To celebrate National Science Week 2023, we are excited to share some of the stories and highlight some of the research undertaken by our very own scientists this year.

Meet Lisa Kirkendale and Corey Whisson.

Lisa has been working at the Western Australian Museum for a decade, where she serves as the Curator of Molluscs and has been the Head of Aquatic Zoology for the past five years. 

She has engaged in numerous field trips collecting molluscs, including diving and shore collecting in various locations such as the Kimberley and the Recherche Archipelago. Lisa is passionate about sharing her work, collaborating with partners, giving talks, conducting outreach, securing funding, and organising logistics for field expeditions. She loves exploring the diverse habitats and landscapes of our State and particularly enjoys winter fieldwork with Corey to document active species of WA snails.

Corey has been a Technical Officer in the Mollusc Section of the Western Australian Museum for more than 21 years. 

His role has involved extensive fieldwork in mollusc collection, including challenging activities like four-wheel driving, mountain hikes, and helicopter flights to remote areas. He manages the state's mollusc collection, maintains databases, and contributes to field expeditions, public outreach, and educational programs. Corey finds joy in continuous learning and discovering new mollusc species across diverse habitats, maintaining his enthusiasm for over two decades on the job.

Lisa and Corey both share a love of molluscs, in particular snails. Working in our Collections and Research team, they regularly receive public enquiries about local snails or have specimens sent in by the public to identify. This prompted a need to learn more about these snail species and get to the bottom of what species we actually have in WA.

“WA is a massive state...and combined with the short window these snails are active (winter only) – we desperately needed help spotting them!” Corey said.

‘Snail Snap’ was the resulting educational brainchild of Lisa and Corey that aims to raise awareness about the diverse native land snail genus Bothriembryon found in WA, and to learn more about these species by involving the public.  

Snail Snap was born as an easy-to-use app, enabling citizens to capture snail sightings and contribute valuable data to their research. Corey and Lisa both love educating the community about native snails and seeing their long-awaited project become a reality!

Snail Snap is just one of the many exciting projects Lisa and Corey are working on at the WA Museum.

We asked Lisa and Corey what they love most about their job, here’s what they had to say:

‘I love to see people light up when I talk about the work the Aquatic Zoology team does across the state.’ Lisa said.

‘Without question, my enjoyment comes from learning and discovering new animals - even after 21 years on the job!’ Corey said.

There is so much science to share this National Science Week at the WA Museum. Check out the full program on our website and book the dates in your calendar today.

Link: https://visit.museum.wa.gov.au/national-science-week

For more information on Snail Snap, please visit https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/snail-snap-2023