This International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we’re shining a spotlight on the incredible women who uncover the health of our waterways.
From Cairns in the Wet Tropics to Gladstone in the Southern Great Barrier Reef, a network of Regional Report Card Partnerships paints a picture for their communities on the health of their waterways and the Great Barrier Reef.
Behind the five Report Cards is a powerhouse of partners from business, industry, research, education, community, and all levels of government who gather and analyse environmental data. The data is more than just numbers. It’s the brush that paints the picture.
For International Day of Women and Girl’s in Science, we’re celebrating the women holding those brushes across each Partnership.
Historically, women have had limited representation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Today, we’re unpacking STEM careers and sharing “her voice in science.”
From data analysts to project officers to executive officers, dive in and meet the trailblazing women across the Partnerships who are inspiring the next generation of STEM superstars.
Dinny Taylor
Senior Environmental Data Analyst
What inspired you to become a data analyst?
I became interested in science at an early age. I wanted to understand how different components of our environment affected each other. As I grew older, I became aware of environmental issues, particularly salinisation of agricultural land. I wanted to understand not only what caused it, but also how to fix it. This led me to study environmental engineering.
Later in my career I studied statistics and data science (I always loved maths, which I know most people find weird 😂). In part, I was frustrated with the lack of analysis I was seeing in my work, and I wanted to understand more to fix the problem. If we don’t understand what the data we are collecting is telling us, how can we solve the problems that we face?
What advice would you give to young people interested in science?
Science is a very broad topic, so find what really interests you and start there. It can lead you down many paths. Sometimes your passion might be something that you least expect, so don’t discount something if you don’t understand it at first.
What is the most rewarding aspect of being a data analyst?
When telling the data story is a success. That is, the people it is intended for understand it, take it on board, and use it to drive positive change.
What are some of the most exciting projects you're working on?
I’m working on turning the data from the Report Card into an interactive dashboard, so that anyone can take a dive into the data. The dashboard will tell the data story in a visual way to increase understanding of where our environment is struggling and where it’s doing well, so the community can contribute to making our region’s waterways healthier.
What kind of impact do you hope your work with the Partnership will have?
I want to see the data used to drive positive change through focused, collective action. Not only from our Partners, but with the broader community becoming involved. I would also like to see the methods that we develop in the Healthy Waters Partnership, be implemented across the broader Report Card Network.
What do you think is the most misunderstood aspect of science that you wish more people knew about?
Everything that happens on a microscopic scale can have impacts on a global scale and vice versa. Often the solution to a global problem must be implemented at a microscopic scale (even though it might not seem like it). The difficulty is in co-ordinating the effort to achieve it at a frequency that has a positive impact.
If we break things into pieces that are easier to comprehend, and then don’t consider how they behave together again, we don’t necessarily find a solution to the whole problem.
We are surrounded by complex systems that function on multiple scales. We must zoom in and zoom out to consider all of those scales to understand them.
Brie Sherow
Lead Technical Officer
What advice would you give to young people interested in science?
All knowledge is useful. Even if you don’t think it’s relevant, take opportunities to learn everything, because everything that you learn will be useful to you at some point, in some surprising way.
Just showing up is the most important part of the work. Even if you’re worried that you’re not good at something, if you keep trying, it’s going to get easier and you’re going to get better at it.
Be curious and respectful. It will make your life more interesting and more fun.
If there’s something that you’re passionate about, try to find a way to incorporate it into everything that you do.
What is the most rewarding aspect of being a scientist / data analyst for you?
I love working in a diverse team of people who deeply care about improving the health of our waterways. Sometimes this is linked to restoration projects, but it can also take the form of research and exploration, education and advocacy, or other types of involvement. I take any opportunity to get out in the ecosystems that I’m working in. I loved playing in the mud when I was a kid, and thankfully I still get to do that out in the estuaries and seagrass meadows!
What do you think is the most misunderstood aspect of science that you wish more people knew about?
The environment is not separate to us; we are a part of it even though we try to separate ourselves from it in many aspects of our lives. And we are reliant on it – everything that’s impacting the environment is also impacting us. One of my favourite author’s, Robin Wall Kimmerer, expresses this so beautifully when she writes “the relationship between self and the world is reciprocal… as we work to heal the earth, the earth heals us.”
Cinzia Cattaneo
Project Officer
What inspired you to become a scientist?
I have been passionate about science since childhood because it has always provided me with logical and well-founded explanations for my questions about the world. While I am a deeply emotional person, driven by my feelings in many aspects of life, I still need the world around me to make sense - and I find that sense in rationality and science. Perhaps it is because I am so intuitive in my personal life that I seek logical explanations for everything around me.
What is the most rewarding aspect of being a scientist for you?
