The Australian National University

Newsletter

Research School of Earth Sciences

 

Weekly newsletter | no 16 | 13–17 November 2017

 

Director's Message

Dear Colleagues,

we have a big week ahead. Highlights include the DA Brown lecture which will be delivered by A/Prof. Tony Kemp (UWA) at 1pm on Tuesday, and an all-day symposium to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Rig#1 will be held on Thursday.

 Finally, the results of the Marriage Postal Survey are due to be announced at 10am on Wednesday morning. I would encourage everyone in the School to think about how they can best support colleagues and the broader LGBTIQ* community in the lead up to and following the announcement. I will also be hosting a morning tea  for RSES LGBTIQ*, Allies and friends on Wednesday morning at the usual time (10:30 am) in the tea room, where we can come together in support irrespective of the outcome.

 Please note the ANU Ally Network will be running an event on Wednesday from 12 to 2 pm at the Pop-Up Club in the Pop-Up Village that is open to LGBTIQ* community, all ANU Allies and friends.

Steve Eggins

 

Students out and about:

Two RSES PhD students, Jo Ward and Michael Anenburg from the John Mavrogenes group, attended the GESSS-NSW symposium in Macquarie University. Both Jo and Michael presented posters, which attracted an interested crowd and fruitful discussions. Michael also presented a well-received talk for which he won a bottle of sparkling wine and a “Most Outstanding Contribution” certificate (pictured).

 

DA Brown lecture and Medal award

2017 DA Brown Lecture and Medal Award | Research School of Earth Sciences - November 14th

You're invite you to the D.A. Brown Lecture and Medal Award to Dr. Tony Kemp, of the School of Earth Sciences, University of Western Australia.

Dr. Kemp seeks to unravel the generation of the continental crust and the evolution of the crust-mantle system through a combination of detailed field studies, trace element geochemistry, and stable and radiogenic isotope tracing. read more>>

 

 

ANU Ally Network: Marriage postal survey announcement gathering - Wed, 15 Nov, 12-2pm

The ANU Ally Network will run an event on Wednesday the 15th between 12 pm and 2 pm at the Pop-Up Club (that’s inside the Pop-Up Village). This event will be open to everyone from the LGBTIQ* community, as well as their allies and friends. To our knowledge, this is the only ANU-wide event on that day and we encourage you to come at least for a little while and show your support (and bring your friends and colleagues). The nature of the event will obviously depend on the outcome of the survey. There are plans for some small activities, but mostly it is about coming together and sending a strong message that no matter what the survey result is, the ANU community is proud of its diversity and is standing behind its LGBTIQ* community!

 

Celebrating 50 years of Rock Deformation at RSES -November 16th

 Read more about the life of Mervyn Paterson and the history Rig 1 at https://oncirculation.com/2017/10/24/rig-1s-50th-birthday-party-celebrating-50-years-rock-deformation-research-at-rses/ .

 

 

If you're round the traps in Canberra on December 7th, 2017, please join us at the National Library of Australia for the launch of Exploring the Earth Under the Sea. Neville Exon has bought together tall tales and true in this wonderful history of Australia and New Zealand in the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program.

Please RSVP  so we can be sure we have enough drinks and nibbles!

 

Outreach Opportunities:

Over December-January we will have a lot of visitors to RSES.  Please consider contacting the person listed below to volunteer to either to host a group in your laboratory or to give a talk.

  1. Rossmoyne School, WA

Dates: 5 December, 11.30am - 12.30pm

Type of help needed: 1 hour chat and lab tour (a dozen students)

Contact:Michael Anenburg

  1. STEM Summer School for Indigenous Students

Dates: 11–15 December

Type of help needed: workshops, lab tours, lectures

Contact: Michelle Salmon 

  1. NYSFNational Youth Science Forum

Dates: Tuesday, 9 January 2 - 5 pm, Tuesday, 23 January 2 - 5 pm

Type of help needed: Student Session A: 14 students plus 1-2 student staff

Student Session C: 14 students plus 1-2 student staff

Contact: Charles Le Losq 

  1. NSTSSNational Science Teacher Summer School

Dates: Wednesday, 10 January, 10:30 am - 1:00 pm  20 teachers – request lab visits

