Congratulations to Dr Rina Wong (Fu), Bridget Ogilvie Medal 2025 winner.
Rina is a research scientist, university lecturer, award-winning science communicator, as well as performing artist, author, and singer-songwriter who brings this diversity of practise into her Engaging Children & the Community In Science (ECIS) initiative that embeds Parasitology Education. Rina’s initiative offers an authentic, high-quality and inspiring science experience suitable to a very diverse audience. The material is presented in a multimodal and inclusive manner designed so that people of all ages and abilities can be inspired by parasites, whatever their current level of scientific knowledge and interests.
Rina was hooked by parasites since her PhD in malaria drug resistance, for which her thesis and post-doc presentations received the JFA-Sprent Medal and ECR award from the ASP. Rina pushed through much resistance from ‘traditional-scientific’ ways of presenting her research at the university and broke the boundaries with her original song ‘Fight Against Malaria’ at the inaugural 3-minute thesis competition at UWA, which got her to the finals, people’s choice award and being featured on ABC Catalyst’s Sell Your Science. A decade on, this song is still sung at high schools and primary schools, national science week events, university lectures, featured on YouTube and celebrated in World Malaria Day, with the latest edition featuring Australian sign language (AUSLAN). Rina continues to share her passion for parasitology education through her original music, capturing the hearts of toddlers, school aged children, the general public, elderly and people with disabilities.
Rina is also a sought-after STEAM education consultant for university outreach initiatives and in-person and online workshops for schools. Rina has designed and delivered multiple parasitology workshops for toddlers, home school groups, area schools and universities. ASP’s Crafty Parasites – Malaria: In collaboration with an ASP working group, Rina directed, scripted, filmed and produced the 15-min STEAM video where she empowered little scientists to teach others how to make original pipe-cleaner Plasmodium falciparum life cycle stages. https://www.parasite.org.au/outreach/craftyparasites/
At the tertiary level, Rina is a unit coordinator, lecturer and laboratory instructor for Applied Microbiology, where she innovatively inspires students’ curiosity about parasitology through role modelling and giving students the freedom to research, learn and present their parasitology topic in a creative manner. E.g. a team presentation about tapeworms was delivered by students dressed in a home-made tapeworm costume including a shower cap with hooks, which enthralled and engaged the entire cohort. Rina also designed a new technology-based learning resource that allows students to become confident in identifying images of parasites beyond lab classes. Rina also taught into a Masters of Parasitology where she used her self-illustrated children’s picture storybook ‘My Mad Scientist Mummy’ (supported by the ASM and the ASP) as a fun way to test the scientific recognition and identification of common human parasites. Her next kid’s picture story book entitled ‘My Mummy’s Pet Parasites’ is in preparation.
Rina’s lived experience as a sister to a person with non-verbal autism underpins her passion to make parasitology accessible to people of all abilities. She designs and embeds fun parasite interactive activities in workshops tailored for children with special needs and disabilities.
Rina regularly speaks on radio on science topics, where she opportunistically weaves in stories of parasites to educate the broader community on this fascinating topic.
Congratulations Rina!
