2003 News Archive
New LEME Scholars and Students in 2003
Pat James, CRC LEME Education and Training Program Leader, Adelaide
University, 19 March 2003
CRC LEME is committed to graduating at least 60 PhD students and
an equivalent number of Honours students, during its lifetime. To
this end LEME is currently guaranteeing more than $600K from its
cash reserves each year to provide new scholarships for students
to work on LEME-related research. In October 2002 LEME advertised
nationally for 30 Geoscience scholarships and was greatly encouraged
to receive more than 50 applications from suitable qualified students.
A rigorous review and assessment process over the summer recess
and a coincidental release of matching funds by one core party university
led to the offering of a much larger than anticipated number of
scholarships, with about 48 students overall receiving funding.
Seven Summer scholarships worth about $1000 each were offered with
one student (Jennifer Leonard) at ANU studying the chemical changes
in the regolith associated with Eucalypt types. Six Summer Scholars
at Adelaide University including students from both second and third
year, worked on projects ranging from the rare earth element geochemistry
of albitising brines associated with the Paratoo copper deposit
(Jason Tilley) to an experimental geophysical study of the detection
of groundwater flow using self-potential electrical methods (Emma
Hissey). Emma also produced a poster of her research topic, which
was displayed at the ASEG conference in Adelaide.
There were fewer incoming Honours students in LEME in 2003, matching
overall smaller Honours classes, due to the lower third year numbers
in each core party university. Nevertheless, between 5-6 Honours
students at each node have just begun their preparation for Honours
research projects. At the ANU Bear McPhail is supervising one student
working on geochemistry for mineral exploration (Edward Summerhayes)
and another on break of slope salinity problems (Jodi Webb), whilst
four other students are involved in regolith landscape evolution
studies including mining (Kristy Bewert), palaeodrainage (Daniel
Glanville) and soil management aspects (Louisa Roberts and Susan
Tate).
At Adelaide three LEME scholars are working on regolith geophysics
(Alan Cadd), regolith geochemistry for diamond exploration (Amy
Lockheed) and regolith landform evolution in an urban catchment
(Sam McDermott). Each of these students is being supervised by one
of the new LEME-related staff members at Adelaide. A further two
students (Alex Pengelly and Rob Grezgorzek) will be funded from
project funds to work, respectively) on remote sensing and regolith
mapping projects in the Curnamona area.
A further five Honours scholars are being funded through Curtin
University, three in areas of geophysical technique application
to regolith studies (Nigel Cantwell, Brendan Corscadden and Matthew
Hope) and one project each from Curtin Geology in geochemical expression
of sulphide orebodies (Chris Buxton) and tree growth in salt affected
landscapes (Claire Robertson).
CRC LEME was spectacularly successful in 2003 in attracting new
postgraduate students into its research programmes. In particular,
students entering with external (APA and IPRS) scholarships allowed
the release of further LEME funded scholarships and a large raft
of Science Faculty half scholarships at Adelaide University doubled
the number of students there. Six new postgraduate (5 PhD and 1
M Phil.) scholars were accepted at the ANU. Proposed projects range
from largely environmental, including the role of regolith in agroforestry
(Glenn Bann), hydraulic conductivity dynamics (Michael Turner) and
environmental applications (Matthew Lenahan) to more concerned with
regolith processes. Amongst these Katie Dowell will study the origin
of Opaline silica, while Kathryn Fitzsimmons will be studying regional
landscape evolution and David Little intends to model biological
factors in regolith formation. As ANU have now replaced UC as the
sole Canberra university node, there are seeking further postgraduate
applicants and will be advertising for these nationally in the near
future.
At Adelaide University, the acquisition of both APA and IPRS award
students and the offering of 50% matching Faculty scholarships for
each LEME scholarship offer, together with the input of funds from
both the SA DWLBC and CRC PBMDS allowed 12 students (11 PhD and
1 MSc) to take up scholarship offers, a significant boost to the
overall AU and LEME postgraduate cohort. These students will be
studying in six main areas of research. Two students (Tania Dhu
- applications, and Phillip Heath - mathematical modelling) are
undertaking geophysical projects whilst a further 3 will concentrate
on geochemistry (Karin Hulme - biogeochemistry of Curnamona, Pierre
Wulser - uranium exploration in the Callabona sub basin and Mark
Fritz - baseline geochemistry of saline soils). Isotope geochemistry
of calcretes and palaeoenvironmental studies will be undertaken
by Aija Mee and Hazell Haywood, supervised by a new LEME staff member,
Assoc Prof David McKirdy, while a new link with the AU NCPGG through
Assoc Prof Simon Lang will see Mark Riley (regolith mapping and
delta formation) and Victor Waclawik (remote sensing of regolith)
study the western shores of Lake Eyre. The final input of funds
from DWLBC and PBMDS with Assoc Prof David Chittleborough will support
a large collaborative project studying the influence of drainage
in areas of salinity, principally in the SE of SA. Michael Durkay
(mobility of elements in drained saline soils), Sean Mahoney (Remote
Sensing and GIS) and David Mitchell (Remote Sensing and spatial
technologies) are the LEME participants in this study, which will
also include 2 further, largely PBMDS- funded student projects.
A further 5 new LEME scholars were funded at Curtin University.
The group of environmental geochemistry students supervised by Dr
Ron Watkins received scholarship and operating funds to continue
their studies, with Troy Cook (pollutant traps) and Bobak Willis-Jones
(groundwater acidity) working towards their MSc degrees and a new
scholar (Ryan Noble) commencing a PhD on the distribution of arsenic
near surface. Sam Lee is beginning a study on groundwater management
at Cape Range Peninsula and finally Anousha Hashemi will join the
Curtin Geophysics postgraduate group investigating exploration techniques
for high grade manganese ore.
To conclude, this listing of 48 students newly entering LEME research
projects adds to 25 Honours students who graduated from our core
party Universities in 2002 and the ongoing 26 Postgraduates currently
actively engaged in LEME research, to continue the strong educational
focus to CRC LEME.
Visit the Education
section for more information about Education and Training in CRC LEME
|
