We
of WISENet Wollongong are very proud to congratulate Dr Kirsten Benkendorff,
a PhD graduate of the Biological Sciences Department here at the University
of Wollongong, who won the Science and Technology category of the recent Young
Australian of the Year awards.
Kirsten’s PhD studies involved an interdisciplinary project between biology and chemistry, in which she used her expertise in organic chemistry to further her goals in biodiversity conservation. Her research into intertidal molluscs of the Illawarra coast uncovered a powerful antibiotic. She also discovered 154 mollusc species, more than triple the number previously recorded in the Illawarra/South Coast regions. Kirsten, 26, has now been offered a postgraduate fellowship by the University to continue her research.
An amazing effort from a remarkable young scientist! In the article below, Kirsten gives a personal account of her journey.
I consider myself incredibly fortunate to have been born into a family that values education and a society that accepts the equal ability of men and women in science. Throughout my life I have been encouraged, respected and given complete freedom to think. That my thoughts have been valued is reflected in the recent opportunity I have been given to continue researching my own ideas, despite my young age. Through this research I hope that I can give something back, to both the society that has supported me, and to the natural environment that has inspired me.
A career in science seemed like the natural choice for me. I have a deep passion for nature and a fascination with all aspects of life on Earth. As an undergraduate, I majored in biology, despite finding myself relatively good at math and chemistry. I couldn’t find the passion for these more abstract sciences and felt the need to ground my studies in things that I could see around me, things that inspired me, like the great diversity of creatures that have survived millions of year of evolution. Romantically, I though I would become a naturalist and through detailed observations, increase our understanding of a suite of obscure and under-appreciated organisms. But I soon learnt that science has progressed well beyond the heyday of the naturalist. A useful contribution to scientific knowledge would now require the formulation of sound hypotheses to be tested by rigorous experimentation. I was somewhat dismayed at the thought of tedious laboratory work, until I realised that a great deal of creativity underlies the scientific process. A research career in biology would therefore allow me to put my creative and analytical mind to use, as well as enabling me to study those things that most fascinate me about life on Earth, that is, the adaptations of other species.
My research has been driven by a strong desire to make a difference to the way we view and interact with the natural environment. I believe that knowledge for the sake of knowledge alone is not enough. This stems partially from an experience I had as a young girl. I recall watching ants for hours on end, enthralled by their interactions and diligent dedication to their duties. One day, driven by curiosity, I dug up an ant nest in an attempt to uncover their secret lives. Later I felt ashamed of my complete lack of respect and thoughtless destruction. However, I have since learnt that it is sometimes necessary to interfere with nature in order to better understand it. Some activities can be justified "in the name of science" but only if they contribute to the "greater good", rather than simply satisfying the curiosity of a researcher. I have also found that it is possible for scientists to conduct research in an environmentally sustainable manner, if they are aware of the potential impacts they could have on the environment and ensure that these impacts are minimised.
It has probably become abundantly clear that I am a conservationist, as well as a scientist. Therefore, finding research projects that would use my skills, as well as providing moral satisfaction, presented something of a challenge. However, during my Honours year at Macquarie University I was fortunate to have several inspiring mentors. First and foremost was Prof. Andrew Beattie, whose ideas on biodiversity and bioresources appealed to me, both logically and philosophically. His argument was that the deductive powers of evolutionary biology could be used to identify new bioresources and that the provision of novel bioresources could be used as an incentive for the conservation of biodiversity. I was also fortunate to have the support of Dr Peter Karuso, an organic chemist who was willing to supervise a biology student. Fortuitously, I found myself studying ants again, but this time using modern analytical tools to examine their antimicrobial properties. Like humans, ants live in high density societies and this, coupled with their close genetic relatedness, appears to increase their susceptibility to infectious disease. Not surprisingly then, my first research endeavour was successful. I recorded antimicrobial activity in six species of Australian ants and confirmed the value of taking a "biorational" approach to drug discovery.
My next Honours project involved characterising the slime gland secretion of an Onychophoran (velvet worm). The secretion is used to entrap prey and my aim was to shed some light on what was responsible for some of its remarkable physical properties, such as stickiness, tensile strength and elasticity. I was able to describe the basic components of this unusual composite material, although further research will be necessary for a more complete understanding of the way it works. Nevertheless, I did learn an outstanding array of analytical techniques during this project and was privileged to work with an enthusiastic natural historian, Dr Noel Tait, who has devoted his life’s research to these remarkable "living fossils". Ultimately, my Honours projects taught me the value of interdisciplinary research and collaboration. At the end of my degree I found myself in the relatively uncommon position of being able to apply the tools of organic chemistry to answer biological questions.
