Marine conservation champion
Sally Carson has spent decades leading science education and conservation efforts along New Zealand’s coastline. Her career started on the opposite side of the world in Nova Scotia’s Halifax Harbour.
Carson was a Mount Allison Science student thinking of a career as a pharmacist when she enrolled in a marine biology class taught by professor Philip Mladenov and was inspired to do a scuba diving course at the same time.
“I still remember what it felt like, my first dive in Halifax Harbour and visiting this completely foreign environment,” says Carson. “It was like going to the moon.”
The experience set Carson on a new path, taking courses on invertebrates, focusing on marine science, and travelling to the Caribbean for a research project. After graduation, Carson earned a master’s degree working on Canada’s west coast and then made the move to New Zealand — where she is the longtime director of the New Zealand Marine Studies Centre, which offers marine education programs and hands-on learning opportunities to school groups and visitors of all ages.
“I want to raise people’s awareness about the conservation and preservation of the environment and always felt my best way to do that was through education — getting people inspired and understanding the coastal environment, the human impact, and what we can do to help,” says Carson.
During her time with the Centre, Carson has developed many marine education initiatives including Marine Metre Squared, a national citizen science project monitoring the New Zealand seashore, mentored countless young scientists at the University of Otago, and has authored popular education resources including the book The New Zealand Seashore Guide. As a member of Coastal People: Southern Skies, a New Zealand national centre for research excellence, Carson spends a significant amount of her time working directly with other scientists helping them translate their research in a way that can inspire and involve the public. She also recently completed her PhD in education, where her thesis focused on the Marine Metre Squared project.
“The Marine Metre Squared project creates opportunities for schools and communities to collect ecological data, develop science skills, and provides a platform for the investigation of local environmental questions,” says Carson. “I am a firm believer in the value of local knowledge and in giving the community a voice and the confidence to do science through monitoring and stewardship. It’s the people who walk the same beach everyday with their dogs that notice environmental change.”
Mount Allison set Carson on her professional path and has long been a part of her personal story. Her parents, John Carson (’54) and Margaret Jervis, who attended for two years; uncle, William Carson (’54); and sister, Andrea Carson (’82) are also alumni and Carson has life-long friends from her time in Sackville.
Recently she reconnected with the University by becoming an alumni mentor.
The Alumni Mentorship Program matches students with an alumni mentor who can provide them with valuable advice and support as they complete their studies at Mount Allison and decide what’s next. Carson says she enjoyed her experience as a mentor and that it felt like a good way to give back to the University.
“Going to Mount Allison gave me a really good foundation, but also the freedom to pursue my interests,” says Carson. “I am a strong believer in the type of undergraduate education Mount Allison provides.”