It is this quality that has shaped Bridget’s career and made her invaluable to the WSP Earth & Environment Laboratory in Johannesburg. Born and raised in this city, Bridget describes herself as “the kid who was always digging in the garden to see what was there, trying to convince my parents to let me keep a snail, shongololo (centipede) or grasshopper as an additional pet”. This interest in the natural world led Bridget to volunteer at the Johannesburg Zoo for a number of years and, in high school, to work at a veterinary hospital. She went on to study a BSc in Zoology and Botany, with physiology and anatomy, at the University of Johannesburg (UJ).
“The integration of the different disciplines and how everything is interconnected grabbed my attention,” she explains. “I did my BSc Honours in Zoology, and that’s when I started working in Aquatic Toxicity - assisting one of the lecturers. Knowing the limited resource that water is, I became fascinated with the way we use it and with the management of the resource to safeguard the ecosystem within it. I did both my Master of Science (MSc) and PhD in Aquatic Health, refining my understanding of cause and effect.”
Bridget had been lecturing Ecology and Biodiversity at UJ whilst completing her PhD when the opportunity arose to join Golder Associates Africa at their Research Laboratory. “I joined as the Laboratory Manager of the Aquatic Toxicity division, which at the time was in the process of applying for its ISO 17025 SANAS accreditation as the first privately owned aquatic toxicity laboratory.”
The Golder Associates Research Laboratory (GARL) achieved and maintained the 17025 accreditation since 2008, demonstrating the organisation’s acceptance of international quality standards in assessing and monitoring hazardous substances released into the environment. The scope of accreditation has expanded during this time to include Sediment Toxicity, some Chemistry, and Dust Fallout Monitoring. The Golder Associates Research Laboratory was renamed the WSP Group Africa Earth & Environment Laboratory when WSP acquired Golder globally in 2021.
The Earth & Environment Laboratory has six dedicated staff members and works closely with consultants from various industries and backgrounds to evaluate the potential effects of pollutants in the environment which can in turn be extrapolated back to possible sources. The Laboratory assists clients in creating an integrated scientific approach towards objectives such as site selection, monitoring programmes, project management, risk assessment and treatment processing. The laboratory has worked on monitoring programmes, numerous multidisciplinary projects to identify source-pathway-receptor or contaminated land as well as Water Research Commission studies.
When Bridget is not working, she’s usually with family or friends. “And in my “me” time,” she says, “I’m in the garden, outdoors or just putting stuff together.”
