From the sun and sand in Perth to the ice and snow in Antarctica. The time has come for CHIRI’s Nina Tirnitz-Parker and fellow Western Australians Gillian Starling, Julia Ward, Melissa Cristina-Marquez, Bec Handcock, Heidi Pass and Rachel Sheffield, to board a ship bound for Antarctica as part of a 12-month global leadership program.
Today is the day Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute (CHIRI) Associate Professor Nina Tirnitz-Parker will embark on a three-week voyage to Antarctica as part of the global and ground-breaking leadership program, Homeward Bound.
Nina is one of 100 women with a background in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Engineering (STEMM) chosen for Team HB4, the fourth cohort to women to embark on this life-changing journey.
The voyage to Antarctica marks the culmination of the team’s 12-month participation in the leadership program, which includes online learning as well as mentoring, assessments, face-to-face group work, assignments, and leadership profiling to increase leadership capacity, strategic capability and collaboration.
This past week, Nina and the team – encompassing women from 33 nationalities and 25 disciplines – have been in Ushuaia, Argentina taking part in the pre-voyage component of the program, which will continue aboard the ship.
Nina’s six fellow ‘Homeward Bounders’ from Western Australia bring diverse but complementary expertise to the team in the areas of Engineering, Medicine, STEMM Education, Geology-Geochemistry, Geography, and Marine Biology & Sustainability.
As the leader of a CHIRI lab specialising in liver stem cell and cancer biology research, who aspires to be a positive and uplifting role model for staff and her students, Nina herself brings aboard a tonne of leadership qualities and STEMM expertise.
“Nina is already a positive contributor to CHIRI and to see her take her leadership skills to the next level through the Homeward Bound program has been a great opportunity for her personally and for the institute,” said CHIRI Director John Mamo.
“On behalf of Nina’s friends and colleagues at CHIRI, including the many staff and students she has supported over the years, we wish Nina a safe and incredible journey.
“We can’t wait to hear all about what is sure to be a life-changing experience for Nina in Antarctica.”
Founded in 2016, Homeward Bound was developed by Australian leadership expert Fabian Dattner, who believed the world needed a program to mentor and empower outstanding women in STEMM.
“The aim of Homeward Bound has always been to identify and foster outstanding leadership potential, to upskill and support them to lead, influence and contribute to decision-making about the future of our planet, and our Western Australian representatives are exactly the kind of people I had in mind when I envisaged this program,” Fabian said.
“It is no accident that we end up in Antarctica. It is awe-inspiring and motivating, and I can think of no more fitting experience for a group of leaders.”
If you want to know more about Homeward Bound, visit the website.
To meet the cohort, click here and follow their journey on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
