Contents MessagefromtheHeadofSchool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

StaffList . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

TeachingStaffProfiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

ResearchStaffProfiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

2007UnitsofStudy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Grants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Publications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

HonoursResearch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

PostgraduateResearch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

SchoolUnits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

ScholarshipsandPrizes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Seminars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36

FieldTrips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37

3

2007 represented the final year in which the

School of Geosciences was physically divided

betweentwobuildings,theMadsenBuildingand

theDemountable“Baxter”BuildinginCodrington

Street . Several staff changes occurred in 2007

withProf .PeterDavies,A/Prof .DeirdreDragovich,

Prof .IainMasonandProf .AndrewShortretiring,

andDr .MichaelHughesandDr .

Julie Dickinson departing for

positions outside the univer-

sity sector . Prof . Phil Hirsch,

A/Prof . Bill Pritchard, and Dr .

Melissa Neave were successful

intheiracademicpromotionapplications .

In 2007 the School welcomed Dr . Ana Vila-

Concejo as APDI Fellow, working on flood-tide

delta morphodynamics and shoreline implica-

tionsinPortStephensaspartofanARCLinkage

project . A/ProfPritchardandDrNeavesuccess-

fullyobtainedfundingof$325,000fromtheRural

IndustriesResearch&DevelopmentCorporation

and the NSW Department of Primary Industries

to develop a GIS-based platform for examin-

ingthesocialandenvironmentaleffectsoffarm

consolidation and fragmentation . This project

enabledtheemploymentofMsDeanneHickeyas

anAssociateLecturerintheSchoolfor2008 .

One of the traditional highlights of the year

has invariably been the month long Third Year

Geography field course (GEOS 3053/3054)

undertaken in the South Pacific in January and

February . Some 23 students went with Pro-

fessor John Connell to Vanuatu . At the last

minute plans were disrupted after the coup

in Fiji prevented the usual ‘compare and con-

trast’betweenthetwocountriesacrossa range

of themes . The military cloud had a silver lin-

ing since for the first time it meant that there

was time to stay in two quite different villages

in the north of the main island Efate enabling

comparisons between various urban and rural

topics . On return one student almost immedi-

ately turned around and went back to spend

two months in the capital Port Vila, under-

taking what became a First Class Fourth Year

Honours thesis on the role of microcredit for

women’sbusinessdevelopmentinVanuatu .

In July 2007, a party of 50 people made

the journey to Broken Hill then Plumbago

Station(SA)toattendthethirdyearGeologyand

Geophysics Field Course (GEOS 3008), jointly

organized with Macquarie University . This

group, the largest in the past six years, also

includedhalfadozenstudentsfromtheUniver-

sityofNewcastle .Lithologies,structuralfeatures

and metamorphic assemblages were dutifully

recorded in field books, maps and cross-

sections;allbecomingmorecolourfulasthedays

wentby .Moststudentsmasteredthebasicskills

thatmakegoodfieldgeologists,andevensome

newgeologicalfeatureswerediscovered,includ-

ing a sheared conglomerate with spectacular

stretchinglineations .

Message from the Head of School

4

InApril,studentsfromGEOS3511(‘Understand-

ingAustralia’sRegions’)travelledtoCondobolin,

in Central-Western NSW, to undertake a study

of the regional retail economy, the results of

whichwerepresented to LachlanShireCouncil .

Students also interviewed local farmers on the

social and economic impacts of the drought

(seephotobelow) .

In 2007 total enrolments were 475 in first year

units, 257 in second year, 203 in third year and

26 in fourth year . The School had a total of 51

full time and part-time postgraduate students .

9 PhD and 1 MSc students graduated in 2007 .

Total research income for the School in 2007

was$1 .749millionwith fundingcomingfroma

varietyofsources .

Prof Hirsch, A/Prof Pritchard and Dr Neilson

obtained $79,000 from AusAID under its Aus-

tralian Leadership Awards Fellowships (ALAF)

program, enabling three leading scholars from

Vietnam, Indonesia and India to spend three

months in the School over November 2007-

February 2008 . The three visitors and the

School of Geosciences academics developed

a Working Paper on non-state regulation of

agricultural trade, and collaborated on several

other projects as well . Dr Neilson and A/Prof

Pritchard also obtained $78,000 from the Aus-

tralia-Indonesia Governance Research Program

toundertakeresearchoncoffeecultivationinthe

forestfrontiersofSumatra,incollaborationwith

theUniversityofLampung,Indonesia .

Dr Adriana Dutkiewicz and Dr Dan Penny

were involved in a successful LIEF application

between the University of Sydney and Monash

University entitled ‘Integrated Vibrational Spec-

troscopic Mapping for Archeological, Biological,

Geological,Materials,andMedicalResearch’ .The

proposalwasledbyProf .PeterLayfromtheSchool

of Chemistry and secured $400,000 in funding

from the Australian Research Council for the

purchaseofBrukerMultiRAMRamanandBruker

FT-IR spectrometers . Among many projects, the

research facility will be used to improve our

understanding of fundamental geological

processes, identification of the earliest life

forms, studies of archaeological artifacts and

theevolutionoflifeonEarth .

A notable and outstanding postgraduate

research achievement in 2007 was Joanne

Whittaker et al .’s paper entitled ‘Major Austral-

ian-Antarctic plate reorganization at Hawaiian-

Emperorbendtime’publishedintheprestigious

journal Science . The publication resulted in an

articleinSydneyUniNews,theSydneyMorning

Herald, as well as international media publicity

for theSchoolofGeosciences inNorthAmerica

andJapan .

Dr . Stephen Gale and his team’s work on the

inorganic pollution of the sediments of the

RiverTorrensstimulatedimmensemediainterest

andledtotheStateGovernment’sestablishment

GEOS3511 students and staff in Condobolin, in Central-Western NSW

5

oftheTorrensTaskforcetotackletheproblemsof

the river, while the City of Adelaide established

the Urban Rivers Symposium as a forum for

communitydebateonthisissue .

Prof . Iain Mason was elected as a Fellow of the

Australian Academy of Technological Scienc-

es & Engineering (FTSE) in 2007, and won the

Best Paper Award in Mining Geophysics, South

African Geophysical Association AGM in Natal,

October, 2007 . He also received the Austral-

ian Society of Exploration Geophysics Grahame

SandsAwardforinnovationinappliedgeophys-

ics through a significant practical development

of benefit to Australian Exploration Geophysics

inNovember2007 .

InJune2007(onthewettestandcoldestdayof

the year!) Honorary Research Fellow Dr . David

Branagan was awarded an Honorary Doctor of

Science degree from the University of Sydney .

Hisbook‘TWEdgeworthDavid:ALife’,wasone

offourbooksshort-listedfortheinauguralPrime

Minister’s History Prize . Interest in Edgeworth

David’s lifeandworkremainedhighandduring

the year presentations were given in Sydney,

countryvenuesandinterstate .Partlyfundedby

theGeologicalSocietyofAustraliaandtheHisto-

ryofGeologyGroup(GeologicalSocietyofLon-

don), Dr . Branagan represented the Geological

SocietyofAustralia,andwasan invitedspeaker

at the November meeting in London organised

bytheHistoryofGeologyGroupcelebratingthe

bicentenary of the Geological Society of Lon-

don .Dr .Branaganalsoauthoredapaperonthe

authenticity of the mineral Davidite (named

in 1907 by Douglas Mawson for his mentor,

Edgeworth David, based on the introductory

presentationgivenattheEarthResourcesFoun-

dation Edgeworth David Day in 2006) .This was

publishedbytheRoyalSocietyofNSWin2007 .

As part of a Geoscience Australia project to

assess the potential of mass failures on sub-

marine slopes to generate tsunamis, Honorary

Research Fellow A/Prof . Jock Keene participat-

ed in a 15-day research cruise on RV Southern

Surveyor to map, for the first time, the conti-

nental slope off central NSW between Jervis

Bay and Newcastle . Remarkable features were

discovered including extensive areas of mass

failure along with intricate canyon systems,

volcanicpeaksandridgesandfaultscarps .Many

Continental shelf and slope bathymetry off Newcastle showing submarine canyons meandering on the upper continental slope along with sediment slides and fluid escape pockmarks and volcanic outcrops on the lower continental slope. Black contours are plotted in 500 m intervals. Image courtesy of Jock Keene.

6

onthecanyonsandfaultscarpshaveover1000

mofrelief .Theunderwaterlandslidesdiscovered

onthiscruisearethemajorprocessoferosionon

thisslope .Onelandslidescar,40kmseawardof

Botany Bay, has dimensions of 10 x 20 km and

removed ~20cubickilometresof sedimentand

rock when it failed . During 2007, A/Prof . Keene

wasinvitedbyGeoscienceAustraliatopreparea

synthesisofallavailablemarinegeosciencedata

offtheeastcoastofAustraliafortheDepartment

oftheEnvionment,Water,HeritageandtheArts

as partof itsmarineplanningprocess .Thiswas

published as a GA Record entitled‘Sedimentol-

ogy and Geomorphology of the East Marine

RegionofAustralia’ .

A prominent international team (UK, Thailand,

Australia) conducted an external review of the

Australian Mekong Resource Centre . The team

contacted more than 70 people worldwide and

reviewed the Centre’s work since 1997 . The

team confirmed AMRC’s role as the leading in-

ternational centre dealing with issues of de-

velopment and environment in the Mekong

Region . A significant message was that the

Centre punched above its weight, having

achieved an international reputation and made

contributions in research and community out-

reach on quite a modest funding base . The

review was wide-ranging, covering a number

of AMRC’s individual projects as well as the

Centre’s overall role and management . Among

the recommendations were the need to

definetheCentre’srolewithintheUniversitymore

clearly,andtheneedtosecuremoresubstantial

administrative resources so that the Centre’s

Director and staff were not so overwhelmed

by the need to combine the Centre’s work with

their existing full-time commitments . The full

reviewreportcanbedownloadedathttp://www .

mekong .es .usyd .edu .au/publications/other/

AMRC_Review_final_report .pdf

In2007theSpatialScienceandInnovationUnit

(SSIU) was reviewed internally . SSIU was estab-

lishedin2002asa joint facilityoftheSchoolof

GeosciencesandtheArchaeologicalComputing

Laboratory (ACL) . The review highlighted the

need to coordinate spatial science within the

entireUniversity,notonlybetweenGeosciences

and ACL . Therefore, a wider review of spatial

science, geographic information systems (GIS)

andremotesensingwillbeconducted .

Over the past year the marine data network

projectBlueNet,representedattheUniversityof

Sydney node by Ms Edwina Tanner and A/Prof .

Dietmar Müller, has uncovered more than one

hundred data sets which have been described

using the BlueNet standard metadata format

and submitted to the project . This project has

highlighted the need to better manage and

preserve digital data sets collected by the uni-

versity so that they can be made more readily

available for further research . A case study us-

ing the One Tree Island Research Station is in

progress to address this issue . The study aims

togathertogetherallthemarinedatathathave

been collected at One Tree Island and man-

age and preserve them using the institutional

repository set up by the University’s e-research

group . This data set is of particular value as

the One Tree Island reef system is a frontier

environment in which research into climate

changescenarioscanbeinvestigated .

In2007,theUniversityoftheSea(UOS),aunique

ship-based training and research program for

students, was coordinated by Dr . Elaine Baker .

7

The 2007 UOS was made possible by grants

fromtheIOCUNESCOandtheARCNetworkfor

Earth System Science, and support from Geo-

science Australia . The third University of the

SeatrainingprogrammetookplaceintheFaust

Capel Basin – Lord Howe region onboard the

researchvesselTangaroa .Thevesselsailedfrom

Wellington, New Zealand on October 8 arriving

on Lord Howe Island on October 27, departing

again on October 29 and arriving at the end of

the programme in Wellington on November

21 . Twelve students and two staff joined the

scientific party from Geoscience Australia and

the New Zealand National Institute of Water &

Atmospheric Research (NIWA) to undertake a

detailed programme of habitat mapping that

included seafloor imaging and biological and

geological sampling . Geosciences Honours

student Hannah Power participated in the

cruise .

Many Earth science endeavours are tied to

space and geological time and require a

high-resolution framework for visualization,

analysis, comparisons and correlations of ob-

servations in a palaeogeographic framework .

In2007theSchoolofGeoscienceswassuccess-

ful in attracting a total of $1 .245 million from

2007to2011inNationalCollaborativeResearch

Infrastructure Development (NCRIS) funds for

theEarthByteprojectaspartofAuScope(www .

auscope .org), whose overriding aim is to devel-

op the necessary infrastructure to unravel the

structure and evolution of the Australian conti-

nent .Thisfollowedthesuccessfulestablishment

oftheEarthByteResearchGroupin2004,ledby

A/Prof .DietmarMüllerandDr .PatriceRey,based

ona3-yeargrantfromtheAustralianPartnership

of Advanced Computing (APAC) and a 2-year

e-research grant from the Australian Research

Council .The NCRIS funding is oriented towards

creating a Virtual Earth Observatory akin to

Google Earth, but aimed at investigating the

geologicalpastofourplanetviaa‘platetecton-

ic GIS’ in which all data are attached to moving

tectonicplatesthroughtime .Theabilitytotrace

manydifferentdatasetsthroughgeologicaltime

is an enabling tool for simulating deep Earth

processesandfrontiernatural resourceexplora-

tionaswellasforunderstandingpalaeo-climates,

environments and oceanographic conditions .

A simple prototype of the free software that

currently runs on MicrosoftWindows and Linux

canbedownloadedfromwww .gplates .org .

In 2007 Australia joined the Integrated Ocean

Drilling Program (www .iodp .org), which is the

world’s largest multinational geoscience pro-

gram and includes almost all OECD countries .

A group of university science departments and

government agencies, including the School

of Geosciences, was granted $6 million over 5

yearsofARC/LIEFfunds,withthegroupingitself

adding $2 .85 million to that sum, to become

an associate member of IODP . IODP carries

out deep scientific coring around the world’s

oceans, and provides ‘ground truthing’ of

global geoscientific theories that are of-

ten based largely on remote sensing tech-

niques . An Australian IODP Secretariat has

been set up at ANU to carry out overall plan-

ning of the Australian effort, to deal with our

international partners, and to support all the

necessarytravel .TheARCbidwasbackedbythe

US National Science Foundation, and leaders of

theJapanese,EuropeanandKoreanIODPgroups .

Manyareasofgeoscience,andthemicrobiology

of extreme environments below the sea bed,

8

are covered by the international partnership of

IODP, and Australia will benefit from IODP’s ar-

rayofdrillingvessels,whicharenowcapableof

takingcontinuouscoresofsedimentsandrocks

in almost all our marine environments up to 5

km below the seafloor . Any drilling leg in our

region leads to a huge scientific and monetary

investment by scientists from other nations in

ourwaters .

In September 2007, a Geoscience summit was

heldatGeoscienceAustralia .Participantsinclud-

edheadsofallGeoscienceSchoolsaroundAus-

tralia, the Minerals Tertiary Education Council,

AusIMM,APPEA,GeoscienceAustralia,StateGeo-

logicalSurveybodiesandDEST .Representatives

oftheTertiaryGeosciencecommunityagreedon

theneedforanationalapproachtoaddressthe

plight of Geoscience Schools and Departments

at Australian Universities . A series of issues was

raisedanddiscussedonthebasisofasurveyofthe

Geoscience enrolment and skill base con-

ducted by the Australian Geoscience Council .

Although there is not yet a defined National

Geoscience system, there is an urgent need

to develop a resilient Australian Geoscience

system . Economics underlying the running of

all Geoscience Schools/Departments need to

be strengthened and become multi-faceted in

the context of a need to concentrate expertise,

reward diversification and maintain research

capacity . A need was identified to develop a

strategytoaddressskillsshortagesintheminer-

als,energy,watermanagementandgeoseques-

trationsectorsandestablishGeoscienceSchools

that are financially viable in the long term . A

nationalsurveyshowedthatgeosciencestudent

enrolments have increased 18% over the last

5 years, but all this increase has been in levels

1-3withenrolmentsinHonours/level4declining

afurther6%overthe50%dropthatoccurredin

the previous decade . Output of post-graduate

degreeshasremainedrelativelyconstantoverthe

lastfiveyears . In2007,171academicstaffwere

engagedinsomelevelofteachingofgeoscience

whilst198staffwereengagedinresearchwithno

formalteachingcommitment .Althoughstudent

numbers have been increasing in levels 1-3,

mechanisms to attract students to geoscience

courses are crucial to the longer term sustain-

ability of departments . However, it has to be

concluded that, in general, Honours and post-

graduate degrees are not attractive to students

completing their basic degrees .This matter has

tobeaddressedbythegeosciencecommunity .

