My name's Emma Johnston,
I'm a professor at
the University of New South Wales
and Director of
the Sydney Harbour Research Program
called the Sydney Institute of Marine Science.
 
The Harbour is my laboratory
although I've worked from
the Great Barrier Reef
all the way down to Antarctica
and all of the work that I do
is underneath the water
so it's all sub-tidal research.  
Sydney Harbour is
an incredibly diverse harbour,
it's biologically diverse,
but it's also environmentally diverse.  
We have a huge range of
environmental conditions here
and it's really really special.  
So despite having four million people
living here and a history of
industrialisation which has really
left its mark,
we're very fortunate to
still have a great deal of
different habitats and species
that are associated with those habitats. 
Being underwater is just amazing.  
It's another world.  
I can't imagine a place
that is more different.  
The first time that anyone
goes scuba diving
and that you can just stay
under water and you can breathe under there,
is one of the most inspiring
moments of your life.  
It's a great honour to be
the inaugural winner of
the Nancy Mills Award
from the Australian Academy of Science.
It's so important
to have females being recognised
for their achievements
in marine science.  
We've been put up there
as role models for
the next generations of scientists.  
If a young girl came to me and said,
"I'm thinking about a career in science",
I would say,
"Go for it".  
It's so rewarding,
it's so much fun,
you will never ever get bored.  
