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Famous five return for "untamed" talks

July 07, 2004

Five University of New England PhD graduates who now hold influential positions in wildlife conservation returned to UNE last week to inspire current postgraduate students in the School of Environmental Sciences andNatural Resources Management.
postgrad.jpgIn a three-day postgraduate conference titled “Untamed”, the students discussed their research projects and the visitors gave them the benefit of their experience in finding employment and “making a difference” to the environment.
The five graduates were: Dr Mike Maher (Wetlands and Rivers Conservation Officer, NSW Department of Environment and Conservation), Dr Ray Nias
(Conservation Director, World Wildlife Fund Australia), Dr Gordon Guymer (Director, Queensland Herbarium), Dr Helen Fairweather (Water Use Efficiency
Advisory Unit, Department of Agriculture, Dubbo), and Dr Mansour Edraki
(Centre for Mined Land Rehabilitation, University of Queensland).

They advised the students (among other things) to develop an understanding of “the big picture” in conservation issues, and develop global skills, while pursuing their individual, specialised studies.
Dr Maher, who completed his PhD in Ecosystem Management at UNE in 1990, was
already a UNE graduate (Bachelor of Natural Resources). He said UNE’s Bachelor of Natural Resources degree program was “still the best preparation I’ve come across for employment in natural resource management”. Other fields of PhD study pursued by the visitors included Botany and Zoology.
The “Untamed” conference was organised by PhD student Sarah Mika. The Head
of the School of Environmental Sciences and Natural resources Management,
Professor Hugh Ford, said the conference had enabled the students to broaden
their perspective both on conservation issues and on the world of work they
would soon be entering.

Posted by Lydia Roberts at July 7, 2004 10:11 AM