ASEG news - Issue 25, 30th April 2020
Dear Members,
In today's news you'll find information on:
Technical talks go online - ASEG Webinar Series
2020 ASEG Federal Executive AGM
AEGC 2021
EGU2020: Sharing Geoscience Online: to replace this year's annual General Assembly in Vienna
Job Opportunities
CoRE Learning Foundation
Earth Science Western Australia (ESWA)
Awards and Prizes
Australian Geoscience Council introduces the Roy Woodall Medal
ASEG Webinars
SEG Webinars
News from the states
Upcoming events (National and International)
The latest in Exploration Geophysics
What's new in Preview?
Member Spotlight: Dr Aurore Joly
Follow us on social media
Thanks to our corporate members
Don't forget to follow our social media accounts, for more regular updates on upcoming events and geoscience articles of interest.
Technical talks go online - ASEG Webinar Series
Whilst we very much miss meeting with you all face-to-face at our monthly technical evenings held across our ASEG branches, we are delighted to be able to inform you all that we will be delivering a series of online Webinars covering a range of different topics. We will be regularly adding more talks to this.
Our first Webinar was held 22 April and was a success. Chloe Gustafson of Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory presented her work on 'Characterizing extensive hydrogeologic systems beneath ice sheets and oceans using electromagnetic methods'. There were 32 attentive attendees from across the globe, who asked many interesting questions. You can find a recording of the talk on the ASEG Youtube channel. You can see the webinar schedule here
2020 ASEG Federal Executive AGM
On April 7, the ASEG held its AGM. I take this opportunity to thank Megan Nightingale, Marina Costelloe and Jim Austin who have all retired from the FedEx. Megan and Marina made major contributions to a number of FedEx's in different roles. With retirements, some members of the 2019 FedEx have stepped into new roles. In 2020, Leslie Atkinson is the ASEG's Secretary and Kate Robertson is the President Elect. Ted Tyne, our immediate Past President, remains active in several roles: co-chair of Publications, and liaising with the Research Foundation and History Committees. New to the FedEx in 2020 are Yvette Poudjom Djomani, who is our new Branches Liaison, Suzanne Haydon, our new Memberships Chair and Millicent Crowe who is our new Communications Chair, and editor of this newsletter. The 2020 FedEx is presented on the website at https://www.aseg.org.au/about-aseg/executive. Though the year will throw up many challenges, especially with COVID-19, we look forward to a safe and productive 2020, the ASEG's 50th anniversary.
David Annetts
President ASEG
A screenshot of some of the attendees at the end of the AGM, many doing their best 'geophysical' hand gestures, while others raise their glasses of 2019 ASEG-selected wine or other drink of choice.
AEGC 2021
Preparations for the Australasian Exploration Geoscience Convention at the Brisbane Convention Centre, 18-21 April 2021 are well underway. The AEGC has quickly established itself as the foremost petroleum, mineral and water resource industry conference in the region, incorporating the ASEG-PESA International Geophysical Conference and Exhibition, and jointly hosted by the Australian Society of Exploration Geophysicists (ASEG), Australian Institute of Geoscientists (AIG) and Petroleum Exploration Society of Australia (PESA). Eric Battig (Minerals chair ) and Rachel Kieft (Petroleum chair) are the co-chairs of the organising committee. To keep updated on the latest news, sign up for the AEGC 2021 mailing list here.
EGU2020: Sharing Geoscience Online: to replace this year's annual General Assembly in Vienna
EGU2020: Sharing Geoscience Online (#shareEGU2020), a week-long series of online activities from 4 to 8 May. This will replace the EGU Congress due to run in Vienna. Registration is free.
Sessions will run 4 to 8 May from 08:30 to 18:00 Central European Summer Time. This corresponds to Australian times listed below.
AWST 14:30 - 00:00 | ACST: 16:00 - 01:30 AEST: 16:30 - 02:00
Job Opportunities
For further information about job opportunities please visit the ASEG website.
Senior Geophysicist - Newcrest Mining Limited
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Job Summary: EXPLORE THE UNKNOWN WITH US. We're proud to be the largest gold producer listed on the Australian Stock Exchange. From our Head Office in Melbourne, we work closely with our operations both local and global to safely operate and grow. Reporting to the Chief Geoscientist, you will be working with exploration teams to integrate geophysical data with geological and geochemical data to aid in identifying potential Tier 1 and Tier 2 assets. We look to work together to build systems and environments to interrogate geophysical data through advanced modelling and data analytics.
CoRE Learning Foundation
Founded by Suzy Urbaniak, the CoRE Learning Foundation works to encourage youth to become more involved in science by introducing engaging and interactive activities at schools. They have responded to this current pandemic with astounding speed and creativity and released a new program called CoRE Beyond 2020. It focuses on exploring remote learning techniques, where students will be able to continue their science education from within the safety of their own homes. This program will support students in this time of uncertainty by providing them with a solid science foundation they can build from by using a range of online learning techniques.