DietmarMüller

HeadofSchool

9

2007 Staff List

Research Fellows

ElaineBaker,B .Sc .,Ph .D .AdrianaDutkiewicz,B .Sc .,Ph .D .ElizabethMoylanB .App .Sc .(Hon),Grad .Dip .VET,Ph .D .JeffreyNeilsonB .A .,B .Sc .,Ph .DDanielPenny,B .A .(Hons .),Ph .D .MariaSdrolias,B .Sc .,Ph .D .TimSindle,B .Eng .,M .Sc .Eng .AnaVila-Concejo,M .Sc .,Ph .D .JohnYou,B .Sc .,Ph .D .

Head of School

ProfGeoffreyClarke,B .Sc .,Ph .D .(Melb) Metamorphic petrology, thermobarometry and field geology in East Antarctica and New Caledonia

Professor

JohnConnell,B .A .,Ph .D .,F .A .S .S .A . Third world development (South Pacific), cultural geography

CRC Mining Professor of GeophysicsPeterHatherlyB .Sc .,Ph .D . Mining and engineering geophysics, seismic exploration and geophysical log analysis

Associate Professors

GavinBirch,M .Sc .,Ph .D .,Grad .Dip .Ind .Admin . Source and fate of contaminant in catchments and estuaries, sediment toxicity, environmental geochemistry

DeirdreDragovich,M .A .,Ph .D . Arid geomorphology, weathering, environmental geomorphology

PhilipHirsch,B .A .,M .Phil .,Ph .D . River basin management, natural resource governance, environment and rural development (SE Asia)

R .DietmarMüller,M .Sc .,DiplomKiel,Ph .D .Scripps Analysis of tectonic plate motions, continental margin tectonics, and seafloor mapping

BillPritchard,B .A .,Ph .D . Economic geography, global restructuring of agriculture and food industries

10

Honorary Associates

DavidF .Branagan,B .Sc .,Ph .D .DavidE .M .Chapman,M .Eng .Sc .,B .A .,Ph .D .PeterJ .Davies,B .Sc .,Ph .D .DeirdreDragovich,M .A .,Ph .D .RobertFisher,B .A .,Ph .D .GaborFoldvary,Ph .D .PeterHoare,M .Sc .,Ph .D .RonaldHorvath,M .A .,Ph .D .JohnHudson,M .Sc .MichaelHughes,Ph .D .RobertJones,B .E .,M .E .,M .Sc .,D .I .C .,M .I .E .Aust .JockB .Keene,B .Ag .Ec .,B .Sc .,Ph .D .IainMason,B .Sc .Eng .,M .A .,Ph .D .StephanieMcCready,Ph .D .GordonPackham,B .Sc .,Ph .D .RoshankaRanasinghe,Ph .D .PeterRoy,B .Sc .,Ph .D .AndrewD .Short,M .A .,Ph .D .BruceThom,B .A .,M .A .,Ph .D .RobinF .Warner,B .A .,Ph .D .KeevaVozoff,B .Phys .,M .Sc .,Ph .D .EricWaddell,B .A .,M .Sc .,Ph .D .TedWheelwright,D .F .C .,M .A .JohnYou,Ph .D .ThomasZeng,Ph .D .

Senior Lecturers

EleanorBruce,B .Sc .,Ph .D . Geographical information systems (GIS), coastal management

PeterCowell,B .A .,Ph .D . Coastal morphodynamics

RobertFisher,B .A .Ed .,Ph .D . Community based resource management and development, Asia

StephenGale,M .A .,Ph .D . Quaternary environmental history, sedimentary geomorphology

ThomasHubble,M .Sc .,M .App .Sci .,Grad .Dip .Ed .,Ph .D . Construction geology, environmental geology, reinforcement of soil slopes by vegetation

PhilMcManus,B .A .,Grad .Dip .,M .E .S .,Ph .D . Sustainability, nature, urban geography

MelissaNeave,B .A .,Ph .D . Fluvial and arid zone geomorphology

PatriceRey,B .Sc .,Ph .D . Structural geology and tectonics

DerekWyman,B .Sc .,Ph .D . Economic geology

LecturerKurtIveson,B .Econ .(Soc .Sci .),Ph .D . Urban and political geography

Administrative Staff

KateGriffiths Research Assistant AMRCMarlynHorgan Finance and Administration ManagerBelindaMcMillen Student Liaison Officer LindsaySoutar Research Assistant AMRCGraceLeiZhang Administration and Finance Officer

Senior Technical Officers

NelsonCano Water, Sediment and Chemical Laboratories ManagerGrahamLloyd Senior Technical OfficerPhilManning Senior Technical Officer for GeophysicsDavidMitchell Senior Technical OfficerTomSavage Water, Sediment and Chemical Laboratories ManagerEdwinaTanner BlueNet Technical OfficerIvanTeliatnikov Senior Computer Systems OfficerJohnTwyman Senior Computer Systems OfficerPeterZeller Microscopes

11

Gavin BirchGavin Birch initiated Environmental Geology at Sydney University. His recent interests are in the source, fate and effects of contaminants in marine, estuarine and fluvial environments, mainly in the Sydney Harbour region. This work involves mainly the behaviour of heavy metals, but includes organic contaminants and nutrients in the aquatic environment. Gavin’s specialties are in the toxicity of marine sediments and in the chemistry and remediation of stormwater.

Eleanor BruceEleanor Bruce’s research interests are in environmental spatial analysis and modelling. More specifically this research has focused on examining processes of habitat loss in urban coastal environments, the use of GIS and remote sensing in vegetation change detection and landscape heritage management, marine zone planning and evaluating the impact of spatial data uncertainty in environmental decision-making. Eleanor is currently working on a collaborative ARC Linkage funded research project with UNESCO and Department of Environment and Heritage.

Geoff ClarkeGeoff Clarke’s research addresses geological processes critical to the formation and modification of the lower crust – how it forms, and how and why it arrives at Earth’s surface. He integrates natural, structural, petrographic and geochemical studies with the results of mineral equilibria modelling to create robust models for fundamental geological processes. Incompatibility between geological and human time-scales, and the impossibility of accessing the inner Earth, mean that the most geological processes cannot be observed directly or completely recreated in the laboratory - only the end-products are seen. The ability to make progress in these studies thus relies on critical observation of natural examples and developing new techniques to move beyond observing the end-point geological evidence to resolve long-standing problems. Clarke’s recent work focuses on two themes: (i) mechanisms for melt migration and ascent through the lower crust, a key process in the chemical differentiation of Earth to form continents; and (ii) changes in oceanic basalts consequent to their subduction (burial to mantle conditions), the main process by which Earth loses heat.

John ConnellJohn Connell’s principal research interests are concerned with political, economic and social development in less developed countries, especially in the South Pacific region and in other small island states. Much of this research is currently oriented to issues of rural development, migration (especially of skilled health workers) and inequality. A second research theme is on decolonisation and nationalism, with particular reference to New Caledonia. More recently, he has been working on cultural geography, especially of music, food, tourism and rural change in New South Wales. He has published two books on the geography of music, and in 2008 published books on the International Migration of Heath

Workers (Routledge, 2008) and, with Barbara Rugendyke (UNE), Tourism at the Grassroots. Villages and Visitors in the Asia-Pacific (Routledge, 2008)

Peter CowellPeter Cowell’s research interests are in the geomorphology of coasts and continental shelves and specifically, the nature of change in coastal landforms and the processes responsible for such change (coastal morphodynamics). The research involves combined use of field data and computer modelling to yield information that is otherwise unattainable, with the application of formal methods for managing uncertainty. This approach is applied to estimation of sediment transport and coastal change relevant to coastal management and coastal impacts of climate change, as well as to geological exploration. Research is being undertaken on four continents in collaboration with other coastal scientists from Australia, Europe and the Americas. This has focused on coasts (involving clastic sand and mud deposits), but also includes behaviour of sand islands on coral atolls.

Deirdre DragovichDeirdre Dragovich’s current research in environmental geomorphology includes the development, persistence and dating implications of desert varnish, especially in relation to aboriginal rock engravings; and the nature and rate of deterioration of (stone) historical buildings in the urban environment, where surface loss may be accelerated by visitor impacts and pollution. Research is also continuing on dryland salinity and on erosion following bushfires in temperate and subalpine areas of NSW.

Bob FisherBob Fisher is an anthropologist. His PhD research was a study of human ecology, focusing on strategies for adapting to drought in the Thar Desert in Rajasthan. He specialises in social and political ecological aspects of natural resource management, particularly involving community forestry. After working in Nepal with the then Nepal-Australia Forestry Project in the late 1980s, he taught at the University of Western Sydney, Hawkesbury, before becoming Deputy Director of the Regional Community Forestry Training Center in Bangkok from 1997 to 2001. He has done research or consultancies in a number of countries, including Mozambique, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia. Teaching interests focus on social and political aspects of natural resource management.

Stephen GaleStephen Gale has research interests in Quaternary environmental history, human environmental impact during the late Holocene, long-term geomorphic evolution and sedimentary geomorphology. He has worked in glaciated, karstic and alpine terrains, and, more recently, in semi-arid and lacustrine environments. He is currently using sedimentological techniques to shed new light on the early colonial history of Australia.

Teaching Staff Profiles

12

Peter HatherlyPeter is an exploration geophysicist with research interests directed towards understanding the geological settings of ore deposits (coal and metalliferous) and how this information can be used to operate mines more safely and productively. His prime interests concern seismic and logging techniques but he has worked with many other geophysical techniques. Within CRC Mining, he coordinates a number of projects in mining geophysics which involve researchers from a number of universities and external organisations.

Philip HirschPhilip Hirsch has research interests in natural resource management, rural change and the politics of environment in Southeast Asia, notably Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam and the wider Mekong Region. He is involved with collaborative field projects in each country. Specific interests include water governance, river basin management, deforestation, environmental impact of development, rural social differentiation and agrarian change, the role of NGOs in development, resource tenure, changing relations between village and state, and community-based natural resource management. Recent and current research work includes projects on water resources management and governance in Cambodia, land tenure systems in Laos, and agrarian transitions in Southeast Asia.

Tom HubbleTom Hubble’s research has been mainly in the field of engineering and environmental geology. Current research projects and interests include: the characterisation of the mass collapse mechanisms on the Hawkesbury-Nepean River; the evaluation of the stabilising mechanisms that trees and their root systems develop in soil slopes; and the development and implementation of quality control protocols for dimension stone. He is currently a Pro-Dean in the Faculty of the Science, received an Australian College of Educators Quality Teaching Award (NSW) in 2004 and is a co-author of a textbook developed for the NSW HSC course in Earth and Environmental Science.

Kurt IvesonKurt is primarily interested in the relationship between cities and citizenship. He is currently engaged in two research projects within this broad theme. The first project is concerned with the urban dimensions of being ‘public’. This research explores the ways in which activities such as ‘hanging out’, political protest, cruising, and graffiti writing have produced new styles of public discourse in and through the city. The second project is concerned with urban planning practice, and asks how it might better blend views about spatial equity with views of the worth of social diversity and the importance of encounter in urban life. This research is being conducted jointly with Prof Ruth Fincher (University of Melbourne).Kurt is also interested in geographies of music. He has done some research into hip hop in Sydney, and is currently working on a project with Dave Theak (Sydney Conservatorium) looking at the geography of the Sydney jazz scene.

Phil McManusPhil McManus’ research integrates urban and environmental issues. His research into sustainable cities includes urban forestry, industrial ecology, perceptions of nature in urban environmental issues and urban environmental history. His research in environmental geography includes thoroughbred breeding and the uses of nature, science and tradition. To date this work has been focused on the Upper Hunter region of NSW, but is now being extended internationally. Phil’s interest on the construction and transgression of urban and rural divides includes research with John Connell at Country Week Expo. He is also involved, along with Bill Pritchard, in research looking at social, economic and environmental changes in farming practices and in small towns in dryland agricultural regions.

Dietmar MüllerDietmar Müller’s research is focussed on global and regional Earth system problems by linking onshore and offshore observations based on geophysical/geological data and kinematic/dynamic process modelling, exploring the possibilities of the emerging area of e-geoscience. He founded the international EarthByte project (www.earthbyte.org) which aims at building the infrastructure for a virtual geological observatory through the GPlates software consortium. He has spearheaded the concept of “Exploration Geodynamics”, i.e., the use of geodynamic modelling as a resource exploration tool. Related work includes the modelling of current and palaeo-stress fields of the Indo-Australian Plate, linked to stratigraphy and fault analysis from seismic data, and tying basin-scale observations to models of mantle convection and lithospheric deformation.

Melissa NeaveMelissa Neave is a fluvial geomorphologist with specific research interests in biophysical interactions in fluvial systems. The aim of this research is to identify links between biological process functioning (including humans as biological agents) and landscape evolution with the ultimate goal of minimizing degradation in disturbed environments. Melissa is currently working on two collaborative projects aimed at improving human decision-making with respect to the natural environment. The first of these investigates links between farm fragmentation and consolidation and the environmental management of farmlands in Australia—specifically with respect to soil erosion. The second project considers the environmental consequences of expanding water resource development in the Mekong River catchment in Cambodia.

Bill PritchardBill Pritchard is an economic geographer with primary research interests in globalization, especially as it relates to food and agriculture. His research has produced a series of analyses of how globalization is affecting individual agri-food sectors (including tropical products, horticulture, livestock and dairy) as well as the institutional aspects of agri-food globalization, especially with respect to the WTO. As an economic geographer, he has an abiding interest in how these processes affect individual regional economies,

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both in Australia and in the Asia-Pacific. During the past five years he has been a Chief Investigator on four ARC Discovery grants, a major research project funded by the Rural Industries Research & Development Corporation, and from 2005-06 was Chief Investigator for the Building Institutional Capacity in Asia project funded by the Japanese Ministry of Finance. Recent publications include Agri-food Globalisation in Perspective (2003, Ashgate, with David Burch), Developing Regional Australia (2003, UNSW Press, with Andrew Beer and Alaric Maude) and Cross-continental Food Chains (2005, edited, Routledge, with Niels Fold). Bill is a member of the ARC Research Network on Spatially Integrated Social Science, and from 2003-06 was convenor of the Australian and New Zealand Agri-Food Research Network.

Patrice ReyPatrice is a tectonicist interested in the evolution of the continental lithosphere through tectonic processes, and the evolution of tectonic processes through time. His research activities are therefore problem-driven and process-oriented, and supported by research strategies involving quantitative multidisciplinary approaches, based on field work, numerical modelling and physical modelling. Patrice produced work on the seismic reflectivity of ductile shear zones in the crust. In the last five years he has been investigating the tectonics processes that have shaped the surface of the early Earth in the Archaean era (4.03 to 2.5 Ga).

Andrew ShortAndy Short is interested in the processes and morphology of coastal systems. In 2007 he completed the last in a series of seven books covering on all 11,000 Australian beach systems and now is finishing off a book on the Coast of Australia. He is also examining the size, nature and stability

of the nations 2500 coastal barrier systems, as well as local through regional barrier sediment budgets. Locally his long term beach monitoring at Narrabeen enters its 32nd year, enhanced in 2004 with Linkage grant support for video imaging and regular DGPS surveys and he is involved in a Linkage funded project examining the morphodynamics of the Port Stephens flood tide delta in collaboration with state and local government partners. Since 1991 he has been National Co-ordinator of the Australian Beach Safety and Management Program in co-operation with Surf Life Saving Australia. He is also Deputy Chair of National Surfing Reserves Australia, which in 2007 dedicated the Angourie reserve.

Derek WymanIn 2007, Derek expanded his studies of Archean diamond deposits of the Superior Province craton, Canada through the initiation of collaborative studies with Peter Hollings (Lakehead University) on diamond occurrences over a wide area. A paper (with C. O’Neill and J. Ayer) examining the significance of the diamond-bearing lamprophyres in the context of Earth’s tectonic evolution was accepted for publication in the Geological Society of America Special Paper 440 entitled “When did plate tectonics begin on Planet Earth?” Derek also continued studies of Archean terranes with Prof Robert Kerrich (U. Saskatchewan), resulting in the submission of two more manuscripts. Derek continued and expanded collaborative research with Prof. Wang Qiang (Guangzhou Inst. Geochemistry) in Chinese tectonics and magmatism with a 21 day field trip to China and the publication of 3 joint papers and the acceptance of 2 more papers in major journals. Derek also supervised a 2007 Honours study of Neoproterozoic copper deposits in the Adelaide Geosyncline, South Australia.

