Botanical interns of the Grasslands-Forests-Wetlands Node: outgoing and incoming

By Sue J. van Rensburg, Coordinator, SAEON Grasslands-Forests-Wetlands Node Tweet

Node field technician Paul Gordijn (right) and intern Thami Shezi survey a bramble plot as part of the 30-year resurvey of the Brotherton burning trials at Cathedral Peak Paul, Thami and Terri take a well-deserved rest Nasiphi Ntshanga (left) and Sine Ntshangase monitor water quality on Lake St Lucia Sine filters water samples at Cathedral Peak Thami enjoying the opportunity to learn about instruments and logger programming during SAEON’s recent technical training workshop

Do not let Paul Gordijn’s gentle demeanour fool you. He is a hard task master, but a great teacher.

As a field technician overseeing the vegetation observation work of the SAEON Grasslands-Forests-Wetlands Node under the academic guidance of Prof. Tim O’Connor, SAEON’s Observation Science Specialist, Paul sets his sights on a number of plots to achieve in a growing season and goes for it. He demands the highest quality of work and is fastidious about identifications.

Paul has developed his own digital library to aid this process in the field as well as a cyber-tracker application for capturing the data digitally, to save time and avoid transcription errors. To help him along, only the most dedicated and enthusiastic botanical interns are sought each year and meticulously prepared for the challenge.

Last year Sinethemba Ntshangase was selected to assist Paul. No matter what challenges were presented to Sine, she always took them on with a smile and a ‘can do’ attitude. Sine, along with interns Nasiphi Ntshanga and Monique Nunes, became an integral part of the team, contributing significantly to capacity within the node while at the same time advancing their own development and learning. Each of these interns has now gone on to pursue their postgraduate studies.

Thami Shezi, the new intern, joined the node in April 2015 as part of the DST-NRF internship programme. He has a strong interest in all things botanical and a love for the mountains. He has been working side by side with Paul on the vegetation monitoring programmes. He is a fast learner and eagerly embraces all the opportunities presented to him.

Sinethemba Ntshangase had this to say about her internship (2014/15):

At the beginning of an internship we all wish for a learning journey and exposure to different fields of science to help us decide on our future career. Being an intern at the SAEON Grasslands-Forests-Wetlands Node gave me an opportunity to explore my potential in different science disciplines.

I was exposed to working on grasslands, which has always been my dream. This is where I learned to identify species and got to grips with the use of software and tools that are important in the field. I was also exposed to working with water, which was my biggest fear, by taking part in estuarine field trips and dealing with river water in the Drakensberg.

Apart from all the work/science-related growth and exposure, the internship also presented an opportunity for personal growth and development. Before, I used to work on my own, but as an intern I learned how to work as part of a team. I grew in confidence and am now able to express myself, which had been one of my weaknesses. My leadership skills were refined and I feel that I can now take on any project that comes my way.

I mastered a number of new skills during the internship, which would not have been possible if it hadn’t been for the awesome mentorship of Susan Janse van Rensburg (Node Coordinator) and the rest of the team members.

Thami Shezi, current DST-NRF Intern at the node, comments:

My research interests are the mountains. This fascination with mountains started way back at the time of my first hike at Sentinel Peak in 2010. I did not realise it then and certainly had no clue that this would one day be my study area.

When I completed my undergraduate studies at the University of the Free State (QwaQwa campus) in 2013, I went on to do a project in the Maloti Drakensberg Transfontier Park. This formed part of my BSc Honours studies supervised by Dr Erwin Sieben, which looked at the classification, description and ordination of plant communities in the proposed Witsieshoek protected conservation area in the northern Drakensberg. The project served to strengthen my interest in mountains.

I would like to thank SAEON for giving me a platform to engage with and learn from some of the top scientist in the field and in the country. This is a perfect setting for me due to the node’s recently resurrected research programmes at Cathedral Peak, which are looking at long-term change caused by a changing climate. The exposure will go a long way towards furthering my understanding of the mechanisms, drivers and ecosystem properties affecting the vegetation of these precious high-altitude lands of South Africa. It will also equip me to pursue my MSc studies next year.

I am currently resampling Dr Granger’s plots and sorting out Tomlinson’s specimens with my mentor, Paul Gordijn. I will also be looking at secondary succession at Cathedral Peak this year. This project will be supervised by Prof. Tim O’ Connor.

Lastly, I look forward to learning more about science at the node, even outside my field of interest.