Staff Photographer
Women scientists are no longer rare and are making an impact in areas of research.
Professor Mary Scholes has made a mark not only in her field, but also on other levels. She is a co-founder of the Postgraduate Project Office (PPO) at the University of the Witwatersrand, a body created to allow others a wider scope of exposure.
Scholes, of the school of animal plant and environmental sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand, has worked extensively in the field of research into biogeochemistry of savanna and plantation ecosystems.
This work spans research in Africa which relates to the effects of global warming on the ecosystems, as well as field work in South African forests which looks at improving the productivity and sustainability of South African plantations and natural savanna ecosystems by applying ecosystem-based approaches.
On another front, as she explains: “We have made strides to improve the understanding, at the process level, of the many factors controlling ecosystem functions especially nutrient cycling. The research team including international researchers working in the Kruger National Park has been able to extrapolate these data in both a local and global context.”
Says Scholes about her involvement in research: “An integral part of research is the team structure in which students on all levels are nurtured. The skills I have attained in the area of teaching, implementing ideas, collecting data and developing solutions are valuable tools for others coming up in the ranks.”
The founding of the PPO is a result of this.
She explains: “The PPO allows for interdisciplinary involvement. Last year we had the first postgraduate symposium at which students presented their research to peers. We made allowance for either same discipline or cross-discipline presentations. The support for the cross-discipline presentations was amazing, with the feedback showing how much the students wanted to learn from each others research. The University Strategic Fund, which sponsored the symposium, immediately indicated their involvement in this year’s symposium. The spin-offs with these initiatives are already evident.”
The PPO’s primary aim is to present activities that are intellectually stimulating across the various disciplines.
Scholes’s research interests in biogeochemistry have resulted in her being elected to five international science steering committees including serving as the secretary general for the Scientific Council on Problems in the Environment.