Research Staff ProfilesElaine BakerElaine is the director of the UNEP Shelf Programme at the University of Sydney. This programme is an initiative of GRID Arendal in Norway and was established to assist coastal states in preparing submissions for extended continental shelf under the United Nations Law of the Sea. Elaine is working with colleagues from Geoscience Australia and SOPAC to assist countries in the South West Pacific with this task. Elaine is also the director of the University of the Sea Secretariat. The University of the Sea is a partnership between the University of Sydney, the University of New South Wales, the University of Technology Sydney, the Australian National University, the University of Tokyo, the Korean Ocean Research and Development Institute, Tongji University China, the Partnership for Observation of the Global Oceans Canada, the National Institute of Oceanography Goa, the Indonesian Research Centre for Marine Technology and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO - http://www.usims.org.usyd.edu.au/floating.html

James Boyden James Boyden is a software developer with a background in computer science and mathematics. His research interests include scientific visualisation, computational geometry and data structures for geographic information systems. He was one of the two programmers who created the first version of the GPlates plate-tectonics visualisation software (www.gplates.org) under the direction of Dietmar Müller. James is currently working within the EarthByte project (www.earthbyte.org) as the lead software architect of GPlates and the lead programmer of the University of Sydney GPlates development team.

James Clark James is a programmer and information model developer. He currently works within the EarthByte project to develop the GPlates Markup Language (GPML), which is designed to become the cornerstone of a web-based virtual plate tectonic observatory. GPML will allow the integration of a plate tectonic Data Model into the international Geographic Markup Language standard.

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Adriana DutkiewiczAdriana’s current research projects exploit Archaean and Proterozoic oil-bearing fluid inclusions and their geochemical compositions, including biomarkers, to constrain hydrocarbon-ore fluid interactions, the pressure-temperature conditions under which they co-exist, the diversity of the primordial biosphere and the nature of life’s earliest habitats. Biomarkers extracted from oil inclusions may even constrain the ages of branch points on the phylogenetic tree of life. Her most recent research has focused on Precambrian basins in Australia, Canada and Africa.

Elizabeth (Bess) MoylanBess is currently employed as a research associate on the ARC funded “Living with Heritage” project. Her research involves developing spatial representations to investigate Heritages issues relating to Cultural Landscapes. Spatio-temporal models are being used to explore and monitor landscape change and the application of GIS for Heritage and Natural Resource Management.

Jeff NeilsonJeff’s research focuses on the geography of tropical agriculture and commodity trade. This interest is explored through the application of global value chain analyses to products grown by communities in South and Southeast Asia. During 2007, Jeff completed a Post-doctoral fellowship as part of the ARC Discovery Project: Traceability and developing countries’ agriculture, which involved case-studies of the cocoa, coffee and tea industries in both Indonesia and India. The major output from this project is a co-authored a book, Value Chain Struggles, to be published by Blackwell UK and to be released in late 2008. He is a collaborating scientist on the ACIAR-funded research project: Improving cocoa production through farmer involvement in demonstration trials of potentially superior and pest/disease resistant genotypes and integrated management practices, where he is investigating household decision-making processes amongst Indonesian cocoa farmers. Also in 2007, Jeff led an ACIAR Small Research Activity: Securing the profitability of the Toraja and Flores coffee industries.

Dan PennyDan Penny’s major research interests include long-term environmental change and variability in Indochina, particularly monsoon variability and plant biogeography. The interaction between people and the natural environment is a particular focus of interest. Dan is currently investigating the demise of Angkor, Cambodia, using micro-palaeontological techniques (pollen and spores from higher plants and ferns respectively, and algae, particularly diatoms). Angkor was capital to a sprawling medieval empire that encompassed much of the Indochinese peninsula between the 9th and sometime after the 15th Century AD. The research seeks to explore the timing of and reasons for Angkor’s decline and eventual collapse.

Maria Sdrolias Maria is an EarthByte ARC research fellow who is working on global models and databases for the evolution of the ocean

basins. She is particularly interested in subduction and back-arc basin processes, including deciphering the origin of major plate tectonic events and their manifestation in the geological record.

Tim SindleTim is a researcher associated with the ARCO / CRC Mining funded borehole radar geophysical imaging project. His current research interests include electronic hardware, firmware and support tools to develop and create borehole radars that are designed to change the way in which the mining industry operates in preventing blind mining. He also has an interest in the trajectory logging of boreholes using magnetic and other means to accurately place geological core and geophysics logs within the 3D mining environment. Trials and testing are ongoing in Canada, Australia and South Africa.

Edwina TannerEdwina Tanner’s main area of interest is in the field of marine science with a focus on climate change. She is currently involved in a research project that will model the effect of ocean nourishment on marine ecosystems, CO2 uptake and artesian fishing communities. Edwina is involved in a number of research initiatives one of which is using One Tree Island as a case study for the better management of marine data.

Ana Vila-ConcejoAna is interested in the processes and morphology of coastal systems. Her career started in Spain, where she did her undergraduate and MSc studying urban beaches; and Portugal, where she completed her PhD investigating the short and medium term evolution of tidal inlets in a barrier island system. At present, Ana is looking into the morphodynamics of flood-tide deltas in wave-dominated coasts within the framework of an ARC funded linkage project. Other areas of interest are coastal erosion and hazards including consequences of climate change. Ana is a keen fieldworker and has experience in acquiring and processing hydrodynamic, topographic and bathymetric data. Ana has also worked with fluorescent tracers for studying sediment transport processes. She is also using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) as a tool to analyse recent and present data.

John You John is an EarthByte ARC Senior Research Fellow. His primary interests are physical oceanography, paleoceanography and climate change over geological time periods. He has been the driving force behind porting the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Community Land Model coupled to the NCAR Community Atmosphere and Ocean Model to the Australian Partnership for Advanced Computing (APAC) supercomputer. John initiated an international ocean climate program, PACSWIN (Indonesian Throughflow: PACific Source Water INvestigation), for long term monitoring of the Indonesain Throughflow and global climate change. He won the ‘First Korea Brain Pool Program’ professorship, for one year from September 1, 2007, and has started work at the Research Institute of Oceanography, Seoul National University.

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GEOS1001 Earth, Environment & Society GEOS1901 Earth, Environment & Society (Advanced)Dr Tom Hubble, Dr Mel Neave, Dr Bill PritchardThis Unit of Study examined interactions between the physical Earth and the activities of its growing population of human inhabitants. Several themes were explored to provide students with an overview of the way that the earth’s physical systems have come into being and how they function. Firstly, past geological events were used to illustrate how habitats and ecosystems respond to environmental crises. Secondly, models of environmental and climate change were examined. Thirdly, the require-ments of growing human populations and their ecological footprints were investigated. These three themes were then integrated to enable students to think critically about the key issues facing the future of the planet, and provide a foundation for future studies in geography and geology.

GEOS1002 Introduction to GeographyGEOS1902 Introduction to Geography (Advanced)Dr Mel Neave, Dr Kurt IvesonThis Unit of Study provided an introductory geographical analysis of the ways in which places and landscapes are produced. The Unit focused on both the physical and human processes that generate spatial variation and difference, as well as tracing the interactions between these processes. The Unit began with an investigation of Earth’s surface features, exploring the distribution of landforms across Earth and interpreting their evolutionary histories. Several landscapes were examined including those formed by rivers, wind, oceans and glaciers. But physical landscapes evolve under the influence of and affect human operations. Therefore, the Unit of Study also considered the political, economic, cultural and urban geographies which shape contemporary global society. Each of these themes were discussed with reference to key examples, in order to consider the ways in which the various processes (both physical and human) interact in the shaping of places. The Unit of Study also included short field trips to localities surrounding the university to observe processes of spatial change and conflict. The Unit of Study is designed to attract and interest students who wish to pursue geography as a major within their undergraduate degree, but also has relevance to students who wish to consider the way geographers understand the contemporary world.

GEOS1003 Introduction to GeologyGEOS1903 Introduction to Geology (Advanced)Dr Tom Hubble, Prof ClarkeThe aim of this Unit of Study was to examine the chemical and physical processes involved in mineral formation, the interior of the Earth, surface features, sedimentary environments, volcanoes, and metamorphism. Lectures and laboratory sessions on mountain building processes and the formation of mineral deposits lead to an understanding of the forces controlling the geology of

our planet. Processes such as weathering, erosion and the nature of sedimentary environments are related to the origin of the Australian landscape. In addition to laboratory classes there was a two-day excursion to the western Blue Mountains and Lithgow to examine geological objects in their setting.

GEOL1501 - Engineering GeologyDr Tom HubbleThis is the Intermediate core Unit of Study for the degree in Project Engineering and Management (Civil). Course objectives were to introduce basic geology to civil engineering students. The expected outcomes included students developing an appreciation of geologic processes as they influence civil engineering works and acquire knowledge of the most important rocks and minerals and be able to identify them. The syllabus covered Geological concepts relevant to civil engineering and the building environment; Introduction to minerals; igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks, their occurrence, formation and significance. There was also a general introduction to physical geology and geomorphology, structural geology, plate tectonics, and hydrogeology. Associated laboratory work on minerals, rocks and mapping.

GEOS2111 Natural Hazards: a GIS approachGEOS2911 Natural Hazards: a GIS approach (Advanced)Dr Eleanor Bruce and othersThe geosciences provide an essential framework for understanding the environmental response to short and long-term geologic, oceanic and atmospheric processes. This Unit of Study introduced students to a variety of natural phenomena that affect society with impact levels ranging from nuisance to disastrous. The discussion of each hazard focused on: (1) the process mechanics, (2) hazards and risk, and (3) methods for mitigation. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are used by scientists, planners, policy-makers and the insurance industry alike to address many issues relating to natural hazards. This Unit of Study introduced students to the major concepts relating to GIS and provided practical experience in the application of GIS techniques to hazard mapping, risk assessment and mitigation.

GEOS2112 Economic Geography of Global DevelopmentGEOS2912 Economic Geography of Global Development (Advanced)Dr Bill Pritchard, A/Prof Phil HirschIn this Unit of Study, students were introduced to the sub-discipline of economic geography by way of debates on the spatial character of global development. The focus of questions relating to who are the winners and losers from contemporary patterns of global economic change. This included the analysis of relevant conceptual approaches to these questions (including comparative advantage,

2007 Units of Study

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global commodity chain theory, regionalism, economic governance etc), plus ‘hands-on’ examination of the key institutions (such as the WTO and ADB) driving these changes. In general, issues were tailored to themes being played out in Asia-Pacific countries. Students were expect-ed to participate in a variety of practical class exercises throughout the semester, which included presenting the fruits of independent research activities. This unit provides an especially relevant feeder-unit into GEOS 3053/ GEOS 3054, the Asia-Pacific Field School.

GEOS2113 Making the Australian LandscapeDr Stephen GaleThe arid, ancient and often inhospitable Australian landscape is the product of 4000 million years of complex evolution. The continent possesses the oldest materials so far discovered on Earth and supports landforms whose origins can be traced back almost a thousand million years. Yet its aridity and its vegetation are of relatively recent origin, and its climates and environments have taken on a recognisably modern form only in the last 10 000 years. Even more recent have been the impacts of human activity. Yet both the pre-European and the European occupants have utterly transformed the environment, making the changes of the last millennia perhaps the most dramatic that the Australian landscape has experienced.

GEOS2114 Volcanoes, Hot Rocks, and MineralsGEOS2914 Volcanoes, Hot Rocks, and Minerals (Advanced)Dr Derek Wyman, Dr Patrice Rey, Dr Geoff ClarkeThis Unit of Study related the plate tectonics of subduction zones to (1) volcanoes and their hazards, (2) geological processes in the deep crust, and (3) the formation of precious metal and gemstone ores around the Pacific Rim. A problem solving approach was used to develop the skills required to understand the history of individual volcanoes and predict their future activity and hazards. The Unit included a two to three-day field trip to study an extinct volcano in NSW. Practical work included independent study of igneous systems, rocks, and minerals employing both microscope-based techniques and computer modelling. The unit provided relevant knowledge for GEOS 3006 and GEOS 3906, Mineral Deposits & Spatial Data Analysis.

MARS2005 - Global OceansMARS2905 - Global Oceans (Advanced)Dr Peter CowellThis Unit was split into two sections: physical and geological oceanography. Major physical oceanography topics included the physical and chemical properties of ocean water, ocean circulation, waves and tides. Major geological oceanography topics included the origins and geological history of ocean basins, ocean volcanism, sediments and continental margins. Both the regional oceanography and continental shelf of Australia were emphasised. Although this was principally a lecture-based course, students received feedback their understanding of the course content through regular assignments and

six tutorials. The learning outcome expected at the end of the course was a broad knowledge of the fundamental concepts in physical and geological oceanography, and their particular relevance to the Australasian region. This provided the necessary background for senior-level Marine Science courses in which students learnt more advanced concepts, and also become involved in the practical and field-based aspects of marine science. This is a qualifying unit for some Senior Marine Science Units.

GEOS2121 Environmental & Resource ManagementGEOS2921 Environmental & Resource Management (Advanced)Dr Phil McManusThis Unit of Study explored cultural constructions of nature and resources, the evolution of environmental thought and the debates about sustainable development. It integrated environmental, economic, cultural and social considera-tions, with particular regard to water, mining, forestry and fishing industries in Australia and other countries. The Unit included a fieldtrip to the Hunter Valley to look at geological and geographical issues pertaining to mines, wines and the thoroughbred breeding industries in this region. The Unit of Study enabled students to learn about the economics of resource extraction and the social, cultural and environmental considerations that must be taken into account when developing and implementing environmental and resource management policies.

GEOS2122 Urban GeographyGEOS2922 Urban Geography (Advanced)Prof John Connell, Dr Kurt IvesonBy their very nature, cities are full of different people doing all sorts of different things. These activities all have their own geographies – people make the most of urban spaces available to them, and they shape and produce new kinds of cities through their actions. These urban geographies are unstable and contested. In fact, efforts to shape urban spaces in particular ways are fundamentally dynamic and political. This Unit of Study examined the politics of a range of different practices which use and shape urban space – such as shopping, eating, crime, religion, language, protest, sport, music, sex, mobility, and hanging out. In considering these various practices, we investigated how different people perceive space and construct space, primarily in western contexts. The Unit as a whole sought to understand the cultural and political dimensions of everyday life in cities, and to develop new perspectives on metropolitan change.

GEOS2124 Fossils and TectonicsGEOS2924 Fossils and Tectonics (Advanced)A/Prof Dietmar Müller, Dr Patrice Rey, Prof Peter HatherlyThis Unit aimed to convey how fossils, stratigraphic and structural data are used together to determine ages and environments and the deformation history of rock layers. It covered an introduction to historical geology and the evolution of the major fossils groups. Methods of stratigraphic age determination included litho-, bio-, chemo-, magneto- stratigraphy, as well as radiometric

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geochronology and the stratigraphic characteristics of the main geological time intervals. Structural methods are focused on brittle deformation in the upper crust and sediments. Students gained familiarity with the most important fossil groups and how to identify them, and with the most important types of faults and folds. The formation of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas was also covered in an earth history and resource exploration context. The simultaneous use of fossils, stratigraphy and structure to unravel the geological history of a set of exposed rock layers was demonstrated during a field excursion to Yass.

GEOG2321 Fluvial and Groundwater GeomorphologyDr Melissa Neave and Dr Willem VervoortThis Unit of Study provided an introduction to the fundamentals of fluvial geomorphology (the study of surface water as an agent of landscape change) and groundwater hydrology. The fluvial geomorphology section of the Unit described the movement of water in stream channels and investigated the landscape change associated with that movement. Topics covered included open channel flow hydraulics, sediment transport processes and stream channel morphology. Practical work focused on the collection and analysis of field data. The quantity and quality of the groundwater resources are closely linked to geology and fluvial geomorphology. The groundwater section of this unit was based around four common groundwater issues: contamination, extraction, dryland salinity and groundwater-surface water interaction. In the practical component, common groundwater computer models such as FLOWTUBE and MODFLOW were used to further explore these problems.

MARS2006 Marine Ecosystems and GeomorphologyMARS2906 Marine Ecosystems and Geomorphology (Advanced)Dr Adele Pile, Assoc. Prof Roz Hinde and Dr Peter CowellThis Unit was split into two sections: marine ecosystems and coastal geomorphology. The marine ecosystem section describes some of the ways that the properties of the oceans affect marine organisms. It also introduced coral reefs and other marine ecosystems, together with their productivity, biological oceanography, the reproductive biology of marine organisms, and marine biological resources. The second section provided an introduction to coastal geomorphology by examining the geographic variability of coasts as the sum effect of variations in terrestrial, climatic and oceanographic factors. These factors were introduced in terms of the main physical processes (geology, sea-level, waves, tides, winds) governing coastal geomorphology on a range of space-time scales. Geographic variation in the physical processes was illustrated by reference to the local coast: i.e., Sydney. The illustration was amplified by drawing comparisons with other parts of SE Australia, and with overseas examples (especially from coastal environments very different to that of Sydney).

