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Our Super Achiever

Carolyn's Honours research focused on investigating the effect of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) on the European honey bee. To achieve this she developed a cage system to house small bee colonies (pictured). This world first cage system can be used for effect studies on entire bee colonies instead of traditional research on individual bees, thereby allowing greater understanding of the long term impact of environmental contaminants.

Carolyn is currently working on publishing papers on her cage system, the PFOS effect study and a study regarding the uptake of environmental PFOS in honey bees in the Williamtown, NSW area. In March 2019, Carolyn will commence her PhD during which she will further investigate the impact of PFOS on honey bees and also research the effect of glyphosate on honey bees.

The University of New England respects and acknowledges that its people, courses and facilities are built on land, and surrounded by a sense of belonging, both ancient and contemporary, of the world's oldest living culture. In doing so, UNE values and respects Indigenous knowledge systems as a vital part of the knowledge capital of Australia. We recognise the strength, resilience and capacity of the Aboriginal community and pay our respects to the Elders past, present and future.