Type of help needed: workshops, lectures, resources

Contact: Malcolm Sambridge 

  1. Science Olympiad programEarth and Environmental Science Summer School (EESO) lectures and practical

Dates: Mon-Thurs: Jan 8-11  and 15-18
Type of help needed: 1 hr guest lecturers and/or laboratory visits on any topic in Earth Systems Science [solid earth, geophysics, geochem, fluids, environmental, etc] and Planetary Astronomy will be most welcome. The EESO students are very high ability Yr9-11 High School students who have been invited to attend Summer School, having topped an extremely challenging national selection exam. At Summer School they are put through the equivalent of a first year university course in EES but in some areas of the course the students are easily operating at levels much higher than most good first year students.

Any ANU/RSES  staff and post-graduates who are in Canberra during January 2018 who would like to contribute can contact Greg to discuss how they might be able to help with a presentation that relates to their research work and/or how they might be able to show us some of the research laboratories in action.

Contact: Greg McNamara 

 

Conferences, Meetings and Workshops:

 Dorothy Hill Women in Earth Sciences Symposium 

Wednesday 15 and Thursday 16 November 2017

The University of Queensland,Brisbane, Queensland 

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

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: 1 November 2017 For more information: http://goo.gl/Eww7Mx

The 4th Annual North Australia Forum

The 4th annual North Australia Forum for interested researchers will be held in the Hedley Bull Seminar Room 3, Building 130, Fellows Road, on Friday 17 November 9:30am – 1pm, followed by a light lunch. Please RSVP with intention to attend and/or present by 10 November to jackie.watkins@anu.edu.au 

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

Franco-Australian Astrobiology and Exoplanet School and Workshop 16 - 20 December, 2017, Australian National University

The ANU (co-sponsors include ORIGINS Team- RSES)  in collaboration with the Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL) Research University will host the first Franco-Australian Astrobiology and Exoplanet School and Workshop.  Exoplanets and astrobiology are rapidly emerging fields that combine astronomy, biology, and earth sciences.  Key questions to answer are: Do protoplanetary disks include compositional trends that imprint on the future planets? What should future observations of Solar System bodies focus on? Where should we search for nearby habitable Earth-like planets? How can the science of the remote detection of biosignatures be advanced? What can our knowledge of life on Earth tell us about life elsewhere in the universe?

This workshop will bring leading experts from France, Australia and around the world to identify new avenues for answering these questions. The outcomes of this workshop will inform future collaborative projects between Australia and France. 

The first 2 days (Dec 16 & 17) will be a school with lectures intended for PhD, Masters and undergraduate students. The following 3 days will be a workshop with research presentations on astrobiology and exoplanets.  The outcomes of this workshop will inform future collaborative projects between Australia and France in these fields.

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 5-9 February 2018

 

 

 

This Week's Seminars:

Data Surgery Event:

Hales room 13th November 11.30-12.30pm

Topic: Why Raman spectra are like Dogs and Cats?

Speaker: Charles le Losq

School Seminar:  DA Brown Lecture and Medal Award

Jaeger 1 Seminar Room - Tuesday 14th November 1.00 - 2.30pm 

 
Speaker: Tony Kemp
 
OCG Seminar:
 
Jaeger 7, Hales Seminar room - Wednesday 15th - 12-1.00pm
 
 
Speaker: Brad Opdyke
  
School Seminar:

Jaeger 1 Seminar Room - Thursday 16th  November 1-2pm

Topic: High speeds and High strain rates during earthquakes: friction, fault damange and fluids

Speaker: Tom Mitchell (University College of London)

Petrology and Geochemistry Seminar
 
Ringwood Room, J4 - Friday 17th November  12.30-1.30pm
 
 
Speaker: Carolina Engel
 

 

New Publications:

Planktic foraminifera form thier shells via metastable carbonate phases.

D.E.Jacob,R.Wirth,O.B.A.Agbaje,O.Branson,S.M.Eggins
Nature Communications 8, Article number: 1265 (2017

 

The magnetotelluric tensor: improved invariants for its decomposition, especially 'the7th'

Frederic E M Lilley

Journal of the Australian Scociety of Exploration Geophysicts

 

 

Carer support for travelling staff members:

ANU staff can apply for carer support funding of up to $1000 in funds, once a year.  Details here: Carer Support for Travelling Staff Members

 

 

Chemical Safety

The next Chemical Safety Course (WHHR02) begins on 15 Nov.  It is now an online course that runs for three weeks before the last date for the final exam.

