1. What do you study related to biodiversity (what are your research questions, what organisms do you work on)?
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What makes Amphibians and Reptiles of Borneo so interesting? Do we know them all?
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2. How do you study biodiversity (for example, what technological tools and methodologies do you use in your research)?
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The basic tool is enthusiasm and continuing interest. My colleagues and I have used passive integrated transponders and a reader to track individual frogs to monitor survival and movements.
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3. Where do you study biodiversity?
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In the Malaysian part of Borneo, mostly in protected areas such as state/national parks of Sabah, Malaysia (in northern Borneo).
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4. How might your research have implications for biological conservation?
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The kind of work my colleagues and I are doing has promoted a great deal of natural history conservation awareness in that part of the world. Eco-tourism is a primary industry in Malaysia.
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5. How did you become interested in science? What made you want to be a scientist, and how did you get to The Field Museum?
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I had a very patient and encouraging supervisor when I was a laboratory assistant in Sabah Parks in 1980. I had worked with scientists of all sorts from all over the world during my early years with the Sabah Parks. Sabah Parks encourages its science related staff to conduct their own research. That pushed me one step forward into the "scientist" level. I was a botanical major "scientist" with a special interest in Amphibians and Reptiles in my later years. The Field Museum of Natural History scientists showed interest in collaborating with us in 1987. After working with Dr. Robert F. Inger for 4 years, we got married. In 1992, I left Sabah Parks in order to join my spouse in Chicago. I continue my work and my relationship with Sabah Parks and the Field Museum as an "unofficial" coordinator as well as collaborator with institutions.
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6. Describe important collaborations for your scientific endeavors (describe your work with other researchers, organizations, or scientific groups, local or indigenous peoples, etc.)
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As an associate of The Field Museum, I continue working closely together with Sabah Parks both through field work and identification of specimens. We discuss conservation related topics especially for amphibians and reptiles. Dr. Robert F. Inger and myself often work as a team in providing consultancy to Sabah Parks whenever required.
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