Naomi White is a student at Box Hill TAFE in NSW, learning about Equine Studies. Here, she outlines why maths is so important to caring for horses.

“There is maths in feeding a horse. Feed requirements and medication doses are based on the horse’s weight.

“Estimating the weight of a horse is a maths equation – it is approximately equal to the girth measurement squared, multiplied by the length of the horse from the chest to the tailbone, divided by 12,000.

“The basic feeding requirement is that you have to give the horse sufficient energy to maintain itself in the paddock.  We know that a horse can only consume 2.5% of its body weight in food every day.  Then we use ratios to make sure the mix of nutrients provides the horse with its daily requirements.”

Likewise, Manager of the Glenbrae Equestian Centre, Brian Hodgson emphasises the importance of mathematical knowledge in his job.

“I’m the owner manager of Glenbrae Equestrian Centre, where we agist horses, run vocational training programs, conduct riding lessons and run competitions.  There is a great deal of mathematics involved in the things that I do on a day-to-day basis.

“The arenas for dressage competition have to be a rectangle 20 metres by 60 metres. We use Pythagoras’ Theorem to make sure we have the lengths and angles correct.  The horse’s stride length determines the distance between jumps for competition. We use spreadsheets to allocate competitors their position in the competitions and use statistical analysis for scoring.  I’ve found mathematics to be invaluable throughout my life.

“I had no idea when I was going through school how useful maths would be. It has opened up doors for me.  The further you pursue mathematics the more opportunities that are going to be open up to you in the equine industry.”

Profiles of Naomi and Brian, including videos and posters are available on the Maths Careers page, courtesy of the Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute, ICE-EM Mathematics and the Australian Government’s Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.

However, such a stereotype is far from the actual lives of most  young scientists, some of who travel the world in pursuit of their studies. One such person is Stefanie Oberprieler, who is in the second year of her science degree at ANU, majoring in Zoology and Ecology.

“I took a year off after finishing college because I wanted to see a bit of the world, and most importantly, have time to think about what I wanted to do with my life. During that time I worked in an animal rehabilitation centre in South Africa. This was really great for helping me decide, because I knew I wanted to work in either science or become a vet and the rehabilitation centre gave me some real hands-on experience. In the end, I decided that whilst it’s really great that there are people to care for sick animals, I personally prefer being out in nature and I guess that equated to being a scientist.”

Stefanie has spent a surprising amount of her career so far out amongst nature, both undertaking scientific studies and also participating in volunteer work. She recently completed a project with Volunteer Eco Students Abroad (a volunteer organization that aims to provide university students with the opportunity to do community-based volunteer work.)

“As opposed to just being a tourist you get to do hands-on stuff – in this case helping build schools and bathroom blocks in Ecuador.” She says.

Of course like any good scientist, Stefanie rarely passes a good opportunity when it comes her way. So whilst she was in South America she decided to visit the Galapagos Islands.

“Since I was so close, I just had to visit the Galapagos Islands. You can’t be a biology student without hearing about the Galapagos islands in just about every lecture so I figured I’d like to have a look for myself. It was an amazing place with animals you don’t find anywhere else. It’s something I just had to see.”

Even when at home, Stefanie likes to focus her studies outdoor where possible and her enthusiasm has on occasion paid dividends. A study she did on paper wasps yielded some interesting results and has lead to her first scientific paper published in Entomological Science co authored with her study advisor and Canberra’s wasp specialist, Dr Philip Spradbery. “This publication really helped the inspirational processes of learning while travelling through Africa and aided my decision to chose to pursue a career in zoology rather than become a vet,” She says, “I really enjoy discovering new things – and such research shows just how many aspects of the world remain unexplored and how much research can still be done.”

Overall, Stefanie believes that enthusiasm for your subject is one of the keys to success in science or almost any other field of human endeavour. “If you end up studying something that doesn’t really interest you it will be too much effort, if you follow what you’re passionate about it’s more fun than it is work. Science is such a broad field and so you have to make sure that you follow a path that really interests you and take any opportunity that comes your way.”

Image: Stefanie Oberprieler on the Galapagos Islands

This article was originally posted in Sciencewise, the Australian National University’s science magazine

Animal lover
Sarah Keogh

Growing up on a large property meant Sarah got to see many native animals and keep a lot of different pets. “I just loved the company of animals. I especially remember, as a child, visiting a local animal sanctuary and seeing a lady doing a demonstration with koalas. She was cuddling a koala and she allowed me to have a pat. I knew then and there that I wanted to one day become a zoo-keeper!”

After school, Sarah volunteered at Australia Zoo to get some experience with animals. She’s worked there for seven years, and is now a Wandering Wildlife Rover. One of the highlights has been hand-rearing three dingo puppies! “I have a very fun job. I get to walk around the zoo with a variety of animals and introduce them to all of our zoo visitors. You may see me around the zoo handling a snake, a baby alligator or perhaps walking a dingo or wombat on a harness.”

Master trickster
Ruben Meerman

You might have seen Ruben Meerman, alias the Surfing Scientist, on ABC’s Rollercoaster, or the science show Catalyst. After studying physics at university, Ruben discovered a course in science communication – telling people about science and demonstrating science using cool tricks. He’s been doing it ever since. “This is my dream job, but I never actually dreamt I’d be doing it. My dream is having more time because there’s so much cool stuff going on in science that it’s impossible to keep track of it all.”

Planet problem solver
Christina Griffin

As a kid, Chrissy spent a lot of time at beaches and estuaries (river mouths) in New South Wales. She always wanted a job that looked after the environment, and now works as a geoscientist with the Climate Change Project at Geoscience Australia.

