Mena Vaimasenuu Welford

What made you decide to pursue this qualification?

Fresh out of college (2014 school leaver) as a biomedical sciences, medicine hopeful, the idea of being a marine shellfish ecophysiologist with sights set on a career in academia would have been absurd. However, through what I consider my ‘baby years’ (i.e., the duration of my BSc) encountering a never-ending field of interests, a significant amount of trial and error, and countless convoluted plans to drop out, I realised my desire to help people and serve my community was better captured in my wider intrigue of exploring, understanding, and advocating for our environment, in particular our oceans.

Admittedly, I struggled to settle on my undergraduate double majors, switching five times while mixing and matching a range of science courses across biological and marine sciences, chemistry, statistics, mathematics, psychology, optometry, and international business. Translating that sense of awe and fascination with everything that was anything and the determination to ‘do it all’; in the context of my recent qualifications, postgraduate studies provided my chaotic inner child with the freedom to run through a lolly shop and pick something of everything to pursue as a pretty epic research project.

What made you choose to study at the University of Auckland?

Having been born and raised in Auckland paired with being the first in my family to acquire a tertiary qualification, I was limited in my understanding of application processes for universities outside the region. Through my time in college, I was acutely aware most students applied to the University of Auckland and it tended to be the place to go (outside the University of Otago) if medicine was the end goal. So, in some ways bit of a (in hindsight, happy) default.

What is your research thesis?

Officially, my MSc thesis is titled: Ecophysiological assessment of climate change resilience in commercial polyploid Pacific oysters (Magallana gigas), but to break that down into non-shellfish nerd, our research focused on the stress response of a well-loved international shellfish delicacy, the Pacific oyster, and how these specific animal reactions to a heating environment may impact commercial scale production.

With the bulk of our research conducted in the lab (isolated from the environment), the best way I have found to emphasise how important understanding the stress response of our food (because it may sound strange but that’s exactly what we’re doing), is to get people to imagine how they themselves respond to hot weather (and I’m not talking a nice hot day for the beach, hot… think an unbearably suffocating scorcher, both sticky and sickly). It’s generally not fun, is it? There are high chances you overheat, profusely sweat, maybe your heart races, you have a reduction in appetite and feel a little faint? Such responses might not be exactly what an oyster experiences, but they will be faced with their own reactions that, depending on stress duration and intensity (e.g., increased temperature), can enhance mortality and premature reproduction, two consequences that can severely impact harvest by negatively manipulating growth, taste, texture, and ultimately availability to consumers.

Moreso, for New Zealand, Pacific oysters are our third largest aquaculture export (bringing in ~20 million dollars in revenue per annum), meaning significant economic value. Coupled with climate change impacts readily unfolding before us; developing, and maintaining sustainable supplies of these popular delicacies are becoming a strong industry concern – laying the foundation for wider societal implications of our work.

Describe the area of study you are following…

Beyond specifics of my PGDipSci/MSc, I would describe the general area I sit in as applied ecophysiology. While I conduct traditional ecophysiological research by evaluating organism responses (cellular through population level) to extreme environmental conditions, I emphasise the ‘applied’ aspect where my research questions are heavily informed by the ‘big(ger) picture’ problem; to which my formal science training (and by association interests) can then be adapted to address the specific context or issue.

Perhaps it may be naivety but, in my experience, I have interacted with colleagues who work in the opposite direction i.e., have a very focused, specialised scientific interest and build up (or out) to the wider societal implications. This is not to say one approach trumps the other, but I do believe these broad research approaches result in a brilliant diversity of scientists with unique perspectives. Both of whom can benefit greatly from one another’s contributions when collaborating in respectful, reciprocal partnerships.
 

What do you like most about the programme and why?

My trajectory into research was far from ‘traditional’. In fact, I arrived at university (in all my worldly 13 years of pre-tertiary education) thinking I knew where I was headed… Yet each semester, guided by interests never really unpacked at school, I progressively launched myself further from that ‘idealised path’; which at the time was pretty disorienting. Transitioning into my postgraduate studies, what I would rave most about was the ludicrous (in a good way) diversity of senior researchers, academics, and industry stakeholders my thesis proposal (BIOSCI 761) and ultimate thesis research (MSc) exposed me to; providing a unique insight into the interplay of science within and between universities, crown research institutes (CRIs), independent research organisations, and industry. By being ‘chucked in the deep end’ and having the rare chance to experience the various moving parts driving research, it has been easier to validate my undergraduate confusion and uncertainty in not knowing what was what given extensive hidden curriculum.

Although still very early in my career, opportunities that arose through my programme selections have given me confidence in working with ‘the unknown’. In particular a Nelson-based studentship with the Cawthron Institute over the 2019 – 2020 summer, ‘warmed me up’ for my PGDipSci/MSc when fortunate to work under Leonardo Zamora, investigating stress responses of green-lipped mussels (Perna canaliculus) to semi-immersive live transport. Concurrently having explored possible thesis opportunities with university A/P Brendon Dunphy; particularly regarding understanding stress tolerances among marine life through integrating responses across different levels of biological organisation; naturally, both, alongside Natalí Delorme, Julien Vignier, and Norman Ragg (also of Cawthron Institute) formed a remarkable MSc supervision team. As a direct consequence of this early connection, during my MSc I was Nelson-based for roughly four months of experimental design, data collection, and analysis, capitalising on lucrative and at times rarely available industry expertise. Traversing these programmes anchored in such solid professional relationships provided crucial ‘real world’ context and personal development in managing collaboration dynamics not only for the work we conducted but findings intended for publication within the year.

Where do you hope this qualification will lead you?

Globally, there is a strong call for Indigenous representation and inclusion in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) fields. While I am extremely grateful for all the opportunities I have been afforded to this point, as an Indigenous woman aspiring to become a Pasifika (and more appropriately, Indigenous Sāmoan) scientist – broadly translating into participating in research that intentionally centres our community values and aspirations to genuinely give back to our peoples – I have become painfully aware of how fragmented and largely dismissive our current science infrastructure and reality is, for that ambition to be achieved without significant resistance in my lifetime.

In that sense then, I view these postgraduate qualifications as critical stepping stones – for me, as an aspiring Indigenous scientist – to gain, develop, and extend institutional professional and practical skills that will allow me to make informed decisions about how to navigate future career opportunities and pathways. At this time, I am sternly set this future will include a PhD, however, with the intention to meaningfully work for our most climate change vulnerable in the Pacific, I will be stepping away from the university to appropriately build and strengthen community relationships before returning.

If you have a scholarship, what is the name of it and how it has helped you?

During both PGDipSci and MSc programmes, I have been an exceptionally fortunate recipient of the Toloa Tertiary Scholarships (2020 – 2022), University of Auckland – Kupe Leadership Scholarship, and the MBIE Shellfish Aquaculture Research Platform funding via the Ministry of Pacific Peoples, McCall McBain Foundation, and Cawthron Institute, respectively.

There is very little I can think of which the combination of these generous funds did not cover. From compulsory course and conference registration fees to accommodation while Nelson-based, to research costs, through to day-to-day living costs – I am deeply appreciative to the donors listed for their monetary aid.

Have you used any of the University support groups or services relating to Science? 

Tuākana Science and more specifically, Tuākana Biology, has been a grounding force through my postgraduate studies; which before I linked in, I didn’t even realise I needed. Established by Professor Michael Walker in 1991, our learning community brings together an incredible collective of Māori, Pasifika, and Indigenous staff and students bound through shared cultural values. Providing a legendary community to belong to, the physical space for me to retreat to when the going got rough, and now offering a constant source of inspiration; without the programme, I sincerely believe I would not have considered study beyond a BSc with any real conviction.

Anything else that you'd like to mention about your time at University?

If there is one bit of unsolicited advice I can offer: university can be an excruciatingly lonely prison if you actively choose to go it alone. Find your people, stick by your people, know when you’ve reached capacity, and finish a weekday early every so often to grab a glass of wine. Good things take time.