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edu/earth-atmosphere-environment
Science
Earth, Atmosphere
and Environment
The Earth is your
laboratory waiting
to be explored.
Where studies in Earth, Atmosphere
and Environment can take you
Our graduates are sought-after by industry,
government agencies, and non-government
organisations and are employed in a range of
rewarding careers that take them across the globe.
Our undergraduate units include a range of
exciting field and exchange experiences both
within Australia and overseas.
Many of our undergraduate students go on to
undertake honours and postgraduate studies.
Our honours and postgraduate students are
involved in cutting-edge research in a wide variety
of fields, often involving industry or government
partners, and generally with an international focus.
Completing an undergraduate major, honours,
or higher degree within the School of Earth,
Atmosphere and Environment opens up a wide
range of career opportunities.
Rob Smakman
Alumni
Gold explorer Rob Smakmans career has taken
some remarkable turns since he studied geology
at Monash. Smakman is managing director of
Crusader Resources, an ASX-listed company he
and several others set up the Serido area of the
Borborema province in north-eastern Brazil in 2004.
It is hoped the mine will prove to be a real success
for Crusader and for the people of Serido.
Were going to be able to provide some real
support for the local community with job creation
and royalties, and contribute to a sense of pride in
the region, Smakman says.
People are very negative about mining and what it
does but its an essential part of life and the benefits
it brings to remote communities are amazing.
Smakman was also present at the discovery of gold
deposits at the Southern Star mine in Western Australia.
He was the first geologist on site for Anvil Mining
at the Dikulushi mine in the Democratic Republic
of Congo, now being worked as one of the highest
grade copper deposits in the world.
I think that what keeps driving most geologists is
that sense of discovery it doesnt matter if its gold,
iron or base metals, he says.
The School of Earth, Atmosphere, and Environment
offers an exciting range of majors and units that
cover all aspects of the Earths physical environment.
These courses provide you with the skills and
knowledge required to embark on a wide range of
rewarding careers in the mining and energy sectors,
meteorology, and environmental management. Or you
might want to join our vibrant postgraduate research
community and become a global expert in geology,
geophysics, atmospheric sciences, climate studies,
or the environment.
Our teaching and learning programs are supported by
innovative fieldtrips and industry engagement.
You could work for major global companies,
government agencies or NGOs. You can also
choose to pursue your passion by continuing in
research at Monash University via a postgraduate
degree. Here are some examples of the jobs in
which our recent graduates have been employed:
Environmental scientists and
environmental consultants
Weather forecasters and weather observers
Geologists in the minerals, petroleum and
coal industries
Hydrogeologists and hydrologists
Catastrophe risk analysts and emergency
managers for natural hazards
Agricultural extension officers
Government policy officers
University lecturers
High school and TAFE teachers
Research scientists in universities and
government agencies
Park rangers
Geospatial analysts
Our facilities
Undergraduate courses are supported by two
interactive teaching laboratories and one of
the largest array of advanced field equipment
in Australia.
Higher degree programs undertake
research using super computing facilities,
custom-built laboratories for geochemistry,
geospatial analysis and microscopy, and
geophysical and atmospheric instrumentation.
These facilities are supported by well-trained and
dedicated technical staff and demonstrators.
Why study Earth, Atmosphere
and Environment at Monash?
How to study Earth,
Atmosphere and Environment
You can study a major from the School of Earth, Atmosphere and
Environment at Monash as part of the following courses:
Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science Advanced Research (Honours)
Bachelor of Science Advanced Global Challenges (Honours)
For further details and information on these options please
see our Science Undergraduate Course Guide or visit
monash.edu/science/future/courses
Honours studies
Following their first degree, students can apply to do honours.
The honours program involves the completion of a research
project and coursework options that cover a broad range of
topics selected by the student in conjunction with the coordinator.
Postgraduate studies
After honours, students can apply to undertake MSc and
PhD studies. These degrees involve coursework options
and a research project or thesis.
Our people
Vanessa Wong
Lecturer
Vanessas research explores interactions between soils,
sediments, and helps catchment management authorities
develop strategies to improve land and water management.
She is interested in the role of soil-surface water-shallow
groundwater processes, ranging from the micron scale to the
landscape scale, and she seeks to understand how these
processes occur in a range of environments, focusing most
recently on inland and coastal floodplain environments.
