Trudy Costa
Invertebrate
Taxonomist [organisation: Victoria Museum]
What is your job title?
PhD Student
What do you study and why is it important?
I study community ecology in intertidal rocky reef systems. I am
looking at different ways to detect human disturbances to these
systems, such as pollution,
What will you be doing on the voyage?
Using the skills I have developed during my PhD studies to help
identify/sort the animals we collect. So in short doing invertebrate
taxonomy!
Where were you educated?
I did my undergraduate degree and honours at the University of
Wollongong in New South Wales, and I’m doing my PhD at
Melbourne University but working from Melbourne Museum.
How did you become interested in the ocean?
I grew up close to the beach and spent a lot of time pottering
around rock platforms. I also did a marine sciences subject at
school which was really interesting and got me hooked.
Do you get seasick? And if so, any tips on how not to?
Not usually, but I’ve never been on ship in the middle of
the Southern Ocean before so I’m hoping I wont.
What do you enjoy about your work?
Being able to study a diversity of amazing animals, observing their
behaviour and figuring out how they interact together as part
of an ecosystem, learning new skills, being able to work outdoors
so often, working with other marine scientists, doing so many
different things etc!
What are some of the challenges you face?
Some of the things I have found challenging during my PhD are
figuring out the best way to test a hypothesis and how best to
design an experiment that will work, having to accept sometimes
that there are limits to the things you can study in the intertidal
because there are things that aren’t logistically possible
(i.e. seine netting over an exposed rock platform at high tide!),
and having to co-ordinate work around low tides, calm conditions
and permits.
What have you learned/discovered? What do you hope to
learn?
I haven’t analysed all of my data yet so I can’t
really say what exactly my PhD will show but some of the other
things I have learned are to really think hard about the question
you want to answer and plan well before you start, and to not see
problems as hindrances but opportunities to be creative and find
a solution.
How do you spend your spare time?
Reading, listening to music, playing with my dog, bushwalking,
swimming, diving, drawing, and I have recently started sailing.