The Climate Change Project will help scientists understand what will happen in Australia in the future because of global climate change – for example, how rising sea levels will affect the coast. “A geoscientist is someone who studies Earth processes and uses this understanding to solve problems,” says Chrissy. “My love of the coast inspired me to pursue a career path focused on understanding the coast, protecting it and planning for the future.”

Physics explorer
Matt Broome 

It may sound too much like play to be work, but what Matt does is toy with light and high-tech equipment in the Quantum Technology Lab while studying at the University of Queensland. He doesn’t just do it for fun, but to try and understand how the universe works at really (really) small scales, and maybe even one day to build a computer that works using light rather than electricity.

“There are so many great aspects about being a researcher. First of all you have the opportunity to see things that no one else has seen before, ever. I design and carry out my own experiments with powerful lasers and expensive gadgets, which is any young boy’s dream!” says Matt.

When he was younger, taking things apart and putting them back together was one of Matt’s favourite pastimes. “I just had a desire to understand the nature of things around me. I knew that people who worked in science found things out, and that perhaps that was what I wanted to be, someone who worked in science. 

Stargazer
Madusha Gunawardhana

If you’ve ever stared at the stars and wondered how they got there, you’re not alone. “In school, I was fascinated by stunning cosmic images. I always wanted to be an astronomer and study how those structures are formed,” says Madusha.

Madusha is studying how groups of stars called galaxies are formed and how their shapes change as they collide with each other. “Throughout my school life, learning about astrophysical phenomena and observing the night sky through my 60mm refractor telescope were my hobbies. Now they are both my hobbies and part of my studies,” she says.

This article originally appeared in Scientriffic magazine. To find out more about the Double Helix Science club visit: www.csiro.au/helix

Image credits
Sarah Keogh: Australia Zoo
Ruben Meerman: Steve Baccon

NMI assists Australian industries by providing metrology (i.e. measurement) services, advice, research and development, and chemical reference materials that meet the present and future needs of industry.

NMI’s services include proficiency testing of accredited laboratories, high level calibrations for all sorts of measurement equipment and analytical testing services in areas such as food safety, illicit drugs, and environmental contamination. These services support the constant and safe production of a variety of products and processes that we use everyday.

Some recent examples of assistance to Australian industries are as follows:

1) Industrial temperature measurement. A company that manufactures metal sheeting, by ‘baking’ paint onto metal sheets in a continuous process, encountered difficulties with accurate temperature measurements that were affecting the quality of the product. NMI assisted by developing instrumentation to determine the correct surface temperature which allowed the company to calibrate their radiation thermometers used for process control. This has improved the repeatability and accuracy of the temperature measurements which, in turn, has resulted in better product quality.

2) Environmental testing. Australian environmental guidelines set for industry require reporting of very low contamination levels for a broad set of organic pollutants and dioxin compounds. NMI has developed a suite of tests that provide coverage of a wide range of pollutants and analytes such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dioxins. This work supports the production of metals, contaminated site remediation projects, biota & biosolids testing, and emissions reporting.

3) Biomedical sample monitoring. The biomedical industry regularly stores biological samples in liquid nitrogen (at a temperature of about minus 196 degrees Celsius). These samples are usually immersed in the liquid nitrogen fluid but, due to the risk of cross-contamination, the industry is increasingly storing samples in the vapour space above the liquid nitrogen. The vapour space may be significantly warmer than the liquid nitrogen itself and therefore, its temperature requires monitoring. This has necessitated thermometer systems that have been calibrated at these low temperatures. NMI has established a service for biomedical firms and private testing companies that assists in meeting their ultra-low temperature monitoring needs.

4) Machine components measurement. NMI has performed, for several Australian companies, ultra precise measurements using its high accuracy coordinate measuring machine (CMM). The CMM can measure a wide range of reference artefacts and components within its 800 mm x 600 mm x 600 mm volume. The CMM is suited especially to the measurement of items having complex shapes and measurements requiring low uncertainties. Examples include the measurement of dies, gears, height-setting micrometers and high accuracy proof components. The picture above demonstrates the CMM preparing to make exact measurement on a car engine block.

5) High-voltage calibration. NMI’s High-Voltage Laboratory maintains most measurement standards necessary for reliable electrical transmission. The laboratory is the only test provider in Australia for systems with operating voltages from 300 to 550 kilovolts. On-site high-voltage calibrations are also performed on some types of equipment that cannot be moved, using NMI’s mobile high-voltage calibration unit that operates from a specially equipped truck.

6) PT program for folic acid. In conjunction with Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), NMI developed a proficiency testing (PT) program for folic acid in bread-making flour to support the introduction of mandatory folic acid fortification in bread. This PT scheme tests the capabilities of laboratories to accurately measure folic acid concentrations and provides industry with the confidence that their analytical testing is of a quality required by FSANZ’s standards.

7) Ultrasound calibration. The only way to ensure that an ultrasound device is displaying the correct power level corresponding to its actual output is to have it regularly calibrated. NMI has established an ultrasound power calibration service and now regularly calibrates ultrasound devices to the relevant industry standard.

These are just some of the many ways in which the NMI assists Australia and our industries on a daily basis. Much of this work may go unnoticed by us as individuals, but without it we would find ourselves with a great many problems of inconsistency, which, in turn, would have unimaginable knock-on effects within every aspect of our lives.

For more information about the National Measurement Institute and its functions, please visit their website at: http://www.measurement.gov.au/Pages/Home.aspx