FEATURE
2012 – 2016: Dr Luke Hedge I’d always done a lot of science communication, and I host a radio show in Sydney where I talk science for 1/2 an hour every week; but writing was something different altogether. It’s a lot of work! Over the course of my time as editor I decided that the old way of delivering the bulletin, a PDF in your inbox 4 times a year was slightly outdated. So I focussed on changing the format, and converting it into a more modern online magazine style. I have two big achievements that I take pride in: I was the editor of the historic 50 Year Jubilee edition, where we spent a lot of time investigating the history of AMSA, digging into the records and presenting old stories first published in the 60’s and 70’s. I remember flying down to Hobart to sift through 5 boxes of old AMSA documents, including the original constitution and record books from the first AMSA meeting! The second achievement was using numbers and analytics to actually quantify our engagement with the bulletin. Now we know which stories are popular, what you want read, and how you want to read it. By introducing some scientific rigor into the process, we can now measure how well AMSA is doing, and where we need to improve. After my Editor role, I remained with the AMSA national council, and now work as the Vice President. Being editor for many years allowed me to get a sense of how AMSA works and, more importantly, how we can improve. So I hope to bring that experience with me as we try and build on our 50 year history. Where am I now? Well, I took love of numbers and technology out of academia and into the world software. I currently apply my data skills as a Senior Data Scientist at Atlassian, where we work to release the potential in every team! Being involved in AMSA is truly a highlight and I encourage everyone to get involved with your local branch, or at the national level. It will teach you to manage, to be creative, and to lead. But, more importantly, it’s really fun!
2016 – ???: Sarah Marley I have been a member of AMSA since 2013, when I started my PhD at Curtin University and joined the local WA Branch as a student representative. I then took over the role of Bulletin Editor in the final year of my PhD. Whilst this might seem like madness, it was actually a great creative release – I thoroughly enjoy writing articles and designing the Bulletin layout! There are so many amazing Australian science stories out there, waiting to be told! Which gives me a great opportunity to speak to researchers across the country, either to write about their work or encourage them to contribute Bulletin articles. As Bulletin Editor (or to give it the official title, ‘AMSA Communications Officer’), I am also involved in Council activities as well as continuing my involvement with the WA Branch as Vice-Chair. This keeps me pretty busy, but as an early career researcher it also provides a lot of valuable experience, networks and information. When I first took the helm of Bulletin Editor, I was told that “all the previous Editors have gone on to great things” – something that definitely seems to be true looking at my predecessors! If the Bulletin is something you would like to be more involved in, be sure to get in touch at editor@amsa.asn.au
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SEPTEMBER 2017 AUSTRALIAN MARINE SCIENCES ASSOCIATION INC. www.amsa.asn.au