Nobuhle Mweli DST-NRF Intern at the Grasslands-Forests-Wetlands Node (2016/17)

My passion for working with the environment was initially driven by the excitement of fieldtrips and getting dirty. As time went by, it grew to something bigger, understanding ecosystem functioning. I wanted to know about the WHATs, HOWs, and the WHYs of our changing environments. Having pursued an Environmental Science degree I realized that I was right where I needed to be. I further did my Honours in ecology (2015), and so keen on working on plant communities, I undertook a land use project in Cathedral Peak. For my project, I conducted a fence-line contrast looking at the impact of historical grazing on plant diversity. My project was supervised by Dr. M. Tedder (UKZN) and Prof. T. O’Connor (SAEON).

From January to March of this year I worked as a research assistant with a Grassland science PhD candidate Sindiso Chamane, at UKZN (PMB). My role was to assist in the field and also do a bit of data capturing. On all the sites we worked on we did species composition, and the experience gained was fulfilling, I’ve improved my species ID skills. Since my internship has started, with Sue as my mentor, I look forward to learning more about plant communities, the drivers of vegetation change, as I’ll be working on Catchment 3 in Cathedral Peak. In addition, I look forward to working with weather stations and finding a way forward with regards to the environmental problems we face. I’m also excited about the field experience I’ll gain, the exposure to environmental instruments, and conducting citizen science projects. Not forgetting working with great scientists and developing new skills as a young scientist.

My passion for working with the environment was initially driven by the excitement of fieldtrips and getting dirty. As time went by, it grew to something bigger, understanding ecosystem functioning. I wanted to know about the WHATs, HOWs, and the WHYs of our changing environments. Having pursued an Environmental Science degree I realized that I was right where I needed to be. I further did my Honours in ecology (2015), and so keen on working on plant communities, I undertook a land use project in Cathedral Peak. For my project, I conducted a fence-line contrast looking at the impact of historical grazing on plant diversity. My project was supervised by Dr. M. Tedder (UKZN) and Prof. T. O’Connor (SAEON).

From January to March of this year I worked as a research assistant with a Grassland science PhD candidate Sindiso Chamane, at UKZN (PMB). My role was to assist in the field and also do a bit of data capturing. On all the sites we worked on we did species composition, and the experience gained was fulfilling, I’ve improved my species ID skills. Since my internship has started, with Sue as my mentor, I look forward to learning more about plant communities, the drivers of vegetation change, as I’ll be working on Catchment 3 in Cathedral Peak. In addition, I look forward to working with weather stations and finding a way forward with regards to the environmental problems we face. I’m also excited about the field experience I’ll gain, the exposure to environmental instruments, and conducting citizen science projects. Not forgetting working with great scientists and developing new skills as a young scientist.