Cassie Newman
Engineering Analyst, Otago Regional Council
Master of Science (Research) with Honours (First Class)
Bachelor of Science in Geospatial Science and Marine Biology
She loves getting out in the field and collecting aerial imagery that can help us understand the impact on our natural environment, says Cassie Newman who is now the engineering analyst at the Otago Regional Council.
“I’m the GIS person for my team who specialises in the rivers and flood space around Otago. I feel so lucky to have a role where I get to protect the Otago region, which has such a mix of ecosystems and history.
“As part of my role, I make maps, fly drones, and create better workflows for collecting and analysing data in our team’s day-to-day work as well as during flood events. I’ve also learnt to do flood modelling and am doing passive research on river and coastal erosion, which aligns with the research I did at AUT. I love the problem solving aspect of my role and of course enjoy flying drones.”
Finding her path
For Cassie, the first step towards the career she loves was enrolling in AUT’s Bachelor of Science, which was soon followed by a Master of Science (Research).
“I did marine biology because I love the ocean and wanted to follow a more environmental-based study path. I also majored in geospatial science, which is basically a mix of creativity and science. I really like taking confusing or messy data, and being able to communicate it to anyone through maps. It’s a highly valuable skillset to have in almost all industries.
“One of the highlights at AUT was doing my master’s degree thesis in my final year. It was pretty awesome taking the knowledge and confidence in myself that I had gained throughout my years of study and applying it. My research helped me decide what I want to do in my career and really helped shape what role I want to be in. Through my studies, I’ve also made some lifelong friends who I still see at conferences or catch-ups.”
In addition to her studies she also found the time to complete the Beyond AUT Award, which proved to be another highpoint of her time at university.
“I chose to participate in the Beyond AUT Award to help me gain the experience and knowledge to become ready to go out into the environment. The leadership part of the award motivated me to get out of my comfort zone and pursue something I would usually shy away from. That helped me gain a lot of confidence in myself.”
Advice for other students
Cassie has some great advice for other students who are only at the start of their university journey.
“Put in the effort now and enjoy your time at uni – your future self will thank you for actively learning new skills and putting yourself out there instead of going through uni passively. You do so much personal and professional growth from failure, so don’t be afraid to try if you think you’re going to fail, it’s a win win.”
She wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the science programmes to other students.
“I’d definitely recommend studying science. I had an awesome mix of classes, Doing marine science was super interesting and kept me on my environmental path as I did geospatial science. Doing my master’s degree was also super beneficial and made me feel ready to get out into the workforce with a wealth of knowledge and expertise that has greatly benefitted my work.”
