SAEON Elwandle Node’s interns prepare for careers in marine science

Marine scientists of the future: Luzuko Dali (left) and Ntuthuko Masikane are gaining valuable experience at the SAEON Elwandle Node to further their studies in marine science. (Picture © SAEON Elwandle Node)

Postgraduates Luzuko Dali, Ntuthuko Masikane and Mandisa Rubuxa have joined the SAEON Elwandle Node as interns and aquatic environmental monitors.

They will be undertaking their MSc degrees next year under the supervision of leading academics Prof William Froneman, who specialises in research on physical oceanography, primary production, zooplankton dynamics and estuarine ecology, and Prof Tris Wooldridge, an expert scientist in estuarine ecology, estuarine invertebrates and marine crustaceans.

Currently, the interns are preparing for their MSc studies that will focus on Algoa Bay. Luzuko Dali, who hails from Port Elizabeth, will be studying macrozooplankton dynamics, while Ntuthuko Masikane from Empangeni will be studying macrozoobenthos dynamics and Mandisa Rubuxa, from Alice, will be studying zooplankton dynamics adjacent to the Sundays River estuary mouth.

As part of the internship programme, the students are being exposed to various workshops that will further their academic careers. Recently they attended an introductory course on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) offered jointly by Coastal and Environmental Services and Rhodes University in Grahamstown.

"We were ecstatic about the course as we gained a lot of valuable new knowledge," say the young interns. "We learnt about potential impacts caused by modern development, particularly on our environment. Most importantly, we now understand how sustainable development can be achieved through EIA practice."

The interns will soon be attending an Earth Science workshop on climate change in Cape Town, which will address major global issues regarding the changing state of the environment.