Dr Shari Gallop is the recipient of a $25,000 fellowship for research into estuaries. Photo / L'Oréal
Dr Shari Gallop is the recipient of a $25,000 fellowship for research into estuaries. Photo / L'Oréal
A Tauranga marine environmental scientist has been awarded $25,000 to help her groundbreaking studies into estuary restoration.
University of Waikato Senior Lecturer Dr Shari Gallop is the recipient of the New Zealand 2020 L'Oréal/UNESCO For Women in Science fellowship for her research on the science of restoring estuaries and how they will stand up to climate change.
The fellowship programme recognises the achievements of exceptional early-career women scientists in Australia and New Zealand and only five awards are made annually.
For the first time, the programme is dedicated to scientists investigating climate change and Gallop is the sole recipient from New Zealand to be awarded this year's fellowship, and the first-ever from the University of Waikato.
Her work will answer important questions about how estuarine restoration projects should account for climate change.
Estuaries are unique biodiversity hotspots, Gallop said.
"They are a food source, an important transport link, and a space for capturing blue carbon in their mangroves, saltmarsh, seagrass and sediments. They also provide storm protection, support the aquaculture industry, and connect with deeply embedded cultural values, which is particularly important for many hapū and iwi.
"The ultimate goal is to successfully restore estuaries, to restore the environment for the people."
Dr Shari Gallop is a marine environmental scientist and University of Waikato Senior Lecturer based in Tauranga. Photo /L'Oréal
Gallop's drive to preserve and protect the coastal environment comes from a natural affinity with the oceans and lakes of the Eastern Bay of Plenty region where she grew up.
Born in Whakatāne and raised in Kawerau and Manawahe, her favourite childhood pastime was collecting sticks, shells and rocks, and jumping off the rocks into Lake Rotoma with her sisters.
"As a child I spent a lot of time at the beach and lakes with my whānau," she said.
"I've always felt a connection with water and that, coupled with an inquisitive nature and desire to figure out how things work, is what drew me into marine science."
Encouraged by her Edgecumbe College science teachers, Gallop embarked on a study path at the University of Waikato in Hamilton.
She completed a Bachelor of Science followed by a Master of Science, with a research project focused on detecting rip currents from video images at Tairua Beach in the Coromandel.
A scholarship then enticed her across the ditch where she did her PhD looking at how rocky reefs affect coastal erosion and stability at the University of Western Australia in Perth.
Gallop went on to teach and research at both the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom and Macquarie University in Sydney.
She spent 10 years abroad before the urge to "come home" kicked in. Last year, she returned to the Bay of Plenty with her husband and two young children and took up a senior lecturer role in marine science at the University of Waikato campus in Tauranga.
"There are big things happening here with aquaculture and connecting Western science with mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge)."
Returning home has also helped Gallop reconnect with her Māori heritage.
She has iwi affiliations to Ngāti Maru in Hauraki on her dad's side and Te Rarawa in Northland on her mum's but has only recently started to research her whakapapa and learn more about mātauranga Māori and how it relates to her science.
"It's a personal journey and one I'm excited to be on to learn more that I can share with my kids."
Gallop was selected by an independent panel of science and research representatives and joins four Australian-based fellows, all working towards finding solutions to combat climate change.
L'Oréal New Zealand's country manager Aurelie de Cremiers said she was proud to be award the fellowship to Gallop.
"Dr Gallop's work is answering important questions about such a significant issue for New Zealand communities - healthy waterways - while helping contribute to global climate action."
New Zealand has more than 300 estuaries, with many cities and towns built around them such as Auckland, Tauranga and Christchurch.
Estuaries provide an important resource for communities but poor decisions and management have led to degradation of these environments.
Estuaries are also vulnerable to climate change because it is relatively shallow bodies of water, exposed to the changes of land, river and sea.
Alongside Gallop's family, work and research commitments she is also proudly stepping into spaces that sit outside her comfort zone.
As founding member and co-chair of the global network Women in Coastal and Geoscience Engineering, her goal is to promote gender equality in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics).
Being awarded the L'Oréal/UNESCO Women in Science fellowship has given Gallop another platform to encourage more women into the field she is so passionate about.
"I feel really grateful," she said.
"This is a huge opportunity for me to communicate the urgency of climate change action to a broad audience and to highlight the importance of taking care of our estuaries."
Gallop's message to young women who are thinking of pursuing a career in science is simple - do it.
"Our people and planet need you. It's a challenging but rewarding career path with scope to follow your passion and room to innovate. We need more diversity in science."
