Awards and Grants
Investing in our future scientists
Each year, GeoDiscoveryNZ and ANZIC provide support for tertiary students from Aotearoa NZ to take part in international Summer Schools focused on ocean and continental scientific drilling research. These geoeducation programmes offer students valuable opportunities to deepen their knowledge, gain hands-on experience, and expand their academic networks.
By engaging directly with leading scientists and participating in real-world research contexts, students develop critical skills in data analysis, fieldwork techniques, and scientific communication. These initiatives not only strengthen their understanding of Earth systems but also inspire future careers in geoscience, environmental research, and resource management. Moreover, the collaborative and interdisciplinary nature of these programmes fosters innovation and builds lasting connections within the global geoscience community.
In June, we supported Rāwinia Wikaira (University of Auckland) in attending the OCEAN CORE (Ocean Core Exploration As New investigators Community Outreach and Research Experiences) Academy 2026 at the Gulf Coast Repository, College Station, Texas. Here are Rāwinia’s reflections on this great experience.
Kia ora!
Ko Rāwinia Wikaira tōku ingoa. He uri tēnei nō Rangitāne o Wairau, Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Wai, Ngā Puhi (Te Hikutū) and Muriwhenua. My background is in Māori Studies and Ecology from the University of Otago and I will be starting my Master of Marine Science in 2027. I was lucky enough to be sponsored by GeoDiscoveryNZ to attend the Ocean Core Academy 2026 as a peer mentor. This is a hands-on programme for undergraduates interested in scientific ocean drilling and is hosted by the Gulf Coast Repository at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.
In 2024, I was selected to participate and was sponsored by GeoDiscoveryNZ to attend the JR Academy as a student. This experience was similar to the Ocean Core Academy, but it was hosted on the JOIDES Resolution, a one-of-a-kind research vessel that had the tools and capabilities to collect deep-sea sediment cores. The majority of my JR cohort was made up of Indigenous and/or minority-background students and mentors, where we learnt about everything that the Ocean Core Academy has to offer, as well as Indigenous knowledge and advocacy for Indigenous people in science spaces. The experience as a whole helped me grow immensely and showed me how to authentically show up as an Indigenous scientist.
Unfortunately, the JOIDES Resolution has now been decommissioned, so the JR Academy is no more. In its place, the Ocean Core Academy has been created. When I was given the opportunity to give back to the programme as a mentor, I couldn't say no. I was both excited and nervous. I had such fond memories of my time at the JR Academy and with my mentors, Ann-Maree Pershouse, Brad Moggridge and Jesse-James Pickery. I found it daunting to fill their shoes but was also excited to create a similar environment.
The Ocean Core Academy was an awesome kaupapa for my growth in terms of mentorship, building and sustaining pre-existing connections with academics and emerging academics in the States, and being exposed to novel ideas, techniques and instruments used in geology, palaeontology and marine geoscience. I have long-term aspirations to host an Indigenous scientist cohort, and this experience helped me to understand the logistics, the amount of work, the team needed, and next steps.
We also had some really amazing sessions on science communication and how important it is to help the general public understand why our research is relevant and important to them. My favourite part was getting the students to summarise their two-day projects into two to three sentences for a general audience after they had presented their posters. It was hard to be able to concisely summarise their research while also phrasing it without using jargon, but in doing so they also realised how much they knew and how far they had come.
Overall, this was an amazing opportunity, for which I am extremely grateful. Nōku te waimarie i whai wāhi atu ki te wānanga. E mihi ana ki a GeoDiscoveryNZ.
ANZIC Marine Geoscience Masterclass 2025
The Australian and New Zealand International Scientific Drilling Consortium (ANZIC) and GeoDiscoveryNZ supported last year’s Marine Geoscience Masterclass, which took place in Fiordland and Dunedin, 1-12 December. The 12-day immersive program introduced 24 of Australia and New Zealand’s brightest Earth Science students to hands-on fieldwork experience on the RV Polaris II in Doubtful Sound and cutting-edge laboratory analysis at the Otago Repository for Core Analysis (ORCA).
Led by colleagues at the University of Otago and supported by Greer Gilmer (ESNZ), this ANZIC Masterclass is a world-first course, blending ICDP and IODP science, directly supporting the Fjords as Archives of Climate and Environmental Transitions (FACET)(external link) initiative, an ICDP proposal to drill New Zealand’s fjord basins and unlock their secrets of carbon cycling and climate change. The Masterclass replicates both shipboard and onshore laboratory environments, equipping students with knowledge and skills for future involvement in ICDP and IODP research. We will also be supporting this Masterclass in 2026.
ECORD Summer School 2025: Downhole Logging for IODP Science, University of Leicester, UK
30 August to 5 September 2025
At the start of September, thanks to GeoDiscoveryNZ, I had the privilege of attending the 2025 ECORD Summer School on Marine Downhole Logging for Marine Geoscience, hosted at the University of Leicester. A variety of topics and workshops occurred during the seven-day summer school, providing insight into scientific offshore drilling and logging operations, petrophysics, downhole logging advantages, limitations and methods, as well as log processing and interpretation, among other things.
