Showing up and being passionate: Naomi Huynh

A post-exam visit to the Australian Museum was the start of a career in science communication.

Senior Project Officer Naomi Huynh’s working life has been a lesson on how staying true to your passions can open doors to unexpected opportunities.

She works for UNSW Science managing the STEMM Champions program. Her current role, and her path to it, started with her own studies at UNSW, where she completed a Bachelor of Advanced Science majoring in ecology and biological science.
 

Exploring Sydney and beyond

Naomi’s interest in science, learning and animals began early. As a child, she says, she first aspired to be a teacher and, later, a zookeeper or vet.

Her love of nature was fuelled by weekends spent exploring Sydney with her parents, who were first-generation immigrants.

“They’d take me out to discover different parts of Sydney, going on walks and hikes,” she says.

“They'd never been to Sydney before they moved here. I joined those adventures with them, learning about what was around me.

“Biology and ecology can be an observation science. What do you see changing over time? How does an animal or plant live in this environment? So, I think that’s always been part of my love of science.”

As an adult, Naomi continues to explore and travel to spend time in nature, both in Australia and around the world.

Embracing opportunities

Naomi’s career in science communication began unexpectedly when she and a friend visited the Australian Museum the day after their second-year university exams.

“We ended up talking to a staff member about stick insects and animals in general. He mentioned he was building a team and, hearing our passion for science and interest in getting involved with the museum, he offered us a job.”

That role was in the museum’s Search and Discover area, where visitors interacted with live animals and taxidermy specimens, spent time in reading nooks and talked with staff like Naomi about their museum experiences, animals they had seen or getting involved with science.

“The public could also email a picture to us if they’d seen an animal or cultural object and wanted to know more about it. We’d identify it for them by using the internet, field guides and chatting with the scientists from the museum’s research institute.

“It was nice to have the opportunity to dip into industry while still at uni, just through showing up and being passionate.”

Naomi continued in that role while completing her studies before becoming a presenter for one of the museum’s shows.

“My supervisor asked, ‘Do you want to do a volcano show?’. I thought, ‘I’m not a public speaker, but I like volcanoes, so let’s give it a go!’.”

She began presenting for school holiday programs and the Sydney Science Festival (now the Sydney Science Trail). In another role with the museum she worked with FrogID – “Shazam for frogs,” as Naomi puts it – with UNSW Conjoint Associate Professor Jodi Rowley.

“It wasn’t automated. I was one of the people listening to frog recordings and identifying the frog species based on its call.”

A supervisor for the museum’s spiders exhibition then approached her about a school that was setting up a hands-on learning space featuring live animals on their campus, and Naomi was recruited as an Animal Programs Officer. She continues in the role alongside her work at UNSW.

“We look after stick insects, spiders, beetles, katydids, turtles, frogs, a snake and so much more. We even have a custom-built turtle pond and a turtle hatchery,” she says.

As well as caring for the animals, Naomi helps create learning experiences for students.

“We incorporate the animals not just in teaching biology but also expand to other subjects like chemistry, where students do water testing in the turtle pond. We even help facilitate art classes and maths lessons with kindergarten children counting insect legs, counting eyes.”

Naomi has also previously worked with the Sydney Botanic Gardens, Centennial Parklands and the Sydney Observatory, all in the education space.

“That all kickstarted because someone felt my passion and enthusiasm for science and hired me based on that, even without seeing my credentials and experience.”

Beyond work, Naomi loves snorkelling at Clovelly or Gordon’s Bay near campus or closer to home at Oak Park Rock Pool. Hiking, geocaching, spotlighting for animals in the bush at night and ‘herping’ – searching for reptiles and amphibians in the wild – all get her out of the house and into nature.

At home, she favours a simpler animal as a pet: her beloved cherry shrimp.

“I just started a pet wall in the office. The first thing that went up was my shrimp. I love them!”

What’s something about you that might surprise your colleagues?

I’m in the Netflix movie Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga as a background audience member.

What’s the best advice you’ve received? 

If you can’t change the world, change someone’s world.

What makes you happy? 

Spending time in nature, bonus points if it’s outside of Sydney, interstate or overseas, practising forest bathing, or shinrin-yoku, which is a Japanese practice of slow, mindful immersion in nature to lower stress, reduce blood pressure and boost immunity.

What day in your life would you like to relive? 

Swimming with whale sharks in Exmouth, Western Australia. It was a bucket list item.

What’s the best thing you’ve watched in the past year? 

Jousting. I would recommend you go to a medieval festival (notable ones in Sydney are Blacktown City Medieval Fayre and Winterfest), dressing up and watching the sport.