Two marine scientists

Oliver Trottier and Jessica Feickert are both postgraduate research students at Leigh Marine Laboratory, but their background and interests are very different. In this video, Oliver and Jessica describe how they first became interested in marine science, what they like about life as a marine scientist and the other things that get them excited.

Teaching point: Students could read the profiles of Oliver and Jessica after watching this clip.

Transcript

Jessica Feickert (Leigh Marine Laboratory) I was sort of brought up as a scientist. My dad’s also a scientist, and he brought me up to think critically and really to think about where information was coming from.

Oliver Trottier (Leigh Marine Laboratory) I probably got into biology at the end of high school was when my first sort of exposure was. I was actually first interested in maths and physics – I was probably better at them to be honest – but I had a real fond appreciation for the ocean and for the fresh lakes in Canada so it sort of led me into that field.

Jessica Feickert: I chose marine science because I got to work with Andrew Jeffs and look at aquaculture, and I thought it was a way to apply biology to real-world problems.

Oliver Trottier: You’re out in the field, you’re in the office – there’s never a day that’s the same sort of routine.

Jessica Feickert: I love design and architecture. I love travelling around and looking at that sort of thing and also drawing. I love hiking and spending as much time outside as I can as well.

Oliver Trottier: Most of my friends actually think that I’m a mechanic – yeah, ride a motorcycle, volunteer fire fighting, takes up the vast majority of my free time.

Jessica Feickert: So I’ve got a part-time job at Kelly Tarlton’s in the fish department, which I really enjoy, and I’ve grown up around sharks and things like that. Never been scared of the job.

Acknowledgements: Oliver Trottier, Jessica Feickert – Leigh Marine Laboratory, Auckland University.