b'Branch newsASEG newsthe ACT ASEG committee who have put together a packed programme over the last year, despite a difficult working environment\x08On Wednesday April 7, Dr Jack McCubbine from Geoscience Australia will give a talk on Using airborne gravimetry data to improve the Australia model of zero height\x08 His talk will be about the new (2017) Australian quasigeoid model (AGQG2017) that was released with accompanying map of uncertainty values\x08 He will discuss recent work Geoscience Australia has undertaken in partnership with The South Australian Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure, The Surveyor-General Victoria within the Department of Land Water and Planning Sofya, John, Atif and Partha accepting their speaker awards from the WA President. and The Geological Survey of Victoria within the Department of Jobs, Precincts studies to an interested crowd\x08 Parthain Brisbane\x08 The awardees are almost aand Regions\x08Pratim Mandal of Curtin University,complete repeat of our Student Night We would like to take this opportunity to John Shepherd of the University ofspeakers: thank our ASEG family for the outpouring Western Australia, Sofya Popik of CurtinPartha Pratim Mandal of Curtinof support after the sudden death of University, and Muhammad Atif Iqbal,University Richard Lane\x08 Your emails, phone calls, also of Curtin University, rounded out theSofya Popik of Curtin University messages and flowers meant a lot to bill\x08 Although all were awarded prizes forMuhammad Atif Iqbal of CurtinLeigha and Richard Lanes Geoscience their diligent efforts, Muhammad wasUniversity, and Australia family\x08 We would like to thank voted as best speaker and received anMahtab Rashidifard of the Universityeveryone who donated to the ASEG extra award\x08 of Western Australia Research Foundation in memory of Speaking of students and awards, ASEGRichard; your generosity is appreciated\x08WA can announce the winners of ourOn behalf of Tom Hoskin, ASEG WAs Student Awards! We had a number ofStudent officer, and all of WA ASEG, IdMarina Costelloe very competitive submissions and, withlike to congratulate all these students\x08actpresident@aseg.org.authe support of ASEG Australia, the WADetails of their formal award presentation Branch have secured funding for twowill be forthcoming\x08 New South Walesadditional awards, allowing us to supportAnd, we will be continuing our return four geophysics students\x08 Each studentto face-face Tech Nights here in WA, butThe NSW Branch committee sailed into recipient will be awarded a travel grantwith webinars included - of course\x08 uncharted territory for the first meeting (up to $2000) to attend this years AEGCof 2021the magic of technology Todd Mojesky(with a few teething issues) saw us wapresident@aseg.org.au livestreaming an in-person event for the February technical presentation\x08 This Australian Capital Territory would not have been possible without the support from the ASEG Secretariat On Tuesday March 16, Dr David Uptonand event coordinatorthank you! from Precompetitive Review gave anFingers crossed that by the time you online seminar on Helping explorersread this the March meeting would have find the nuggets in precompetitive\x08taken place with even less issues as the Covering how Australian precompetitiveprocess is refined\x08data and research is having a big impact on mineral discovery, he gave valuableApart from the technological frontiers, insights into what we are doing well asthere was much excitement at the an industry and where we are missingFebruary meeting\x08 The AGM saw a new the mark\x08 President elected, Jim Austin (CSIRO Mineral Resources), with the rest of the The ACT Branch AGM will be held oncommittee remaining the same; Steph March 30, when we have the honourKovach as Secretary, Ben Patterson as of hosting guest speaker Dr RichardTreasurer, and Josh Valencic as Social Blewett, PSM, who will give us hismedia officer\x08 ASEG NSW cannot extend perspective on applied geophysics inenough gratitude and thanks to Mark Muhammad Atif Iqbal receiving his best speakerAustralia over his distinguished career\x08Lackie for his 14 years as president of award from the WA President. It will also be an opportunity to thankthe NSW committee, and we hope he APRIL 2021 PREVIEW 8'