Delivering Science Without
'boffin speak'
Andrea Johnson
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Coordinator, Centralian Land Management Association, Alice Springs, Northern Territory
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Andrea’s advice to other young women interested in natural resource management is ‘Don’t worry too much about the books and references – get out and talk to the people on the ground, and whatever it is you are interested in….see, do and try it!’
I became interested in the natural sciences as a kid growing up on a mixed farming property in South Australia. During High School, I became more interested in and involved with looking after the plants and animals on our farm, and then went on to complete a Bachelor of Applied Science in Natural Resource Management with the University of Adelaide.The day after my last exam I got up early to enjoy my first ever plane flight, and jetted off to the Top End ending up in Katherine 13 hours later. I worked in the beautiful Gregory National Park for 6 months doing flora and fauna surveys, and establishing fire monitoring plots. This led to a 3-year contract with the Department of Primary Industries, Northern Territory Bushfires Council and Tropical Savannas CRC studying fire ecology and ground-truthing satellite imagery. I spent a large majority of my project in the field, and was often lucky enough to catch dinner…..a barramundi cooked in the coals and wrapped in paper bark, YUM!!!
Despite working through the build-up, being carried away by mozzies in the evenings and getting bogged (more times than I care to remember), my times out bush were a great introduction to life in the Northern Territory. After finishing my contract in Katherine, I worked with Australian Volunteers International in the Solomon Islands. I was mostly involved with developing agricultural- and environmental-related curriculum at a rural training centre, focussing on vocational training for young men. I was also involved with numerous projects on the island, including a large farming demonstration incorporating permaculture, and traditional and conventional methods of agriculture, to provide food and a small income for the community. Currently, my main interest in science is extension. I believe an important and often-overlooked component of science is the delivery of results and findings, without the ‘boffin-speak’.
One of the things I most enjoy about my job with the CLMA is to help real people with real issues on the ground. This often requires incorporating local knowledge, experience and science. In the case of natural resource management in arid Australia, translating science into a language that land managers are able to understand is vital.
