CSST’s new research director keen to put science to work
THERE are two things Waikatoborn Delwyn Moller is looking forward to now she is back in New Zealand: making a difference and skiing at Treble Cone.
Dr Moller recently moved to Alexandra from Los Angeles after being appointed director of research at the Centre for Space Science Technology (CSST).
‘‘As director of research, really, my role is to coordinate research activities that are around taking Earth observation measurements or technologies and trying to derive applied science products to that,’’ she said.
‘‘When I say products, things that are useful to New Zealand either industry or also New Zealand interests, which may well be environmental in nature rather than a commercial product.’’
The centre would be conducting applied research, which could be used to assist government policies or councils in areas such as planning concerning the effects of climate change or responding to a disaster.
She also hoped CSST would share findings and collaborate with other research institutes, including the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research.
‘‘I come from a research background and also a Nasa background. In Nasa, anything you do with the data is free.
‘‘I definitely see the researchers here working very closely with organisations like Niwa or Crown Research Institutes, academia.
‘‘If you don’t share, you don’t get anywhere in the research world.’’
She was most looking forward to making a difference, she said.
‘‘I’ve spent years as a researcher and now, you get to a certain level of maturity and think ‘Gosh, this could make a difference for this industry, or this knowledge will help us be intelligent about the decisions we make’.
‘‘Getting from the research to the decisionmakers is kind of this gap which is hard to bridge.
‘‘I think my role in CSST will hopefully give me a chance, with the people that I work with, to bridge that gap.’’
Dr Moller studied for a bachelor of engineering degree at the University of Auckland before moving to the United States to complete her PhD at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Her studies involved varied fieldwork, including chasing tornados and working on a ‘‘flip ship’’ research vessel off San Diego.
After graduating, she got a job as a member of technical staff at Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).
One of her first major projects involved working on a shuttle radar technology mission.
‘‘Doing the mission I got to be in Houston in the operating control centre which is right next to mission control.’’
Her work at JPL took her to the Amazon, Alaska, and the Yukon Flats for various projects.
Moving into the male dominated field of engineering had occasionally been intimidating, she said, and working in a competitive industry had forced her to become more outgoing.
‘‘JPL, for example, is pretty intimidating full stop. It’s pretty competitive, it’s pretty intense.
‘‘I went in quiet, sitting in the corner down the back, and I left quite different. I realised I wasn’t going to get anyone to listen to me unless I had my say.’’
She continued working on a range of projects and missions alongside scientists and astronauts, and in 2008 began working for Remote Sensing Solutions as a principal systems engineer.
Her work has focused on Earth observation, and her roles have alerted her to the ‘‘staggering’’ effects of climate change.
‘‘To go to those meetings and see some of the results is quite staggering.’’
One of her projects, which involved monitoring ice sheets above Greenland, revealed a glacier had moved 800m in a sevenday period.
Her work has also exposed her to public debates concerning global warming, she said.
‘‘I try to keep the politics out of what I do. My radar flies over a surface, we make a measurement. I don’t do anything to change that measurement.
‘‘You do all that you can — provide the information, and hopefully that’s going to influence policy, influence behaviour.’’
It was refreshing to move back to New Zealand from Los Angeles and embrace the outdoor lifestyle she grew up with. Hitting the mountains was high on her agenda, she said.
‘‘I’m looking forward to skiing. Treble Cone is one place that I’ve always wanted to ski and I never have. I am just itching to go.’’