Geoscience and environmental studies play a significant role in understanding and resolving the worldwide human and climate-induced challenges today. To further support sustainable development, the discipline is crucial in researching, monitoring, assessing, communicating, and reducing contemporary societal concerns.
My name is Dr. Florence Jerotich Tanui, and I am an enthusiastic scholar and a geo-environmentalist. It goes without saying that 2020 was the year of self-invention. The lockdown period allowed everyone to evaluate personal talents and make them come true. Mine was to establish a platform to promote geoscience for sustainable development. Thus, the birth of JFT which is an abbreviation of my name.
About Me
My career is inspired by the physical environment in which I was raised. I was born in Baringo County, one of Kenya’s remote arid and semi-arid regions. I studied for a Bachelor of Science (Geology) at the University of Nairobi, where I graduated with First Class Honours in 2012. I worked as a hydrogeologist for Earth Water Limited for two years and as a geologist for African Diatomite Limited.
In 2015, I was awarded a prestigious scholarship by the Tullow Group of Scholarship Scheme (TGSS) under the British Council to pursue MSc. Applied Environmental Geology at Cardiff University in the United Kingdom. Since I consistently achieved my goals and with excellent outcomes, I was awarded a PhD Fellowship through the FCDO-funded REACH Programme for climate-hydrogeology research. I earned my PhD in December 2021. I am currently a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Faculty of Science and Technology at the University of Nairobi, Kenya.
Why Sustainable Development?
Sustainable development is at the heart of all the global agendas. My goal is to use my professional skills and talents to advance this agenda through the JFT platform. Professionally, I will use my technical skills in geoscience to give it the voice it deserves. Geoscience plays a crucial role in fulfilling sustainable development goals (SDGs).
For example, ensuring universal access to water and sanitation by all (SDG 6) necessitates extensive involvement of the geoscience community, such as hydrogeologists, hydrologists, geophysicists, and geochemists, in understanding and management of freshwater resources. Therefore, there is a need to promote sustainability aspects in geo-environmental consulting services through awareness creation, capacity building and policy and practice.
Awareness Creation
In addition, public awareness through the JFT Â blog promotes a global understanding of the developments in environmental news. The blog presents facts on a wide range of topics ranging from climate change reports, water resources, environmental pollution, geotechnical hazards, green economy, biodiversity, food security, and energy.
Mentorship & Capacity Building
Since I have mentored many graduates over the years, I firmly understand that sustainable development can not be achieved without capacity building. Through this platform, we shall enhance recent university graduates’ capacity and career developments by undertaking geosciences careers, employment opportunities, research skills and networking. Capacity building also includes training professionals regarding specific geo-environmental topics of concern.
Policy & Practice
What use of scientific research if it will not benefit policy and change the norms of uninformed actions? Science provides important evidence for informed decision-making and adopting sustainable development strategies. Therefore, packaging research outputs is essential for their usefulness and effectiveness and to inform policy for sustainable growth. JFT platform informs on ways of transforming research into tools required by stakeholders in various sectors