- About postgraduate study
- Part-time study
- Courses
- Order a Prospectus
- Faculties & Departments
- UK students
- EU students
- International Students
- How to apply for your course
- Handy Hints
- Open Events
- Student Recruitment
- Money Matters
- About Us
24 Apr 2006 17:26:14
Pauline Oliver from Luton claims she didn’t make the most of school – but the late learner has made up for it now.
The 45-year-old mother-of-two discovered science on an access course and, after completing a degree, ended up on a five-year project researching goats and grassland. Now she has graduated with a PhD from the University of Luton.
It’s been a slow but enjoyable process as Pauline, now Senior Conservation Officer at the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust, explained: “I had two young children and was divorced – and that really makes you re-think your life.
“I needed an education to earn a reasonable wage and an access course at Barnfield College was the first stage. I enjoyed science so I decided to study that and I also volunteered with the county council’s countryside rangers, taking part in butterfly surveys at a local site.
“The work I was doing was useful in grassland management and I decided I wanted to continue in that field. This led me to study a degree – a BSc in Biology and Environmental Science at Luton.
“If I hadn’t done the access course, I would never have been able cope with the pace and workload at University. It taught me how to study and manage my assignments.”
Pauline said it was hard juggling everything. Her parents looked after the children and she struggled to live on a grant. “It was hard but with the support of mentors and my family I got through it and I’m glad I did it.”
The degree and her work with the council led her to develop a PhD research project. A new project initiated by Mike Beachamp (Beds County Council southern countryside ranger) proposed that goats would be useful in scrub clearance on chalk downland sites in Bedfordshire.
“Before goats could be used, English Nature wanted to carry out a small trial looking at the diet and behaviour of the goats,” said Pauline. “This was the focus for my undergraduate thesis – and it grew from there.
“The results threw up more questions and I decided to continue the project as research at PhD level.
“This took longer than usual because it had to be a five-year field trial, with experiments in manual clearance methods for scrubland as opposed to using goats, because the changes in vegetation were long-term.”
Pauline knows she wouldn’t have succeeded without the help and support of her tutors and colleagues. She believes that investing in her education has turned her life around – and she has her dream job in conservation.
“I’m grateful to many people but I’d particularly like to thank my PhD external supervisor, David Bullock, from the National Trust, who gave me the confidence to keep going when it got tough. He was a great mentor.
“It has been a long journey with lots of hard work but it has been worth every minute,” she added.
Pauline’s children, now 26 and 24, are very proud of their mum and celebrated with her on her graduation day.
To find out more about postgraduate study at the University of Luton, call 0800 389 6633 or visit www.luton.ac.uk.
Latest news» 2006» Apr» She’s not kidding – Pauline’s goat study earns her PhD success
