Woman on Fire: Insights from an Elemental Career

On November 29th, 2019 I was awarded the prestigious Ecological Society of Australia (ESA) Gold Medal for my substantial contribution to ecology in Australia. The title of the Plenary Address was ‘Woman on Fire: Insights from an Elemental Career‘.

The slides and text following the introductory image below were used in the award presentation at the ESA conference in Launceston, Tasmania. Some additional information is provided in this blog, as well as links to the programs and publications referred to in the presentation. The post is around 5000 words in length, so find a comfy chair, grab your favourite drink, relax and read on.

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What is Air? You may be surprised!

In my exploration of the elements (earth, air, fire, water and ether/spirit) I keep an eye out for relevant books in second-hand shops. I’m particularly interested in how the elements have been portrayed over time, so finding a book titled ‘What is Air?’ first published in 1960 was a great discovery. And it only cost $1! A real bargain.

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