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Wilderness Times | Winter 2018
GETTING TO KNOW THE
SCIENCE & GEOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT
SIMONE BURZACOTT-GORMAN HEAD OF SCIENCE & GEOGRAPHY TEACHER OF MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE & SENIOR SCHOOL BIOLOGY When did you commence your teaching at Wilderness? I began teaching at Wilderness in 2013. What is your education background and what was it that drew you to study and ultimately teach Science? I completed an undergraduate degree with a double major in Biological Science and Environmental Studies at Uni SA. Following the completion of my undergraduate degree, I applied to attend ‘The Mawson Graduate School of Environmental Studies’, Uni of Adelaide where I completed a Graduate Diploma in Environmental Studies, which I later surrendered to undertake a Masters by Research in marine toxicology. My Masters dissertation sought to shed light on the bio accumulative potential of polychlorinated biphenyls in the local dolphin population Tursiops truncatus (Bottle-nosed dolphins) and environs. While working in marine science, I worked aboard the tall ship, AK Falie, providing marine interpretative talks to school students. My role aboard Falie lit a flame in me. I chose to move away from field biology to pursue teaching, as I felt my voice would meet a more important audience inside classrooms. I
often wonder how to ignite imagination that will encourage girls to fall in love with learning and poignantly believe that the single most important charge of our profession, is to keep the light on in as many students for as long as possible. In your opinion, in what way does science impact the lives of young women and what is its importance in today’s society? At Wilderness we make no apology for looking at girls’ education through a feminist lens. We believe that for girls it is important that they can ‘imagine themselves in the narrative of a scientist or geographer’. If we can introduce girls to the stories of women in science and geography as early as possible, and provide strong role models for them, then we can help them to imagine themselves in these fields in their future. It’s about providing the critical ingredient to see a paradigm shift, from a paucity of women in science and geography to one where women will routinely hold positive and empowering positions.
Biology, Geography and Science for that matter is about life, so we are fortunate that we are invested in a subject matter that all people can connect with. For me personally, it is important that we help our girls to fall in love with these subjects, because if we can do that, they will take the baton from us and forge into the future, inspiring girls for generations to come. I believe I am a role model for our girls, particularly those wishing to pursue the sciences, having worked in the field, in both Australia and abroad. I routinely share tacit links with girls from NGOs, Government and Universities through projects I have been a part of including, field biology; mapping barchan dunes in the Strzelecki desert; taxidermy at the South Australian Museum and most recently hydrographic mapping of the ocean floor with CSIRO aboard RV Investigator. These shared stories help to bind us together, investing in the girls what it means to be a scientist. What is your vision for Middle School Science and STEM at Wilderness and what do you hope the girls will take away with them when they leave? I aim to infect girls with a love of Science and Geography and to understand that the intersection of Science, Technology and a rapidly changing globally connected world is a fun place to play. But how do you measure success? I believe we are successful every time a girl reflects on her time at school and says ‘remember in Science when…’ To leave a lasting impression on her life that is cherished and shared is just as important to me as the vast number of girls that leave Wilderness school in pursuit of Science and Geography at a tertiary level.