Insights Biking, hiking and consulting: enjoying work-life balance
It’s easy to get caught up in the busy-ness of business, so interviews like this one help us here at AtkinsRéalis pause and highlight our people. Every day, their dedication, passion, and plain old hard work drive projects shaping our world. Their work is outstanding, but that’s far from the whole story.
Meet Tara Siemens Kennedy, Senior Project Specialist and Environmental Toxicologist, Environment, from AtkinsRéalis ’s Burnaby office. She spends her spare time enjoying the great outdoors with her two kids, and her work time making sure our environment is protected.
What are you working on right now?
I have about 15 projects on the go. In environmental jobs, the work is quite varied—everything from risk assessments for contaminated petroleum handling facilities to developing guidance documents for regulatory agencies.
How long have you been with AtkinsRéalis ?
Just over eight years.
Why did you choose environmental consulting?
I went to college right after graduating high school. Since I was super interested in chemistry, I did my bachelor’s degree in that. When I finished that degree, I felt a bit lost. I knew lab work wasn’t for me, so I began working for a mining reclamation company. The job was seasonal, but when it wrapped up, I started looking for similar opportunities. Sometimes life just happens, and you make decisions along the way. Environmental consulting is where I landed, and I really do enjoy my work.
What do you love about your work?
I work with wonderful people. And the work is challenging, it’s interesting, I’m always learning something new, and I do feel I’m making a positive contribution to our environment. One of the projects we recently completed was for Fisheries and Oceans Canada. We developed guidance, which didn’t exist before now, for monitoring and impact assessment following a marine oil spill. Of course, the conservation and preservation of our oceans is hugely important, so this project definitely made me feel that I’m making a positive contribution. It was challenging, and we learned a lot through the process, and we put together a great document. In a nutshell, this project was everything I love about my job.
What do you do in your free time?
I am a mom of two awesome kids, aged 10 and 13. They’re fantastic and I wouldn’t change them for the world. We just got a new puppy—he’s a Whoodle (a Wheaten Terrier/Poodle cross)—so we spend lots of time hiking in the forest near our house with our new puppy.
I also teach an environmental risk assessment course for a master’s program at Simon Fraser University. Mentoring and teaching other people is something I love doing. And when I have 'me time', I head to yoga.
What energizes you and brings you excitement?
Being in the outdoors! I really love mountain biking. I have taken it up again recently because my son is super keen. I love the adrenaline rush, being outside, and hanging out with my kids doing something we love together. We live near Burnaby Mountain, so we often go after school.
What is the best advice you’ve ever been given?
Trust your gut! It took me a long time to figure this out, but I live by it now.
What’s the most interesting thing you’ve watched this week?
I watched an episode of a new Netflix show the other night called Diagnosis. It’s based on a New York Times columnist (she is a doctor) who looks at rare ailments/medical mysteries and crowdsources a diagnosis. It was super interesting and had me wondering if this is the future of medicine. Talk about getting a second opinion!
People often refer to risk assessors as conservative. True?
We’re not as conservative as people think we are. But our work must be scientifically defensible—that’s our goal when doing a risk assessment—so yes, sometimes we might seem conservative.
Tara in 5 takes:
Food: Pizza
Song: I love the classics.
Place: The Sunshine Coast. It’s a beautiful part of our province and I love spending time there.
A structure: Eiffel Tower. My first trip outside Canada was to Paris.
Love: My kids
Tara presented “Guidance on Monitoring and Impact Assessment Following a Marine Oil Spill” at the 2019 Canadian Ecotoxicity Workshop in Quebec City. If you haven’t already, check out the video for more about the road Tara took to AtkinsRéalis , what she loves about her current role, and where she sees toxicology and risk assessment heading in the future.
Find a career with AtkinsRéalis
If Tara's story has inspired you to find a job in environmental management, then explore our environment and geoscience jobs.
Interested? Find out more about life at AtkinsRéalis
Sign up to receive the latest content tailored to your interests
Our articles
Preview
IndiaContent type
BlogsPublish date
04/23/2024
Summary
As Mumbai continues to evolve and expand, the demand for sustainable infrastructure and cutting-edge technology has never been more pressing. At the forefront of this transformative journey is Atk
Preview
EuropeContent type
BlogsPublish date
04/22/2024
Summary
Hi there! I'm Paul, a civil engineer with over 25 years of experience specializing in networks and drainage engineering. My role at AtkinsRéalis spans managing projects, directing major initia
by
Shailaja Mantha
Preview
EuropeContent type
BlogsPublish date
04/22/2024
Summary
Meet Paul, a talented civil engineer in water management whose career journey is as inspiring as impressive. Starting at AtkinsRéalis, fresh out of university in 1997, Paul quickly distinguish
by
Shailaja Mantha
Preview
Middle EastContent type
BlogsPublish date
04/18/2024
Summary
In the vast expanse of the Saudi Arabian landscape, you’ll find a beacon of innovation, a vision for a better, greener tomorrow. NEOM sits in the heart of the Tabuk province and isn’t just anothe
Preview
AsiaContent type
BlogsPublish date
04/18/2024
Summary
As a global metropolis, Hong Kong has long been a fantastic place to be a civil engineer. With world-class infrastructure all around, effective civil engineers have many opportunities to be a
Preview
AustraliaContent type
BlogsPublish date
04/18/2024
Summary
In January 2024, Srijana embarked on a new chapter in her engineering career, joining AtkinsRealis as a Chartered Structural Engineer. With six years of experience on a wide variety of projects, Sr
Preview
Middle EastContent type
BlogsPublish date
04/16/2024
Summary
In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), you’ll find an awe-inspiring and profoundly transformative endeavor that encapsulates innovation, sustainability, and the unparalleled proficiency of AtkinsRéa
Preview
EuropeContent type
BlogsPublish date
04/11/2024
Summary
Hello, I'm Ben, Mechanical Team Lead in the Decommissioning & Waste Services team. My journey at AtkinsRéalis, from a graduate to a team lead, has been inspired by my belief that we can "engin
by
Shailaja Mantha
Preview
EuropeContent type
BlogsPublish date
04/04/2024
Summary
Welcome to the dynamic world of nuclear engineering – where innovation meets sustainability. We unveil the pathway to landing a nuclear engineering job, even without prior experience in the nuclea
Preview
Middle EastContent type
ProjectsPublish date
04/04/2024
Summary
The AtkinsRéalis team, in a commendable collaboration with the site team, United Engineering Construction (UNEC), and its subcontractors, has exhibited exceptional dedication and expertise, making
Preview
Middle EastContent type
BlogsPublish date
04/04/2024
Summary
In the world of construction and development, where innovation meets hard work under the towering silhouettes of our projects, the role of women has been historically underrepresented. However, the
Preview
CanadaContent type
BlogsPublish date
04/03/2024
Summary
In any career, it’s easy to get tunnel-vision and apply more weight to the development of technical skills. What many fail to recognize is the importance of fostering your soft skills; that is,
AtkinsRéalis
Equality, diversity and inclusion
We’re devoted to growing the diversity of our people, promoting an inclusive culture, providing everyone with an equal voice because simply put, it’s the right thing to do. Click to learn more.
Find out more