Being an environmental scientist has taught me not just to be an observer of the world we live in, but to see myself as an integral part of it and work hard to make our planet a better place to live. Taking care of the environment we live in is a shared responsibility, and my work is driven by a commitment to protecting and improving our planet - not only out of gratitude for the home we have been given but also to contribute to a better future for generations to come.
What do you think is the most misunderstood aspect of science that you wish more people knew about?
One of the most overlooked aspects of science is how deeply interconnected everything in the world is. Through my role at Healthy Rivers to Reef Partnership, I’ve seen this firsthand while analysing catchment areas - what happens on land directly affects river systems, which in turn influence marine ecosystems. The environment coexists in a fragile balance between many factors, and when even one is disrupted, the entire system is affected.
What’s the most surprising thing you've learned as a scientist?
There's a pufferfish that's basically an underwater artist. The male Japanese pufferfish (Torquigener albomaculosus) spends days using his fins to carve intricate geometric patterns in the sand. Why? To impress a female! If she likes his masterpiece, she lays her eggs in the centre. How romantic…
Myfina Healy
Project Officer
What inspired you to become an environmental scientist?
We spend so much of our lives working, so much time it doesn’t bear thinking about! When I was deciding what to study and what career direction I might take, I asked myself, what do I want to devote my time and my effort to? The environment was the obvious answer.
What advice would you give to young people interested in science?
At times, it is still a battle to be taken seriously as a woman and valued as your male counterparts are. But women in science are changing this, and many people will see you, support you, and cheer you on. Believe in yourself.
What kind of impact do you hope your work with Partnership will have?
I always try to keep the community’s perspective in mind. A huge reason we have Report Cards is so that the community has access to scientific information, and the ultimate reason we need to conserve our world is for the collective community of people, animals, plants, and our future. I hope that my work pushes the importance of community to the forefront.
What do you think is the most misunderstood aspect of science that you wish more people knew about?
Science is not all test tubes and numbers. Although methods and numbers are very important, we are also creative! We create new things and push the boundaries. We work with so many different people and professions, science is just one part of the job.
Hannah King
Project Officer
What inspired you to become a scientist?
Growing up, I was always fascinated by the natural world—the intricate ecosystems, the resilience of wildlife, and the delicate balance that sustains our environment. I was drawn to complete a Bachelor of Applied Science as it offered a powerful tool to contribute meaningfully to our future.
What advice would you give to young people interested in science?
Remember that science is incredibly diverse—whether you love the outdoors, working with data, solving problems, or collaborating with others, there’s a place for you. Surround yourself with people who inspire you and know that even small contributions can lead to big impacts.
What kind of impact do you hope your work will have?
I see firsthand how every contribution plays a role in the bigger picture. I hope my work will inspire a shift in how people view Gladstone, highlighting its unique environmental and community values, and encourage individuals and communities to make small, positive changes. When combined, these actions can create a significant, lasting impact.
What’s the most surprising thing you've learned as a scientist?
Small changes in one part of an ecosystem can ripple out in unexpected ways, creating impacts far beyond what you’d anticipate. The same goes for collaboration; working with a variety of scientists has shown me that diverse perspectives often lead to the most innovative solutions. It’s a reminder that even the smallest contributions can play a crucial role in creating lasting change.
Tania Skewis
Research Officer
What inspired you to become a scientist?
My inspiration stemmed from my time working on a mine site with a site remediation team. Seeing firsthand how data-driven decisions could positively impact environmental restoration showed me the meaningful contributions I could make. So I enrolled in a Bachelor of Environmental Science, then followed that with a Master of Applied Science! Since then, my career has taken some exciting turns, further solidifying my passion for scientific research.
What is the most rewarding aspect of being a scientist?
The most rewarding aspect of being a scientist for me is the opportunity to engage and communicate with the community and our partner organisations, working on projects that align with my personal values. Collaborating with passionate and dedicated colleagues makes the work even more fulfilling and impactful.
What kind of impact do you hope your work with Gladstone Healthy Harbour Partnership will have?
I hope my work with the Report Card and Report Card Network will inspire our community and partner organisations to continue implementing stewardship actions. By reporting on the health of Gladstone Harbour, we aim to drive positive environmental change and ensure the long-term sustainability of the harbour and, as part of the network, of the Great Barrier Reef as a whole.
What’s the most surprising thing you've learned as a scientist?
The most surprising thing I've learned on my research journey is that no result is still a result, which can lead to new questions and insights, driving further research and discovery. In reality, many experiments don’t show the results you’d expect, which is so important for shaping our understanding of the world.
The data collected and presented by the Regional Report Card Partnerships aims to inform management decisions around water quality in local waterways that flow to the Reef, and to empower our local community to support waterway health in our region.
The Partnerships are one of a number of activities under the Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan and are funded by both the Australian and Queensland governments.