Three UNE students from the School of Environmental and Rural Science were recently recognised for their outstanding academic work in the fields of geology and palaeontology with a variety of industry awards.
“Not only do the awards recognise the students and their hard work, they are also testament to UNE’s strength in palaeoscience beginning at undergraduate level,” proud lecturer in Earth Sciences Dr Marissa Betts said.
“In addition to working hard academically, the Palaeoscience Research Centre and LithoLabUNE (LLUNE) run a fantastic volunteering program for keen undergrads.The student-run UNE Geoscience Society are also a great group who organise barbecues, bushwalks, movie nights and Palaeo ping-pong tournaments! It’s a wonderful community for our students to be a part of.”
Steph Richer-Stretton, GSA Endowment Fund awardee
Honours student Stephanie Richter-Stretton was awarded $1,000 by the Geological Society of Australia Endowment Fund to put towards her Honours project titled Bunkers Bonanza: Resolving the biostratigraphy, chemostratigraphy and lithology of the Second Plain Creek Member, Bunkers Graben, central Flinders Ranges.
The project embodies Steph’s passion for Australian natural history (she has been a keen volunteer in the industry for over a decade) and contributes directly to the World Heritage nomination for the Flinders Ranges.
Steph said she feels incredibly lucky to be working on a project that not only contributes directly to such a prestigious nomination but also to the stratigraphic correlation of the Cambrian period.
“Winning the GSA Endowment Fund has given me the confidence and resources to extend my research and further my contribution to the scientific knowledge of the Cambrian.
“I’m very excited to see where this research takes me and look forward to furthering my career in geosciences at UNE.”
Steph completed her Bachelor of GeoScience last year, virtually graduating in May. Her current academic supervisors are Dr Marissa Betts and Professor John Paterson.
Image: Steph (bottom left) pictured in the Flinders Ranges. Steph and her supervisor Dr Marissa Betts (top left) are examining 500 million year old sponge fossils.
Eleanor Beidatsch, AWG Undergraduate Paleontology Award
Final year student Eleanor Beidatsch was awarded the annual AWG Undergraduate Paleontology Award jointly by the Association for Women Geoscientists and the Paleontological Society. She also received a cash prize of US$1,000.
“I am thrilled to have received this scholarship. Not just because the financial support will help with my postgraduate studies but because of what it means to be part of the community. The scholarship is international and comes with a membership to the Paleontological Society and the Association for Women Geoscientists,” Eleanor said.
“Winning the AWG scholarship shows that my research is important to palaeontology and provides a wonderful opportunity to connect with professionals around the world. I honestly didn’t expect to win it, and I was surprised and happy when I read the email saying I had.”
Eleanor’s academic interests are many and varied. She is in her final year of study at the University of Western Australia (UWA) where she is studying marine biology. She is also studying Geoscience at UNE and have just completed a cross-institutional study in journalism with Deakin University. She will graduate from UWA at the end of the year and commence her honours in Invertebrate Palaeontology at UNE in early 2022.
Image: Eleanor is pictured second from the left.
Hamish Watson, Palaeontological Association Undergraduate Prize for the University of New England for 2021
The Undergraduate Prize Scheme invites all universities where a palaeontology course, or module, is taught as part of a degree programme to recommend one of their undergraduate students to receive this award. The award consists of a certificate and free membership of the Association for the rest of the year in question, plus the following calendar year.
The UNE winner was Hamish Watson, a second year student studying Palaeobiology, who like so many of his peers, has been fascinated by palaeontology and what it teaches about the history of life and planetary changes through geological time since a very early age.
“Winning the award was very humbling and I owe everyone at UNE’s palaeo-science department a huge thank you for the opportunity to get involved with their amazing research through volunteering, and for being so kind and welcoming.”
The award consists of a certificate and free membership of the Association for the rest of the year in question, plus the following calendar year.
Image: Hamish, on a field trip near Surat, QLD, is pictured covering a dinosaur bone with a protective jacket so that it can be safely removed in one piece for preparation later in the lab.