Biotechnology Intro | A Thing of the Past | Not all protons, neutrons and electrons!

Science - It's not all Protons, Neutrons and Electrons!
By Praveen Nitriyendran

___I nervously wait for Dr Wallace Bridge in a classroom of students participating in the Young Achievers of Australia (YAA) program. I am sure a few of them are thinking to themselves, 'Who is this new kid with the pink shirt, vest and two earrings?'. But as the looks and whispers escalate, Dr Wallace Bridge strides in and the eager, engaged look in his students’ eyes reveal the true passion of Wallace’s career and the enjoyment he derives from his day to day activities as a scientist.

___Dr. Wallace Bridge is the director of the Entrepreneurs in Science Unit of the Faculty of Science at the University of New South Wales (UNSW). He coordinates the Diploma of Innovation Management program which aims to train Science students in commercial skills that the industrial application of Science often requires. Wallace emphasizes that Science is not entirely about research and intelligence; you have to have social and interpersonal skills in order to be successful. These skills include teamwork, networking, leadership, and project management.

___Wallace started university studying Electrical Engineering. After two years, he realised that it was not the career for him, and he switched to a Bachelor of Science .He went on to complete a Masters in Applied Science, and between 1989 and 1992, he completed his PhD at UNSW. Wallace has had over twenty years of experience in the Biotechnology industry with stints at Biotechnology companies such as CSR and Burns Philp.

___However, from the warm, jubilant photos of Wallace with his successful YAA students, it is clear that, whilst Biotechnology research is still part of his life, his real passion is teaching. And his students have been very successful. Past UNSW teams have won numerous YAA prizes, and one student is currently completing a management apprenticeship with Ford Australia in Melbourne.

___Wallace’s passion for his work is only matched by that of the YAA students. Sitting in the corner of a small conference room in the Biological Sciences Building, I was amazed by the enthusiasm, engagement, and passion of these students. The focus of the day’s class was to choose a team name and narrow down the product choices. It was a very amusing class; the whole group had decided on ‘Unswayable’ as their team name. Wallace had no idea why they liked this name until one of his students pointed out that the name ‘UNSWayable’ contained the letters UNSW in it!

___Wallace is also in charge of buying equipment for his laboratory in the School of Biotechnology and Biomolecularl Sciences and negotiating research projects the laboratory. Making an important phone call to a law firm chasing up an outstanding invoice, Wallace displayed sharp negotiation skills and charm in order to get them to pay up. This is a great example of how non-science skills are needed in the Science industry, the key message of Wallace’s Innovation Management Program.

___Outside Science, Wallace enjoys spending time with his two young children, aged eight and four. He is the coach of their soccer and t-ball teams, which keeps him pretty busy on weekends. He learnt Italian during a stint working in Turin and enjoys speaking it with his wife. His work has also allowed him to travel to England.

___Wallace has no regrets about choosing Science as a career path. He states that he has arrived at this stage in his career more through “opportunity rather than intention”. However, he reiterates that you should be intent in your career as a scientist, you should know what you want, “know your limitations” and “be the best at what you do”.

Biotechnology Intro | A Thing of the Past | Not all protons, neutrons and electrons!