Ep 80. Deception, maths and parental expectations with Amy Martin

In Situ Science

SPECIAL GUEST: Amy Martin (UoA)

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Amy Martin is a researcher at the University of Auckland that studies the incredible private lives of orchids that trick male wasps into mating with them. By depriving these wasp populations of male sperm they can actually have long term effects on the wasp populations. Amy says that this is why deceptive orchids the world over tend to use haplodiploid insects as their pollinators as their unique mating systems make them ideal dupes.

Amy’s scientific specialties in animal behaviour and mathematical modelling come as no surprise when you find out that she is the daughter of a mathematician and an animal behaviour researcher. In this interview we chat about what it’s like following your parent’s footsteps into a career in academia and whether their support and interest can be a blessing or a curse.

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Music: ‘Strange Stuff’ by Sonic Wallpaper - www.sonicwallpaper.bandcamp.com