Associate Professor Martin Steinbauer is the Assistant Director for Response Operations at the Australian Government’s Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. He’s also an Agricultural Science graduate of the University of Tasmania and has fond memories from his time as a student.
“I have very fond memories of my summer work experiences including with Westland Nurseries, Roger Wallace Crop Protection, the Hydro Electric Commission and the Tasmanian Department of Agriculture,” Martin said.
“I also enjoyed getting to know over four years, classmates who were from farming backgrounds which differed from mine as a person who had grown up in Hobart.”
The opportunity to study entomology and develop an inherent understanding of Australia’s unique insect fauna was another highlight for Martin.
“My agricultural science degree gave me a broader background (e.g. entomology, botany, soil science and organic chemistry) than colleagues who had studied botany or zoology as undergraduates,” he said.
“Few other degrees in Australia at the time provided courses in entomology which is the discipline I wanted to pursue as a career. I would not have the inherent understanding of the uniqueness of Australia's insect fauna without having studied entomology or appreciate the role of biosecurity to protecting Australia's natural heritage.”
Martin said the degree better prepared him to undertake a PhD within a Cooperative Research Centre because he appreciated the need for applied research and how industry wanted to learn about findings.
When asked about the challenges for agricultural science into the future, Martin said the biggest challenge is trying to sustain humanity without negatively impacting the environment upon which we rely so heavily.
“The biggest challenge for agriculture is trying to sustain humanity without causing catastrophic degradation of the biotic and abiotic systems which have sustained us until now. We have almost passed that point,” he said.
“Tasmanians should never forget their unique position as a clean green producer and that adoption of the most advanced technologies (e.g. for environmentally sensitive pest management) is the only way to credibly maintain that status, especially when it comes to supplying to European markets.”