A group of learners from Redhill School took advantage of an opportunity to get field experience during the inaugural Women in Science course.
The seven learners visited the Kruger National Park to gain real world experience where they conducted small mammal and insect biodiversity surveys to investigate the effect rhinos have on these populations.
The course was arranged by the Nsasani Trust, which focuses on providing educational programmes focusing on biodiversity management and conservation for future leaders.
Georgina Agar, one of the learners who took part in the trip, explained that she did job shadowing with the Nsasani Trust in December. Laurence Kruger, who works with the trust suggested a field experience programme for other young girls who might be interested. Kruger and his wife Alison Bijl spent the week with the girls sharing their knowledge.
Other girls from Redhill who participated in the course were Georgina Rattey , Gabriela Carzola, Simphiwe Mzulwini and Abigail Davies.
“Both of them were so accommodating and I think everyone was inspired by their wisdom, leadership and philosophies,” said Agar.
She added that doing field work in the Kruger National Park was a unique experience and helped many girls discover which career path they would like to follow. She added that there is a lack of women in the field and the course gives girls real-life exposure to the field in order to give them a better idea if it’s a career they would like to pursue.
For many of the girls, it helped push them outside of their comfort zone and experience many different things. For example, handling a small rodent might have been quite uncomfortable for some of the girls but the experience helped them become more comfortable.
“It was all brand new information as we don’t get field work exposure while at school. It pushed us out of our comfort zones,” said Agar.
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