Awards and Grants
Summer Schools participation
GeoDiscoveryNZ & ANZIC support tertiary students from member universities in participating in Summer Schools focusing on ocean and continental scientific drilling research. The Summer Schools offer unique in-depth opportunities for students to build up their knowledge, experience and academic networks.
2024 ECORD Urbino Summer School in Paleoclimatology
In July, I had the privilege of attending the Urbino Summer School for Paleoclimatology in Urbino, Italy. The course combined lectures, practical sessions, and a field day covering all aspects of paleoclimatology, with this year’s focus specifically on climate modelling. I presented a poster on my PhD research, titled “Investigating the Role of Orbital Forcing on Antarctic Ice Sheet-Ocean Dynamics during the Miocene.”
The course gave me a solid foundation in paleoclimatology methods, deepening my understanding of how the data I work with is collected. Attending this summer school was a fantastic opportunity to connect with researchers whose work I've often read and to gain insight into their specialties. Coming from a background in geology and geophysics, it was invaluable to engage with experts from diverse fields and perspectives. I am very grateful to GeoDiscoveryNZ and ANZIC for enabling me to attend the Summer School - Julianne Burns (Te Herenga Waka VUW)
2024 GLAcial Sediment School (GLASS)
"With support from ANZIC and GeoDiscoveryNZ, I attended the GLAcial Sediment School (GLASS) in College Station, USA, from July 14-19, 2024, to enhance my knowledge of glacial sedimentation processes. Researchers, lab technicians, and tutors provided lectures to the School, and assigned each of us a polar sediment core to analyze. This hands-on learning approach was invaluable, allowing me to connect with fellow participants and gain insight into their research methods. The program encouraged meaningful discussions and motivated me daily. Studying deep-sea sediment cores, alongside my experience with Ross Ice Shelf sediments, has greatly enriched my PhD research and broadened my understanding of global sedimentation processes." - Linda Balfoort (Victoria University of Wellington)
2024 ECORD Summer School: Downhole Logging
"My sincere thanks to GeoDiscoveryNZ, in association with ANZIC, for the support so that I had the privilege of attending the 2024 ECORD Summer School: Downhole Logging for IODP Science at the University of Leicester, from July 27 to August 2, 2024. The 2024 ECORD Summer School was an enriching experience that deepened my understanding of downhole logging and its applications in marine geosciences. The combination of academic content, practical exercises, and networking opportunities has contributed significantly to my professional growth and has paved the way for my future career in marine geosciences, particularly in participating in future IODP expeditions. I am excited to see how this experience will shape my journey ahead!" - Hanifah Dina (University of Auckland)
JR Academy
ANZIC, in collaboration with the International Ocean Discovery Program's U.S. Science Support Program, is supporting three mentors and five students from Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand to join other indigenous peoples from America to participate in the 2024 JR Academy – Fire to flood.
The JR Academy, aboard the JOIDES Resolution, will be a transformative and exciting experience, bridging the gaps between Western and Indigenous sciences, benefiting First Nations Peoples. Participants will get the opportunity to grow their STEM skills, build networks, and contribute to international knowledge exchange.
The expedition will take place between the 10th and 25th of April 2024, during the JOIDES Resolution transition from Naples, Italy to Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Students and mentors will immerse themselves in a rich tapestry of Earth and ocean science activities, complemented by hands-on experiences in science communication and career development.
GeoDiscoveryNZ and ANZIC are proud to support one mentor and two students from Aotearoa New Zealand: Jesse-James Pickery (in association with “Out There Leaning”), as the mentor position, and Pianina Kahui-McConnell (AUT/NIWA intern) and Rāwinia Wikaira (University of Otago) as the successful student placements.
Assoc. Prof. Brad Moggridge, Kamilaroi water scientist at the University of Canberra. Brad's achievements include extensive collaboration with Indigenous groups across Australia and New Zealand for an IPCC Report. He plans to write a paper with the mentors about the outcomes of the JR Academy.
Ann-Maree June Long, an expert in supporting Indigenous students in academia, whose proposed outreach activity, 'my story', promises to be engaging and unique.
Jesse-James Rehu Pickery, until recently with GNS Science, coordinated the design of the GeoDiscoveryNZ logo. He plans to use geological time to bridge Mātauranga Māori and Western Science.
GeoDiscoveryNZ, a consortium of Crown Research Institutes and Universities, advances scientific drilling in pursuit of discovery and exploration. GeoDiscoveryNZ advocates for strengthened national and international collaborations to advance knowledge of our land and seas to understand Earth System processes in our region.
