Waikato masters student joins Aussies on ice

Some of the best ideas are had in the tea room. University of Waikato masters student Josh Scarrow was having a bit of a chat with his colleagues over his morning cuppa in the Faculty of Science and Engineering’s Thermophile Unit when someone mentioned the Australians were looking for scientists to join their project on Antarctica’s Prince Charles Mountains.

Australian Antarctic Project

Scarrow, whose masters research is in microbial ecology didn’t take long to say “I’ll go”, and next month he’ll be heading off to the ice for five months to collect microbial samples.

The Australian project – a joint one with the University of Adelaide and South Australian Museum - is a replica of the Dry Valleys project that’s being led by the University of Waikato which Scarrow has some familiarity with.

He was in Antarctica last summer for a month working with Waikato University’s Dr Megan Balks from Earth and Ocean Sciences, but this next venture will run a lot longer.

“I saw this as a great opportunity to go to the ice again, be part of an international team and learn more about the Antarctic environment. It’s meant I’ve had to put my Masters studies on hold, but I think there are long-term gains to be made from this Australian opportunity.”

Tasmania to Prince Charles

Scarrow will be sailing to Antarctica from Tasmania, via Macquarie Island to drop off supplies, a trip that will take 12 days. When they’re not sleeping in tents at the survey sites, they’ll stay at two of the Australian Antarctic bases situated near the Prince Charles range in Eastern Antarctica. He’s not sure yet how he’ll be spending Christmas Day, “but probably collecting samples”.

The scientists divide the landscape up into blocks, known as tiles, and use traditional and cutting-edge scientific techniques to examine the biology from visible lichens, mosses and insects to hidden microbes. It’s the hidden microbes, the bacteria, that interest Scarrow most.

When he began studying science at Waikato, he never imagined that bacteria would become his focus. “Microbiology isn’t glamorous, but it is important – essential in the food chain – and its potential benefits in bioremediation, things like oil spills, are beginning to be understood. Globally, it’s a rapidly developing field and it’s great to be a part of it.”