RG x RACI_EmpoweringtheFutureofSTEM_singlepages300dpi - Book - Page 10
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A L i S E F OX ●
Fi SH E Ri E S SCi E N Ti ST A N D SCi E N C E CO M M U Ni CATO R
S
itting in her maths classroom one day, Alise felt a fluttery feeling in her
stomach. Her teacher was talking about equations and how the
relationships between numbers could explain almost anything. Suddenly they’d
moved from addition and multiplication to unlocking the secrets of the universe.
And that fluttery feeling? That was excitement.
Alise always loved nature. Together with her mum, she’d scamper around the
beach or the rainforest, inspecting shells and marvelling at all the funky fungi
they could find. Nature is enormous. And yet, she realised, she could zoom in and
see networks of relationships. Zooming in further, she could see the chemical
reactions that make up biological occurrences . . . which follow the laws of
physics . . . which can be explained using logic and numbers. There was that
fluttery feeling again!
How could she turn her interests into a career? she wondered. The only person
she knew who made a career out of maths was her teacher. So she became a
maths teacher! But it wasn’t the job for her. Back to uni she went. She explored lots
of exciting topics, and eventually, she found a job that combines her love of maths
and nature. As a fisheries scientist, she uses maths to figure out how many fish are in
the ocean, which helps others write laws aimed at keeping the ocean healthy.
Sometimes at school or work, Alise would feel sad or frustrated when she
compared herself to her friends or colleagues. At 32 years old, she found out that
she is neurodivergent. Her autism and ADHD are part of what makes her unique.
“I have a different kind of brain!” she says.
She’s found tactics to help her stay focused, such as taking breaks, swapping
paper books for audiobooks, and keeping fidget toys on her desk. Alise’s advice
to everyone, especially neurodivergent folks, is: “Learn about yourself, trust that
the way you think is perfectly valid, and give yourself whatever tools you need.”
BORN 1992
AUSTRALi A
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