After Honours, I was awarded a Summer Scholarship to undertake research at the University of Wollongong, where I had my first real introduction to marine organisms. The coastline around Wollongong is spectacular and going down onto the reefs at low tide was like entering a whole new world. This was the world of my greatest hero, Rachel Carson, and the reason for her intense passion become abundantly clear. It was not long before I became completely captivated and I decided to stay for my PhD. I was inspired by the enthusiasm of my supervisor, Dr. Andy Davis, and intrigued by his interest in marine chemical ecology. He suggested that the egg masses of marine molluscs were likely to be chemically defended against predators and after seeing my first bright yellow, gelatinous egg ribbon, I was convinced. From a bioresource perspective, I was particularly keen to search for potential antibiotics and hypothesised that these vulnerable and nutritious, yet important reproductive structures were potentially a source of interesting chemicals. Once again, I was fortunate to find a knowledgeable organic chemist, Prof. John Bremner, who was willing to co-supervise my project.
Before I could start screening molluscan egg masses for biological activity, I had to know what species occurred along the Illawarra coast of NSW, and if they were abundant enough to collect. Without even planning it, I ended up with the most comprehensive record of intertidal molluscan fauna in the Wollongong Region. I located important breeding sites and a hotspot of biodiversity, as well as gaining valuable experience in the assessment of intertidal species richness. I also managed to confirm that molluscan egg masses do provide a novel source of bioactive compounds with 32 out of 39 species testing positive for antimicrobial activity. However, the highlight of my PhD research would have to be the isolation and characterisation of a potent antibiotic that is now being synthesised as a useful drug lead.
For me, the conservation implications of my research were just as important as the discovery of a novel antibiotic. At last I could go forth and hail the virtues of marine biodiversity. Molluscs (slugs and snails) are often regarded with distaste, as pests and carriers of disease. I was now able to point out that these remarkable organisms could hold the key to problems such as multi-drug resistant bacteria. I actively sought media attention and initiated a suite of corny headlines, such as "Whelk yields new superdrug" and "Dye hard, in which our hero is a sea snail who saves mankind". My experience with the media has been much the same as that of most scientists, that it is time consuming and at times embarrassing due to inaccurate reporting and misquoting. However, there is no doubt that it has been worthwhile. I found that reporters were generally keen to push the conservation issues and overall I think I have had a positive influence on the general public’s perception of marine biodiversity.
It is incredibly important for scientists to communicate the implications of their research to the general public and I encourage all young scientists to do so. An enlightened public could help increase the funding support for research and, as I have discovered, public attention can have unexpected spin-offs. Since the recent media attention surrounding myself and my research, I have been contacted by many genuinely interested members of the public. I have been offered a substantial research grant from one philanthropist and several others have expressed investment interest and/or provided me with useful new information, such as obscure references and unpublished methods for spawning molluscs in tanks. Without the media attention, I also doubt that I would now have a postdoctoral research fellowship.
I would like to stress again that I have been incredibly fortunate. Overall, there are few opportunities for scientists to continue researching their own ideas straight after graduating with a PhD in Australia and, consequently, fellowships are incredibly competitive. I was somewhat stubborn about wanting to stay in Australia, for reasons that are both personal and related to my research interests. Primarily, I didn’t want to waste my hard-earned knowledge of molluscs along the Illawarra Coast and I am certain that I have only just begun to scratch the surface in terms of their bioresource potential. I am just as keen as anyone to gain experience in research labs overseas but I don’t think it needs to be in large 1-3 year blocks. Nevertheless, I could have gone overseas and would have if I wasn’t offered such a fantastic opportunity from the University of Wollongong. But I can’t help thinking about the other PhD graduates who aren’t so lucky and who can’t leave because of family commitments or other personal reasons. Sometimes it feels like we aren’t supposed to have a life outside science. In reality, the quality of the work produced is likely to be much greater when researchers are happy and comfortable in their surroundings. I chose a career in science because I love it, not because I thought it would land me a good, secure job. I did assume that if I could produce high quality research and prove my dedication to science during my studentship, there would at least be something worth applying for when I finished. If we want to continue producing top quality research in Australia we must provide encouragement and opportunities for young scientists to pursue their areas of passion.