Kristal (Australia)
"The exciting thing about the Master of Integrated Water Management is the new breed of water managers it is creating. People who can interact with professionals from a number of disciplines. That’s a skill which is desperately needed if we want to effectively manage water."
Kristal Burry
“I always wanted to do something practical to improve people’s lives,” said Australian-born Kristal Burry, Master of Integrated Water Management student. “And there isn’t anything more fundamental to people’s well being and happiness than water.”
In response to the drought problems in her country and the lack of basic sanitation suffered by its neighbours, Kristal decided to act on her passion to make an impact on lives, by studying in the water field. “The exciting thing about the Master of Integrated Water Management,” says Kristal, “is the new breed of water managers it is creating. People who can interact with professionals from a number of disciplines. That’s a skill which is desperately needed if we want to effectively manage water.”
“This course has exposed me to a new way of thinking –
looking at the bigger picture while also having a specific focus.” The
co-badged program offered by the International WaterCentre, a joint
venture of four leading Australian universities – Queensland, Griffith,
Monash and Western Australia – offers a unique approach to tackling
water issues from a holistic, whole-of-water cycle view.
“We analyse projects that are happening as we speak,” says Kristal, “looking at engineering, economic, legislative and participatory factors. We’ve also developed a project from the start – examining a river basin, identifying a need and creating a solution to address that need.”
“When I graduate,” she says, “I want to be effective.” Wherever she ends up working, from grassroots to government level, it is Kristal’s goal to “add my weight to water issues and make a real difference in the world”.
