RG x RACI_EmpoweringtheFutureofSTEM_singlepages300dpi - Book - Page 20
●
K AT R i N A W R U C K ●
INDUSTRi AL CHEMi ST
O
nce upon a time, a girl named Katrina curled up on the sofa to watch
a movie. In it, Nicolas Cage played a biochemist who works for the
FBI and saves the world from a chemical attack. “How cool is that?!” she thought,
“To save the world using science!” She worked hard and found her own way to
make her mark. Today, she uses chemistry to protect the environment. “I still get
to help save the planet,” she says, “just with fewer explosions.”
When she first started studying science, she had to commute four hours a day
to the university. It was exhausting! So after a few months, she moved to Brisbane,
where she lived in a share house and continued her studies. It was a lot of work,
and it was tough to find the money to live on her own. But she followed her
curiosity and earned her PhD in sustainable process engineering.
Later, Katrina was researching the rocks that are left over from mining. “Instead
of treating them as waste,” she wondered, “what if I could turn them into
something useful?” She jumped into action and developed a process to transform
these rocks into the main ingredient in laundry detergent.
Her product does more than keep clothing clean. It improves people’s health.
Rheumatic heart disease is caused by bacteria, and people who don’t have
access to laundry facilities and detergent have higher rates of it. In Australia, the
disease disproportionately affects Indigenous communities. She realised she was
onto something big!
Katrina is a proud Panaylayg woman (Zenadth Kes). She is also neurodivergent.
Over the years, some close-minded people have underestimated her or even
discriminated against her. Instead of believing those voices, she says, “I let them
fuel my fire, and I am determined to prove them wrong.” She’s excited to continue
battling forever chemicals and inspiring the next generation of STEM leaders.
BORN 1994
AUSTRALiA
• 18 •
