Lisa Weatherly

International Experience Country:
Australia
Cohort Year:
2009
Home Institution:

Thiel College

Heinz Programming Area:
Environment
International Experience Summary:

Lisa Weatherly spent the summer doing tropical marine ecology on the west coast of Australia along the Great Barrier Reef.  This was through a program called AustraLearn.  She spent four weeks traveling up the coast stopping at three islands as they traveled.  The islands were Stradbroke, Heron and Orpheus.  Each island was very ecologically different with much diversity.  On Heron Island she got to experience a night snorkel with such animals as sharks, rays and sea turtles.  She learned how each island developed and the influences that make each island so unique.  She conducted three different field research experiments at each island: Invertebrate Predators on Stradbroke, the diversity and density of sharks and rays on Heron and the diversity of mangroves on Orpheus.  At the end of the program she had to write a paper on all her findings throughout the program and compare and contrast the three islands.  After completion of the program she stayed three more weeks traveling.  She met a variety of people from all over the world and got to know some of them very well.  She also got to experience a multitude of different cultures, food and was of life, along with full filling a desire to bungee jump.

Community Engagement Experience Summary:

CEE Title: Sharkweek Shark Finning Education Outreach