning tipi. I was honoured to be able to work closely with local Anishinaabek elders and knowledge keepers to learn about traditional fire teachings and cultural protocol about fire and sacred spaces that interact with fire. 

In 2018, I co-founded Georgian Bay Anishinaabek Youth (GBAY) with three other Anishinaabek youth from the Eastern Georgian Bay region. We work in partnership with Georgian Bay Mnidoo Gamii Biosphere, a UNESCO World Biosphere. The foundation of our work is Anishinaabe aadziwincultural land-based learning to reconnect youth to their lands and culture. Our goal is to create safe spaces for Indigenous youth to build strong communities and cultural connections. GBAY works very closely with our local high school and youth from five First Nations within our area. Our biggest project and creation to date was the birth of our wiigwaas jiimaan - birch bark canoe, Oshkinigig. 

My experience as a fire keeper and work with GBAY fostered my passion for learning more about the use of cultural burning and fire on land as forest and land management. My research will take place within the traditional territory of the Sylix peoples at Vaseux Lake in the Southern interior of British Columbia. My research is focused on the use of Indigenous fire stewardship and cultural fire to revitalize culturally- significant plants, food and medicines and increase biodiversity through positive interactions with fire. 

Tatyana Schneider

My name is Tatyana Schneider and I am a second year Urban Forestry student. After I finish my degree, I hope to attend the Peter Allard School of Law at UBC. It is my hope that with my education, I will be able to take what I have learned back to my nation so we can start to prepare ourselves for our changing climate. I am very lucky to get to be a small part of the Ignace lab as a participant in the Indigenous Undergraduate Research Mentorship Program. I feel really grateful to be a part of such a hardworking and inspirational team, and I can’t wait to participate in field work this summer (as an NSERC fellowship recipient)!

hayley toderian

My name is Hayley; I was born and raised in the Metro Vancouver. I am Salish and Mixed European. I grew up as an urban native; my community is Sts'ailes, Agassiz, BC. I am a 2nd-year student enrolled in the Bachelor of Urban Forestry program but plan to enrol in the Bachelor of Indigenous Land Stewardship program in September 2024. I am at the point in my school career where I am motivated to narrow my focus area because I know I want to pursue a Master's degree. I know it will be heavily indigenous-focused. In the future, I want to take what I learn in school to my community, Sts'ailes, other communities across Canada and Indigenous communities worldwide. I am thrilled to be a part of Danielle Ignace's Lab as a participant in the Indigenous Undergraduate Research Mentorship Program.

I have included photos of my beloved fur family. Chewie is 8 years old, a Labrador and German Short-Haired Pointer mix. My family jokes that he is my mom's third child. Gracie and Frankie are a mom-and-son duo. Gracie, 6 years old, has the Christmas Tree on her face, and Frankie, 3 years old, has a moustache. Gracie is a sweet girl who loves words of affirmation and quality time with the family while being a hardworking single mom running her biscuit-making factories all by herself. Frankie loves watching the birds outside, playing with catnip toys, eating from his momma's food dish and demanding pets and pats from his humans.

devlin Grewal

Devlin is a Masters student co-supervised by Dr. Ignace and Dr. Tseng (Botany Department). He grew up in Fiji before moving to Toronto to complete his undergraduate degree in Integrative Biology at the University of Toronto. Passionate about urban ecosystems and science communication, he was awarded the Adam's Sustainability Grant in 2022, working to develop accessible botanical signage along the UTSC Valley Trail. He has experience working with urban ecosystems, pollinator dynamics, machine vision and aerial photography. He is currently researching the interactions between urban trees and their insects and microbiomes. Outside of the lab, he enjoys hiking, cooking, and gardening.

Juno (the cat) came with the house. She is a local miscreant and sock thief and enjoys watching TV and getting head scratches.


Formers lab members who graduated from Smith College

Maddy Meadows-McDonnell

Maddy graduated from Smith College in spring of 2018. She is currently a lab manager in the Ignace Lab, with plans of starting her PhD work at the University of Connecticut in Fall 2019.

 
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Marissa Meadows-McDonnell

Marissa was planning to major in History and Environmental Science & Policy. She worked on a SURF project involving the terminology surrounding invasive species and is interested in environmental history and plants. She joined the Ignace lab as a STRIDE student.

 

Brady St. Marie

Brady graduated from Smith College in spring 2016. Despite being an English and Economics double major, she spent several years being involved in our research projects. Brady returned to the lab as a manager before moving to Madison, WI summer 2018.

 

Isabel Aries

Isabel majored in Biological Sciences and the Environmental Science & Policy Program. Isabel worked on a big plant competition experiment focusing on desert winter annual species.



Julia Barron

Julia majored in Biological Sciences with a minor in the Environmental Science & Policy. Julia worked on a big plant experiment, but was really interested in freshwater systems.


 
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Stephanie Long

Stephanie majored in Environmental Science and Policy. She worked on determining how we could use drones and new imaging systems to assess eastern hemlock tree health in response to pests.

 

Alonwyn (Lony) Clauser

Lony majored in biological sciences with a minor in marine science and policy. They studied how climate change will affect biomes and the global carbon cycle. During the summer of 2019, they were selected for the Harvard Forest REU Summer Program to study tree seedlings physiology.

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Zoe Merrell

Zoe majored in Environmental Science & Policy and minored in Biological Sciences. She was interested in urban ecology and how the conservation and restoration of public greenspaces can make communities more resilient. Last spring, her passion for bryophytes took her to the cloud forest of Ecuador to study biogeography. Most recently, her curiosity about biogeochemistry led her to spend the summer in Panama working with nitrogen-fixing plants.


Honorary Lab Members

Donald Pacher

Donald (husband to Danielle) was the head brewer at the Northampton Brewery. On days that he is not making beer he enjoys being a lab tech in the Ignace Lab. When he isn’t expertly carrying around the LI-6400 or adroitly taking samples with the Hydrosense soil moisture probe, he can be found running around in the woods, riding his bike up mountains, and most certainly enjoying an IPA at the end of the day!

 
 
 
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Chimichanga

Chimichanga (aka Chimi the Cat) is the Ignace Lab mascot and also the director of nap taking. He likes to chase toys and loves salmon. Chimi helped with the design of the new Ignace Lab website and is a co-producer on many of the videos. He also is an ardent follower of the Green Bay Packers.


Former Lab Members

Jinyi Yang

Jinyi Yang

Youngjoo Ahn

Youngjoo Ahn

Sophie Bandurski

Sophie Bandurski

Windy Kelley

Windy Kelley

Kyle Boyd

Kyle Boyd

Shabnam Kapur, Brady St. Marie, Samantha Danguilan, Devi Dearmon-Moore, and Karen Yu

Shabnam Kapur, Brady St. Marie, Samantha Danguilan, Devi Dearmon-Moore, and Karen Yu

Not Pictured: Samantha Zizi, Allison Ferreira, and Yuri Lee