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60 seconds with … Wendy Wright

8 July 2009

Wendy Wright
 

Name: Wendy Wright
Org. Unit: Faculty of Science / Gippsland campus
Title: Senior Lecturer, Biological and Environmental Sciences
Dept: School of Applied Sciences and Engineering

How long have you been with Monash University?

Since 1994!

Prior to working at Monash, where were you located and what was your role?

I was a researcher with ABC TV's natural history unit. If a producer wanted to show thousands of bats streaming out of a cave, or a young kangaroo in the snow, I would be asked to recommend suitable locations, which was not always easy!

What challenges are ahead in your current role?

My teaching and research both explore the ways in which we use and conserve natural resources, especially biodiversity. As an ecologist, I can see that our society is struggling to understand and to live within the ecological limits of the systems that we are a part of, and on which we depend. Making meaningful contributions that redirect our thinking and practice is a big challenge.

What is it about your job that holds your interest or is particularly satisfying?

Working with undergraduate and postgraduate students. It's great to be around enthusiastic, energetic, smart people -- to see how they contribute to our understanding of the natural world and to be a part of their growth and development as scientists.

What is your favourite place in the world and why?

There are lots of really lovely places that I've been to, and some that I haven't got to yet. The Galapagos Islands are very special. I spent some time backpacking there a couple of years ago (much better than an organised cruise). The Southern Ocean can be wonderful, and terrible. The whole planet is pretty special really, which is why it is worth us taking some serious steps to look after it. The best place to be is somewhere safe, with good friends and/or family.

What is the best piece of advice you have received?

"Clip on whenever you go out of the cockpit". This is to do with ocean racing. Our skipper made it clear that going over the side was not an option by showing us how hard it was to keep a cabbage (that he'd thrown overboard) in sight while we turned the boat around to see if we could pick it up during a 'man overboard' drill. The cabbage (it was a large one) was about the size of a crew member's head. We managed the drill successfully, but it wasn't easy, and we were in sheltered waters on a fine day. The skipper said, "Treat the side of this boat like a 10-storey building. If you go over the edge, chances are you're dead". We all got the message!

What is something about yourself that most of your colleagues wouldn't know?

That I've spent time fishing cabbages out of Sydney Harbour! I've crewed on four Sydney to Hobart races and twice sailed from Tasmania to New Zealand. One of the trips to New Zealand was a double-handed trip with my dad, just the two of us on his 28 foot sloop . We went backwards for two days in 70 knot headwinds. The whole trip took 19 days.

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