51萝莉

Graduating from the 51萝莉 was an opportunity for Caleb Crosbie (狈驳腻辫耻丑颈) to reflect on the roller-coaster of the year that鈥檚 been.

A serious sports injury two weeks into his bachelor鈥檚 degree left Caleb with a broken leg and unable to walk, and Covid-19 lockdowns and closed borders separated him and his family.

It made for a challenging final year, but on September 2, 2022, the 22-year-old celebrated his success when he graduated from the University鈥檚 Tauranga Campus in the CBD with a Bachelor of Science (BSc). He is part of the first bachelor鈥檚 cohort to graduate since the campus opened in 2019.

Growing up, Caleb鈥檚 dream was like any other Kiwi boy - to play rugby for the All Blacks. His fascination for nature and the natural world didn鈥檛 develop until later in life.

鈥淔unnily enough I never did very well in science at school and especially dreaded chemistry with a burning passion,鈥� Caleb says.

鈥淏ut once I realised I could use science as both a pathway and as a tool to better understand nature, it was as if a penny dropped.鈥� There was also a heavy focus on sustainability and rehabilitation of the environment at high school so it was an easy decision to choose his major in Environmental Sciences.

Caleb was awarded the Summer Research Scholarship, a $6,000 grant that provides opportunities to experience the challenges and rewards of research.

He presented his findings from his scholarship -  investigating whether global change had an impact on marine sediment communities, such as tidal flats - at the New Zealand Marine Sciences Society Conference hosted at the Tauranga Campus.

鈥淚 talked and rubbed shoulders with some of the leading experts in the marine environment and heard their perspectives on future challenges for New Zealand.鈥�

Caleb is now a Master of Science (Research) in Environmental Sciences student researching the recovery of soft sediment communities following heat wave die-off events.

He is investigating whether there are specific juvenile-adult interactions between key cockle species and if they have any effect on the community鈥檚 recovery. He is also demonstrating for at least two undergraduate papers each trimester to keep himself busy, helping run labs and field trips.

鈥淚 am still uncertain what I want my future to hold career-wise. However, I believe that the skills and people I have met throughout the course of my degree have been hugely beneficial to my future.鈥