MARS2007 - Marine Science Field SchoolProf Andy ShortMarine Scientists are generally involved in a wide variety of fieldwork throughout their careers. A detailed knowledge of field methods and techniques is therefore a necessary component in the education of marine scientists. This unit of study introduced students to a range of field issues within the coastal and marine environment during a 5 day field school held prior to commencement of lectures in Semester 1. Many of the field methods focused on were generic across the marine disciplines. In addition, techniques specific to the disciplines of Biological Sciences and Geosciences were taught. Students were expected to participate in a hands-on way, undertaking small project-based data collection exercises during the field school. This data provided resources for the practical part of the course undertaken during semester. This unit of study was only available to students in the Bachelor of Science (Marine Science).

GEOS3003 The Dynamics of Continents and BasinsGEOS3903 The Dynamics of Continents and Basins (Advanced) A/Prof Dietmar Müller and Dr Patrice ReyThe Earth’s crust hosts mineral and energy resources that have sustained our civilisation over the past five thousand years. These resources are formed along plate boundaries and in sedimentary basins. They are the by-products of dynamic and thermal processes that have affected the lithosphere since its formation in the Archaean. This Unit focused on the understanding the thermal and mechanical aspects of lithospheric deformation and basin formation and evolution. The main topics of this module included: mantle convection, oceanic lithospheric evolution, heat transfer in the lithosphere; isostasy and vertical motion of the Earth’s surface; plate boundaries, body forces and the dynamic of the Earth’s lithosphere; rheology of the lithosphere; continental break-up and the formation of continental margins and basins; thermo-mechanics of sedimentary basins; thermo-mechanics of orogenesis; and thermal consequences and tectonic feedback of geodynamic processes. Practical classes were designed to enhance computational and communication skills as well as building a profound knowledge in Tectonics and Geodynamics. The Unit was relevant to all students interested in using computational methods to learn how the Earth works.

GEOS3007 Remote Sensing: Imaging the EarthGEOS3907 Remote Sensing: Imaging the Earth (Advanced)Prof Geoff Clarke and Dr Derek WymanThis Unit of Study initially addressed the evolution of the Australian landscape, involving tectonic influences, long-term climate variation and the effects of bedrock weathering. The Unit then provided a comprehensive introduction to the use and manipulation of computer-based imaging techniques at the microscopic to macroscopic scales in the Earth Sciences. The application of image analysis as a tool in the interpretation of remote

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sensing techniques to geological terrains and landscapes was covered in computer-based practical exercises that use a mixture of Landsat thematic mapper, airborne radiometric and magnetic databases. Integrated lectures and laboratory exercises focused on the use of processed images in mineral exploration, tectonic analysis, and environmental studies.

GEOS3009 Coastal Environments and ProcessesGEOS3909 Coastal Environments and Processes (Advanced) Prof Andy Short and Dr Ana Vila-ConcejoAustralian coastal environments are dynamic systems responding to input sediments and processes as well as solid boundary conditions. The first half of this Unit focused on high-energy wave and wind dominated coastal systems; in particular the beach-surf zone, dunes and barriers, including their Holocene/Quaternary evolution. The regional impact of waves, tides, embayments, and other environmental parameters in controlling morphology were addressed. The second half of this Unit focused on the smaller-scale processes controlling beach-surf zone morphology. In particular, how waves and currents drive beach and bar morphodynamics via sediment transport. The practical program used real data sets collected during recent research programs and during a weekend field excursion, and they addressed issues specifically relevant to Australia’s coastline.

GEOS3017 Global EnergyGEOS3917 Global Energy (Advanced) Prof Peter Davies (Coordinator) and Dr Gavin BirchThis Unit was aimed at geoscientists, biologists, environmental and marine scientists who are interested in the energy resources, particularly in the context of the evolution of coral reefs and how they have been affected by changing short and long-term environmental conditions. This interdisciplinary Unit provided an introduction to offshore energy and coral reefs and explored the complex system in relation to geology, biology and ecology as well as the oceanographic setting. The Unit acquainted students with tools currently being used in the industry and was underpinned by modern concepts of basin architecture and petroleum economics. Exploration techniques included the principals and practice of electrical logging, source rock evaluation and reservoir quality assessment. The controlling influence of basin architecture was examined in terms of critical factors such as hydrocarbon source, migration and entrapment are used to demonstrate climatic and tectonic control. Students also became familiar with the factors and processors that control the structure, morphology, sediments and distribution of coral reefs and how they function as part of larger ecosystem. The Unit is based on problem solving by groups and is underpinned by closely integrating geology, geophysics, marine science and economics. The theoretical base developed in course work was used to solve a real-world exploration case study, using petroleum industry techniques and by simulating an

economically competitive environment. The Unit included a 5 day field trip to the Great Barrier Reef.

GEOS3018 Rivers: Science, Policy and ManagementGEOS3918 Rivers: Science, Policy and Management (Advanced)Dr Melissa NeaveThis Unit of Study was concerned with understanding the functioning of river catchments from both natural science and social science perspectives, at a variety of scales. The catchment as a morphodynamic process-response system was addressed with an emphasis on the relationships between processes and landform entities. Similarly, relationships within social, economic and political systems were explored within the catchment context, with particular emphasis on the interactions between the social system and bio-physical system. Empirical context for the unit was primarily drawn from the Murray-Darling, Mekong, and Hawkesbury-Nepean catchments. Fieldwork in the latter was integral to the Unit of Study.

GEOS3511 Understanding Australia’s RegionsGEOS3911 Understanding Australia’s Regions (Advanced) Dr Bill PritchardRegional difference in Australia is becoming more acute. This has major implications for the life chances and eco-nomic prospects of people across Australia. This Unit of Study examined these issues, using extensive case study material and introduced students to new approaches in regional development theory to account for and explain this state of affairs. A non-compulsory field trip of approximately five days duration to rural Australia was a component of this unit (students who could not or who did not wish to attend the trip completed an alternative assignment.) This Unit provided students with a solid grounding for graduate employment or further studies in the field of regional development.

GEOS3512 Contemporary Global GeographiesGEOS3912 Contemporary Global Geographies (Advanced) Prof John ConnellThis Unit of Study provided students with detailed exposure to contemporary thematic areas of human geography research. It sought to apply the conceptual material introduced in intermediate human geography Units of Study to ‘real-life’ research problems, as a platform for engaging students with research issues, frameworks, conceptual debates, methods, and problem-solving techniques. In 2007 the content of this Unit of Study involved assessment of the geographical implications of tourism. Lectures and practical classes covered relevant conceptual and methodological issues, and involved economic, cultural, political and environmental themes. It primarily focused on Australia and the Asia-Pacific region.

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GEOS3053 Asia-Pacific Field Schoo l- Assessment AGEOS3953 Asia-Pacific Field School - Assessment A (Advanced)GEOS3054 Asia-Pacific Field School - Assessment BGEOS3954 Asia-Pacific Field School - Assessment B (Advanced) A/Prof Phil Hirsch, Prof John ConnellThe Assessment A Units could be taken only in conjunction with GEOS 3054 and the Assessment B Units in conjunction with GEOS 3513. (All required prior permission from the Unit of Study co-ordinator). All Units constituted a Field School run over a five week period in January-February, prior to the commencement of the semester. In 2007 the Field School was held in Fiji. In future years it may be held in South-East Asia (Thailand, Vietnam and Laos). It is run in close association with local universities, whose staff and students participate in some components of the course. It focused on environmental and development issues in the context of rapid social change.

GEOS3004 Geophysics, Imaging, Oil/Ore ProductionGEOS3904 Geophysics, Imaging, Oil/Ore Production (Advanced) Prof Peter HatherlyThis Unit examined the use of computer-based geophysi-cal techniques to map high value sites that range from oil fields and mine sites to archaeological digs. Lecture topics introduced the creation, inversion and application of 2D and 3D potential and wave fields that are among the data sources for micro-gravity surveying, magnetism and aero-magnetism; radiometry, short-and long-range surveillance and tracking techniques. The course was designed around the fact that major strides have been made in digital data acquisition and data reduction. Practical classes extended skills in computer aided image processing.

GEOS3006 Mineral DepositsGEOS3906 Mineral Deposits (Advanced) Dr Derek WymanGlobal-scale tectonics and continental growth were exam-ined in terms of their relationships to mineral deposits over the last 3.5 billion years. Deposits of metals and precious gems are linked to igneous rocks and hydrothermal fluids, which provide the basis for exploration strategies, account for specific ore deposit characteristics, and determine appropriate mining techniques. Representative ore deposits from New South Wales, Australia, and overseas were included as case studies for a wide array of mineralisa-tion types. Practical components of the course introduced specimens of ore deposits and associated rocks and the spatial analysis of geological data at the Global to district scale. In addition to laboratory classes there was a four-day field excursion to active and historic mining sites in NSW.

GEOS3008 Field Geology and GeophysicsGEOS3908 Field Geology and Geophysics (Advanced) Dr Patrice Rey and Prof Peter HatherlyThis unit is considered an essential component all geology and geophysics majors. All students undertook a range of

exercises but concentrated on aspects that emphasise their chosen major: (1) field mapping and the analysis of geological objects in the field, in weakly to complexly deformed sedimentary and volcanic sequences; and (2) field investigations of mineral deposits and their relationships to host rocks. The field course complemented other subject areas in geology and geophysics and gave students experience in the field identification of rocks and minerals, regional geology, stratigraphy, structure and rock relationships.

GEOS3014 GIS in Coastal ManagementGEOS3914 GIS in Coastal Management (Advanced)Dr Peter Cowell and Dr Eleanor BruceCoastal Management is about how scientific knowledge is used to support policy formulation and planning decisions in coastal environments. This Unit links coastal science to policy and practice in management of estuaries, beaches and the coastal ocean. The principles were exemplified through specific issues, such as coastal erosion, pollution and impacts of climate-change. The issues were dealt with in terms of how things work in nature, and how issues are handled through administrative mechanisms. These mechanisms involve planning strategies like Marine Protected Areas and setback limits on civil development in the coastal zone. At a practical level, the link between science and coastal management is given substance through development and use of ‘decision-support models’. These models involve geocomputing methods that entail application of simulation models, remotely sensed information, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The course therefore included both principles and experience in use of these methods to address coastal-management issues. (It thus also extensive use of computers.) Although the focus is on the coast, the principles and methods have broader relevance to environmental management in particular, and to problem- solving in general. That is, the course has vocational relevance in showing how science can be exploited to the benefit of society and nature conservation.

GEOS3015 Environmental ChangeGEOS3915 Environmental Change (Advanced)Dr Stephen GaleA project-based course that tackled the field and labora-tory methods that allow us to reconstruct environmental change. It focussed on the environmental changes of the Quaternary and particularly on those changes experienced by the Australian environment since the time of human contact. The course stressed the application of particular techniques to solving field problems and to answering palaeoenvironmental questions.

GEOS3016 Seafloor Processes & ImagingGEOS3916 Seafloor Processes & Imaging (Advanced) A/Prof Dietmar Müller and Dr Adriana DutkiewiczExploring the sediments and rocks that make up the continental shelves and deep ocean floor requires the use of remote sensing techniques, and the analysis of geological and geophysical data. This Unit taught analytical

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and interpretive skills in both these areas, with a focus on the interaction of physical, biological and chemical processes on the sea floor. The aim of this Unit was to provide the student with skills to analyse sea floor environ-ments and interpret a variety of relevant geological and geophysical datasets, including include side-scan sonar, swath-mapping, magnetics, gravity, and seismic reflection data. Students also gained the skills to investigate marine sedimentary successions. The practical exercises provided an introduction to standard data analysis tools such as Matlab, and the use of Australian and world data-bases. Students were also introduced to seafloor samples from the shelf, slope and deep-ocean, where the role of physical and biological activity on the sediment characteristics were examined. The Unit is relevant to students interested in sea-floor environments, marine geology and geophysics, and computer-based marine data analysis.

GEOG3521 Sustainable CitiesGEOG3921 Sustainable Cities (Advanced)Dr Phil McManusThis Unit of Study involved an integrated series of lectures, practicals and field visits. It developed themes introduced in Intermediate Units in Geography relating to

sustainability, focusing on the ways we manage urban regions. This involved discussion of topics including utopian visions for cities, urban history, ecological footprint analysis, bioregionalism, transport options, urban form and urban policy with reference to sustainable futures.

GEOS3522 Cities and CitizenshipGEOS3922 Cities and Citizenship (Advanced) Dr Kurt IvesonWhat does it mean to be a ‘citizen’, and what has this got to do with cities? This Unit explored the urban dimension of contests over the meaning of citizenship. The first half considered historical configurations of urban citizenship, from the Greek city-states of antiquity through to imperial, colonial and industrial cities. The second half then focused on contemporary globalising cities. A series of case studies considered the production of new configurations of urban citizenship across a range of cities in the world, looking at issues such as: asylum-seekers and the city; children and the city; homelessness in the city; ‘culture jamming’ and new forms of urban protest; trans-national social move-ments. The Unit involved a substantial practical compo-nent, encouraging students to draw on their own experi-ences of city life to reflect on the meanings of citizenship.

The 2nd Year field trip to Yass for GEOS2124 - Fossils and Tectonics.

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GrantsResearch Grants: Australian Research Council

Birch, G.F., Batley, G.E., Gobas, F.A., Modelling contaminant dynamics in a well-mixed/stratified estuary, Australian Research Council, Discovery Grant, $63,688

Birch, G.F., An innovative strategy for stormwater remediation and reduction of contaminant supply from catchments, Australian Research Council, Linkage Grant, $52,371

Fletcher, R., Johnson, I., Bruce, E., Living with Heritage: integrating time, place and culture for World Heritage conservation, Australian Research Council, Discovery Grant, $56,667

Dutkiewicz, A., George, S.C., Volk, H.H., Biosphere hydrocarbon and ore fluid interactions in the Early Precambrian, Australian Research Council, Discovery Grant, $166,065

McManus, P., Albrecht, G.A., Constructing nature, tradition and thoroughbreds, Australian Research Council, Discovery Grant, $76,519

Müller, R.D., Simulating the evolution of the Southern Ocean and Australia’s Palaeo-environment over 40 million years, Australian Research Council, Discovery Grant, $63,688

Fletcher, R., Penny, D., Barbetti, M.F., Pottier, C., Urban infrastructure, inertia and Ecology, the growth and decline of Angkor, Cambodia, Australian Research Council, Linkage Grant, $49,282

Turner, I.L., Short, A.D., Ranasinghe, R.J., Large scale climatic control of coastal erosion and shoreline changes based on long term survey dataset and video monitoring technology, Australian Research Council, Discovery Grant, $1,300

Short, A., Port Stephens flood tide delta: Shoreline management issues, Australian Research Council, Linkage Grant, $74,340

Pritchard, W.N., Connell, J., Indian agriculture in the 21st century: the political economy of market reforms, Australian Research Council, Discovery Grant, $31,189

Martin, J., Pritchard, W.N., McManus, P.A., Baum, S., Sorenson, T., Walmsley, J., Argent, N., Bourke, L., Australia’s Rural Heartlands: Declining economic fortune or dynamic regional adjustment?, Australia Research Council, Discovery Grant, $7,000

You, Y., Müller, R.D., Poulsen, C.J., Ribbe, J., Integrating global multidimensional datasets to underpin subduction process modelling during the past 60 million years, Australian Research Council, Discovery Grant, $84,917

Other Grants

Baker, E., Feasibility study for the development of a facility for continental shelf delineation, United Nations, $98,958

Baker, E., University of the Sea, ARC Research Networks, $10,000 and UNESCO, $4,425

Birch, G.F., An innovative strategy for stormwater remediation and reduction of contaminant supply from catchments, Industry Linkage Grant, $29,975

Birch, G.F., Impact of contaminants on estuarine and fluvial sediments of Brisbane Water, Gosford Council, $5,778

Gale, S.J., Human environmental impact and the Aboriginal abandonment of Kangaroo Island, Aus-tralian and Pacific Science Foundation, $5,250

Gale, S.J., European impact on vegetation in arid Australia, Australian Institute of Nuclear Science and Engineering, $8,904

Gale, S.J., European impact on the natural environment of Kangaroo Island, Australian Institute ofNuclear Science and Engineering, $4,800

Hatherly, P., Chair in Mining Geophysics, CRC Mining, $155,745

Hirsch, P., Water Resource Management Research Capacity Development Program, AusAID / Cambo-dia Development Resource Institute, $152,250

Hirsch, P., Mekong Resource Centre, Oxfam, $6,550 and Both Ends, $4,167

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Hirsch, P., Mekong Learning Initiative, Oxfam United States, $60,154

Hirsch, P., The challenges of the agrarian transition in South Asia, Social Sciences and Humanities Re-search Council of Canada, University of Montreal, $24,462

Mason, I., ARCO Geophysical Imaging, Geomole Pty Ltd, $64,251

Mason, I., Hatherly, P., CRC Mining research project, $148,336

Müller, R.D., Bluenet Database – Australian Marine Science Data Network, University of Tasmania, $82,683

Müller, R.D., National Collaborative Research Infrastructure: Structure and Evolution of the Australian Continent, Auscope Limited, $135,000

Müller, R.D., Frontier science and exploration: the Atlantic – Arctic, Norwegian Research Council, $2,829

Neilson, J., Improved cocoa production through farmer involvement in demonstration trials of poten-tially superior and pest/disease resistant genotypes and integrated management practices, Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), La Trobe, $6,340

Pritchard, W.N., Non-State Regulation of agricultural trade, AusAID – Australian Leadership Awards Fellowships, AusAID, $67,086

Rey, P., Dutkiewicz, A., The emergence of the continents and the Earth’s primitive environment,International Program Development Fund (The University of Sydney), $29,460

Short, A., Port Stephens flood tide delta: Shoreline management issues, Industry Linkage Grant, $32,100

Consultancies/Other:

Birch, G.F., Sediment collection and analysis, URS Australia, $13,000

Hirsch, P., Conference – A Greater Mekong: poverty, integration and development, AusAID, $50,000 and Oxfam, $30,000

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Derek Wyman and students take a break during the NZ Field Trip (see story p38).

