ANIMAL science PhD candidate Bobbie Lewis Baida has been named as the recipient of the SARDI Science Bursary for Women in 2021.
Each year the $1500 bursary is awarded to a female graduate in the agriculture, agriculture, fisheries, natural resource management or forestry science fields in SA.
Ms Lewis Baida is exploring how automated technologies can be used to understand heat stress in sheep.
"My research is focussed on identifying heat stress in sheep in the paddock," she said.
"Currently, the impact of heat stress in sheep in extensive grazing systems is not well understood.
"In a hot environment like SA, heat stress can affect sheep by threatening their physiology, reproductive function and overall health and productivity.
"Remote measurement of body temperature may be an efficient tool to prevent and manage heat stress in free-ranging sheep, as well as investigating the relationship between maternal heat stress and lamb growth and development."
Ms Lewis Baida is working with researchers from the University of Adelaide's Faculty of Engineering, Computer and Mathematical Sciences to develop automatic ways to measure body temperature.
"I'll use other automated tools, like GPS tracking, to monitor behaviour and movement patterns in sheep under heat stress," she said.
"Automated data collection reduces manual labour and the need for human handling and restraint of sheep.
"I'm hoping the information will determine the true impact of hot conditions, not only on sheep physiology and behaviour, but also on reproductive outcomes."
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Ms Lewis Baida said she was very grateful to receive the bursary, which will be used to buy research equipment.
"A significant barrier for moving my project forward is the ability to purchase more thermometry equipment, which is very expensive," she said.
"I'll put this bursary toward buying high-quality temperature loggers which will provide more accurate records."
Ms Lewis Baida said it was very rewarding to be recognised for her research by SARDI.
"As part of my studies, I interact regularly with their scientists, we use the animals at the SARDI Turretfield Research Centre, and it's a very supportive, collegiate research environment," she said.
"At the end of my studies, I'd love to work there."
Ms Lewis Baida is studying at the University of Adelaide, co-supervised by SARDI. The SARDI science bursary was established in 1994 to celebrate the South Australian Women's Suffrage Centenary.
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