Kilkenny scientist Dr Tara Shine leaving for Antarctica

A Kilkenny woman who was responsible for locating the lost crocodiles of the Sahara Desert is leaving for Antarctica, tomorrow morning (Thursday).
Dr Tara Shine, co-founder of Plastic Free Kinsale and the award winning social enterprise Change by Degrees, leaves Ireland to join 80 women scientists from around the world on a leadership expedition to one of the harshest climates in the world.
The mission is part of the Homeward Bound, a global women’s leadership programme organised by the charity of the sane name.
Homeward Bound is a ground-breaking leadership initiative for women, that aims to heighten the influence and impact of women with a science background to influence policy and decision making as it shapes our planet.
Tara is the first woman living in Ireland to be selected for the programme and as the departure date approached she was completing assignments to prepare for the on-board leadership programme and packing for the cold weather.
St. Multose National School in Kinsale, where her kids go to school, are sending their mascot with her to Antarctica to connect them with her journey.
Tara is planning a polar plunge to highlight the Teach a Girl to Swim Campaign which seeks to save lives and empower girls by teaching them to swim.
In many cultures girls are not taught to swim and as a result more girls and women die in floods, which are becoming more frequent due to climate change.
Tara hopes the Homeward Bound programme will help her to promote and encourage women in STEM in Ireland and enhance her skills as a science communicator on issues like climate change, sustainability and plastic pollution. Her participation in the programme is supported by Repak and the Environmental Protection Agency.
Tara is a daughter of Michael and Viney Shine, Castlecomer Road, Kilkenny and is a regular visitor back to her native city.
In 2002, she made international headlines when she discovered the ‘Lost Crocodiles Of The Sahara’.
Tara discovered crocodiles in Mauritania, on the edge of the Sahara, where the experts said they could not exist.
Tara went on to discover how these reptiles have evolved to live in one of the hottest and driest places on earth.
Tara had been recruited by APSO to work on a German aid project surveying wetlands.
The terrain was sandy and studded with rocky outcrops and entirely dependent on rain for water.
The dry season lasts for six to eight months, which made the sightings seem all the more unlikely.
However, with some local knowledge she went in search of the elusive reptiles and found them in the caves where the local people said they were.
The super-resilient species have adapted to a gradual change in climate over the past 5,000 to 8,000 years, which saw the region turn from lush savannah to arid desert.