Asha Thomas (Ministry for Primary Industries, MPI, New Zealand) visited the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) this year to build her diagnostic capabilities in several invertebrates listed as National Priority Plant Pests (NPPPs) in Australia, including Khapra beetle (NPPP #2), exotic and economic fruit flies (NPPP #4), and snails (NPPP #12).
The residential provided an opportunity for Asha to learn and grow in her profession. Asha listed various benefits including:
- gaining experience to provide technical support during emergency responses in New Zealand, including building knowledge to adapt the Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay for fruit fly detection
- gaining knowledge in surveillance methods and eradication methods relevant to her current role and responsibilities
- building new relationships with key scientists and diagnosticians that will be able to support collaborations and provide surveillance and diagnostic advice
- gaining experience in international surveillance and eradication programs
- developing training skills to upskill team members, e.g. the diagnostic laboratory of the Biosecurity Authority in Fiji through the NZAID project Enhancement of Biosecurity and Market Access in the Pacific
- presenting at the Annual Diagnostics Workshop (ADW) in March 2024.
For more information on Asha’s residential, please visit Diagnostic and Professional Resources on the NPBDN members portal (note you must be logged in as a member to view the content).
NPBDN would like to thank Asha, MPI, and SARDI for participating in this NPBDN-funded initiative.
This initiative was made possible with coordination and support from the Networks Implementation Working Group (NIWG) and the Subcommittee on Plant Health Diagnostics (SPHD), and with funding provided by the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) under the National Plant Biosecurity Diagnostics Professional Development and Protocols Project managed by Plant Health Australia (PHA).
Above: Asha Thomas visited the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) as part of her NPBDN residential visit