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, fibre, milk, or other products. It includes day-to-day care, selective breeding, and the raising of livestock. Husbandry has a long history, starti ...

, 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 research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its main campus is located in the suburb of Bundoora. The university was established in 1964, becoming the third university in the state of Victoria an ...

, 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 and ...

and

Botany Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek w ...

. 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 th ...

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 intracellular bacteria that infects mainly arthropod species, including a high proportion of insects, and also some nematodes. It is one of the most common parasitic microbes, and is possibly the most common reproduct ...

'' bacteria to control outbreaks of

dengue fever Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne tropical disease caused by the dengue virus. Symptoms typically begin three to fourteen days after infection. These may include a high fever, headache, vomiting, muscle and joint pains, and a characterist ...

. 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 is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

. 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 just the Victorian Government, is the state-level authority for Victoria, Australia. Like all state governments, it is formed by three independent branches: the executive, the judicial, and th ...

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,

immunology Immunology is a branch of medicineImmunology for Medical Students, Roderick Nairn, Matthew Helbert, Mosby, 2007 and biology that covers the medical study of immune systems in humans, animals, plants and sapient species. In such we can see there ...

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

medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pract ...

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

evolution Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...

and

forensic science Forensic science, also known as criminalistics, is the application of science to criminal and civil laws, mainly—on the criminal side—during criminal investigation, as governed by the legal standards of admissible evidence and criminal ...

and become aware of the cutting-edge research emerging from Victoria's research institutes, such as the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute. 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)