ASEG news - Issue 9, 20th Dec 2018

Dear Members,

In today's news you'll find information on:

Holiday greetings from the President
News from the states
Upcoming events (National and International)
The latest in Exploration Geophysics
What's new in Preview?
Member Spotlight: Dr Teagan Blaikie
Follow us on social media
Thanks to our corporate members

Don't forget to follow our social media accounts, for more regular updates on upcoming events and geoscience articles of interest.

Holiday greetings from the President

Dear ASEG members,

What a terrific year 2018 has been. At this time of year it is a great opportunity to celebrate our achievements and thank our awesome members.

The main achievements I'd like to reflect on include this wonderful monthly newsletter, our change in publications, new strategic plan, planning for professional development and education in 2019 as well as a number of international guest lectures and all the amazing technical events the states run. Congratulations to Dr Kate Selway, ARC Future Fellow on being named a Superstar of STEM by Science and Technology Australia. Dr Selway is the first Geophysicist to be named as a Superstar of STEM!

Please let me take a moment to thank our volunteers, which while not exhaustive, I hope touches on most aspects of the ASEG.

Thank you to our Corporate Sponsors Velseis, Santos, Archimedes and Southern Geoscience.

Thank you to our Publications Committee, Editors and Sub Editors, particularly Danny Burns, Ted Tyne, Mike Asten, Mark Lackie and Lisa Worrall for steering us into new territory moving to Taylor & Francis.

Thank you to all of the Branch Presidents and committee members for your hard work, you rock!

Thank you to the current Federal Executive, particularly to David Annetts (web) and Kate Robertson (Communications) for improving news delivery to our members.

Thank you to all committee members, from conferences to history, honours/awards to finance.

Thank you to those members who have represented the ASEG and Australia at international meetings, conferences and events in person or virtually.

Thank you to all ASEG members who continue to renew their membership and work professionally to ensure the science of geophysics is sound and work together to ensure our professional society is of value to its members and to the Australian community.

Happy Christmas, I hope your holidays are fun and safe,

Marina Costelloe

President

Branch upcoming events

For a more complete calendar of events see Preview

This year was a rather busy year as we received over 150 manuscript submissions to the journal, as well as having a change in publishers. I would like to thank all of the Associate Editors and the reviewers for their hard work; our journal does not proceed without their efforts.

Volume 49 Number 6 is our current issue and can be found at, http://www.publish.csiro.au/eg

Some gems worth a read are:

Two dimensional cross-gradient joint inversion of gravity and magnetic data sets constrained by airborne electromagnetic resistivity in the Capricorn Orogen, Western Australia by León-Sánchez et al

and

Least-squares Kirchoff migration with non-smooth regularisation strategy from subsurface imaging by Hou and Wang

Dr Mark Lackie

Exploration Geophysics Editor

The December issue of Preview (197) is now available online. This issue of Preview features an article by Don Emerson and Phil Schmidt on the physical properties of pyrolusitic supergene manganese oxides. This important article fills a gap in the literature on the properties on these minerals. In addition, we feature our annual summary of student projects completed in geophysics in Australia (Michael Asten Education matters).

We also welcome Tim Keeping to our regular commentary team. In this issue Tim (Data trends) takes a look at file formats for passive seismic data exchange and asks readers for feedback on their experience. David Denham (Canberra observed) reports on changes mooted to the PRRT and the latest Federal Government attacks on the university sector. Mike Hatch (Environmental geophysics) reflects on the SEG conference in Anaheim, California. Terry Harvey (Minerals geophysics) muses on the role of serendipity in mineral exploration. Mick Micenko (Seismic window) considers the use of curvature to rapidly identify sand rich areas within complex channel systems, and Dave Annetts (Webwaves) announces the winners of the ASEG photo competition - the first place winner appears on our cover.

In this issue we get to know Dr Teagan Blaikie from CSIRO. To nominate yourself or to recommend someone for the Member Spotlight, please contact communications@aseg.org.au.

1. What is your current role?

I am a research scientist for CSIRO, currently embedded within the Northern Territory Geological Survey. My role is to interpret newly acquired and existing geophysical data over the McArthur Basin to improve understanding of its 3D structural architecture. A typical day will see me interpreting geophysical and geological data sets to produce and update maps, and modelling the data to produce 2D cross-sections and 3D models of the basin.

2. For how long have you been a geophysicist?

I completed my PhD in 2014 and have been working as a geophysicist since then. In the first year following my PhD, I helped teach undergraduate, post-grad and industry courses in interpreting geology from gravity and magnetic data. In mid-2016, I joined CSIRO and the NTGS in my current role.

3. What do you like most about being a geophysicist?

I get to work with a multi-disciplinary team of geologists and geophysicists. It's always exciting finding new ways to integrate our data sets and improve our models.

4. If you weren't a geophysicist what would you be?

I would like to run my own cafe.

5. Your funniest or worst field memory?

I was acquiring gravity data during my PhD across several volcanic craters in western Victoria. The areas I was surveying were lakes that had mostly dried up during the drought. Conditions were very swampy, and most of the time we were ankle deep in mud or water. There were two craters at Red Rock near Colac that were particularly bad. As the ground had dried out, the mud had shrunk and opened up some very large cracks in the ground - some were close to 2 m deep. The crater floor was also completely overgrown with weeds, so we often couldn't see these cracks. We would be walking along and suddenly drop into a deep muddy hole. Fortunately the ground was so soft it cushioned the fall and no injuries were incurred. It also helped to have some great field assistants working with me so we could always have a laugh.

6. What is your best interview tip?

If your interview is conducted by video conference - know how the system works, and test your audio and video beforehand.

   7. What do you do in your spare time?

I like to relax and read a book or watch a movie, go for a bike ride, and catch up with friends for coffee or drinks.