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“I could have gone to university, but was not prepared to pay $10,000 per year for a Bio Sciences degree, when I was unsure if this was the field I wanted to pursue.”
Shelley Baeffel enjoys working with fungi. While this activity may not be everyone’s idea of fun, for Shelley it is part of a “fantastic” work placement at the Institute of Horticultural Development, Knoxfield.
Shelley from Chelsea Heights has been among 14 students from the Centre for Biotechnology and Animal Sciences who have been on placement at the Institute two days a week and gaining valuable practical experience as a result.
“I’m really enjoying it,” Shelley said. It is a fantastic opportunity for our class because they have got equipment over there that we would not get exposed to at TAFE.”
Shelley is working on a plant pathology project which aims to eradicate the fungi Helminthosporium solani from potatoes. The fungi is a cosmetic disease which doesn’t harm the potato, but consumers are less likely to buy them.
“I have really learned a lot,” Shelley enthused.
“I have learned how to run gels and isolate fungi. “We isolate bacteria at TAFE but I have never previously used fungi. Every week I am learning more.”
Shelley opted to study for the Diploma of Applied Science (Biotechnology) at the Institute to be sure that she was interested in the area.
“I could have gone to university, but was not prepared to pay $10,000 per year for a Bio Sciences degree, when I was unsure if this was the field I wanted to pursue.”
Shelley said she enjoyed the hands-on experience of the TAFE environment.
“There are university students who have degrees, but who have not got jobs because they don’t get the practical experience, so they come here to get that,” she said.
“Once I have finished this course, then I would like to look at doing another course in Forensic Science.
13 June 2003
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