Christian Jakob
Professor
Christian is a professor in Atmospheric Science. His research
focusses on computer models of the Earth atmosphere, which
are used to make weather forecasts, predict seasons and
simulate current and future climates. In particular he works
on representing clouds and thunderstorms in these computer
models, as they play a major role in the way energy and water
are cycled through the atmosphere and hence are crucial
elements of the climate system.
Jeffrey Stilwell
Senior Lecturer
What is it that makes certain groups of animals (or for that
matter any life forms) robust enough to survive a major crisis in
Earth history such as those that managed to continue living
across the Permo-Triassic catastrophe about 250 million years
ago, when upwards of eighty per cent of all life expires?
This is one of Jeffreys major research interests, whose
specialty is the Phylum Mollusca bivalves, snails, and
their kin. Stilwell has led and participated in a number of
remote area expeditions. He has been to places including
Antarctica and India, and recently led a National Geographic
Expedition to the Chatham Islands to study ancient forests
dating back 100 million years.
Majors you can study
School of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment currently
offers three single or extended majors, with a fourth to
be added in 2016:
Atmospheric Sciences
Studies the structure and evolution of the weather and
climate system from small-scale turbulence to global-scale
climate change.
Geosciences
Addresses the major processes that have shaped our planet over
deep geological time and which continue to pose natural hazards
to society.
Geographical Science
Focuses on the natural and human processes affecting the
physical environment, including soils, vegetation, water, landforms
and climate, past, present and future.
Environmental Earth Sciences (from 2016)
Addresses how the Earths environment functions and explores
the impacts of anthropogenic change.
David Willis, PhD
My PhD project aims to understand how the North and South
Islands of New Zealand have moved and interacted during the last
25 million years. My research will provide valuable insights about
how the plate boundary between the Pacific and Australian tectonic
plates runs between
through the two islands
of New Zealand and
has controlled the
landscape, mountain
ranges, earthquakes and
volcanoes for more than
30 million years.
My project has given me
the opportunity to spend
time camping in the
remote and spectacular
mountains of New Zealands South Island studying rock formations.
These rocks tell a story about how the plate boundary has changed
through time.
I also use complex state-of-the-art 3D numerical simulations to
recreate some of my field observations. These models provide an
amazing opportunity to visualise the possible movement of the
tectonic plates and the processes which drive change along the
plate boundary.
By combining both field studies and numerical modelling we hope
to provide new insights into the processes that control the motion
of tectonic plates, and how this plate boundary in turn controls the
distribution of mountain ranges, earthquakes and volcanoes.
Caitlin Moore, PhD
I once thought that being a research scientist involved wearing a lab
coat and playing with chemicals. While this sort of thing is fun for
some, I have since learnt research is much more diverse.
My PhD research is focused on understanding tropical savanna
productivity in northern Australia. I use an instrument installed on
towers (called Flux Towers) that sits high above the tree canopy to
measure the transfer of water and carbon dioxide between the trees
and the atmosphere. I then use this data and combine it with satellite
data to understand the information Ive collected in a regional context.
This type of research helps us to quantify how much carbon
is taken up by savanna vegetation and how much water the
vegetation is using in the process. This information is important
for accurately estimating the carbon balance of Australias
ecosystems (i.e. for carbon accounting purposes) and for
calculating the amount of water available for human use from
savanna catchments (i.e. for agriculture, drinking, etc).
My research provides me with a nice balance of office, laboratory
and outdoor work. I travel to remote areas in the Northern Territory
to conduct my field work, analyse samples in the lab and write up
results in the office. In addition, I also get to travel to conferences and
workshops in Australia and internationally to present my work and
improve my research skills. For me, my PhD has provided me with a
wonderful opportunity to conduct meaningful research, travel to places
I never would have before, and meet/work with many different people
conducting fascinating research of their own.
Stefan Vollgger, PhD
I always had a passion for new technologies, but at the same time
I loved to be outdoors, hiking in the mountains and enjoying nature.
So I was looking for a profession where I could combine both;
thats when I started to study geology.
As a geologist, you try to understand complex processes which form
and shape the earth we are living on. I collect data in the field, and
then process it in the office. I love the variety this profession has to
offer. On the one hand you can employ artificial neural networks to
analyse your data, on the other you use a petrol-powered rock drill to
collect samples.