This course is free, sign up is through HORUS (https://horus.anu.edu.au), and a General Ledger Code is required in the case of charges for cancelling.

This course is designed for staff and students who are working with chemicals within the University environment. In certain areas, it is mandatory for staff and students to successfully complete this course prior to work/study being carried out within the laboratory.

 

 

Follow us on Twitter:

ANU EarthSciences  🌏 @anuearthscience

 

Free Hail & Ride Bus Service

The Campus Traveller is here to help ease parking congestion by linking car parking areas with a free and convenient all-day shuttle bus

Download the Campus Traveller route map here, visit the website, or check the FAQ's

 

Handy Hotlines:

MANAGERS and SUPERVISORS!

Assistance for ANU Managers can be found at the following hotlines:

 Assure Manager Support Program – 1800 505 015

Human Resources: 02 – 612 53346

Advisor to Staff: 02 – 612 53616

Web: counselling.anu.edu.au/adviser-staff

 

ANU Family Friendly

The ANU Family Friendly committee is a new group of people across campus that are joining together to improve the ANU camups for all ANU parents.

If you would like to be informed of relevant developments, events and resources for ANU parents, please subscribe to the ANU Family Friendly email group here: http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/anu.family.friendly.groupFor further information, or to join the committee, please email Andrea Butler at andrea.butler@anu.edu.au

 

College announcements:

ARMS ACT presents a workshop on the ARC and NHMRC Peer Review Process.

Professor Stephan Buckman, ARC Executive Director, will present on ARC peer review. Dr Mary Gray, ANU, presents an overview of the ARC peer review process and reveals the result of an experiment that tests the questions ‘is the ARC peer review process a lottery?’ Dr Ragini Singh, ANU, presents an overview of the NHMRC peer review process and observations from attending the NHMRC selection meeting.

There will be a Q&A session, where the audience can ask ARC and NHMRC assessors and selection panel members about the process or their tips for their best application.

 Afternoon tea will be provided.

 Event Location: Canberra Innovation Network (CNRIN) 1 Moore Street

Time: 1:30pm – 4pm

Date: 15 November

 Please save the date. Registration information will be provided shortly!

 

Scholarships:

PhD projects @ JCU
The Economic Geology Research Centre (EGRU) at James Cook University (JCU), Townsville has on offer two fully funded PhD projects researching magma fertility linked to a range of deposit types in the Mount Isa region of NW Queensland. These projects are part of a larger research effort funded by the Queensland government through the Geological Survey of Queensland (GSQ), to improve the exploration potential in the Mount Isa region. As part of this project you will work with EGRU researchers, GSQ staff and exploration geologists from various mining companies operating in the region. This is a unique opportunity to advance your research career and learn new skills as part of a world class research team.
The PhD projects will benefit from state of the art analytical facilities hosted by the Advanced Analytical Centre at JCU such as: whole rock and in-situ major and trace element geochemistry; U-Pb dating of zircon, titanite, apatite and monazite; Hf isotopes in zircon; Nd isotopes in apatite; whole rock Nd, Sr and Pb isotopes; Fe and Zn isotopes etc.
The successful applicants will make extensive use of these facilities and contribute to the development of new approaches to exploration in the Mt Isa block. We are looking for candidates with field geology and laboratory experience in at least one of the above techniques, and an interest in mineral exploration. A first class Honours or a Master by research are essential to be eligible for PhD studies at JCU, and be competitive for a scholarship.
If you are interested in being part of our team please contact one of the project leaders:
Prof. Paul Dirks (paul.dirks@jcu.edu.au)
Assoc. Prof. Carl Spandler (carl.spandler@jcu.edu.au)
Dr. Ioan Sanislav (ioan.sanislav@jcu.edu.au)
More information about the Geoscience department and EGRU can be found at the following link:
https://www.jcu.edu.au/college-of-science-and-engineering/academic-groups/geoscience
The due date for PhD scholarship applications for 2017 at JCU is 14th November.

 

Respectful Relationships at ANU

 

 


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