Aobakwe Lenkwe DST-SAEON Intern at the Grasslands-Forests-Wetlands Node (2016/17)
I recently submitted my MSc dissertation with Wits University. I was looking at the impact of rainfall on streamwater chemistry at Cathedral Peak, comparing historical and recent monthly streamwater chemistry major ions data sets and investigated the use of spectral absorbance as a proxy for dissolved organic carbon; under the supervision of Prof. Chris Curtis (Wits). My honours project was a comparison of the influence of different land uses on streamwater chemistry and macroinvertebrate assemblages at Cathedral Peak.
I’ve always been fascinated by water but I remember sitting in a 3rd year biogeography conservation lecture and I think that’s when I decided that it would be my life long obsession.
As a DST-NRF intern, I hope to become more of a transdisciplinary scientist and to walk out with a better understanding of which direction I want my science to go and possibly do my PhD. I am working under the supervision of my mentor and node coordinator, Sue van Rensburg. I look forward to learning more about ecology and dissolved organic carbon, being challenged, fieldwork and working with the GFW node team.