In my research I am looking at geological structures which form when
rocks break and/or bend. These structures are important because
they can trap metal-bearing fluids inside the earth. When we trap
enough of these fluids, we form ore deposits. To understand these
important structures, I use two state-of-the-art techniques: 3D implicit
geological modelling and UAV assisted close-range photogrammetry.
3D implicit geological modelling in this project uses drill hole data and
essentially gives us something like X-ray vision which detects trends
in the distribution of metals trapped
in the Earth. I aim to understand
the process which formed these
trends and be able to predict the
location of new, undiscovered
ore deposits. Unmanned aerial
vehicle (UAV) assisted close-range
photogrammetry is a technique
where we employ a remote
controlled UAV to take high resolution
aerial photographs.
These images are used to compute a photorealistic 3D model that
allows us to precisely measure the geometry, location and orientation
of geological structures.
Jessica Hamilton, PhD
My research is focussed on finding innovative ways to store CO2 and
reduce greenhouse gas emissions using a natural, rock-weathering
process. I focus on using mine waste material. As rocks and minerals
weather at the surface of the Earth, they release elements such
as magnesium and calcium into the environment. These elements
combine with carbon dioxide to make new minerals which store
carbon for thousands to millions of years.
My work has the potential to allow mines to eliminate unwanted waste
material such as asbestos, and allow operating mines to offset their
Carbon Dioxide emissions.
I am really excited about working on this project because it involves
a combination of field work, laboratory experiments, and modelling,
so I am always doing something different. I have always been
interested in sustainability and the environment, and I am proud of the
fact that I am now doing something that could make a big difference.
I hope through this work I could develop a new emissions reduction
strategy mining companies might take on board, paving the way
towards a carbon neutral mining sector for Australia and the planet.
Earth, Atmosphere
and Environment
Have you ever walked down a beach and wondered where the sand has
come from and how it turns into a rock? Have you seen a fossil of a sea
creature on a mountain and wondered how that got there? Why do some
countries have earth quakes and others dont?
How can you predict volcanic eruptions? Why is our
weather so crazy and how are meteorologists able to
predict the weather in advance? How have the continents
moved over time or why is the globe warming? Are we
going to run out of energy? Where can we get more
energy? Why is there so much water underground and
how do we know where it is? Can I make our planet a
better place for my children and grandchildren?
These are all questions explored within the School of
Earth, Atmosphere and Environment.
We are living in a time when scientists are accountable to
the wider community; we are required to provide answers
to global problems such as earthquakes, volcanic
eruptions, and rapidly changing weather patterns,
drought and global climate change. Every day, the worlds
media reinforces these issues by highlighting the fragility
of our planet via reports about natural disasters, and
the demand the population exerts on our finite natural
resources that are essential to our society.
More than ever before, scientists have to be smarter
about discovering new energy and mineral resources
such as oil, gas and base metals. Equally importantly,
we have to invest wisely in our planet and discover better
ways to harvest energy, manage our precious water
resources, and renew the environment at the same time.
Our planet and our society depend on this.
The School of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment
(SEAE), is a newly-formed School in the Faculty of
Science and is the amalgamation of existing areas
including geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and
geographical and environmental science. SEAE brings
together Monashs capability in earth systems.
Joining the School of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment
means that you can help shape our understanding of
these critical, dynamic issues. For the first time, subjects
you are studying have an important practical application,
and can help answer some of the most fundamental
questions about the world we live in.
Visit monash.edu/earth-atmosphere-environment for more.
What our students do
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4 5
6 7
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1. David doing fieldwork in New Zealand
2. Flux Tower measuring carbon dioxide and water
exchange between the savanna and the atmosphere
3. Caitlins Field Office
4. Stefan collecting samples for laboratory analysis using a
petrol-powered rock drill
5. Stefan Flying an UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) for
high-resolution mapping of folded and faulted rocks
6. Rocks do bend. Measuring ground control points for
UAV assisted close-range photogrammetry
7. Jessica in the lab
8. Jessica at an old mine site
Numerical model of two plates interacting
Regional structural trend model based
on an implicit modelling workflow
The information in this brochure was correct at the time of publication (July 2014).
Monash University reserves the right to alter this information should the need arise.
You should always check with the relevant Faculty office when considering a course.
CRICOS provider: Monash University 00008C