Coral Commodore - Zoleka Filander
Zoleka Filander: benthic marine ecologist at the South African Department of Environmental Affairs, Zoology PhD student at Nelson Mandela University, 2018 Mail & Guardian Young South African Finalist and 2018 News24 Young Mandela Finalist, BBC/NatGeo OceanXplorers
Her Work: The benthic zone is at the ocean floor and Zoleka studies the seabed more than 200m underwater! Going out on a research ship, as a team of scientists and support staff, they travel up to 200 nautical miles off the coast of Cape Town to learn what organisms live in, and on, the seabed. They use an underwater tow camera, sampling devices, and sensors to record the organisms that live in this environment and the physical conditions of the seabed.
As so much about the oceans is a mystery, part of Zoleka’s team’s work is to collect baseline information. By recording what is living there now and the existing interactions occurring in this dynamic environment they can better manage, and track, our ocean resources.
Zoleka studies deep-water corals among other benthic organisms. We normally think of corals in tropical waters at the ocean surface, using the sun as one of their energy sources. In deep water there is no sunlight, the corals don’t have the symbiotic zooxanthellae organisms that use the sun to produce energy, and they must rely on filter feeding for energy. In her hand is the coral Solenosmilia variabilis which is found at depths of up to 2,100m! That’s two and a half Burj Khalifa’s stacked on top of each other!
When on land, Zoleka spends time sharing her passion of the ocean with the general public in outreach and skills development programmes. She strongly believes that science should be communicated beyond the scientific community, so that people understand the importance of the environment and sea and develop a more harmonious relationship with what essentially makes life on earth possible.
Her Top Tip: Science is all about better understanding how the world around us works...so, stay in touch with your curiosity and imagination because it is these two things which will get you to ask the right questions and reach the answers you’re looking for.
Her Hero: I have found inspiration in many people throughout my trajectory, and there is no one person who encompasses being my hero. Like the ocean, my hero is made of different building blocks from a variety of people. I bring together all of these different traits to build my superhero!
Her Superpowers: self-motivated, communication skills, collaboration, problem-solving, curiosity, and connection with the ocean
Connect: Twitter @zoleka_filander
In isiZulu
U-Zoleka Filander: Isazi semvelo sasolwandle esingenangqondo eMnyangweni Wezemvelo waseNingizimu Afrika, umfundi we-Zoology PhD e-Nelson Mandela University, 2018 Mail & Guardian Young South African Finalist kanye no-2018 News24 Young Mandela Finalist, BBC/NatGeo OceanXplorers
Umsebenzi Wakhe: I-benthic zone iphansi olwandle futhi u-Zoleka ufunda ngaphansi kwamanzi ngaphezu kwama-200m ngaphansi kwamanzi! Bephuma ngomkhumbi wocwaningo, njengeqembu lososayensi kanye nabasebenzi abesekayo, bahamba amakhilomitha angaba ngu-200 olwandle ukusuka ogwini lwaseKapa ukuze bafunde ukuthi yiziphi izinto eziphilayo ezihlala kuzo, nangaphezulu, ngaphansi kolwandle. Basebenzisa ikhamera edonsa amanzi ngaphansi kwamanzi, izinto zokusampula, nezinzwa ukuze baqophe izinto eziphilayo ezihlala kule ndawo kanye nezimo ezingokoqobo ezingaphansi kolwandle.
Njengoba okuningi ngezilwandle kuyimfihlakalo, ingxenye yomsebenzi wethimba likaZoleka ukuqoqa ulwazi oluyisisekelo. Ngokurekhoda okuhlala lapho manje nokusebenzisana okukhona okwenzeka kule ndawo eguquguqukayo bangaphatha kangcono, futhi balandelele, izinsiza zethu zolwandle.
U-Zoleka ufunda amakhorali ajulile emanzini phakathi kwezinye izinto eziphila emanzini. Ngokuvamile sicabanga ngamakhorali emanzini asezindaweni ezishisayo endaweni yolwandle, sisebenzisa ilanga njengomunye wemithombo yawo yamandla. Emanzini ajulile akukho ukukhanya kwelanga, amakhorali awanawo ama-symbiotic zooxanthellae organisms asebenzisa ilanga ukuze akhiqize amandla, futhi kufanele athembele ekuphakeleni kokuhlunga ukuze athole amandla. Esandleni sakhe kukhona i-coral Solenosmilia variabilis etholakala ekujuleni okungafika ku-2,100m! Lokho okubili nesigamu kukaBurj Khalifa kunqwabelene phezu kwesinye!
Uma esemhlabeni, uZoleka uchitha isikhathi exoxa nomphakathi jikelele ngothando lwakhe lolwandle ezinhlelweni zokuthuthukisa amakhono. Ukholelwa ngokuqinile ukuthi isayensi kufanele kukhulunywe ngayo ngale komphakathi wesayensi, ukuze abantu baqonde ukubaluleka kwendawo ezungezile nolwandle futhi bakhe ubuhlobo obuvumelanayo nalokho ngokuyisisekelo okwenza ukuphila emhlabeni kwenzeke.
Ithiphu Yakhe Ephambili: Isayensi imayelana nokuqonda kangcono ukuthi umhlaba osizungezile usebenza kanjani...ngakho, hlala uthintana nelukuluku lakho nokucabanga kwakho ngoba yilezi zinto ezimbili ezizokwenza ubuze imibuzo efanele futhi ufinyelele izimpendulo zakho' ngifuna kabusha.
IQhawe Lakhe: Ngithole ugqozi kubantu abaningi kulo lonke uhambo lwami, futhi akekho noyedwa umuntu ohlanganisa ukuba yiqhawe lami. Njengolwandle, iqhawe lami lenziwe ngamabhulokhi wokwakha ahlukahlukene avela kubantu abahlukahlukene. Ngihlanganisa zonke lezi zici ezihlukene ukwakha iqhawe lami elinamandla!
Amandla Akhe Amandla: ukuzikhuthaza, amakhono okuxhumana, ukusebenzisana, ukuxazulula izinkinga, ilukuluku, nokuxhumana nolwandle
Xhuma: Twitter @zoleka_filander