Director's Message

Dear Colleagues,

The loss of a vehicle and tractor to fire at the Warramunga Station over the weekend provides a timely reminder of the risks to personal health and safety, as well as property, that can be associated with many of our School’s activities. Fortunately no staff were harmed and the main research facility was not damaged due to a range of measures and protocols in place.

An important part of preventing more serious incidents from occurring in our workplace is the reporting of minor incidents and proactive identification of hazards. I encourage everyone to familiarize themselves with the new Figtree Incident and Hazard reporting tool, which documents and escalates incidents/hazards until they are reviewed/resolved. By using Figtree you can help make our School as safe as possible.

https://services.anu.edu.au/information-technology/software-systems/figtree-workplace-safety-incident-hazard-reporting-tool

Steve Eggins

Bali's Mount Agung threatens to erupt for the first time in more than 50 years

A marked increase in the number of earthquakes happening below Mount Agung volcano in eastern Bali, Indonesia, over the past few weeks has authorities keeping a close watch on the situation.

Mt Agung is one of many similar volcanoes in Indonesia and the Ring of Fire surrounding the Pacific and eastern Indian oceans. But during its sporadic eruptions, Agung has been one of the most prominent injectors of volcanic ash and sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere.>>>Full Story

On Friday night 22 September, as RSES staff and students celebrated or commiserated the outcome of the afternoon’s soccer match, a robotic spacecraft named OSIRIS-REx was rapidly approaching the Earth. At midnight it was almost directly overhead, swinging around the planet and blasting its thrusters to make the most of our gravity well. By sunrise it was shooting off into deep space again, on course for the near-Earth asteroid (NEA) Bennu.

Throughout the gravity assist, it was tracked as part of an Australia-wide campaign led by Curtin University to confirm its reported trajectory. From the ANU, a team of PhD students from RSES, RSPE, and RSAA imaged it from a dark sky site near Nimmitabel, NSW. 

Bennu is a C-group asteroid, a carbonaceous, and volatile-rich group that in some cases may host pristine samples of the oldest objects in the Solar System. OSIRIS-REx will arrive at Bennu in August next year, and return a sample to Earth in 2023. Besides its scientific significance, the mission is also important for global security reasons. Bennu has an estimated 0.037% chance of collision with the Earth between the years 2175 and 2196 [1]. Were such an impact to occur, it would release kinetic energy equivalent to 1200 megatons of TNT [1] (the largest nuclear bomb ever detonated released the equivalent of 50 megatons of TNT). An understanding of the asteroid’s structural integrity is essential for developing an impact mitigation strategy.  

In the image above are all those that assisted on the night. From left: Bryce Henson (RSPE), Dilyar Barat (RSAA), Natalia Sommer (RSAA), Geoff Bonning (RSES), Dr Morgan Harrington (other), David Shin (RSPE), and Jacob Ross (RSPE). Yuwei Li from RSES assisted in finding the observation site and testing the equipment but could not make the observation night. Photo credit: Jacob Ross 

You can see video images from the night here, courtesy of Bryce Henson: https://www.dropbox.com/s/lbzvk26zclta02o/20170923_033046.mp4?dl=0 

[1] Chesley et al. 2014 Icarus 235:5-22

The annual RSES Staff vs. Students soccer match was held on Friday 22 September.

Curious Minds: Mentoring Year 9 & 10 Girls in STEM Topics

Do you want to see more females study and work in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics?

Can you help make it happen?

Curious Minds is a six-month program for 60 girls in Years 9 and 10 that combines two residential camps and a mentoring program. 

We are seeking women from STEM backgrounds who are keen to make a difference by mentoring a high school student who has enrolled in the Curious Minds program.  You can get full details of the mentoring opportunity from our website and also in the attached document. 

Express your interest here before Sunday 8 October 2017.

If you have previously applied to be a mentor but were unsuccessful please feel free to apply again. Selection of a mentor is based on STEM area of interest and, where possible, geographical location - this year we might have a student for you. 

Returning mentors, we’d love to see you again, so please feel free to complete the expression of interest.

If you have any questions please contact me on (02) 6125 6266 or vanessa.kates@asi.edu.au

National Science Week 2018 Grants

Apply now: National Science Week 2018 grants  Applications close 5pm AEDT 12 October 2017.

Information Seminar: Wednesday 4 October 2017, 3 – 4pm

“Meet the Germans” – Study and Research Opportunities in Germany for Australian Students and Researchers  Speakers: Professor Dr Joybrato Mukherjee & Mr Stefan Bienefeld

Location: The Nye Hughes Room
ANU Centre for European Studies, ANU Building #67C, 1 Liversidge St, Acton ACT 2601 >> Map

This event is an excellent opportunity for students, graduates and professionals to learn about the many academic career choices in Germany (graduate studies, doctoral studies, junior researcher, postdoctoral studies, visiting academic, and more).

