The Present
Scientist and Mother
Terrie Finston
Sally Male
Terrie Finston is a postdoctoral research fellow investigating population genetics of aquatic invertebrates in the School of Animal Biology at The University of Western Australia. Terrie has a Bachelor of Science from Oakland University, Michigan, USA and a Masters from Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada. She came to UWA in 1997 to undertake a PhD in population genetics of salt lake crustaceans. Her current project studies population genetics of aquifer crustaceans in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.
Terrie has a husband named Richard, and two children, Henry, now 8 and Sarena, 9 years old. How did she complete a PhD with two young children and how does she work now, with two children at primary school? Richard had worked as an engineer for ten years.
Terrie had greatly enjoyed her research and been highly successful. Richard changed careers in order to have hours better suited to family life and qualified as a schoolteacher. Since coming to Australia, Terrie has been the primary earner and Richard has been the primary carer of the children. I met Terrie and her family through my children’s school. Richard is the parent who meets his children after school, helps with activities at school and comes to class morning teas where he is the only man amongst the mothers. Naturally, he does a great job and, as far as I can see, he enjoys it. Being at the university nearby, Terrie is able to come to special events such as swimming carnivals and assemblies and is often seen cycling to school with the children. Terrie is grateful to her colleagues for their understanding of the need for flexibility, when a child is very ill for example.
While Terrie was a PhD student, the family’s primary income came from her International Postgraduate Research Scholarship and a scholarship from Canada. Now it continues to come from her research. Richard has tutored in the evenings, after Terrie comes home from the university, and he has done small amounts of teaching. He has taught, voluntarily and paid, in the Princess Margaret Hospital for children school program, which has shorter hours than other schools, and he has taken other jobs that accommodate his family responsibilities.
Terrie is in her third year of her current research. Continuity of the project has been uncertain due to its dependence on research funding. Initial support was through two one-year contracts, but she has recently received an ARC linkage grant with external support coming from three mining companies. Terrie had a short-term contract and visiting academic status while waiting for confirmation of her current contract. She had to obtain several short–term visas in order to stay in Australia but is currently awaiting decision on a permanent residency visa. It is hard for the family living far away from their relatives. They have been lucky to have visits from the children’s grandparents and have made it home to visit relatives at least every two years.
For Terrie’s PhD she was required to make field trips to Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania. These were great experiences for the whole family because Richard and the children went along and assisted Terrie by setting up shelter and helping with equipment. She needed to make field trips to the Pilbara in the early stages of her current work, in order to familiarise herself with the geography. Now she undertakes most of her research at The University and utilises an environmental consulting firm for the collection of samples.
There can be no doubt that Terrie and Richard are tremendously committed to both Terrie’s research and their children.