“We are absolutely committed to growing capability and excited to provide opportunities for Māori participation”, says Stuart Henrys, Chair of GeoDiscoveryNZ.
You can keep up with the JR Academy on the IODP Facebook(external link) and Instagram(external link) channels, as well as on AuScope(external link).
2023-24 GeoDiscoveryNZ and ANZIC IODP/ICDP Post-Cruise Analytical Funding awarded.
The GeoDiscoveryNZ and ANZIC Post-Cruise Analytical Funding program provides grants for projects designed to assist scientists, who have been selected to participate in scientific drilling expeditions, and support the cost of any additional core sampling, sample processing, and data analysis.
Georgia Grant (GNS science): Greenland and Antarctic icesheet contributions to sea-level rise.
Georgia sailed on IODP Expedition 400 (NW Greenland Glaciated Margin) from 13 August – 13 October 2023. Post voyage, Georgia will investigate sedimentary sequences recovered during the expedition, focusing on orbital pacing of climate cycles during the last 5 million years (Plio-Pleistocene). It aims to address three key questions related to sediment deposition controls during different geological periods, the contribution of ice sheets to global sea-level, and the phasing of ice sheet records. The research will utilise traditional sedimentological analysis and continuous scanning properties to assess the astronomical forcing of climate – how changes in Earth’s orbit control the amount and distribution of incoming solar radiation. Specifically, Georgia will investigate whether the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets respond in a similar manner and timeframe to orbital cycles (Milankovitch cycles) to advance fundamental knowledge of ice sheet – climate dynamics.
2023-24 GeoDiscoveryNZ and ANZIC IODP/ICDP Legacy Analytical Funding (AILAF) awarded.
The ANZIC IODP/ICDP Legacy Analytical Funding (AILAF) program provides grants for projects designed to exploit the wealth of samples, data and data products generated through 50+ years of ocean and continental drilling. The grants are aimed at supporting the cost of sample processing and data analysis. This is a great funding opportunity for data analysts/mathematicians/visual data scientists/molecular and genetic analysts who may not traditionally work in or with the geosciences community. This year, GeoDiscoveryNZ and ANZIC awarded four AILAF grants within Aotearoa New Zealand:
Shane Rooyakkers (GNS Science): Magmatic Volatiles, Metals, and the Magmatic-Hydrothermal Connection at Brothers Volcano.
Shane will examine volcanic glasses from Brothers submarine Volcano, the site of IODP Expedition 376. Samples will be analysed to understand the role of the underlying magmatic system in transporting metals and volatiles, linking data with hydrothermal fluxes to trace their pathways. The research aims to shed light on ore-forming hydrothermal systems processes and improve understanding of the volcano and the impacts of volatile release during future eruptions along the Kermadec Arc.
Grace Duke (Victoria University of Wellington): Extension of stable isotope records at Site U1361 on Wilkes Land continental rise, East Antarctica.
Grace aims to investigate the efficiency of the biological pump and its changes during the Mid-Pleistocene transition (MPT) along the Wilkes Land margin in East Antarctica. This will be achieved by comparing carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) measurements to existing datasets. The research involves developing δ13C and δ15N isotope records from IODP Site U1361 for the period 1.7 - 0 Ma, as well as integrating other records to develop a continuous biogenic silica weight percent and diatom assemblage data for the last 4 million years.
Christian Ohneiser (University of Otago): Is the stability of Antarctic Bottom Water production really under threat?
Christian will reconstruct the role of primary production in driving and responding to Quaternary climate change from IODP Site U1539, a site of high accumulation at the northern flank of the modern Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC). High resolution investigations across three key glacial-interglacial transitions will be paired with lower-resolution reconstruction spanning the past 1.4 Ma to test for a shift in frontal dynamics associated with the mid-Pleistocene transition. The biological and biogeochemical proxy records generated will calibrate the relationship between ACC dynamics and the cryosphere at times in the past when climate changed rapidly.
Catherine Beltran (University of Otago): Comparison of organic sea surface thermometers in the Southern Hemisphere.
Catherine’s project focuses on molecular thermometers to estimate sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in different oceans. Biomarkers are produced by various marine organisms and may reflect temperatures from different seasons and depths. The objective is to compare SST reconstructions from biomarkers proxies by analysing core top samples collected along latitudinal transects collected during ODP and IODP expeditions across the Indian, Pacific, Atlantic, and Southern Oceans.
With this funding, these researchers are poised to make significant contributions to earth science research and deepen our understanding of the complex geological and climatic processes shaping our planet.