b'Education matters Education matterspurify wastewater. The combinationpossibility of returning (or injecting) of chemistry and geology was quitecarbon dioxide captured from stationary unusual at the time. However, I found itsources into geological formations. We very interesting because it consideredknow geological formations accumulate two extreme parts of the physicaland store vast amounts of fluids for spectrum. Geology is very much aboutmillions of years, so it seemed a logical the large scale and looking at landscapesolution for climate mitigation, and I was formations through millennia. So, fromexcited by the possibilities. So, that initial thousands of millions of years ago,research project has led my research how landscape forms, rivers and lakesfor most of my career, the injection, and volcanoes and how you build thatmonitoring and storage part of carbon Marina Pervukhinastory from the remnant geology thatcapture and storage. Once again, this is Associate Editor for Educationremains, from sand grains to volcanoes.chemistry and geology combined. Large Marina.Pervukhina@csiro.au And then you have chemistry, which isscale injection of carbon dioxide into a really about the molecular scale, lookinggeological structure under the surface, at at how molecules interact, the physicsleast 1000 m under the surface, requires Potential for Australia to become athat bind them together and how theunderstanding of that landscape: how global leader in climate mitigation kinetics and thermodynamics controlthe different sediment layers relate to those interactions. It ended up beingeach other, how ancient riverbeds can In this issue, we continue publishing aan interesting combination, of findingchange from sandstones into clays, series of interviews with the industrythe connection between the macroand back again, how faults form from and government leaders. Our new guest,and the micro to see how all things areearthquakes and how uplift and erosion Allison Hortle, a newly appointed Energyinterrelated. can turn the whole thing upside down. Business Unit Science Director in CSIRO,And, you have to do this indirectly, shares her thoughts about the energyWith all the online resources atbecause youre trying to see 1000 m transition challenges and what leaders inbelow your feet. Then, the chemistry governmental institutions expect todayour fingertips, the ability to thinkcomes into play, understanding how the from tertiary education in the field ofcritically, to be adaptable andfluids move and accumulate through earth sciences. open minded and willing to learnthis landscape, how the water or carbon is crucial. dioxide molecules react with the rocks and the fluids already there, over what Soon after I left university, I moved totime frame and with what impacts. And Melbourne to join CSIRO. It sounds rathermost importantly, how to monitor and dull, but I have been at CSIRO for a verypredict that behaviour. I like to think of it long time, I joined soon after I left uni,as the plumbing system.and Ive just received my Certificate ofUnexpected intersections 30 Years of Service. During that time, Ive undertaken some interesting and quitebetween disciplines can provide fundamental research and worked withreal disruptive innovation.a hugely diverse group of colleagues and collaborators. Ive had an enormousThat initial project was part of one variety of roles in a number of differentof the very first cooperative research capacities, ranging from bespoke appliedcentres (CRCs). It started off being the research to managing large groups ofAustralian Petroleum CRC and later people and research portfolios. CSIROevolved into the CO 2 CRC, which is still has always been a very interesting andactive today. It was a very interesting very challenging place to work and thatsexperience, because it was a strong what has kept me here. collaboration between researchers like Allison Hortle me, from many disciplines and at all I began my research working instages of their careers. So, although I MP: Allison, can you share with ourpetroleum hydrodynamics, looking atwas very young and just starting out, readers your path to the CSIRO Energyhow fluids moved through subsurfaceI was able to engage with researchers Business Unit Science Director position,geological formations and thefrom universities all over the world who please? interactions between the fluids and thewere very well established and very rocks, it was chemistry and geologyexperienced and knowledgeable, but at AH: I was born in South Australia, andcombined, trying to predict where oilthe same time, very happy to share their I went to James Cook University inand/or gas would accumulate. Thenexperience and knowledge.Queensland. I did a double degreeCSIRO shifted the focus of its energy in geology and inorganic chemistry,research to Western Australia, and myThe CO 2 CRC also had close collaborations followed by with an Honours degreehusband and I took the opportunity towith the different industry and in inorganic chemistry where I wasmove to Perth. One of the first projectsgovernment partners. They were the looking at designing molecules toI was involved in was investigating thepeople who were on the ground, who 25 PREVIEW OCTOBER 2023'