Books Barrett, J., McManus, P., 2007, Civilising nature: museums and the environment, Water Wind Art and Debate - How Environmental Concerns Impact on Disciplinary Research, 1, 319 - 344.

Birch, G., 2007, Water wind art and debate - how environmental concerns impact on discipli-nary research, Water Wind Art and Debate - How Environmental Concerns Impact on Disciplinary Research.

Birch, G., 2007, A short geological and environ-mental history of the Sydney estuary Australia, Water Wind Art and Debate - How Environmental Concerns Impact on Disciplinary Research, 1, 214 - 242.

Connell, J., 2007, Holding on to modernity? Siwai Bougainville Papua New Guinea, Environment De-velopment and Change in the Asia-Pacific. Between Local and Global, 1, 127 - 146.

Connell, J., 2007, Island migration, A World of Islands: An Island Studies Reader, 1, 455 - 481.

Connell, J., Waddell, E., 2007, Introduction - be-tween local and global: the contest for develop-ment, Environment Development and Change in the Asia-Pacific. Between Local and Global, 1 - 15.

Dyksterhuis, S., Rey, P., Muller, R., Moresi, L.N., 2007, Effects of initial weakness on rift architecture, Imaging, Mapping and Modelling Continental Lithosphere Extension and Breakup, 1, 443 - 455.

Fisher, R., Prabhu, R., McDougall, C., 2007, Adaptive collaborative management of community forests in Asia: experience from Nepal Indonesia and the Philippines, Adaptive Collaborative Management of Community Forests in Asia: Experience from Nepal, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Fisher, R., Prabhu, R., McDougall, C., 2007, Intro-duction: people forests and the needs for ad-aptation, Adaptive Collaborative Management of Community Forests in Asia: Experience from Nepal, Indonesia and the Philippines, 1, 1 - 15.

Gale, S.J., Hoare, P., 2007, The age and origin of the Blakeney Esker of north Norfolk: implications for the glaciology of the southern North Sea Basin, Glacial Sedimentary Processes and Products, 39, 203 - 234.

Henrys, S., Wilson, T., Whittaker, J., Fielding, C., Hall, J., Naish, T., 2007, Tectonic history of mid-Miocene to present southern Victoria land basin inferred from seismic stratigraphy in McMurdo Sound Ant-arctica, Antarctica: A Keystone in a Changing World

- Online Proceedings for the Tenth International Symposium on Antarctic Earth Sciences.

Hirsch, P., 2007, Civil society and interdepend-encies: towards a regional political ecology of Mekong development, Environment Development and Change in the Asia-Pacific. Between Local and Global, 226 - 246.

Hirsch, P., 2007, NGOs as advocates for develop-ment in a globalizing world, Advocacy, Civil Society and the State in the Mekong Region, 1, 185 - 199.

Iveson, K., 2007, Publics and the city, Publics and the City.

Kaewmahanin, J., Fisher, R., 2007, Forest govern-ance in Thailand, Decentralisation and State-Spon-sored Community Forestry in Asia, 1, 121 - 138.

McDougall, C., Prabhu, R., Fisher, R., 2007, Dis-cussion and conclusions, Adaptive Collaborative Management of Community Forests in Asia: Experi-ence from Nepal Indonesia and the Philippines, 1, 208 - 227.

Molle, F., Wester, P., Hirsch, P., Jensen, J.R., Murray-Rust, H., Paranjpye, V., Pollard, S., Van der Zaag, P., 2007, River basin development and management, Water for Food Water for Life: the Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture, 1, 585 - 625.

Muller, R., Dyksterhuis, S., 2007, Current and palaeo-stress models for central Australian basins, Proceedings of the Central Australian Basins Sympo-sium Alice Springs August 2005, 1, 1 - 9.

Neilson, J., Pritchard, W., 2007, The final frontier? The global roll-out of the retail revolution in India, Supermarkets and Agri-food Supply Chains:Trans-formations in the Production and Consumption of Foods, 1, 219 - 242.

Prabhu, R., McDougall, C., Fisher, R., 2007, Adaptive collaborative management: a conceptual model, Adaptive Collaborative Management of Community Forests in Asia: Experience from Nepal Indonesia and the Philippines, 1, 16 - 51.

Short, A., 2007, Beaches of the New South Wales Coast, Beaches of the New South Wales Coast.

Thoms, M., Rayburg, S., Neave, M., 2007, The physical diversity and assessment of a large river system: the Murray-Darling Basin Australia, Large Rivers: Geomorphology and Management, 587 - 605.

Wessel, P., Muller, R., 2007, Plate tectonics, Treatise on Geophysics, 6, 50 - 93.

Publications

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Refereed Journal ArticlesBrennan-Horley, C., Connell, J., Gibson, C., 2007, The Parkes Elvis revival festival: economic development and contested place identities in rural Australia, Geographical Research, 45(1), 71-84.

Bai, G., Keene, J., 2007, Diagenesis and fluid flow history in sandstones of the upper Permian Black Jack formation Gunnedah basin eastern Australia, Acta Geologica Sinica (Beijing), 81(3), 433-441.

Baja, S., Chapman, D., Dragovich, D., 2007, Spatial based compromise programming for multiple criteria decision making in land use planning, Environmental Modeling & Assessment, 12(3), 171-184.

Barry, S. J., Cowell, P., Woodroffe C.D., 2007, A morphodynamic model of reef-island development on atolls, Sedimentary Geology, 197, 2007, 47-63.

Birch, G., Harrington, C., Symons, R.K., Hunt, J.W., The source and distribution of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and polychlorinated dibenzofurans in sediments of Port Jackson Australia., Marine Pollution Bulletin, 54(3), 295-308.

Birch, G., O’Hea, L., 2007, The chemistry of suspended particulate material in a highly contaminated embayment of Port Jackson (Australia) under quiescent high-wind and heavy-rainfall conditions, Environmental Geology: International Journal of Geosciences, 53(3), 501-516.

Buick, I., Grew, E.S., Yates, M.G., Medenbach, O., Bebout, G.E., Clarke, G., 2007, A natural analog of “boron-mullite” in granulite-facies metapelites from Mount Stafford central Australia, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 71(15), A130-A130.

Clarke, G., White, R.W., Lui, S., Fitzherbert, J., Pearson, N., 2007, Contrasting behaviour of rare earth and major elements during partial melting in granulite facies migmatites, Wuluma Hills Arunta block central Australia, Journal of Metamorphic Geology, 25(1), 1-18.

Coltice, N., Phillips, B.R., Bertrand, H., Ricard, Y., Rey, P., 2007, Global warming of the mantle at the origin of flood basalts over supercontinents, Geology, 35(5), 391-394.

Connell, J., 2007, ‘The best island on the globe’: constantly constructing tourism on Niue, Australian Geographer, 38(1), 1-13.

Connell, J., 2007, At the end of the world: holding onto health workers in Niue, Asian and Pacific Migration Journal, 16(2), 179-197.

Connell, J., 2007, Islands, idylls and the detours of development, Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography, 28(2), 116-135.

Connell, J., 2007, The Fiji Times and the good

citizen: constructing modernity and nationhood in Fiji, Contemporary Pacific, 19(1), 85-109.

Connell, J., 2007, Towards free trade in the Pacific? The genesis of the ‘Kava-Biscuit War’ between Fiji and Vanuatu, Geographical Research, 45(1), 1-12.

Connell, J., 2007, The continuity of custom? Tourist perceptions of authenticity in Yakel Village Tanna Vanuatu, Journal of Tourism and Cultural Change, 5(2), 71-86.

Connell, J., Gibson Chris, 2007, Music tourism and the transformation of Memphis, Tourism Geographies: an international journal of tourism place space and the environment, 9(2), 160-190.

Connell, J., Soutar, A., 2007, Free trade or free fall? Trade liberalisation and development in the Pacific and Caribbean, Social and Economic Studies, 56, 41-66.

Connell, J., Zurn, P., Stilwell, B., Awases, M., Braichet, J.M., 2007, Sub-Saharan Africa: beyond the health worker migration crisis?, Social Science & Medicine, 64(9), 1876-1891.

Daniell, J., Hughes, M., 2007, The morphology of barchan-shaped sand banks from western Torres Strait northern Australia, Sedimentary Geology, 202, 638-652.

Duclaux, G., Rey, P., Guillot, S., Menot, R.P., 2007, Orogen-parallel flow during continental convergence: numerical experiments and Archean field examples, Geology, 35(8), 715-718.

Dutkiewicz, A., George, S., Mossman, D.J., Ridley, L., Volk, H., 2007, Oil and its biomarkers associated with the Palaeoproterozoic Oklo natural fission reactors Gabon, Chemical Geology, 244, 130-154.

Dyksterhuis, S., Muller, R.D., Rey, P., Moresi, L.N., 2007, A graphical user interface for particle-in-cell finite element analysis of lithospheric deforma-tion and mantle convection in two dimensions, Computers & Geosciences, 33(8), 1088-1093.

Farmer, B., Short, A., 2007, Australian national surfing reserves: rationale and process for recognising iconic surfing locations, Journal of Coastal Research, 0, 99-103.

Figueiredo, S., Cowell, P., Short, A., 2007, Intermittent discharge of backbarrier water to the surfzone: modes and geomorphologic implications, Journal of Coastal Research, 610-614.

Figueiredo, S., Cowell, P., Short, A., 2007, Intermittent backbeach discharge to the surfzone: modes and geomorphologic implications, Journal of Coastal Research Special Issue, 50, 610-614.

Fletcher, R., Johnson, I., Bruce, E., Khuon, K-N., 2007, Living with heritage: site monitoring and heritage values in Greater Angkor and the Angkor world heritage site Cambodia, World Archaeology, 39(3), 385-405.

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Gaina, C., Muller, R.D., 2007, Cenozoic tectonic and depth/age evolution of the Indonesian gateway and associated back-arc basins, Earth - Science Reviews, 83, 39541, 177-203.

Gaina, C., Muller, R.D., Brown, B., Ishihara, T., Ivanov, S., 2007, Breakup and early seafloor spreading between India and Antarctica, Geophysical Journal International, 170(1), 151-169.

Gale, S., Gale, R.J.B., Winchester, H.P.M., 2007, Contaminated sediments in the River Torrens South Australia, South Australian Geographical Journal, 105, 78-105.

Gale, S., Hoare, P., 2007, The glacial stratigraphy of lowland southern and eastern Britain: temperate-stage deposits at Morston and Kirmington, Yorkshire Geological Society. Proceedings, 56(4), 245-251.

Golding, C., Gobas, F.A., Birch, G., 2007, Characterization of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon bioavailability in estuarine sediments using thin-film extraction, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 26(5), 829-836.

Halley, V., Bruce, E., 2007, Thematic accuracy assessment of acoustic seabed data for shallow benthic habitat mapping, International Journal of Environmental Studies. Sections A & B, 64(1), 93-107.

Halpin, J., Clarke, G., White, R.W., Kelsey, D.E., 2007, Contrasting P-T-t paths for neoproterozoic meta-morphism in MacRobertson and Kemp Land east Antarctica, Journal of Metamorphic Geology, 25(6), 683-701.

Halpin, J., White, R.W., Clarke, G., Kelsey, D.E., 2007, The proterozoic P-T-t evolution of the Kemp Land coast east Antarctica; constraints from Si-saturated and Si-undersaturated metapelites, Journal of Petrology, 48(7), 1321-1349.

Hirsch, P., 2007, Managing a transboundary resource: catchment management and dams in the Mekong River basin, Geodate, 1(1), 5-8.

Hughes, M., Aagaard, T., Baldock, T.E., 2007, Suspended sediment in the swash zone: heuristic analysis of spatial and temporal variations in concentration, Journal of Coastal Research, 23(6), 1345-1354.

Hughes, M., Moseley, A.S., 2007, Hydrokinematic regions within the swash zone, Continental Shelf Research, 27(15), 2000-2013.

Klepeis, K.A., King, D., de Paoli, M., Clarke, G., Gehrels, G., 2007, Interaction of strong lower and weak middle crust during lithospheric extension in western New Zealand, Tectonics, 26, 1-27.

Lewis, D.A., Cooper, J.A.G, Pilkey, O.H., Short, A., 2007, Fetch-limited Barrier Islands of Spencer Gulf South Australia, Journal of Coastal Research, 912-916.

Liu, X.D., Lu, X.C., Yang, K., Hubble, T., Hou, Q.F., 2007, Monte Carlo simulations of surface energy of the open tetrahedral surface of 2 : 1-type phyllosilicate, Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 307(1), 17-23.

Mackenzie, K., Marshall, C., Walter, M.R., 2007, Regional organic geochemistry of host sediments of Palaeoproterozoic McArthur River ore deposit Australia, Theoretical Chemistry Accounts, 119, 39508, 143-153.

McNamara, S., Connell, J., 2007, Homeward bound? Searching for home in inner Sydney’s share houses, Australian Geographer, 38(1), 71-91.

Muller, R.D., 2007, Earth science - an Indian cheetah, Nature, 449, 7164, 795-797.

Muller, R.D., Eagles, S., 2007, Mapping seabed geology by ground-truthed textural image/neu-ral network classification of acoustic backscatter mosaics, Mathematical Geology, 39(6), 575-592.

Muller, R.D., Gohl, K., Cande, S.C., Goncharov, A., Golynsky, A.V., 2007, Eocene to Miocene geom-etry of the west Antarctic rift system, Australian Journal of Earth Sciences, 54, 1033-1045.

Muller, R.D., Torsvik, T., 2007, Australian absolute plate motions reorganisations and LIPS in a mantle framework since the Jurassic, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 70, 18, A435-A435.

Neave, M., Rayburg, S., 2007, Nonlinear biofluvial responses to vegetation change in a semiarid environment, Geomorphology, 89, 217-239.

Neave, M., Rayburg, S., 2007, A field investigation into the effects of progressive rainfall-induced soil seal and crust development on runoff and erosion rates: the impact of surface cover, Geomorphology, 87(4), 378-390.

Neilson, J., 2007, Global markets farmers and the state: sustaining profits in the Indonesian cocoa sector, Bulletin of Indonesian Economic Studies, 43(2), 227-250.

Neilson, J., 2007, Institutions: the governance of quality and on-farm value retention for Indonesian specialty coffee, Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography, 28(2), 188-204.

Neilson, J., Pritchard, B., 2007, Green coffee? The contradictions of global sustainability initiatives from an Indian perspective, Development Policy Review, 25(3), 311-331.

Newell, B., Proust, K., Dyball, R., McManus, P., 2007, Seeing obesity as a systems problem, NSW Public Health Bulletin, 18, 214-218.

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Penny, D., Hua, Q., Pottier, C., Fletcher, R., Barbetti, M., 2007, The use of AMS C-14 dating to explore issues of occupation and demise at the medieval city of Angkor Cambodia, Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research. Section B. Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms, 259(1), 388-394.

