Women in Agriculture - December 2022

Curious eye to the sky

By Fiona Gowers

When tuning into space radio, you might expect to hear the likes of Across the Universe by The Beatles or Elton John’s Rocket Man.

Instead it’s the rhythmic beating of pulsars and powerful bursts of energy as supermassive black holes at the heart of distant galaxies cannibalise themselves that have space scientists keenly listening to the sky.

University of Southern Queensland Master of Science (Astrophysics) student Rebecca Barrett’s research is focused on looking for artificial radio signals originating from exoplanets in the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence (SETI).

“I’m analysing data from a subset of 25 stars observed using Australia’s CSIRO Murriyang radio telescope,” Ms Barrett said.

“Each of these stars has at least one candidate or confirmed exoplanet whose orbital path took it behind its host star during observation, in what is called secondary transit.

“Exoplanets are a hot topic in modern astronomy and game theory would suggest that other intelligent civilisations would be equally interested in the discovery and analysis of planets in other stellar systems.

“By analysing targets in secondary transit, I can explore the idea that if a continuous radio signal was being transmitted from an exoplanet, that it would pause and resume as the planet moves behind its host star and re-emerges on the other side.

“This idea, of course, relies on the detection of a signal-of-interest, yet we can still investigate what we might expect this signal interruption to look like and explore it to detect weak signals as a means of signal verification in future studies.”

Ms Barrett works with Breakthrough Listen, a $100 million SETI observation and analysis program based at the University of California, Berkeley.

The program partners with some of the world’s largest and most advanced telescopes - across five continents - to survey targets including one million nearby stars, the entire galactic plane and 100 nearby galaxies, at a widerange of radio and optical frequencies.

She recently visited UC Berkeley where she attended lectures, activities and the annual Breakthrough Discuss conference with summer intern students from around America.

Ms Barrett also had the chance to meet with University of Southern Queensland PhD student and UC Berkeley researcher Howard Isaacson, who is also involved with Breakthrough Listen.

“I work with data from the Automated Planet Finder and the Levy Spectrometer, searching the high resolution spectra for laser emission lines that could originate from beyond the Earth,” Mr Isaacson said.

“Such laser signals are very narrow in wavelength, allowing for detection against the

broadband energy emitted by the observed stars.”

Ms Barrett has sorted through a complete list of about 60,000 observations (approximately five to 10 thousand individual targets) that have been made by Breakthrough Listen at Parkes Observatory, NSW, since the start of the program.

“The next step will be to run an algorithm called turboSETI on approximately 3500 data files totalling 20 terabytes from these observations,” she said.

“This algorithm will flag signals based on a set of custom, programmed parameters – an intensive process that will require about 300 hours of computing time using Breakthrough Listen’s high powered compute nodes located at UC Berkeley.

“Flagged signals, or events, will then be visually inspected as a set of stacked spectrograms (aka waterfall plots) for signals-of-interest originating from the observed exoplanet.

“The universe is vast and contains more planets than the human mind can comprehend. We simply cannot be the only ones and I will happily spend my life trying to prove it.”

Dr Danny Price from the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) is the project scientist for Breakthrough Listen in Australia.

“Finding a needle in a cosmic haystack is not an easy task and we need skilled astronomers to join the search,” Dr Price said.

“I am elated that the search for life beyond earth has ignited a passion for scientific research in such a talented young scientist.

“Rebecca will no doubt inspire a future generation to engage in STEM careers.”

Ms Barrett intends to pursue a PhD in Astrophysics, continuing her focus on SETI and her collaboration with Breakthrough Listen in 2023.

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University of Southern Queensland Master of Science (Astrophysics) student Rebecca Barrett is seeking artificial radio signals originating from exoplanets in the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence (SETI).

University of Southern Queensland student Rebecca Barrett.

Care comes to the regions

By Fiona Gowers

A Queensland-first program is attracting city nurses to the country to ease the healthcare worker crisis in regional towns such as Dalby.

Darling Downs Health has secured funding for four placements across the region through the Rural Generalist Registered Nurse Program.

Kara Doherty is one of the successful applicants.

She will call Dalby home for at least six months after relocating from Brisbane.

“I felt like it was time to do something a bit different and I’ve always wanted to do rural work so I saw this program and thought it was a great opportunity,” Ms Doherty said.

“Everyone is so friendly and so nice. It’s an amazing team environment and people are going out of their way to help me learn.”

The new state-of-the-art Kingaroy Hospital is welcoming two staff from the Rural Generalist Registered Nurse Program.

Jill Sullivan has a background in renal nursing at Redcliffe Hospital and sought to broaden her skill set.

“I enjoy being out of the city and the variety that rural nursing offers,” Ms Sullivan said.

Mieke Steffens is excited to participate in the program after being a community nurse for 15 years.

“You kind of do a bit of everything in the regions so I’m looking forward to learning new skills,” Ms Steffens said.

And, Jennifer Watts has relocated from New South Wales to expand her knowledge at Warwick Hospital.

“I really enjoy the community in regional

towns, the staff and teamwork,” Ms Watts said.

As well as immersing themselves in all areas within a hospital, staff are also embracing a change of scenery and lifestyle.

Assistant director of nursing Jodie Turvey said the 12-month program was unique for Queensland nurses.

