Mariana Cattaneo

Concerned for the issue of invasive plants, Mariana has chosen a New Zealand education - a Masters programme involving the study of wildling pines in Canterbury - as her first step to contribute in the area of forestry research. "I hope to apply what I learn here in my home country. Although we don't have large areas with self-seeded trees in Uruguay yet, invasive pines are causing great damage under similar conditions in our neighbouring countries, Brazil and Argentina."

Mariana, who has a University of Canterbury Masters Scholarship, came here with her husband, Andres, in July 2000 and soon after began work on her Postgraduate Diploma in Forestry. She finished that last year and has just started her Masters of Science under the supervision of the School of Forestry's Dr Hamish Cochrane and Nick Ledgard of the Forest Research Institute.

Despite initial problems with her English, Mariana says she has settled down well at the University and in Christchurch.

"The whole infrastructure of the University is more developed than at home, with the Library and computer labs. International students have a lot of support here and the people are really friendly I'd thought it would be a very different culture but haven't found too many differences."