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Originally from Cavendish, PEI, Chloe Toombs always knew she wanted to be involved in agriculture and originally intended on becoming a vet.

“Upon taking biology and physics in grade 11, I realized I hated biology and loved physics, and this led me to engineering,” she explained.

When she decided on engineering, Dal AC offered a pathway to remain involved in agriculture. “This, along with the small class sizes and campus location, made my choice to pursue my education at the AC very easy,” she added.

Chloe spent two years on the Agricultural Campus completing her Engineering diploma before transitioning to the Halifax campus to complete her Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering.

Women comprise just 23 per cent of newly licensed engineers in Nova Scotia. International Women in Engineering Day, celebrated annually on June 23^rd, shines a light on the outstanding achievements of women engineers and encourages more girls and women to pursue careers in the field.

“Don’t let fear stop you from pursuing the career you want,” advised Chloe.  “There will always be people who doubt you in whatever career you choose, but I can guarantee there will always be more people who want to see you succeed and those are the people to surround yourself with.”

Throughout all four summers of her engineering degree, Chloe worked with Dr. Travis Esau, Associate Professor Mechanized Systems and his research team, mainly on projects in the wild blueberry industry. It was a natural extension for her to complete her M.Sc. under his supervision.

“Everyone who knows Chloe quickly recognizes her remarkable work ethic, keen attention to detail, and ability to adapt to new tasks,” said Dr. Esau. “Chloe is a true team player who never disappoints on deliverables. I was excited that even after working a co-op work term with Bombardier Recreational Products (Can-Am) in Valcourt, QC, Chloe was eager to step back into academics to complete two additional co-op work terms with my research team.”

Chloe’s farming background, coupled with her mechanical engineering academic skillset, makes for an excellent foundation to tackle her M.Sc. project titled Identifying feasibility and optimum techniques for site-specific herbicide application in wild blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium Ait.) using agricultural drones.

“Throughout this project I will be working on determining the feasibility and optimal techniques of applying herbicides in wild blueberry fields using a sprayer drone,” explained Chloe. “I am spending a lot of time mapping wild blueberry fields using a drone equipped with various sensors and using machine learning techniques to identify and label weeds in aerial images,” she added. “These labeled maps will then be used as prescription maps for spot-application of herbicides.”

Digitization is transforming the agriculture sector. Clean, precision technologies help determine more sustainable ways to feed a growing global population.

As for her future, Chloe is taking it one degree at a time and keeping her options open. While she is interested in continuing her education, if the perfect position were to open, she’d love to work in industry.

“The part that interests me the most about engineering is the many, many pathways it provides. Honestly, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do for the rest of my life when I left high school, but I knew that no matter what having an engineering degree would help me along that path.”