“It’s about building capacity for nurses working in the rural and remote space,” Ms Turvey said.

“After consultation with key stakeholders

across the state, we partnered with five HHS regions including Torres and Cape, South West, Central West, Darling Downs and North West.

“We looked at what education and training already existed and the context of rural and remote practice to develop a program with support systems and processes for the participants.

“This program is one of Queensland Health’s strategies to address the workforce challenges in recruitment and retention for

rural and remote communities

“The program is being piloted by a total of 17 nurses across Queensland, four of which are on the Darling Downs.

“We’re hoping that they feel supported and really get to love working in rural and remote and see the opportunities that are there.”

Anyone interested in the Rural Generalist Registered Nurse Program who would like to learn more can email OCNMO_ProfessionalCapability@health.qld.gov.au

Darling Downs Health has secured funding to place four nurses in the region through the Rural Generalist Registered Nurse Program. They are: Jill Sullivan, Mieke Steffens, Jennifer Watts and Kara Doherty.

Connecting Women In Ag

By Fiona Gowers

Maddie Morgan, part of the fifth generation to be raised on a Shorthorn stud in Condamine, has co-founded the organisation, Women in Ag, alongside friend Nikita Daley.

Launched in March 2022, Women in Ag aims to facilitate an approachable platform that connects and inspires women across agricultural industries at all stages of their career.

“I am passionate about the power of connectivity and forming trusted support networks and relationships,” Maddie said.

“Women in Ag aims to establish a strong networking community and facilitate mentoring within the industry.”

The launch event in March, which Colliers Agribusiness sponsored, was well supported, with more than 110 attendees and a guest speaker panel of industry leaders.

Compere Andrea Crothers, now of the Nine Network, interviewed panelists Prue Bondfield, Edwina Warby, Black Box Co, Fran Becker, Hamilton Locke and Leah Freney, Colliers Agribusiness.

As women involved ian agriculture, they shared their experiences and perceptions.

“The attendance and engagement at the launch highlighted the value and opportunities that events such as these can offer to likeminded people across the industry,“ Maddie said.

“It also reinforced what an exciting time it is to be involved in the ag industry.”

In celebration of International Day of Rural Women in October 2022, Women in Ag held an online webinar with a panel of industry leaders from Rabobank Australia including Felicity

Taylor, Moree region area manager, Georgie Poole, copywriter and content editor and Caroline Andrews, head of liquidity management.

Maddie said the panellists sparked an interesting conversation around their varied experiences across the agricultural industry.

“In particular, the discussion touched on the value and privilege of being a part of a rural community and the incredible importance of storytelling to showcase the ag industry,” she said.

“Being an event hosted in celebration of the Internatational Day of Rural Women, it was a privilege to hear from the panellists on their journeys, the opportunities available in rural Australia and their vast accomplishments across industry.”

Maddie Morgan is proud of her rural background and passionate about Australian agriculture and agribusiness.

She was raised on Myall Grove, a mixed farming, commercial cattle and Shorthorn stud and attended Condamine State School and Somerville House in Brisbane, before graduating in July 2022 from the University of Queensland with Bachelor of Commerce (majoring in Accounting) and a Bachelor of Laws (Honours).

“The 5.5-year degree was both a challenging and rewarding experience”.

After graduating from university in July 2022, Maddie returned to Myall Grove, where she is currently working for six months with family, including parents Godfrey and Megan Morgan.

“I am really enjoying being back home and working alongside my family again,” she said.

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Maddie Morgan and Nikita Daley have co-founded the organisation, Women in Ag, which aims to facilitate an approachable platform that connects and inspires women across all agricultural industries.

Maddie Morgan (pictured right) with her sister Sammy are part of the fifth generation to be raised on Myall Grove, a mixed farming, commercial cattle and Shorthorn stud.

Country proud, giving back

By Fiona Gowers

Born and raised on a cattle property south of Roma, teenager Heather Proud understands the power and influence of the regions.

The daily hustle and bustle, close-knit community connection and passion for life was evident daily as she made her way to school –pumping the country pride through her veins.

So, when the Year 12 Roma State College student came to choose her next step, Heather knew she would have to leave to learn so she could one day give back.

“I used to tell my teachers that I dreamed of strengthening rural communities,” she said.

“I’d always been interested in law because of the huge impact it has on our world, but my fascination for business was a bit of a different story.

“I was in a class of only three students in Year 11 and 12, so I really got to immerse myself in the subject and understand all of the different aspects.”

Putting two and two together, it seemed getting down to business to learn the law was the way to go.

Heather enrolled in the University of Southern Queensland’s dual Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Business degree, saying it was a no brainer.

“I never really wanted to move to a big city and I always liked Toowoomba,” she said.

“It isn’t that far from home, so it just seemed like the right choice. The atmosphere, the people, the lifestyle – everything just seemed to suit me.”

And to really cap it off, the University’s Concannon College has made the perfect home

away from home this year.

“Living at the residential colleges has been such a great experience,” she said.

“It’s made the transition so easy because there’s country kids just like me

around every corner.

“We’re all in the same boat so it’s been a great place to set myself up.”

With a year of study now under her belt, she’s looking forward to a future where she

can get back to her roots.

“I can’t wait to get back into the rural communities across Australia and use my education to benefit the backbone of our country,” she said.

Year 12 Roma State College student Heather Proud.