Launceston's Daniel Hackett admits he's taken an "unusual" pathway to be one of three University of Tasmania researchers named this year's Fulbright scholars.
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He has received the scholarship alongside globally recognised separation scientist Professor Michael Breadmore and international and technology law researcher Ella Hilder.
From a background in wilderness tourism, Mr Hackett said the COVID-19 pandemic had led him to his PhD in environmental studies in the School of Geography Planning and Spatial Sciences.
"I'd been doing wilderness tourism for 20 years and was always interested and active in the area," Mr Hackett said.
"With the more recent debates we've been having on how to use world heritage areas for tourism, that's how I got started."
His research has seen him delve into management of wilderness and wild places.
The scholarship will see him travel to Pennsylvania State University to be part of a multi-national team researching wilderness soundscapes and perceptions of remoteness among recreational wilderness users.
He said he was excited about the opportunity, which will take him and his family over to America for four months, next year.
"It's great recognition of the work we're doing at UTAS with the project," he said.
"Tasmania and the US have a lot in common, especially on the wilderness side of things."
Tasmanian researchers were once at the fore of study in the area, leading global efforts in the 1970s and 80s. Since, the Americans have picked up the mantle and continued to learn more on the topic.
He said there had been less research into the wilderness soundscapes and perceptions of remoteness.
"It's half of what you perceive, and it'll be interesting to explore," he said.
"There's different wilderness soundscapes for different uses. Such as Dove Lake will have a completely different sound to somewhere like Federation Peak.
"So it's about working out the management of those sound spaces and being pragmatic about not all of them can be pristine."
Having worked in political spheres as a proponent for the Lake Malbena proposal, he said he had gained a wealth of background knowledge that would be "hard to come by" in purely academia.
Mr Hackett said it was a unique experience to see the overlap of science and political circles in the space of wilderness tourism.
He praised the support of UTAS and the government for the scholarship.
"I certainly encourage non-tradition study people that if I can do it, anyone can," he said.
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Molly Appleton
Molly Appleton is a senior journalist at The Examiner, having formerly worked at The Advocate as a news and sports reporter. She brings a passion for storytelling and knowledge of Tasmania across the three major regions. For any story ideas contact her on 0448 184 160.
Molly Appleton is a senior journalist at The Examiner, having formerly worked at The Advocate as a news and sports reporter. She brings a passion for storytelling and knowledge of Tasmania across the three major regions. For any story ideas contact her on 0448 184 160.
