Why I became interested in physics: Physics was my worst subject at school. I became interested in studying physics because it was a challenge and was something where I was constantly learning new things. I have continued to study physics because it continues to be a challenge and through my work I get unique opportunities to do interesting and exciting things in life.
What is my work like now? During 1996-7 I spent 14 months at Davis, Antarctica. The Davis atmospheric physics laboratory monitors the upper atmosphere. We measured winds and temperatures near 87 km and 200 km altitude. We also measured changes in the electron and ion density. There are usually two or three people running the laboratory, and in 1997 I shared the task with Mike Manion, an electronics engineer. As a physicist and engineer we had complementary skills. Since my return from Davis I have been analysing the data I collected, writing the results up in scientific papers, and attending conferences to tell what we discovered about the middle atmosphere and space weather.
Future Prospects: A return to Antarctica is a possibility, if I am selected and can pass the medical. I would like to return at some time in the future. I currently have a contract until June 2000. From my perspective there are not a lot of jobs in physics at the moment but, with my training, I am confident I could get a job doing something interesting. I have never been able to plan my life more than twelve months in advance so I don't try any more. I know I don't want to live in either Sydney or Melbourne, or other large cities overseas.
Career path components: When I left school I enrolled
in Rural Science at the University
of New England. During first year I realised that I wasn't sure what
I wanted to do so I took twelve months break from university studies, working
as a laboratory attendant in the school I had attended. I decided to study
physics and completed a BSc with honours at UNE.
The opportunity to work in Antarctica was one of the motivations for my
PhD studies at the Mawson Institute for Antarctic Research at the University
of Adelaide. On completion of my PhD I worked as a research associate
with the Mawson Institute and wintered at Mawson,
Antarctica in 1990. I then worked for twelve months for the Australian
Antarctic Division, AAD, before receiving an ARC postdoctoral fellowship
for three years. On completion of my fellowship I obtained a wintering
physicist position with the AAD and I wintered at Davis
in 1997. I have continued working with the AAD
in Hobart.