I’m Lavenia Ratnarajah!
I am inspired by potential. We all have the potential to bring forth change. Our actions can motivate a community, be it local or global. Imagine the potential of the collective!
I am an International Project Officer for the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS). GOOS is a programme executed by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO. I work with a panel of experts to identify and develop Essential Ocean Variables (EOVs) to monitor the health of the ocean.
In addition, I am an honorary researcher at the University of Liverpool. My research focusses on the interaction between phytoplankton, bacteria and zooplankton, and how they influence nutrient recycling, phytoplankton growth, and the breakdown of carbon in the Southern Ocean and Antarctic region. This climatically-important region is known to be iron limited, and both phytoplankton and bacteria compete for iron here resulting in cascading effects on ecosystem processes.
For some, being a polar explorer is about the adventure. For me, I love the research and I want to bring forth change. Change in how we think and how we act.
Anyone can be a polar explorer - what is your motivation?
The first time I saw Antarctica, I just kept staring into the horizon. I have never seen so much white ice in my life! I distinctly remember a seal ducking into the water and two penguins corking their head to look at us. I felt like I was both out of my element and in my element at the same time. It was a weird (but good) feeling!
I am of Sri Lankan Tamil heritage and spent most of my life in Malaysia and Australia. I love adventure! From a young age, I would save every penny to travel and experience new cultures and experiences. When I was 17 I took off and spent a year in South America. I had a life goal to see all 7 continents and I managed to touch that mark 3 years ago when I came back from Antarctica and bought my ticket to Morocco to spend some time in the Sahara dessert! I learnt that camels aren't the most comfortable to ride on, and I should have packed better shoes to deal with all that sand, but I had the best tagine chicken I have ever eaten in my life. Life is never boring!
I am inspired by potential. We all have the potential to bring forth change. We can change the way we think. Our actions can motivate a community, be it local or global. We have seen how a single individual can make a difference. From Martin Luther King Jr to Greta Thunberg and beyond. Imagine the potential of the collective!
There's so much that I want to work on and my head is full of ideas. I even have an 'idea book' that I jot everything down in. Who knows what I'll work on next…
My advice is to find something you are interested in and pursue it. There are many different options in polar research (science, law, humanities, economics, policy etc.). My biggest advice is to find a mentor. I have a really good mentor in Liverpool that I can bounce ideas off, talk about career options and even just talk about the bad days... It's not always sunshine and rainbows but a good mentor can guide you through it.