Penny, D., Pottier, C., Kummu, M., Fletcher, R., Zoppi, U., Barbetti, M., Somaneath, T., 2007, Hydrological history of the West Baray Angkor revealed through palynological analysis of sediments from the West Mebon, Bulletin de la Ecole Francaise dâ Extreme-Orient, 92, 497-521.

Philippot, P., Van Zuilen, M., Lepot, K., Thomazo, C., Farquhar, J., Van Kranendonk, A., 2007, Elemental-sulfur reducing or disproportionating organisms in a similar to 35 million year old seafloor setting, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 71(15), A786-A786.

Pritchard, W., Burch, D., Lawrence, G.J., 2007, Neither ‘family’ nor ‘corporate’ farming: Australian tomato growers as farm family entre-preneurs, Journal of Rural Studies, 23(1), 75-87.

Rey, P., Houseman, G., 2007, The impact of body forces on Archaean orogenic processes, Geochimi-ca et Cosmochimica Acta, 70(18), A527-A527.

Rutschlin, M., Cloete, J., Mason, I., Palmer, K.D., 2007, The radio frequency dielectric properties of the stratified UG1-UG2 geological unit in the Bushveld Complex, Journal of Applied Geophysics, 62(4), 354-360.

Sanderson, D.C.W., Bishop, P., Stark, M., Alexander, S., Penny, D., 2007, Luminescence dating of canal sediments from Angkor Borei Mekong delta southern Cambodia, Quaternary Geochronology, 2, 39539, 322-329.

Scott, T., Russell, P., Messelink, G., Short, A., 2007, Beach rescue statistics and their relation to near-shore morphology and hazards: a case study for southwest England, Journal of Coastal Research, 1-6.

Short, A., 2007, Australia rip system - friend or foe?, Journal of Coastal Research, 7-11.

Shrestha, K., McManus, P., 2007, The embedded-ness of collective action in Nepalese commmu-nity forestry, Small Scale Forestry, 6, 273-290.

Vila-Concejo, A., Short, A., Hughes, M., Ranasinghe, R., 2007, Flood-tide delta morphodynamics and management implications Port Stephens Australia, Journal of Coastal Research, 705-709.

Wang, Q., Wyman, D., Xu, J., Jian, P., Zhao, Z., Li, C., Xu, W., Ma, J., He, B., 2007, Early Cretaceous adakitic granites in the Northern Dabie Complex central China: implications for partial melting and delamination of thickened lower crust, Geochimi-ca et Cosmochimica Acta, 71(10), 2609-2636.

Wang, Q., Wyman, D., Xu, J., Zhao, Z., Jian, P., Zi, F., 2007, Partial melting of thickened or delaminated lower crust in the middle of eastern China: implications for Cu-Au mineralization, Journal of Geology, 115(2), 149-161.

Wang, Q., Wyman, D., Zhao, Z., Xu, J., Bai, Z-H., Xiong, X-L., Dai, T.M., Li, C., Chu, Z-Y, 2007, Petrogenesis of carboniferous adakites and Nb-enriched arc basalts in the Alataw area northern Tianshan Range (western China): implications for Phanerozoic crustal growth in the central Asia orogenic belt, Chemical Geology, 236, 42-64.

Waugh, J., Neave, M., Bruce, E., 2007, The impact of varying rainfall conditions on the quality of runoff entering Wamberal Lagoon, New South Wales, Australia, Physical Geography, 28(1), 37-49.

Wei, C., Clarke, G., Tian, W., Qiu, L., 2007, Transition of metamorphic series from the kyanite-to andalusite-types in the Altai orogen Xinjiang China: evidence from petrography and calculated KMnFMASH and KFMASH phase relations, Lithos, 96, 353-374.

Whittaker, J., Muller, R.D., Leitchenkov, G., Stagg, H., Sdrolias, M., Gaina, C., Goncharov, A., 2007, Major Australian-Antarctic plate reorganisation at Hawaiian-Emperor bend time [report], Science, 318, 83-86.

Whittaker, J., Muller, R.D., Sdrolias, M., Heine, C., 2007, Sunda-Java trench kinematics slab window formation and overriding plate deformation since the Cretaceous, Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 255, 445-457.

Wood, J., Cohen, R., Holland, J., Shun, A., La, H.E., 2007, Virtual reality laparoscopic training in Australia, ANZ Journal of Surgery, 77, A80-A80.

Wyatt, A., Baird, I.G., 2007, Transboundary impact assessment in the Sesan River Basin: the case of the Yali Falls Dam, International Journal of Water Resources Development, 23(3), 427-442.

Zhou, B., Mason, I., Hatherly, P., 2007, Tuning seismic resolution by heterodyning, Journal of Geophysics and Engineering, 4(2), 214-223.

Conferences

Dutkiewicz, A., Volk, H., Ridley, J., George, S.C., 2007, Precambrian inclusion oils in the Roper Group: a review, Central Australian Basins Symposium (CABS), 326-348.

Dutkiewicz, A., Ridley, J., George, S.C., Mossman, D. and Volk, H. (2007) Oil-bearing fluid inclusions as-sociated with the Palaeoproterozoic Oklo natural fission reactors, Gabon. 19th Biennial Conference on European Current Research on Fluid Inclusions (ECROFI-XIX), 17-20th July 2007, University of Bern.

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Dutkiewicz, A., Volk, H., Ridley, J. and George, S.C. (2007) Proterozoic Oils in the Roper Superbasin, Northern Australia. Emerging Plays in Australasia, joint Geological Society and Petroleum Group conference, 17-19th July 2007, London.

George, S.C., Dutkiewicz, A., Volk, H., Ridley, J., Mossman, D.J. and Buick, R. (2007) Eukaryote-de-rived steranes in Precambrian oils and rocks: fact or fiction? In: Abstract Book 23rd International Meeting on Organic Geochemistry (eds Farri-mond, P. et al.), EAOG, Torquay, United Kingdom, pp. 9-10.

George, S.C., Dutkiewicz, A., Volk, H., Ridley, J., Mossman, D.J. and Buick, R. (2007) Oil-bear-ing fluid inclusions from the Palaeoproterozoic: biogeochemical time-capsules for >2.0 billion years. The First International Forum on Petroleum Sustainable Development for PhD candidates, China University of Petroleum, Beijing, August 2007, plenary (invited).

Hatherly, P., Medhurst, T., MacGregor, S., 2007, A rock mass rating scheme for clastic sediments based on geophysical logs, International Workshop on Rock Mass Classification in Underground Mining, 1, 57-64.

Hatherly, P., Medhurst, T., Zhou, B., 2007, Integrated geological and geotechnical results obtained through geophysics, 2007 Australian Mining Technology Conference, 249-256.

Hatherly, P., Zhou, B., Urosevic, M., Peters, T., 2007, Insights into seismic inversion for geotechnical property estimation in coal mining, Exploration & Beyond, 1-4.

Hatherly, P., Zhou, B., Urosevic, M., Peters, T., 2007, Extracting geotechnical information from seismic reflection surveys: examples from Australian coal mines, Special Session S04 Application of Geophysics to Rock Engineering 11th Congress of ISRM.

Hickey, D., Bruce, E., 2007, Spatial modelling of coastal saltmarsh species distribution patterns and elevation dependent tidal inundation within Botany Bay Australia, Coast GIS 2006, 413-423.

Matias, A., Vila-Concejo, A., Ferreira, O., Morris, B., Dias, J., 2007, Sediment transport patterns during overwash, Coastal Sediments 2007, 3, 2049-2060.

McManus, P., 2007, The changing port city interface: moving towards sustainability? State of Australian Cities National Conference 2007, 3, 427-433.

Pacheco, A., Vila-Concejo, A., Ferreira, O., Dias, A., 2007, Present hydrodynamics of Ancao Inlet 10 years after its relocation, Coastal Sediments 2007, 2, 1557-1570.

Penny, D., 2007, Microfossil records of environmental change land use and societal collapse at Angkor Cambodia. XVII Inqua Congress. The Tropics: Heat Engine of the Quaternary, 321-321.

Ramos, F., Hatherly, P., 2007, Learning to characterise rock properties from geophysical logs, 2007 Australian Mining Technology Conference, 1, 193-198.

Ridley, J., Dutkiewicz, A., George, S.C. and Volk, H. (2007) Hydrocarbon-aqueous mixtures in syndia-genetic fluid inclusions. 19th Biennial Conference on European Current Research on Fluid Inclusions (ECROFI-XIX), 17-20th July 2007, University of Bern.

Smith, H., Dragovich, D., 2007, Sediment supply from small upland catchments: possible implications of headwater channel restoration for stream management, 5th Australian Stream Management Conference: Australian Rivers: Making a Difference, 366-371.

Thornton, E., Neave, M., Rayburg, S., 2007, Hydraulic geometry in river channel networks as a method for the assessment of river condition, 5th Australian Stream Management Conference: Australian Rivers: Making a Difference, 401-406.

Vila-Concejo, A., Short, A., Hughes, M., Ranasinghe, R., 2007, Shoreline implications of flood-tide delta morphodynamics: the case of Port Stephens (SE Australia), Coastal Sediments 2007, 2, 1417-1430.

You, Y., Herold, N., Muller, R.D., Sdrolias, M., Ribbe, J., 2007, Impact of vegetation on the Miocene climate optimum, AMOS 2007: 14th National Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society Conference.

You, Y., Muller, R.D., Sdrolias, M., Herold, N., Ribbe, J., 2007, Sensitivity of middle Miocene climate and regional monsoon to palaeo altimetry, AMOS 2007: 14th National Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society Conference.

Young, N., 2007, The urban geopark concept as a tool of geoconservation in a city - the case of metropolitan Hong Kong, UNESCO Global Geoparks Network, 1-12.

Zeng T.Q., Cowell, P., Hickey, D., 2007, Predicting climate change impacts on mangrove and salt-marsh distribution: GIS fuzzy set methods, Coast GIS 2006, 1, 249-258.

Zhou, B., Hatherly, P., Urosevic, M., Peters, T., 2007, Issues for the inversion of seismic reflection data for geotechnical properties, 7th International Workshop on the Application of Geophysics to Rock Engineering held in association with the 11th Congress of ISRM, 21-26.

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Honours ResearchThe Honours program is an additional one-year period of study taken following the completion of an undergraduate degree. The purpose of the program is to pursue in depth research on a specific topic—providing skills for those wanting an academic career, to advance potential employment opportunities, or simply to allow students to further explore the intricacies of a topic about which they are enthusiastic.

Geography Honours theses completed in 2007

YingzhenChuang Decadel-scale southern oscillation influences on beach state and width (Cowell, P. / Short, A.) JennyCompton Can active citizenship be taught? An examination of the potential of civic education to

mould young minds in participatory democracies (Pritchard, B.) NadineConstantinou Modelling the habitat preference of leopard seals off eastern Australia (Bruce, E. / Rogers, T.) DavidHayes Across the walls: Gated communities and the neighbourhood public realm in Sydney

(Iveson, K.) M .Kinsela Topographic control of dune response to climate-change impacts (Cowell, P.) KatrinaLawrence Towards household sustainability in Sydney? Impacts of two sustainable lifestyle programs

on water and electricity consumption in existing homes (McManus, P.) T .J .Lloyd Cyber-citizenship: Wikipedia’s “World in the Wires” (Iveson, K.) SarahMarshman Valley controls on morphological responses of estuaries to climate-change impacts

(Cowell, P.) ThomasMurray Spatial and temporal variability in the morphodynamics of four NSW beaches (Short, A.) MaryY .M .Nam Corporate social responsibility and hydropower development: a case study of Nam Theun 2

Lao, PDR (Hirsch, P. / McManus, P.) AlisonO’Neill Community perceptions of wind power and the role of community ownership (McManus, P.) OhmaOxley Determining native pre-cleared plant species distribution - calibrating radiometric/digital

elevation model and remnant vegetation plant associations. Developing strategies for native revegetation, to specific soil site conditions promoting biodiversity (Dragovich, D.)

SophiePieters-Hawke “Bisnis” and “Business”: a social and economic evaluation of a microfinance programme in Port Vila, Vanuatu (Connell, J.)

AmandaTsioutis Choosing to live the dream: an analysis of country week (Connell, J.) JoelTurner Reversing the cycle: an investigation into how greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced

through the development of cycling in Sydney (McManus, P.) RebeccaWilliams Ecological modelling in Australian fisheries management: the development of a predictive

habitat preference model using Baye’s theorem (Bruce, E.) L .Worthington Challenging the stereotypes. Factors supporting and hindering Arab-Muslim women in

Sydney in their teaching careers (Connell, J.) ChuangYingzhen Decadel-scale southern oscillation influences on beach state and width (Short, A. / Cowell, P.)

Geology and Geophysics Honours theses completed in 2007

LaraBethAinley Sediment transport on Jimmy’s Beach: implications for coastal erosion (Vila-Concejo, A.) SamanthaLouiseClarke Morphological change on the Nepean river: causes and extent of bank failure and erosion

within the Richmond Bridge area (Hubble, T.) MelaniedeLeon Omphacite garnet granulites in Breaksea Gneiss: the eclogite granulite transition (Clarke, G.) RosemaryElkington Copper mineralization in Kanyaka, Flinders Ranges (Wyman, D.) TimothyHogg A comparison of contaminants in sediment and oysters in NSW Estuaries (Birch, G.) JoshuaKnight Modelling the Contemporary and Paleo Stress and Deformation of the Indo-Australian Plate

(Müller, D.) HelenaKuczma Eclogite Boudins in high-pressure granulites, SW Fiordland, New Zealand: Mantle or Crustal

Origins? (Clarke, G.) HannahPower Inner surf zone saturation: an examination of low energy beaches (Vila-Concejo, A.)MatthewVanderHeyden The distribution of heavy metals in surface soils of the Port Jackson catchment (Birch, G.)

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Postgraduate ResearchGeographyCandidates who were awarded their degree in 2007 AlisonGates(PhD) Acclimatisation as environmentalism: the idea and practice of plant introductions in

southeastern Australia before 1900 (McManus, P.) MaxKwiatkowski(PhD) Nostalgic landscapes, identity and photography among Sydney’s Polish community

(Connell, J.) LeahLui-Chivizhe(MSc) Movement on the margin: identity construction and Torres Strait Islanders in Sydney

(Connell, J.) ViliamPhraxayavong(PhD) Changing geopolitics of aid to Laos (Hirsch, P.) DanielRobinson(PhD) Biodiversity related traditional knowledge in Thailand: intellectual property relations

and geographies of knowledge regulation (Hirsch, P.)

Candidate enrolled in 2007 (who has been awarded the degree in 2008) HughSmith(PhD) Scale analysis of sediment dynamics in an upland headwater catchment, South-eastern

Australia (Dragovich, D.)

Candidates enrolled in 2007 (research continuing) FarshadAmiraslani(PhD) Modelling of indicators for management of degraded arid environments

(Dragovich, D.) TimAustin(PhD) Morphodynamics of the Port Stephens flood tide delta (Short, A./Cowell, P.) RobinBranson(PhD) Assessment procedures for sustainable reuse of industrial waste (McManus, P.) PaulaBrown(PhD) Fisheries co-management in Vietnam (Hirsch, P.) JoannaBurston(PhD) Coastal inundation hazard along the New South Wales coast (Short, A.) RowenaButland(PhD) Perceptions of place in the management of heritage space (Bruce, E) MarcDaly(PhD) Shoreface equilibrium and consequences for climate change impact predictions

(Cowell, P.) MichelleDominis(PhD) Sensitivity of landscapes to the development of dryland salinity (Dragovich, D.) OliviaDun(PhD) Migration and environmental change in Vietnam (Connell, J.) GarethEdwards(PhD) Construction, experience and management of water scarcity in NSW and implications

for social equity and environmental sustainability (McManus, P.) ReneeFulton(PhD) Green resources in coastal peri-urban environments (Dragovich, D.) JosephineGillespie(PhD) World heritage obligations and local communities: land law and justice at Angkor, Cambodia (Bruce, E.) JasmineGlover(PhD) South Indian supply chains in the globalisation of the ornamental cut flower industry

(Pritchard, B.) SaletteFigueiredo(PhD) Risk-based forecasts of sea level rise impacts on the Brazilian coast (Short, A. / Cowell, P.) DeanneHickey(MSc) Relationship between wetland hydrology and fine scale vegetation distribution (Bruce, E.) PhilHolmes(PhD) Economic and environmental viability of pastoralism in Australian arid rangelands

(Dragovich, D.) GeorginaHoughton(PhD) Community participation in forestry in Vietnam (Hirsch, P.) GinaKoczberski(PhD) Smallholder agriculture in New Britain, Papua New Guinea (Connell, J.) JessicaMcLean(PhD) Indigenous water values in the Ord: a political ecology analysis (Pritchard, B.) DanielMontoya(PhD) Water management in the Murrumbidgee: community-government relations

(McManus, P.) YoungNg(PhD) Geoparks and geotourism: management approaches to geological heritage in China

(McManus, P.) HuyTuongNguyen(PhD) Poverty and livelihoods in coastal fisheries communities around Nha Phu lagoon,

Vietnam (Hirsch, P.)ThanhPhuongNguyen(PhD) Shoreline change in the Red River mouth, Vietnam, using remote sensing and GIS

(Short, A.) AndrewPitt(MSc) Surfing reefs: the role of bathymetry (Short, A.) KevinPrakoonheang(PhD) Skilled return migration and development in Laos (Connell, J.) DarrenSt-Georges(MSc) Organic foods in Sydney (Pritchard, B.) SushmaRaj(MSc) Employment networks of Fijian Indians in Sydney (Connell, J.) AnnieSutton(PhD) The Fijian Indian community in Sydney (Connell, J.)

