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Environment
Articles
Ecological
Treasurehunt
William Lo
ECOLOGY is the study of organisms and their environments. Just imagine the pre-historic age. There was a vast difference in our ecosystems and the environment back then. Could we cope with a Tyrannosaurus-rex in our environment today? With that in mind, ecology is important as it studies the impact and the interactions that occur between the external environment and the organism.
From our own staff at the University of New South Wales, Dr. Susan Sweller describes her career work of ecology as “mining for gold”. Imagine the gold diggers in 1840s searching for riches in their lives. Well for Susan, she has quite a similar motivation and inspiration.
“It is always exciting, and I don’t know what I’m going to find next... You get to act like a little kid and go to the bush, and that’s called work.”
In 1970, Susan graduated with the Bachelor of Science (Botany) from Sydney University. After a degree in teaching, she began to teach biology in high school. She obtained a job at UNSW in mid-1975, but stopped for six years to raise a family. Susan returned in 1997, and she completed a Masters degree in Science (MSc) in 2001 in the school of Biological Sciences, specialising in Palynology. She did not submit her thesis for a PhD degree instead of a masters degree because neither she nor her supervisor realised that her masters thesis would result in a piece of work suitable for a PhD until it was too late to upgrade.
A day in the field of ecology is generally varied. It may range from being stuck on a computer and simply typing up analysis, sorting it out and polishing it for a meaningful result, to actually going out in field collecting samples and data.
Field research however, is vastly more interesting. An exquisite day in the field includes visiting a swamp and then setting up the equipment needed. For Susan’s current research, a professional was hired to dig several metres into the ground to gather newly-formed “fossils”, grains of pollen that date back a few decades. The aim of her research is to compare the pollen from these fossils of the recent past to the modern pollen and look for changes.
During field trips, it may take days and weeks to collect the material, but it needs to be done regardless of the weather. So that means “if it is freezing cold, pouring rain, thunder crashing, you get soaked and continue with the research”.
The opportunity to experience things you would never get to experience, meet new people, study animals and plants close up and visit really lively and beautiful places are bonuses of such trips. Also, if you love travelling, ecology is the field you would want!
Susan today, however, has been occupied with education within the university. Being a demonstrator for an ecology laboratory class requires a large amount of preparation and reading. Susan read in depth the details of the laboratory work and material so that she knew exactly what the students have to do and how to do it. Her morning was filled with questions and an update on the progress of her students via e-mail. Laboratory also involves marking tutorial tests from the day and calibrating the results.
Her experience as a teacher is immensely enjoyed. Susan not only is a tutor at universities; she has taught in many different high schools and is an online tutor. Her comment that “teaching can be stressful, but rewarding” implies her satisfaction with enlightening students about the field that she is so dedicated to.
Susan’s passion for ecology has not changed since she has chosen this career. The positives that she gained were not only helpful to her relevant field but can be applied to everyday living. Being a teacher made her realise the essence of presentations and how a student would “like to see a presentation” rather than her preferred way of doing it.
Susan loves her work, she loves talking about it and believes it is very important to the community. When her research is used at other presentations, she feels special as she thinks, “I did that, I was the one who did that”, and she gains a sense of happiness from the achievement.
Overall,
Susan has never regretted the choice of become an ecologist. The career
suits her, as she gets to spend time with her family and have a relaxing
life outside work. The rewards that Susan gains have outweighed all costs,
and she loves all the experiences she has had. Finally, she believes that
she has contributed to the society of science, having creatied “an
impact on the science community.”
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