Among the many engaging interactive lectures, I particularly enjoyed Leo Barbosa’s on Mission Specific Platforms (MSPs), Jochem Kueck’s on International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP), and Jack Brickell’s on Hydrogeology. I was intrigued by the level of operational complexity required for marine drilling expeditions and the level of adaptability MSPs can provide. It was also exciting to hear about the similarities and differences between continental and offshore operations, as well as the fantastic scientific drilling training that the ICDP offers. Learning about hydrogeology from the perspective of the IODP3 Expedition 501 ‘New England Shelf hydrogeology’ was fascinating and reaffirmed that hydrology and water resourcing are research areas that I would love to become more involved in as my career progresses.
During the summer school, every participant had the opportunity to present a poster on their current research. The variety of poster topics was impressive and allowed connections to be made across disciplines that would be difficult to achieve at larger-scale conferences. A major highlight of the summer school for me was the opportunity to learn how to use the WellCAD software within workshops taught by specialists from the University of Montpellier, and ALT, the software developers. Learning how to use WellCAD for borehole log visualisation and processing will directly benefit my current Antarctic research, as I can now contribute to analysing the optical televiewer borehole imagery collected during our recent field season.
Attending this summer school was incredibly beneficial to my professional development. It helped bridge knowledge gaps between sediment geology and drilling operations, strengthened my technical skills, and expanded my understanding of the scientific drilling process from both engineering and geological perspectives. Most importantly, the connections I formed with the summer school organisers, lecturers, and early career researchers who attended were central to my enjoyment of the summer school. I look forward to reconnecting and collaborating in the future as well as applying the skills I gained to my own research.
Jessica MacFarquhar (University of Canterbury)
Thanks to the generous support of GeoDiscoveryNZ, I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the 9th edition of the ECORD Summer School on Downhole Logging for Marine Geoscience at the University of Leicester, UK. Over the span of 7 days, we listened to a variety of lectures and engaged in various activities that deeply familiarised our group with the methodologies and applications of downhole logging in the geosciences.
As a marine geologist set to sail next month as part of IODP Expedition 503 to the Japan Trench, I found the experience at the workshop invaluable, especially as my role aboard the Chikyu is to be a physical properties specialist. Getting the rundown on how ocean drilling operates from the people directly involved in the projects we learned about was an amazing opportunity and I have come away with a number of fresh ideas on how to deepen my future research through the use of these types of datasets. The school packed a lot into the brief period we were there, but it was wonderfully organised, and I have to commend the organisers for just how communal an experience they made the workshop. It was great to see the new connections and friendships made with other early career scientists from across the world. All in all, I highly recommend applying to attend the workshop for early career geoscientists with interests in the marine geosciences, especially those wanting to get involved with international ocean drilling projects.
Anthony Shorrock (University of Auckland)
Bremen ECORD Summer School 2025, Southern Ocean – Antarctic paleoclimate interactions, MARUM, University of Bremen, Germany
8 to 19 September 2025
I recently attended the ECORD Summer School at the MARUM Marine Research Academy in Bremen, Germany. As an ANZIC participant, my travel costs were generously supported by GeoDiscoveryNZ, for which I would like to express my sincere thanks.
My main motivation for joining the course was to learn theory and practical skills for ocean drilling, as I will be participating for the first time in a marine voyage in November 2025. Having diverse interests across the earth and ocean sciences, I have pursued this opportunity to expand my horizons during this pivotal time of finishing my PhD at the University of Auckland.
The course had three main components: practical exercises, lectures, and presentations by participants. There was also structured time for networking with fellow participants and the lecturers, which was a great opportunity for further learning about each other’s work, interests, and goals for future research. We were also treated to a tour of the historical centre of Bremen, as well as a traditional German meal.
The practical exercises covered a multitude of methods which are typically used aboard drilling vessels and during onshore work following voyages. This included core description, physical properties (e.g., magnetic susceptibility and resistivity), pore water chemistry, computed tomography, biostratigraphy, borehole logging, and piecing together core transects. Having a chance to do hands-on work on real drill cores from around the world, together with new friends and future collaborators, tied together much of what we learned during the lectures, and was a learning highlight! I would now feel confident in my ability to strongly contribute as a member of various shipboard teams, with a based appreciation for the cross-team work and communication that is critical during large scientific voyages.
The lectures were given by more than thirty scientists from diverse fields and were thorough and detailed, and helped me develop a much deeper understanding of ocean circulation, especially in the Southern Ocean, and the transport and exchange of carbon, oxygen, nutrients, and heat via the Arctic Circumpolar Current. Having studied submarine volcanism during my PhD, the lectures, participant presentations, and conversations during the breaks sparked many questions about the complex interactions between marine and geological systems.
This summer school was a great experience, for which I am very grateful. New connections with researchers at various career stages across the fields of oceanography, marine geosciences, marine biology, and climate and environmental sciences, as well as the thematic exposure, have set the scene for exciting and strong multi-disciplinary collaboration as I embark on my post-PhD academic career.
Mila Huebsch (University of Auckland)
