Jacinta Duncan is an Australian science educator who grew up on marginal farming land in the Millewa area in the top North West of Victoria. Working alongside her father, Duncan learned

animal husbandry Animal husbandry is the branch of agriculture concerned with animals that are raised for meat, animal fiber, fibre, milk, or other products. It includes day-to-day care, management, production, nutrition, selective breeding, and the raising ...

, and how to crop wheat and barley while her mother, a primary school teacher, taught her music, French and took her to learn ballet. Duncan says "the importance of an inquisitive mind and a robust education has always been at the forefront of my life".

Education and career

Completing a Bachelor of Biological Sciences at the

La Trobe University La Trobe University is a public university, public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. Its main campus is located in the suburb of Bundoora, Victoria, Bundoora. The university was established in 1 ...

, Duncan majored in

Biochemistry Biochemistry, or biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology, a ...

and

Botany Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

. Her Honours year research focussed on a natural defence mechanism in plants, the production of

phytoalexins Phytoalexins are antimicrobial substances, some of which are antioxidative as well. They are defined not by their having any particular chemical structure or character, but by the fact that they are defensively synthesized ''de novo'' by plants t ...

to halt the growth of invasive fungi. Her career in science began with a position as a molecular biologist in the population genetics laboratories of the inspirational Professor Ary Hoffman. She investigated the natural spread of a bacterial infection in fruit fly. This ''Wolbachia'' infection is transmitted through the female line. When infected males mate with uninfected females the progeny do not survive. In this way, the infection spreads quickly. Recently scientists have managed to use ''

Wolbachia ''Wolbachia'' is a genus of gram-negative bacteria infecting many species of arthropods and filarial nematodes. The symbiotic relationship ranges from parasitism to obligate mutualism. It is one of the most common parasitic microbes of arthrop ...

'' bacteria to control outbreaks of

dengue fever Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne disease caused by dengue virus, prevalent in tropical and subtropical areas. Asymptomatic infections are uncommon, mild cases happen frequently; if symptoms appear, they typically begin 3 to 14 days after i ...

. Mosquitoes are a vector for the virus that causes dengue. Scientists have manipulated ''Wolbachia'' so it blocks the growth of virus inside the mosquito. As a result, transmission of the disease is stopped. Releasing these infected mosquitoes has resulted in the wild mosquito population becoming infected, lowering the incidence of

. Duncan then transitioned to a research role in the Department of Agriculture where her project focussed on the biological control of red legged earth mites. While holidaying overseas, Duncan made a life-turning decision to return to Australia and complete a Diploma of Education at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public university, public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state ...

. She says "Nothing can describe that moment when you realise you have found your life calling."

Recent career

After seven years teaching biology, chemistry, science and mathematics in a variety of secondary schools, including three years teaching in a local school in Indonesia, Duncan joined the Gene Technology Access Centre as an Education Officer, designing and delivering programs that showcase contemporary life sciences. During this time, she wrote chapters for the Nelson VCE Biology text book.Semple, A, Borger-Smith, P, Cotton, C, Cunningham, F, Duncan, J & Jackel, S. 2006. Nelson Biology VCE Units 3 & 4, Nelson, Australia. She also introduced learning resources that enable Victorian students to access the bioinformatics tools and databases used by scientists in their research. Since 2012, Duncan has been the Director of the Gene Technology Access Centre, a specialist Science and Mathematics Centre, funded by the

Victorian Government The Victoria State Government, also referred to as the Victorian Government, is the executive government of the Australian state of Victoria. As a parliamentary constitutional monarchy, the State Government was first formed in 1851 when Vic ...

Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. The centre offers a suite of programs that immerse students in the study of contemporary life sciences. Students investigate

cells Cell most often refers to: * Cell (biology), the functional basic unit of life * Cellphone, a phone connected to a cellular network * Clandestine cell, a penetration-resistant form of a secret or outlawed organization * Electrochemical cell, a d ...

immunology Immunology is a branch of biology and medicine that covers the study of Immune system, immune systems in all Organism, organisms. Immunology charts, measures, and contextualizes the Physiology, physiological functioning of the immune system in ...

disease A disease is a particular abnormal condition that adversely affects the structure or function (biology), function of all or part of an organism and is not immediately due to any external injury. Diseases are often known to be medical condi ...

medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

evolution Evolution is the change in the heritable Phenotypic trait, characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. It occurs when evolutionary processes such as natural selection and genetic drift act on genetic variation, re ...

and

forensic science Forensic science combines principles of law and science to investigate criminal activity. Through crime scene investigations and laboratory analysis, forensic scientists are able to link suspects to evidence. An example is determining the time and ...

and become aware of the cutting-edge research emerging from Victoria's research institutes, such as the

Walter and Eliza Hall Institute WEHI (), previously known as the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, and as the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, is Australia's oldest medical research research institute, institute. Sir Frank Macfarlane Burnet, who won the Nobe ...

. The mission of GTAC is to provide engaging experiences for students and help teachers keep their curriculum contemporary. Duncan says "We hope to engage the next generation of scientists and promote a society that will participate in informed debate."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duncan, Jacinta Australian women scientists La Trobe University alumni Living people Year of birth missing (living people)