The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) is the world’s largest funding organisation for the international exchange of students and researchers, funding over 100,000 persons per year. Since its foundation in 1925, DAAD has funded the academic mobility of over 2 million scholars around the globe.

Registration required: >>> Here

ARC Future Fellowship workshop: 11th October 10am-12pm

An ARC Future Fellowship Workshop/Information Session is being organized by the Joint Colleges of Sciences for 11 October from 10am to 12noon.  It will include tips from past successful Future Fellows.

 The details of this session are being finalized now but please save the date and time in your calendar.

 More information on Future Fellowships can be obtained from the ARC website.

Drones and Big Spatial Data workshop

Australian National Data Service (ANDS) workshop 9 October 2017 - Melbourne

2017 WAMSI Research Conference

The Western Australian Marine Science Institution’s Research Conference includes sessions from its Dredging Science Node (22-23 November 2017) and Kimberley Marine Research Program (28-30 November 2017). 22-30 November 2017 - Perth

 2017 Planetary Frontiers Workshop 16th – 17th November, Room E6A 102, Macquarie University.

This two-day - joint #MACPLANET and #SSERVIAUSTRALIA initiative – will showcase the quality and breadth of planetary research in Australia, and beyond.   The plenary speaker will be Professor Munir Humuyan, Florida State, on ‘The oldest surface environment of Mars from the Martian meteorite Black Beauty’.   This year the Planetary Frontiers Workshop will be held in conjunction with the Australian Space Research Conference, 13 – 15 November at the University of Sydney (see http://www.nssa.com.au/17asrc)

 Registrations deadline for the 2017 Planetary Frontiers Workshop: 1 November 2017

 For more information: http://goo.gl/Eww7Mx

AMOS-ICSHMO 2018

The Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society and the American Meteorological Society, are holding the Joint 25th AMOS National Conference and 12th International Conference for Southern Hemisphere Meteorology and Oceanography, AMOS-ICSHMO 2018, at UNSW Sydney in February 2018. AMOS-ICSHMO 2018 will bring together experts in meteorology, oceanography and other climate sciences from around the world as well as government representatives, NGOs, businesses and the media to focus on problems specific to the Southern Hemisphere. 5-9 February 2018 - Sydney

ANU Education Grants Scheme

Applications are now open for Round 1 of the 2018 ANU Education Grants scheme. 

Funding is offered for the ANU Vice-Chancellor's Teaching Enhancement Grants (ANUTEG) which support innovative and creative teaching initiatives and projects, and are linked to improving coursework student learning at undergraduate or postgraduate level.

Funding is also offered in this round for the ANU Linkage for Learning and Teaching Grants (ANULLTG) which support strategic connections between ANU and organisations outside of the higher education sector to develop opportunities for ANU coursework students.

Submit your applications to promotingexcellence@anu.edu.au by 10am, Tuesday 17 October.

2017 Travel Grants for Women in STEM

Opportunity for female academics or HDR students to gain funding for travel to “enrich your area of study or academic work on a trip-of-a-lifetime, wherever your professional interests take you”.

If you are female, employed by an Australian university or a research organisation, or you are a PHD student with a STEM related focus, you are eligible to apply for the Campus Travel and Virgin Australia 2017 Travel Grant. Applications close Friday 20 October 2017

>>> Read More

Would you like your research or other activities showcased on the RSES Web Page?

Would you like your research or other activities showcased on the RSES Web Page?

If so, please submit information direct to the following representatives:

Staff Representative – Liz Arnold  elizabeth.arnold@anu.edu.au

Student Representatives – Michael Anenburg  Michael.Anenburg@anu.edu.au; Bethany Ellis  bethany.ellis@anu.edu.au

Research Group Representatives:

Biogeochemistry – Stewart Fallon  stewart.fallon@anu.edu.au

Climate and Fluid Physics – Adele Morrison  adele.morrison@anu.edu.au

Earth Dynamics – Jonathan Pownall  jonathan.pownall@anu.edu.au

Experimental Petrology – Charles Le Losq  charles.lelosq@anu.edu.au

Geochemistry & Cosmochemistry – Penny King   penny.king@anu.edu.au

Paleoenvironments  – Nerilie Abram  nerilie.abram@anu.edu.au

Seismology & Mathematical Geophysics  –  Julian Byrne julian.byrne@anu.edu.au

 –  Engagement Committee Chair, Penny King

Publications:

ARC Linkage Projects 2017 Round 2 Deadlines

Opportunities in Japan in the Origins of Life

Carer support for travelling staff members: