María José Rendón—Endeavour Postgraduate Scholarship (Masters)
Home institution: Universidad San Francisco de Quito - Ecuador
Host institution: The University of Sydney
From left to right: María José Rendón and Camila Acosta during a field trip at Refugio de Vida Silvestre Isla Corazóny Fragata (a protected area of coastal Ecuador). /
Besides been able to fulfil my educational and career plans, I am happy to have this opportunity to learn from another culture, travel and meet new people from other parts of the world.
María José Rendón currently works for the Tiputini Biodiversity Station, a scientific research stations located in Yasuni, Ecuador—the most biodiverse place in the world per square kilometre. Since she was young she wanted to work with things related with the environment so she studied ecology, lived on the Galapagos Islands for a semester and works in things related with the Amazon Rainforest. She is looking forward to having an overseas academic experience as she believes the educational and cultural knowledge she will gain will strengthen her academic and professional career.
“Considering that Australia and Ecuador share a lot of common things such as unique environments like the Great Barrier Reef and the Galapagos Islands, endemic species and ecosystems being affected by climate change—being able to share with other Australian scholars and researchers my experiences from Ecuador and in turn gain new knowledge from them is quite important,” she said.
Under her Endeavour Postgraduate Scholarship, Maria will undertake a Master of Environmental Science at the Sydney University to acquire a broader knowledge about sustainability, natural resources management, social sciences and ecology. She is particularly interested in sustainable societies, human rights, environmental economics, and the development of public policies.
“I consider people are very important because we cannot achieve conservation nor have successful initiatives if people are not included in the big picture,” she says.
Following her Master’s programme, Maria is planning to study a PhD in Conservation Biology. Her goal is to undertake a research programme in Australian and Ecuadorian ecosystems and develop a project that analyses the social and environmental issues of the area and incorporate solutions in order to achieve conservation.
“I look forward to being able to create conservation initiatives that allow people to learn and develop strategies for preserving their environment, not just for Yasuni, but for different parts of the world. Besides been able to fulfil my educational and career plans, I am happy to have this opportunity to learn from another culture, travel and meet new people from other parts of the world.”
Dr Anar Ulikpan – Endeavour Postgraduate Scholarship 2 of 2