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AnnTurner(PhD) The evolution of institutional arrangements in railway administration, NSW and Queensland (Pritchard, B.)

GeologyCandidates who were awarded their degree in 2007 StuartClarke(PhD) Mantle convection and dynamic topography of the crust (Müller, D.) GuillameDuclaux Characterization of energy and mass transports in the continental lithosphere at the (PhD,cotutelle) Archaean-Proterozoic transition: insights from Terre Adélie (East Antarctica) and Gawler

Craton (South Australia) (Rey, P.) JacquelineHalpin(PhD) The metamorphic evolution of Kemp and MacRobertson Lands (Rayner Complex), east

Antarctica (Clarke, G.) ChristianHeine(PhD) The formation and evolution of accretionary crust (Müller, D.) JamesHunt(MSc) Environmental risk assessment of contaminated groundwater discharge to an estuarine

embayment (Birch, G.) FeliciaWeir(PhD) Berm building processes on high-energy beaches (Hughes, M.)

Candidates enrolled in 2007 (research continuing) CarmenApostolatos(PhD) Spatial and temporal change in heavy metal concentrations in the Port Jackson estuary

using the Sydney Rock Oyster (Saccostrea glomerata) (Birch, G.) FelicityAusten(PhD) Biogeochemical processes & stormwater remediation (Birch, G.) AndrewBray(PhD) Integrated geophysical and geological analysis for resource planning and development

(Hatherly, P.) JamesDaniel(PhD) Sediment dynamics on a tide-dominated inner shelf, Torres Strait (Hughes, M.) BrettDavis(PhD) Primary sources of stormwater contaminants in a highly urbanised catchment of

Sydney Harbour, Australia (Birch, G.) MatthewDePaoli(PhD) High-pressure granulite to eclogite facies metamorphism: mechanisms of formation

and tectonometamorphic implications, Fiordland, New Zealand (Clarke, G.) LydiaDicaprio(PhD) The dynamic history of the Australian region since the Mesozoic (Müller, D.) Nicolas Flament Freeboard evoution, crustal evolution and the 2.7 Ga late-Archean geological and (PhD,cotutelle) biological crisis (Rey, P.) NickHerold(PhD) Trends and quantification of processes contributing to two major Cenozoic warming

events (Müller, D.) MattLawrance(PhD) Development and implementation of an integrated model of contaminant dynamics in

an urbanised environment (Birch, G.) SerenaLee(MSc) Modelling contaminant transport in the Port Jackson estuary (Birch, G.) MarcoOlmos(PhD) Heavy metal contamination in NSW estuaries (Birch, G.) LouisaRochford(PhD) Stormwater inputs of trace elements to Port Jackson (Birch, G.) KateThornborough(PhD) Effects of climate change on reef growth and development of the southern GBR (Davies, P.) JudithTong(PhD) Modelling of the energy balance in the ocean for addressing climate change (You, J.) JoanneWhittaker(PhD) Reconstruction of plate movements in and around the Indian Ocean (Müller, D.)

PhD candidate Jasmine Glover (2nd from right) with John Connell, Bill Pritchard and workers in the chilli fields, Karnataka, India.

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Australian Mekong Resource Centre (AMRC)

The Australian Mekong Resource Centre (AMRC) is located in the School of Geosciences and is a Centre of the University of Sydney. The Centre is devoted to research, education and community engagement. AMRC has achieved a reputation as the leading centre of expertise on development in the Mekong Region, particularly with regard to the implications of development for people, the environment and the links between them.

AMRC is committed to research that supports action, policy and advocacy for equitable and sustainable approaches to development in the Mekong Region. It works on principles of engaged research that also supports the building of independent and critical research capacity within the region. The Centre is a focal point for information, data, local studies and policy-oriented research relating to the Mekong.

AMRC undertook three key programs during 2007:

• Cambodia water project, running over five years 2006-2011, is supported by a $3 million grant from AusAID, administered through the Cambodia Development Resource Institute. The grant supports School of Geo-sciences and Agricultural Economics staff (Hirsch, Bruce, Neave, Santos) to work with Cambodian researchers and also includes five research student scholarships. The project seeks to develop capacity in water resources management research in the context of irrigation development and catchment management in Cambodia. Partners include AMRC, Cambodia Development Resource Institute and Royal University of Phnom Penh.

• ChATSEA is a CAD$2.5 million five year collaborative initiative (2005-2010) funded by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada, involving over 16 universities studying rural change in Southeast Asia. The funding to AMRC for research activity on agrarian transi-tions in SE Asia includes postgraduate student support. To date, five School of Geosciences postgraduate students have been supported through ChATSEA.

• Mekong Learning Initiative, coordinated by AMRC and funded by Oxfam, is a collaboration between eight uni-versities in the Mekong Region for teaching and learning in the social sciences of natural resource management. To date this project has attracted approximately $300,000 in funding support.

In 2007, AMRC also organised a significant international conference held at the University over two days. The conference was called ‘A Greater Mekong? Poverty, Integration and Development’ and was co-hosted with AusAID and funded by AusAID and Oxfam Australia. It attracted some 150 participants including senior government, non-government, international organisation, community and academic participants from all countries of the Mekong Region as well as Australia and other international locations.

The Director of AMRC is Professor Philip Hirsch. AMRC also employs a senior researcher: Dr Robert Fisher, and two research assistants: Kate Griffiths and Lindsay Soutar. In 2007, AMRC also supported two voluntary internships: Eszter Hidas and Thantida Wongprasong. In addition, several post-graduate students are associated with AMRC. In 2007, these students were Paula Brown, Viliam Phraxayavong, Nguyen Tuong Huy, Georgina Houghton and Daniel Robinson.

Further information on AMRC can be found at: http://www.mekong.es.usyd.edu.au/

The University of Sydney Institute of Marine Science (USIMS)

Marine Science at the University of Sydney dates back to the 1880s. The University of Sydney Institute of Marine Science was established in 2002, and followed on from the Marine Studies Centre which had been in operation since 1970. USIMS coordinates the teaching program and research in marine science and promotes interdisciplinary research across the University of Sydney, with staff and associates from Schools of Geosciences, Biological Sciences, Medical Science and the Faculties of Veterinary Science and Engineering. USIMS moved into new offices in the refurbished Madsen Building (F09, Room 308) at the end of 2007.

A review of the marine science program was conducted in 2007. The main outcome was the discontinuation of the BSc (Marine Science) degree, while retaining the units of marine science subjects and the major in marine science. In addition, majors in marine biology and marine geosciences have been introduced. The change provides more flexibility for students and simplifies administration, while retaining the course options.

USIMS also leads the University’s participation in the Sydney Institute of Marine Science (SIMS) (www.sims.org.au) which opened in Nov 2005 (then called the Sydney Harbour Institute of Marine Science). SIMS is a partnership between Macquarie University, the Universities of NSW and Sydney and the University of Technology, Sydney, and its associate members include the Universities of Newcastle and Wollongong and NSW State Government organisations and the Defence Science and Technology Organisation. It is based at Chowder Bay on Sydney Harbour and in late 2007, the aquarium was in operation with space allocated to each partner university, with areas for PhD students and other long-term research projects. The laboratory facilities received an upgrade during 2007 by funds provided by Macquarie University and University of NSW, turning some of the laboratory space into areas for molecular research.

SIMS is also the operator for the NSW IMOS, the regional component of the Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS) which is capability in the National Collaborative

School Units

Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS). IMOS is a nation-wide collaborative program to record and integrate a wide range of marine data. Data will be available for all to use and eventually be logged into BLUElink. NSW IMOS operates the regional moorings as part of the Australian National Mooring Network of IMOS. Contracts were signed during 2007 for $10 million in funding to this component, including that provided by NCRIS and in kind and other contributions from participating agencies. In addition, two of the national facilities of IMOS are operated through SIMS: the Autono-mous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) Facility, operated by the Australian Centre for Field Robotics (University of Sydney) and the Australian Acoustic Tagging and Monitoring System Facility (Macquarie University). USIMS is also a partner in the Acoustic Observatory facility operated by Curtin University.

The IMOS Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) of IMOS is operated by the Australian Centre for Field Robotics (ACFR), at the University of Sydney, under the lead of Stefan Williams and Oscar Pizarro. The ACFR operates an ocean going Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) called Sirius, capable of undertaking high resolution, seabed survey work. As part of the establishment of the AUV Facility, IMOS will support deployment of the Sirius AUV which will be made available to scientists on a competitive basis in order to assist marine projects in Australia. The ACFR have oper-ated the AUV on two major cruises in 2007. A series of trials were undertaken in collaboration with scientists from AIMS to assess benthic habitats off the Ningaloo Reef, WA in May. These trials were aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of using an AUV for conducting biodiversity assessment in waters beyond diver depths. The AUV was also part of a three week research cruise in September aboard the R/V Southern Surveyor, lead by Dr Jody Webster, documenting drowned shelf edge reefs at multiple sites in four areas along the Great Barrier Reef. This collaborative cruise included scientists from the University of Sydney, including other USIMS members Dr Peter Davis, Prof. Maria Byrne and PhD student Ekira Woolsey; James Cook University, CSIRO, Oxford, the University of Edinburgh and Fugro Seafloor Survey. The study of these structures may yield insights regarding potential future sea level changes and their potential impact on sensitive reef areas such as the GBR.

One Tree Island Research Station (ORIRS) in the Southern Great Barrier Reef is a University facility, directed by Professor Maria Byrne. Following completion of the building program the station is now fully operational and in the last two years has hosted field courses from the School of Geoscience, Applied Masters Degree students and PhD students. In 2007/2008 together with the Australian Institute of Marine Science and the other members of the Tropical Marine Network, the University of Sydney was successful in its bid for the Great Barrier Reef Ocean Observing System (GBROOS) as part of the Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS). Through this program several moorings will be installed at One Tree Reef in and outside of the lagoon. These moorings will be instrumented for real-time monitoring of environ-mental conditions in the southern GBR. The OTIRS scholar-

ships program attracted additional donations in 2007 to support two awards over a 3 year period for $5000/annum.

USIMS is participating in BlueNet: The Australia Marine Science Data Network that will place the infrastructure to integrate data from the higher education sector into a distributed marine data network that has free public access. As of late 2007, over 130 metadata entries have been entered in the BlueNet metadatabase by data facilitator Ms Edwina Tanner (USIMS). This data has been made available by a wide ranged of marine researchers at the University of Sydney. For more information http://www.bluenet.org.au/

The University of the Sea (UOS), coordinated by Dr Elaine Baker is part of the Asian Neighbours Network – Train-ing through Research. Ocean surveys, on board a French research vessel Mariona Dufresne, are undertaken to enable senior researchers from the region to work with younger scholars on marine issues associated with the Australasian and Indo-Pacific region. Two cruises were undertaken during 2007 in collaboration with GeoSciences Australia, with students from both Australia and nearby developing countries.

The Australian Marine Mammal Research Centre (AMMRC) is a joint program between the University and the Zoological Parks Board of NSW, and is located at Taronga Zoo. In October 2007, the AMMRC moved into a new office/laboratory complex as part of the “Great Southern Oceans” precinct, which houses several species of seal, at Taronga Zoo. The AMMRC facility includes office accommodation for staff and students and wet and dry laboratories with window to the observe seals underwater. It is expected that AMMRC will transfer to the University of NSW in 2008, following the appointment of Dr Tracey Rogers (AMMRC Director) to UNSW.

Project SEA SERPENT, led by Dr Adele Pile at University of Sydney, was successful in obtaining a 3-year ARC linkage grant in 2006, with Woodside and Santos as partners. Collaborative institutions are from the Universities of West-ern Australia, Wollongong and Hawaii, and the University of Technology, Sydney, as well as Sydney.

CRC MiningGeophysical Imaging Group

The aim of the Cooperative Research Centre for Mining is to significantly enhance mining industry performance in terms of economics, safety and environmental impact. This is to be achieved by working on:• Reducing short-range geological uncertainty• Advanced monitoring and control of machines,• Characterising and controlling the overall mine

production system, and• Introducing radically new mining methods.

The Geophysical Imaging Group at the University of Sydney undertakes research for the CRC’s Geological Sensing Work Area. Work is focussed on development of seismic, wireline logging, borehole radar and interactive visualisation and interpretation tools.

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Field work has been undertaken in mines in Australia, South Africa and Canada. There is close collaboration with mining industry professional and research scientists in those coun-tries. The Australian Coal Association Research Program also supports our activities with grants for research on geotechni-cal analysis from wireline logs and seismic inversion.

In 2007, the group included the following staff from the School of Geosciences.

• Prof Peter Hatherly• Prof Iain Mason• Dr Jonathon Hargreaves• Mr Tim Sindle• Mr Phil Manning• Mr Steve Owens• Mr Andrew Bray

During the course of the year Dr Jonathon Hargreaves resigned and returned to England. Professor Mason also retired but is continuing his research with the group as an Honorary Associate.

Environmental Science

This year, 2007, saw the demise of the first year intake for the Environmental Science programme. The programme now comprises only Intermediate and Senior years, but it is also the first year of Environmental Studies programme. Previous-ly, Environmental Science comprised a teaching programme for both undergraduates and postgraduates, however it was decided in 2005 that the undergraduate programme be changed from a specialist Environmental Science degree to a general Environmental Studies programme. Units within the Environmental Science programme are to be made available to all BSc students.

Postgraduate Environmental Science comprises a research Masters of Science (Environmental), a mainly course work Masters of Applied Environmental Science (Environmental Science), and a mainly course work Masters of Environmental Science and Law. Postgraduate Environmental Science continues to grow and is very well supported. A major aspect of the Masters of Applied Environmental Science programme is its appeal to overseas students. The majority of postgraduate students attending this course in 2007 were from outside Australia, and were represented by 17 different nations, such as, Pakistan, India, China, Jordan, Nepal, Taiwan, South Africa, USA, Chile, Brazil, Germany and the UK. A widely diverse ethic and cultural group such as this greatly enriches and strengthens not only the learning processes, but hopefully future International relationships and commercial and cultural exchange.

Earth Resources Foundation

2007 was a year of change for the Foundation. We have been reconsidering our role as an external advocate for the School of Geosciences at Sydney University.

We cancelled this year’s Edgeworth David Day seminar which will reappear in 2008 in amended format. Otherwise the Foundation continued its usual business of organising

scholarships for students and workshops and symposia for industry professionals.

As in previous years we made arrangements for the PESA Vis-iting Lecturer tours of Australia, however, there was no Esso Distinguished Lecturer for 2007. The Foundation is grateful to Esso Australia and PESA for their continuing support.

The Foundation arranged a very successful function at the Nicholson Museum at which we made our annual presenta-tion of scholarships to graduate and undergraduate students from the School. I would like to thank the sponsors of our scholarship awards and to congratulate the winners.

Prof. Peter Hatherly joined us as Director in 2007 and has agreed to remain during 2008. Assoc. Prof. Dietmar Müller has replaced Prof. Geoff Clarke as Head of School and an ex-officio member of the Foundation. I would like to thank Geoff for his contribution and look forward to working with Dietmar and Peter during 2008.

University of the Sea

The 2007 UOS was extremely successful, once again attracting a group of enthusiastic and dedicated students. The training programme took place in the Faust Capel Basin – Lord Howe region on board the research vessel Tangaroa. The ship sailed from Wellington, New Zealand, on October 8, arriving in Lord Howe Island on October 27. It departed again on October 29 and arrived at the end of the programme in Wellington on November 21. Twelve students and 2 staff joined the scientific party from Geoscience Australia and NIVA to undertake a detailed programme of habitat mapping, which included seafloor imaging and biological and geological sampling. The students were drawn from the University of Sydney, the University of Wollongong, the University of Adelaide, the University of Technology Sydney, James Cook University, Deakin University, the Australian Maritime College, the University of New South Wales, the University of Papua New Guinea, SOPAC - Pacific Islands Applied Geoscience Commission and the University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka. The staff included Dr Kelsie Dadd a geoscientist from Macquarie University and Dr Jane Jelbart a biologist from the University of Newcastle.