The CoRE Learning Foundation has also developed three other stimulating new programs this year.
- Primary CoRE: A program targeted at primary schools to introduce younger children to different aspects of science.
- New CoRE Learning Model: A design to incorporate the diverse range of students and teachers in their coverage area.
- Community outreach: A model which includes enlisting the assistance of Golly the Prospector (a well-known miner from the gold-fields of Australia) among other industry employees to network with youth from rural areas.
It is thanks to organisations such as CoRE that gives hope to students in these trying times. Check out their website here for more information.
Earth Science Western Australia (ESWA)
The ASEG has been a proud supporter of ESWA for many years now. They have just released a series of videos for Earth Science activities that you can do at home with children- which is great for those trying to keep their children entertained at home more than usual at the moment!
For those not familiar with ESWA or the fantastic work they do, the goal of ESWA is to create, produce and deliver innovative, valuable earth sciences experiences; to further the recognition of earth sciences as an integral part of STEM; to improve the quality of the talent pipeline for industry; to increase the awareness of the wide range of career opportunities that earth sciences provide; and to emphasise the importance of earth sciences in understanding contemporary issues.
You can find information here about how ESWA are supporting schools across Australia during the trying times of Covid-19 and links to some great resources here and how they are helping Western Australia schools here.
Awards and Prizes
There are still many prestigious grants and awards coming up in 2020. Here are some we have found for you.
The Australian Museum Eureka Prizes
These prizes have a combined value of $170k and cover four categories: Research & innovation, leadership, science engagement and school science. Entries are open now and close on Friday 15 May 2020. See here for more information.
Australian Academy of Science's awards and fellowships
The AAS has recently declared that nominations for the Academy's 2021 honorific awards, research conferences, research awards and travelling fellowships are now open. They have also announced two new awards that will be awarded in 2021. The Suzanne Cory Medal will be awarded to researchers in recognition of their work within the physical and/or biological sciences. The Ruby Payne-Scott Medal and Lecture will be specifically for women working in the biological sciences. Nominations for the honorific awards have closed but the application date for the research conferences, research awards and travelling fellowships is 1 June 2020. For more information, see here.
Australian Geoscience Council introduces the Roy Woodall Medal
The Australian Geoscience Council takes much pleasure in announcing the launch of the Roy Woodall Medal. The Roy Woodall Medal seeks to recognise scientific excellence in both mineral exploration and the documentation of world-class mineral deposits. This award honours the extensive contribution to scientific excellence in Mineral Geoscience that Roy Woodall AO has made over his lifetime. Roy Woodall's high scientific standards, innovative approach to exploration and use of the latest geoscientific techniques have left an enormous and lasting legacy of improved scientific methodologies and exploration successes. The WMC team under Roy's leadership made many world class discoveries in Australia, several of which opened up entire new mineral provinces. The most notable of these include the Darling Range Bauxite Province, the Kambalda Nickel District, the Olympic Dam Copper-Gold-Uranium deposit and the St Ives Gold Camp. More importantly than even these discoveries, Roy's dedication to the training and mentorship of other geoscientists has advanced the capabilities of Australia's mining and exploration industries and the development of our nation.
This intention of this award is to recognise those individuals that seek to emulate Roy's contribution to the mineral industry by applying the best science to the endeavours of mineral exploration and the documentation of world-class mineral deposits. The goal of this is to encourage the ethos of scientific excellence that Roy was such a strong advocate for. The Australian Geoscience Council is now calling for nominations for the inaugural award of the Roy Woodall Medal. Details about eligibility for nomination and the nomination form can be found here. It is currently envisaged that the inaugural recipient of the Australian Geoscience Council's Roy Woodall Award will be announced at Diggers and Dealers 2020.
Do you have a recommendation for a talk or lecture? Please email communications@aseg.org.au.
SEG Webinars
The SEG are hosting a range of Webinars that are free to attend but require pre-registration.
Branch upcoming events
Due to COVID19 all in-person state branch activity has been suspended. Details about future ASEG Branch events can be found on the ASEG website.
The ASEG WA branch has student support available to attend the AEGC 2021. Please contact wapresident@aseg.org.au or wasecretary@aseg.org.au for more details, applications close late July.
Recent branch events
Greg Street (Loupe Geophysics) presented at both the ACT and NSW branches on the 10th and 11th March, with his talk titled 'Case Studies from Loupe - New Technology in Portable TEM for Near-Surface Measurement.' Pictured here presenting at the NSW technical evening.
