australasian hydrographic Society |
2024 AHS Education Award Winner - Chris BerryThe 2024 AHS Education Award winner is Chris Berry, a MSc Research Student at the University of Tasmania's Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies and a certified Hydrographic Surveyor (CPHS2) with CSIRO's Geophysical Survey and Mapping team. His research project delves into the mysteries of the Tasmanian Seamounts located south of Tasmania. It aims to enhance our understanding of when and how these seamounts formed, and how the habitat they provide for deep-water coral is distributed and affected by oceanographic and human processes. By leveraging machine learning, advanced seabed characterization techniques, and data acquired by the Marine National Facility RV Investigator, Chris's work is set to reveal new insights into these deep-ocean marine environments. The Panel’s assessment of Chris' detailed submission noted that this is a topical and very worthwhile thesis as it is likely to contribute to understanding new processing methods through innovative machine learning for ocean floor management, as well as developing a better understanding of an original study area - Tasmanian Seamounts. One reviewer noted that “The project promises substantial contributions to marine science and practical applications in deep-ocean mapping.” As part of his award, Chris receives $3,500AUD, AHS membership and will be presenting to the AHS soon. Congratulations Chris! | MSc Research Student at the University of Tasmania's Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies |
Katie Hughes and Emily Harrex are the joint 2023 recipients of the AHS Education AwardThe AHS Education Award Panel were so impressed by their entries that we awarded two prizes this year. Both Katie and Emily are based in Aotearoa New Zealand. They received their awards and presented their work to members the NZ Region Seminar Day in August 2023. The talks were very well received and generated much conversation afterwards – congratulations to Katie and Emily!
Katie Hughes: For her excellent contribution to the hydrographic surveying profession through her research project ‘Reconstructing coseismic landslide-generated lacustrine tsunami’This area of study is very relevant for our region and members of our society. The Panel’s assessment of your detailed submission is that it shows excellent links between the use of hydrographic processes and techniques to the understanding of natural environments and natural hazard events such as tsunami. The collection, analysis, and incorporation of bathymetric data into this research project is of interest to the AHS membership, and your project will no doubt be of value to the scientific community, as well as to the public who live near lakes around the world. Katie Hughes is New Zealand PhD candidate in Physical Geography at Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington and co-supervised at the University of Otago. Her PhD research investigates the feasibility of using hydrographic and sedimentological methods to develop magnitude-frequency records for landslide-generated lacustrine tsunami, using a case study of lakes across New Zealand’s South Island. Katie’s research uses multibeam sonar to identify landslide deposits in lake bathymetry, which can provide key insights into the potentially hazardous phenomenon of landslide-generated lake tsunami. A landslide-generated tsunami occurs when a large volume of landslide material impacts the surface of a lake or fjord, or when an underwater slope fails. The displacement of water during these landslides can produce waves with run-up heights of hundreds of metres. Despite the high magnitude nature of these events, there is limited inclusion of this hazard in civil defence measures or hazard assessment for lake environments, particularly in Australasia. Katie’s research aims to provide a framework for the application of hydrographic and sedimentological methods to obtain magnitude-frequency records of lake tsunami that can be applied in New Zealand, and lakes globally. Furthermore, this project has developed a dataset of high-resolution multibeam bathymetry and detailed subaqueous landslide inventories for the five study lakes, which can be utilized for a range of other research applications. This project seeks to promote the utility of hydrographic methods in geoscience and natural hazard assessment, particularly its value in addressing the absence of data-driven risk management for the poorly understood hazard of lake tsunami.
Emily Harrex: For her excellent contribution to the hydrographic surveying profession with her research project ‘Breaking Waves; A Snapshot of Women in Hydrography’.This area of study is very relevant for our region and members of our society. The Panel’s assessment of your detailed submission noted that this is a topical and very worthwhile thesis as it is likely to contribute to addressing diversity in the hydrographic (and broader) spatial industry. A better understanding of the barriers that prevent women from entering the profession will allow the industry to identify and quantify these barriers so as to develop smarter policy responses, thereby eliminating any perceived or actual barriers. One reviewer noted that “Emily may have taken a significant academic risk by not taking a conventional approach to researching and/or addressing a technical problem, and she should be commended for taking on such a significant topic.” Kia ora, I'm Emily, a fourth-year Bachelor of Surveying student at the University of Otago. I've found a passion for hydrography through my studies at university and took on a SURV 470 Professional Project focussed on women in hydrography. Just 25% of qualified hydrographers are women, and I was interested in delving into the reasons why. My project, Breaking Waves, focuses on understanding the barriers that prevent women from pursuing a career in hydrography. This project captures a “snapshot” of women in hydrography from the perspective of myself as a surveying student, the perspective of other females in hydrography and the perspective of employers of hydrographic companies and organisations. | Katie Hughes PhD candidate in Physical Geography at Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington Emily Harrex Bachelor of Surveying student at the University of Otago |
2022 AHS Education Award Winner - Daniel AdamsDaniel Adams is the 2022 recipient of the AHS Education Award. Daniel is an Australian citizen who is studying towards a Master of Philosophy - Computer Science at Curtin University, Australia on improving underwater photogrammetric 3D reconstruction processing of shipwreck sites. | Master of Philosophy - Computer Science at Curtin University |
2021 AHS Education Award Winner - Alysha JohnsonAlysha Johnson is the 2021 recipient of the AHS Education Award. Alysha is a New Zealand citizen who is studying towards a PhD at the University of Wollongong, Australia on the geomorphic evolution of oceanic volcanoes. Alysha's research is using bathymetry and geospatial techniques to interpret Norfolk Island and it's marine shelf. Her research seeks to identify bathymetric hazards, reconstruct erosion, and comment on the long-term evolutionary processes that have formed Norfolk Island's modern morphology and possible controls of oceanic volcano evolution in the South-West Pacific. Reviewers noted that this area of study is highly relevant for our region and members of our society. In her project outline Alysha mentioned volcanic island evolution, bathymetric hazards to shipping, and considerations of the relationship between reefs, water temperature and erosion from wave energy. By using LADS, multibeam and sub-bottom data she will generate new and complete bathymetry in this location, which along with terrestrial work which will enable her to determine the likely future geologic path of this location. Her work has the potential to further our knowledge of the Norfolk Island shelf and in the process identify methods that may be used on other isolated islands in our region, and worldwide. From Alysha: Thank you very much! This was a wonderful surprise to kick off Friday and will be crucial to help support my fieldwork. Please pass on my thanks to the Education Award Panel for seeing the value in my project. | PhD Student at the University of Wollongong, Australia. |