Planning has commenced for the 2008 programme, which will take place on the West Australian margin from November 2008 to January 2009. The UOS will be joining Geoscience Australia on board the German research vessel the Sonne, to carry out geological and biological research.

The 2007 UOS was made possible by grants from the IOC UNESCO and the ARC Network for Earth System Science and support from Geoscience Australia.

Scholarships & PrizesEarth Foundation Scholarships and Company Awards

Ist Year entering 2nd Year -AedonTalsmaFloydHowardAllisonRunck

EmmaMcIntosh

2nd Year entering 3rd Year

CoffeyGeosciencesScholarship GraceShephard

3rd Year entering Honours

URSScholarship GenoveffaPezzimenti

S&LRaamPrize MichaelRothery

FugroGeophysicsPrize MichelleKartun

KenRichardsMemorialScholarship VashtiSingh

ProspectorsSuppliesPtyLtd-SuntoPrize GemmaRoberts

EllistonMedal(PostgraduateAward) HalinaKuczma

University and School AwardsUndergraduate Awards

CEMarshallScholarship FloydHoward

UniversityPrizeforGeology KatherineBennell

JackMahoneyMemorialPrizeinGeology MatthewSmith

OlgaMarionBrownePrizeforFieldWork JacquelineMurray

Deas-ThomsonScholarshipinMineralogy HannahLane

QuodlingTestimonialPrize ZoeHatzopoulos

LeoACottonPrizeinExplorationGeophysics KaraMatthews

SheilaMitchellSwainMemorialPrize VashtiSingh

EdgeworthDavidPrizeinPalaeontology SabinZahirovic

ProfessorGriffithTaylorPrizeforGeography EmmaMcIntosh

ProfessorJamesMcDonaldHolmesPrizeforGeography EmilyMouat

SladePrizeforGeography1Practicals TiffanyHarrison

SladePrizeforGeology2Practicals GraceSheppard

WHMazePrizeforIntermediateGeography SabinZahirovic

GSCairdScholarshipforGeography3 AmeliaRoberts

RevASMcCookMemorialScholarshipforGeography BradleyRuting

EdgarFordMemorialScholarshipforGeography JamesWitkowski

Postgraduate Awards

GeorgeHarrisScholarship BrettDavis

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Southeast Asian Seminar Series The AMRC, in conjunction with the Australia-Cambodia Research Initiative (ACRI) and the Chair of Southeast Asian Studies in the Faculty of Arts, hosts a fortnightly seminar series known as the Southeast Asian Seminar Series. This series replaced the former ‘Mekong Discussion Group’ in 2007. Students, researchers and others are invited to present seminars on contemporary development and environment issues related to Southeast Asia. The group provides participants with the opportunity to meet and network with researchers and groups involved in a wide range of initiatives in Southeast Asia and Australia.

Time:1:00-2:00pmontheadvertiseddatesWhere:TheConferenceRoom(Rm474),MadsenBuilding,UniversityofSydney

14Mar Research leading to capacity building in the public health sector in Cambodia. Presented by Ian Lubek (University of Guelph)28Mar Cambodia: Looking back on 2006 and into 2007. Presented by Milton Osborne.2May Made in China: Material culture, development and Asian tourism at Angkor. Presented by Tim Winter (University of Sydney).16May Unravelling the ADB’s Greater Mekong Subregion program: An overview and update on key structures, programs and developments. Presented by Lindsay Soutar (University of Sydney)30May Towards a history of Khmer urbanism: methods and issues in Cambodian settlement and archaeology. Presented by Damien Evans (University of Sydney)25July Renewed conflict in the southern Philippines: programs against violence and the roles of women. Presented by Dalomabi Lao Bula (Mindanao State University)7Aug Alternatives to ‘race-to-the bottom’: responses of labor press, labor unions and the state to workers’ spontaneous minimum wage strikes in Vietnam. Presented by Angie Tran (University of California)29Aug A land of our own? Resolving the illegal occupation of land in Kepulauan Riau, Indonesia. Presented by Nick Long (Cambridge University)19Sept Sidelined citizens in Cambodia: when international NGOs implement a government participation policy. Beth Rushton (University of Sydney)17Oct The ‘afterlives’ of area studies in a global age: reconsiderations from Southeast Asia. Presented by Goh beng Lan14Nov Vietnam: The ‘socialist oriented market economy’ and the question of state ownership. Presented by Michael Karadjis

TGIF Seminar Series 2007The ‘Thank God It’s Friday’ seminar series continued in 2007, featuring presentations from visiting and local academics, and postgraduate students. Highlights included presentations from Ian Dalziel of the University

of Texas at Austin, Professor Stan Brunn of the University of Kentucky, and Professor Simon Turner, a Federation Fellow of Macquarie University. Oil Search and Mosaic Oil also made a showing, as did Geoscience Australia. The seminar series was entertaining and often festive. The TGIF event continues in its tradition of showcasing the depth of talent in our department, and providing opportunities to meet international researchers in an informal setting.

• Prof. Paul Philp, University of Oklahoma, USA – Environmental Forensics - Utilization of Stable Isotopes to Monitor Origin and Fate of Groundwater Contaminants • A/Prof. R. Dietmar Müller – Telling the Fortune of the World ...

Backwards• Kevin Lepot, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris – 2.7 G.y.

old nano-aragonite reveals Archean stromatolite biogenesis• David Mitchell – Far Canals• Ian Dalziel, University of Texas at Austin, USA – Rock, Ice and

Water: Geological Perspectives on the Antarctic Ice Sheet and its Future

• A/Prof. Paolo Ciavola and Clara Armaroli, University of Ferrara, Italy – Morphodynamics of rhythmic bars in the Mediterranean• A/Prof. Alison Bashford and Dr Carolyn Strange, University

of Toronto, Canada – From Rocks to Rainfall to Race: the evolution of Griffith Taylor’s thought• Prof. Stan Brunn, University of Kentucky, USA – Challenges to the Geographical Imagination• Roxey Sutherland, Mosaic Oil, Rockhampton High Discovery• Jenny Totterdell, Geoscience Australia – Australia’s southern

continental margin: petroleum studies and margin-scale synthesis at Geoscience Australia• Joshua Knight – Antarctic Expedition: Geodynamic evolution

of Prydz Bay area• Tim Sindle – Borehole Radar around the World• Daniel Robinson – Bioprospecting or biopiracy? Intellectual property issues for biological resources and traditional knowledge - cases from Thailand• John You, Nicholas Herold, Judy Tong – Are we heading back

to the middle Miocene climate?• Serena Lee – A Preliminary Assessment of Floc Dynamics in

Sydney Harbour, Australia• Prof. Simon Turner, Federation Fellow, Macquarie University

– U-series applications to magmatic processes• Dr Kevin C Hill, Oil Search, Tectonics, structure and oil/gold

exploration in New Guinea• Joshua Knight – Modelling the Contemporary and Palaeo-Stress of the Indo-Australian Plate• Hannah Power – Nearshore Wave Behaviour and Surf Zone

Saturation• Melanie de Leon – Omphacite Granulites in Breaksea Sound,

Fiordland, New Zealand• Matthew Vanderheyden – The Distribution of Heavy Metals

in Surface Soils of the Port Jackson Catchment• Halina Kuczma – Eclogite Pods in High-Pressure Granulites,

Breaksea Sound, New Zealand• Tim Hogg – Heavy Metals in the Sediments and Oysters of

Four New South Wales estuaries

Seminars

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GEOS3009 FIELD TRIPOne Tree Island Gavin Birch

Each year during the mid-semester break in first semester, the third year Geosciences class GEOS3009 travels to The University of Sydney Research Station on One Tree Island (OTI) located in the southern Great Barrier Reef. The reef entirely encloses a beautiful emerald-blue sandy lagoon dotted with dark-green patch reefs. However, getting to this paradise is exciting and fraught with misgivings.

The class met, as usual, at the Gladstone Yacht Club on the day of departure and students helped load the boat hired to take them out to OTI. It’s always a great relief (and surprise) when all students actually arrive. And, as usual, the students were very buoyant and gung-ho about the trip across the continental shelf, despite the staff trying to give hints as to what they might expect on the trip out - without alarm-ing anyone. The boat pulled out of Gladstone Harbour on time at 7pm straight into the teeth of a screaming south-westerly gale. Roaring laughter and loud chatter slowly died and changed to low murmuring and retching noises as we rounded the protection of the last headland. The boat ploughed into the swell, which hit the bow diagonally causing the vessel to corkscrew violently. As usual, students assumed staff could do something about these sorts of situ-ations, but after a long period of cursing the wind and waves, they realised the staff were hopeless, which, by third year, they are quite used to.

After what seemed like an eternity, the boat anchored in the lee of a nice big solid reef and calm descended on the ship and its occupants fell asleep. At first light, we transferred onto little island boats and again hit the seas, this time the students were waiting for it and dug in. After two hours we reached the outer reef of OTI and the tricky manoeuvre of crossing the reef commenced. Horrified students watched as waves crashed onto the reef throwing up giant clouds of spray - crossing the reef looked impossible. However, as the little boats drew closer, a gap in the reef appeared and with a little bump and roll the boats crossed over. Like the saying goes – the best cure for sea sickness is to sit under a tree – and as soon as we hit the beautiful white sands of the cay, the students rallied back to their normal boisterousness.

For the next five days we had lectures in the mornings and set out field experiments in the lagoon and walking transects across the reef in the afternoons. We snorkelled every day observing platy, sponging and prickly coral, as well as reef sharks, wobbygongs, giant rays, eels, two types of turtle and a million types of coral fish. Transect morphology, lagoonal sediment characteristics, reefal boulders transport and sedi-ment trap data were collated and interpreted in relation to ambient energy. Oral and written reports completed the academic exercise. The trip highlights were a snorkel off-shore during an unexpected lull in the weather and a night snorkel organized by the island manager.

The class returned to Gladstone on the very comfortable

giant catamaran via Heron Island and a very dignified trip to the tropical bar in the resort.

GEOG2121 FIELD TRIP Mines, Wines and ThoroughbredsPhil McManus

This is a field trip to Murrurundi and the Upper Hunter Re-gion for GEOG2121 Environmental and Resource Management students. The field trip was held for the first time in 2007, re-placing the Eden-Bombala field trip which looked at forestry issues. Mines, Wines and Thoroughbreds explores the eco-logical, socio-cultural and political-economic bases of three major industries in the Upper Hunter Region - coal mining, viticulture and thoroughbred breeding. Students had tours of various establishments (although Equine Influenza meant that thoroughbred properties were quarantined), heard many presentations and completed a report that required them to apply their knowledge and ideas of sustainability to make recommendations about a hypothetical coal mining proposal near Scone.

GEOS3008 FIELD TRIP Geoff Clarke

On Sunday 1st and Monday 2nd of July 2007, a party of 50 people made their journey to Broken Hill then on to Plum-bago station (SA) to attend GEOS3008, the Geology and Geophysics Field Course jointly organized with Macquarie University. This group, the largest of the past 6 years, also in-cluded half a dozen students from the University of Newcas-tle. While staff journeyed in mini-buses and 4WDs, students had the privilege to travel by train to Broken Hill. Making use of a relaxing 13 hours journey, students had the opportunity to entertain themselves with a short selection of papers on the Proterozoic geology of the Broken Hill – Olary block, while enjoying, from the comfort of their air conditioned compartment, the NSW scenery. The day before, staff, dem-onstrators, and logistics officers, packed into minibuses and 4WD’s, rejoicing at the view of the odometers slowly count-ing the 1260 km separating Sydney Uni from Broken Hill. Once in Broken Hill, they quickly got things organised for the following day to welcome the students. At 19:10 pm, smiling apprentice geologists flew out of the Citylink train, collected their luggage and jumped into the minibuses to make the short trip to the local backpackers where we all spent the night. The next morning was dedicated to collecting the necessary supply to sustain our two weeks stay at Plumbago, where we arrived late on the afternoon.

While most participants quickly made their move to secure accommodation in the shearer quarters, the wise and astute chose the comfort of a tent, happy to trade the warm but noisy shearer quarters for the cooler but quieter camping ground. After an extensive health and safety induction program offered by David Mitchell, students were eager to explore the region they had to map over the following two weeks. Mingling with students from Newcastle and Macquarie, our students discovered the many joys and the few pains of fieldwork. Blisters, sore feet, cold wind and rain

Field Trips

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were quickly forgotten as our apprentices quickly got into a well-orchestrated routine. All days started at 6 am with a joyful tune carefully selected by David Mitchell for its fac-ulty to promptly awaken sleepy students and staff. After a healthy cold shower and a warm breakfast, field bags stuffed with sandwiches, fruit and enough water for a week, all were ready for an 8 hour day in the field. Lithologies, strikes and dips, metamorphic assemblages were dutifully recorded on field books, maps and cross-sections; all growing more col-ourful as the days went by. While some students managed to balance a lack of scientific rigor with an excess of creativ-ity, most mastered the basics skills that make good field geologists. Every evening, a warm veggie soup, prepared by Melanie de Leon under the close supervision of David Mitch-ell, welcomed the students back at the camp.

Evenings were busy preparing dinner, arguing over the inter-pretation of local geological features, while others mended their blisters and cold before all spent some time tidying up maps and cross-sections while discussing their objectives for the next day. During dinners, Honours students kept their younger peers on their toes by dispensing their wisdom through entertaining seminars. While a few committed stu-dents were still working past 10 pm, most staff wisely retired into their sleeping bags for a well-deserved rest.

And so went two weeks of solid mapping. New features were discovered, including a sheared conglomerate with spectacular stretching lineation on the South West end of the mapping area. The kinematic of which is still uncertain though. An interesting question to be solved by the 2008 participants of the field course.

GEOS2114 FIELD TRIP Volcanoes, Hot Rocks & MineralsPatrice Rey

A “Volcano Summer School” version of GEOS 2114 was established in 2007. It focused on a nine day field trip to the North Island of New Zealand, but included lectures and practicals in common with the Semester 1 version of the course. Eight students enrolled in the course and joined staff members Derek Wyman and Jock Keene, several Honours students doing research in New Zealand, and doctoral student Matt dePaoli. The trip included study of cinder cones and other volcanic features in the Auckland area, thermal fields and rhyolites in the Rotorua area, and climbs of the active Ngauruhoe and Ruapehu volcanoes in the central part of the island. The top of Ruapehu is the highest point on the North Island and the predicted imminent collapse of a wall containing a crater lake near the peak (approached from the safe side) emphasised the dynamic nature of young volcanic terranes. Although the collapse of the wall and resulting “lahar” mud flow did not occur until a month after we left the area, the climbs and the entire trip were a great success and a hit with the students.

The Semester 1 version of GEOS 2114 undertook a weekend field trip to the youngest volcano in NSW, Mt Canobolas, near Orange. Many of the features present on young volcanoes are still preserved on Mt Canobolas and the surrounding volcanic vents. The convenience of being able to visit these features in our own back yard, and share in a great camp

fire in the evening, made this trip a fantastic introduction to hands-on volcanology for the 30 or so students involved.

GEOG2111 FIELD TRIPEleanor Bruce

In GEOS2111/2911 Natural Hazards: A GIS Approach students participated in a field trip to examine vegetation fuel loads in bushland areas with differing fire histories. The study site was an area of open eucalypt forest near the St Ives Show-ground, Ku-ring-gai. Fire management experts from the Ku-ring-gai Council worked with the students to quantify fuel load based on various ground cover and vegetation conditions. Students were involved in sampling design, vegetation surveys and GPS based mapping. Data collected by each student group was collated into a fuel load map and used in subsequent GIS practicals to model fire hazard. The unit of study examines the challenges in fire hazard management associated with determining appropriate ap-proaches to risk reduction (eg. fuel reduction burns) given potentially conflicting requirements to protect lives, property and biodiversity. The field work provided students with an opportunity to understand field conditions influencing bush-fire behaviour. The survey results will be used by Ku-ring-gai Council in longer-term monitoring of fuel load accumulation and assessment of vegetation response to fire events.

GEOS3511 FIELD TRIPBill Pritchard

In April, students from GEOS 3511 (‘Understanding Australia’s Regions’) travelled to Condobolin, in Central-Western NSW, to undertake a study of the regional retail economy which was presented to Lachlan Shire Council. Students also inter-viewed local farmers on the social and economic impacts of the drought.

Students explore duringthe South Pacific Field School, guided by Prof JohnConnell