“I will never forget the moment when I heard about the Earthwatch Millennium Fellowship Awards on Southern Counties Radio." said Philippa. "I remember just freezing and thinking: this is what I have been waiting for!”

Philippa’s application was successful and she was awarded funding to take part in the 'Australia's Vanishing Frogs' expedition in 2001.

Having long been interested in frogs, collecting data that helped scientists understand how their populations might cope or flounder as they encounter infections was a particularly interesting project to her.

As a component of the bursary, Philippa also had to design a project of her own upon her return. She chose to investigate marsh frogs in the local area, encouraging people to take recordings of their calls that contributed to the maps for The Surrey Wildlife Atlas Project.

Philippa also gave talks to community groups and appeared on local radio sharing her newfound amphibian expertise.