b'CommentaryEnvironmental geophysics seeking an adventure. So, I applied for anMH:Can confirm. Amazing what weI have been collecting near-surface Australian Youth Ambassador position to(you mostly) got over there. Including aelectromagnetic (EM) information using work for an NGO for one year in Sri Lanka.brand-new miniature borehole drillingtheir Loupe system for a few years now This NGO was based three hours south ofsystem that looked like an overgrownon several research projects. This has the capital Colombo, right on the beach,jack hammer. This new industryincludedinvestigating the impacts of and specialised in micro-financing andfellowship is very well funded. What domanaged inundation on the Murray River environmental programmes for the localyou hope to achieve with this fundingfloodplains and river loss in ephemeral community. A very fulfilling experience,(besides enjoy a steady salary for ariver systems. The two other industry spending lots of time in the local villagesfewyears)?partners are the CSIRO and Vista Clara running workshops on environment andInc. I have been working with CSIRO, permaculture gardening programmes.EB:We dont actually see enoughprimarily Tim Mundays group over in Every month there was a publiccross-disciplinary work betweenPerth, since my first GWB-funded project holiday (every full moon), which wasgeophysicists and hydrogeologists, andon MilingimbiIsland in the NT. They an opportunity to travel across thethis is particularly the case for numericalhave been pushing the limits in the country by motorbike, which is the sizegroundwater models. Geophysicalhydrogeophysics space for a long time. of Tasmania with the population ofdata sets can add a lot of value andVista Clara specialises in the use of nuclear Australia, to enjoy the spicy and deliciousalso insight to the development of themagnetic resonance (NMR). NMR is the Sri Lankan food and surf epic waves. Thehydrogeological conceptual model, whichonly geophysical technology available time spent travelling from the arid, semi-forms the framework of a groundwaterthat directly provides information arid to the wetter tropical areas of thenumerical model. So, how do weabout the depth to groundwater and country exposed me to many differentincorporate geophysical data sets, thataquifer saturation, as well as porosity water security challenges that peoplereflect sub-surface variation at a scaleand estimates of hydraulic conductivity. face and reaffirmed what I wanted to dothat is most useful to hydrogeologicalI foresee NMR having the potential to in my career, focusing on water resources. datasets and is it possible tosupply much of the missing information MH:Tell us about some of the interestingincorporate these data sets directlyneeded to really properly interpret other places that you have worked and whatinto a groundwater model? Quite a fewgeophysical data sets. I am also now super hydrogeological problems you wereresearchers have worked in this crossoverexcited to be able to use the new GMR Flex tasked with unravelling.space, but there are still large knowledgesystem for which I have recently received gaps. We may not solve it all now, but wefunding (and now have in my hot hand)!EB:During my post-doc at Flindersthink that this research is a step in the University, I worked in Uganda,right direction, improving groundwaterMH:Well thanks for filling me Malawi and Ethiopia as part of a multi- models that can be then used to addressin Eddie, and all power to your disciplinary team of physical and socialgroundwater management issues.hydrogeophysicalarm!scientists. The goal was to addressMH:How will you make the funding some of the current failures in ruralthatyou have last longer than the life groundwater supply and turn themofthe project? into successes. This involved using traditional hydrogeological methods,EB:One of the aims of the fellowship is to as well as environmental tracers, toestablish a new joint Flinders University-better understand, for example, theIndustry partner collaborative node, seasonal response to pumping andthe Flinders Hydrogeophysics Node. waterquality risks to water suppliesThis will help drive this type of research (https://upgro.org/consortium/hidden- well into the future. We intend that this crisis2/comment-page-1/). Also, duringresearch will be translated through direct my post-doc, I applied for my first SEGengagement with industry into industry Geoscience Without Borders (GWB)up-skilling, leading to adoption of non-grant. This project was on Milingimbiinvasive methods to solve groundwater Island, Arnhem Land, NT, using a rangeissues at spatial (and time) scales that are of different geophysical techniques torelevant for Australia.characterise the low salinity freshwater lens on the island that was used as theMH:Part of the application process forVenue and dates main water supply for the communitygetting this grant involved finding and the extent of seawater intrusion.suitable industry partners. Tell us aboutlocked in for ASEGs Several years later, I applied for ayour industry partners and why you second GWB project using geophysicschose them.inaugural DISCOVER to enhance agricultural productivity and livelihoods of smallholder farmersEB:All three represent to me the cuttingconference!through improved groundwateredge of at least one aspect of modernmanagement of the Vientiane Plain,hydrogeophysics and how geophysical Lao PDR. I worked with you on thattechnologies are being refined and1518 October 2024 project and we definitely shipped a lotdeveloped for water resource and of geophysics equipment: ~900 kg by airenvironmental investigations. LoupeWrest Point Hotel, Hobartfreight, wasnt that right?Geophysics is the Key Industry Partner 32 PREVIEWJUNE 2024'