For a more complete calendar of events see Preview
Dear Exploration Geophysics readers,
I trust you are all surviving the lock down and that you are becoming avid readers of geophysics articles. Please visit the Exploration Geophysics webpage as a new issue has just been published.
ASEG members can access Exploration Geophysics articles free of charge by logging into the ASEG website and navigating to Professional > Publications > Exploration Geophysics.
I also highlight a couple of new papers just published online to keep your mind active.
Seismic data interpolation using deep internal learning, by Wang et al.
and
A modified enhanced horizontal derivative filter for potential field data, by Gordon Cooper.
Enjoy your reading.
Dr Mark Lackie
Exploration Geophysics Editor
Mark.Lackie@mq.edu.au
A reminder that the February issue of Preview is available online
Preview is marking the ASEG's golden anniversary year by asking the current ASEG President, and current and past Editors of Exploration Geophysics, to nominate their "best of" papers published in the ASEG Bulletin or its successor, Exploration Geophysics, in the last 50 years. Ted Tyne's choice appears in the February issue and Don Emerson's choice will appear in the April issue.
Production of the April issue has been delayed but, according to the publishers, is proceeding.
It is hoped that the issue will be published online before the end of April. Production of the print edition has been delayed indefinitely.
Proposed contributions for future issues can be submitted by email to the editor at previeweditor@aseg.org.au
Lisa Worrall
Preview Editor
PreviewEditor@aseg.org.au
This month we get to know Dr Aurore Joly.
- What is your current role?
I am a Senior Consultant for Mira Geoscience. My team and I provide integrated interpretation, geological and geophysical modelling, software training, and advisory services. We carry out advanced 3D geological and geophysical interpretation, tackle geologically driven geophysical inversion and exploration targeting.
- What do you like most about being a geophysicist?
To be a geophysicist allows you to unravel the hidden treasures of the Earth! My job always makes me feel like Indiana Jones or Lara Croft, in the field or in front of the computer. Using data and surveys, I can see through the cover and help understand the architecture of the Earth. This allows me to integrate the geophysical and deposit knowledge in order to find new deposits: that is very rewarding
Today, I realise our community is a niche where we can work collaboratively with people on the other side of the planet. The Mira Geoscience team I work with is spread around the globe, and comprises a group of people that have diverse, yet complementary skill sets.
- What are you reading at the moment?
I am reading two books:
1. "The Plague" from Albert Camus. Written in 1947, this book correlates to our modern-day outbreak of the COVID 19 and its associated risk of contamination. Both viruses strike and shock a world population which had almost forgotten the risk of infection. Those viruses undermine the cozy comfort which the economically developed countries have gradually constructed. Death had not only become distant due to increased life expectancy; it had also become intolerable as evidenced by reluctance to engage ground troops in their recent conflicts. The "value" of human life had increased considerably in the collective unconscious of the wealthiest countries. Now today, we are realizing the precariousness of "simply" being. And;
2. The Cloudspotter's Guide from Gavin Pretor-Pinney that was recommended by my colleague, and he was right, this book is so interesting: it explains where clouds come from, why they look the way they do and why they captured the imagination of timeless artists and every kid who held a crayon.
- What made you decide to be a geophysicist?
Ever since I could remember, I have always been fascinated by earthquakes, aurora borealis (my name may have played a role), tsunamis and stones. In my 15th summer holidays I visited the Natural History Museum of Monaco: That is when I realized I would need to have a career in Earth Sciences.
- What is a challenge that you see in geoscience today, and how do you see the community overcoming it?
Integrating geochemical, geological and geophysical dataset into a same platform is the big thing. All this knowledge inside the same software really makes them sing in unison and unlocks doors. With increasing exploration challenges, I think that we need to increase the community's awareness to the colossal impact that integrating data has on increasing the prospectivity of an area.
Sometimes, community acceptance as to how challenging this process is, and that it is an interpretative process (rather than purely numerical), is not always fully understood.
- Where do you think exploration geophysics will head in the next 10-15 years?
Systematic data collection and proper storage solution need to be taken seriously by mining companies (pictures (spectral), density, magnetic susceptibility, XRF, resistivity, etc.) Global and open-source datasets Data and knowledge base sharing Free software platforms and open source solutions Big research consortia to develop cutting edge technologies (i.e., Geoscience ANALYST)
- Do you think AI will take over your job or will the human element remain vital to exploration successes?
In the near future, artificial intelligence (AI) will not take over. We still need to supervise it. And that is the beauty of it. It is such a great tool for prospectivity analysis. It allows us to side step human biases, it harnesses the full power of the available data, and most of all, AI can generate new ideas that could lead to new discoveries. The only problem today is that AI is seen as a black box, it is strongly dependent on data quality, and really there is not a single solution to all problems.
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