When she’s not encouraging the next generation of ecologists, University of New England (UNE) conservation biologist Dr Deborah Bower spends her days investigating what can be done to ensure our precious wildlife and waterways live on for generations to come.
Her extensive research and outreach work in this space has not gone unnoticed, with the Australian Institute of Policy and Science (AIPS) announcing this week that Dr Bower is the 2022 recipient of the NSW Young Tall Poppy Science Award – an accolade recognising Australia’s rising stars of science.
“It’s exciting to represent rural and LGBTQIA+ scientists as a NSW Young Tall Poppy awardee and to create awareness about the importance of freshwater turtles and their need for conservation,” she says of the award.
This is the second year in a row that a UNE researcher has won the prestigious accolade, after geologist Dr Marissa Betts was named as a recipient in 2021.
From leading UNE’s Laboratory of Applied Zoology and Ecological Restoration (LAZER), to promoting citizen science projects, to translating ecological principles into stories for children; it comes as no surprise that Dr Bower was this year’s choice.
“Rivers and wetlands are among the most important and yet heavily impacted places on Earth,” says Dr Bower.
“Through my work with LAZER, we focus our research on the management of these freshwater systems to improve habitat for plants and animals.
“For example, the Turtles Forever Project through Local Land Services is working to protect baby turtles from invasive species like foxes, which have caused declines in turtle populations. Recently, we’ve been working with the Department of Environment and Planning to understand the impacts of drought and floods on turtle movement, as well as understanding how to help threatened frogs recover from bush fire and disease with the Australian Government’s Wildlife and Habitat Bushfire Recovery program.
“I’m also part of the One Million Turtle team that is using citizen science to help people survey and protect their turtles locally.”
It’s so important that science is shared with our broader community, especially when there are so many chances for people to get involved as citizen scientists.
A long-time activist for diversity in STEM, Dr Bower says receiving this award will not only allow her to uplift the profile of conservation in freshwater systems, but it will also show her students that they too can achieve big things, no matter where they live or what their gender may be.
“I think it’s great for students to see diverse role models,” she says.
“I’m currently teaching Zoology in Practice with Professor Karl Vernes from the School of Environmental and Rural Science. This is a new unit that aims to create a community of passionate and informed zoologists, and it’s fantastic to spend time each week with students that are developing their zoological identities and discovering the excitement that comes with making your own natural history observations. For these students to see their lecturers receiving recognition for their passion is really positive.”
With her new platform, Dr Bower hopes to continue expanding her outreach programs while opening the doors of science to everyday citizens.
“It’s so important that science is shared with our broader community, especially when there are so many chances for people to get involved as citizen scientists,” she says.
“My other goal at the moment is launching a program called DiverSCIfy. My vision with this is to support scientists from developing countries to publish their research in quality peer-reviewed journals.”
Dr Bower will receive her award at an official ceremony in Sydney later this year.
To keep up to date with Dr Bower’s work, you can view LAZER’s Instagram page here.
