Tamara Fraser

Mrs. Fraser is a member of the Regional Dioxin Laboratory staff in the Contaminants Science Section at the Institute of Ocean Sciences. She is responsible for the majority of primary data quality assurance of data generated by the laboratory. She shares responsibility for day-to-day supervision of the R.D.L.'s sample preparation lab and analysts with Mr. Norman Crewe. Mrs. Fraser also tests and implements sample preparation methods in the lab as the R.D.L. expands the range of contaminants it is able to analyze.

Mrs. Fraser has worked in the Federal Government since 1983 and at the Institute of Ocean Sciences since December, 1991. Previous to working at I.O.S., she graduated from the University of Victoria in 1983 with a B.Sc. in Chemistry and Biochemistry/Microbiology in the Co-operative Education Program. She began work with Dr. John Manville in 1983 at the Pacific Forestry Centre, which is now part of Natural Resources Canada. Dr. Manville researched monoterpene compositions of B.C. coniferous trees. The laboratory used organic chemical techniques such as dual column gas chromatography/flame ionization detection, GC/low resolution mass spectrometry and GC/Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry to characterize monoterpenes in conifers. This information was used to identify new wood chemicals, to correlate with seasonal insect attack patterns, and to develop a database for identifying raw wood by simply bouncing an infrared light beam off the wood. Mrs. Fraser has co-authored several scientific papers with co-workers at Royal Jubilee Hospital, P.F.C. and I.O.S.