Question: What is the most interesting place the you have had to go to to investigate something?

I’ve done research in places that I would consider interesting, but they aren’t at all glamorous. I used to work at a water treatment plant in Melbourne. This is a place where half of Melbourne’s sewerage goes to be treated, so I would often refer to it as the ‘poo farm’ – see, not at all glamorous.

The reason it was interesting was because the site was also a RAMSAR wetland. This is an internationally recognised site of importance for migratory birds and endangered species such as the Orange Bellied Parrot. Bird enthusiasts from all over the world would visit the plant just to get a glimpse of the special birds that lived there. So, despite the smell, it was a really interesting place for bird watching.

I’ve also helped with research on frogs, so I’ve spent many nights up to my knees in creeks around Melbourne, trying to record frog calls. We would have to go at night because of the calling patterns of the frogs and the fact that there is less traffic noise at night. The interesting part came when we would bump into someone in the dark with our nerdy headlamps on… the other person was usually puzzled as to why we were sloshing around in a muddy creek in the dark with recording equipment. We definitely looked like weirdos!

That’s science for you! Experiences that aren’t always glamorous, but they are certainly interesting!