I tried all the "ologies" but fell in love with earth science
The phrase "at least she's good at art" was thrown around too often in my early years, because STEM subjects were not my forte at the time. However, after trying various arts degrees like anthropology, sociology, geography and archaeology, I stumbled across an elective unit called "Our Dynamic Planet", and I have never looked back. I had some serious leg work to do while at UWA to cover all the subjects that didn't come easily to me in earlier years, but I wouldn't do anything differently. I had to work really hard to pursue something that I loved, and it made me appreciate it even more. While completing the geology degree at UWA I was fortunate enough to be a successful applicant for the WA Mining Club Scholarship in Geology, which is sponsored by IGO. I look back on this day as a major catalyst in my career as it introduced me to IGO and gave me a foot in the door to the mineral exploration sector. My first role was as a vacation student with IGO for the 2017-2018 intake, which was my penultimate year in the undergraduate degree. I completed my Honours year in 2019 in conjunction with IGO, looking at the thermal evolution of the Nova-Bollinger deposit, and incredibly I was able to get this thesis published in an international earth science journal - this was a very important milestone for me and it really reinforced my passion for microanalysis and research and development. Since then I have made my way through the Graduate Program at IGO, working in and out of the field in stunning locations such as the Albany Fraser Orogen and the Kimberley, and now work in a role that requires me to draw on everything I've learned so far on a near daily basis - it is exciting, challenging, and I love what I do.
I work with stream sediments to find exploration indicator minerals
My primary role with IGO is working through a vast stream sediment catalogue, searching for potential indicator minerals from various deposit styles. I use rapid identification methods such as automated mineral classification software, and when I find something interesting, I take a closer look at the mineral's chemistry.
I am constantly learning and having to think critically
In my current role I interrogate a lot of data that has been collected using various microanalysis techniques - all of which needs a critical eye and can not be taken at face value. This means I am constantly researching and needing to stay on my toes when it comes to learning new concepts about mineralogy. I then get to relate that back to the larger scale of mineral exploration - does what I learned today at the micro scale have implications for how we explore at the macro scale for various mineral deposit styles?
Never turn down a mentoring opportunity
I had a lot of difficulty in my earlier years engaging with STEM subjects, and while at uni understanding what my potential options were, because I struggled to find many role models that I could relate to, particularly female role models that I could look to for influence. While I am grateful for my roundabout journey into earth science, having some mentors and STEM positive influences around me would have taken away a lot of the stress and frustration, and provided me more of a sense of direction earlier on. Now, I have a lot more people around me who can speak to their pathways, whether it's regarding earth science, academia, industry focus, work-life balance, or simply life administration in an ever-busying world. It is very centering for me to be able to speak to people about their experiences or life challenges. Now that I am in more of a position to offer my own advice on pathways into STEM careers etc, I try to be involved as much as I can in various organisations and events that seek to engage young people, and particularly young females in STEM and industry roles. I hope to be the role model for others that I couldn't seek out myself.
Getting my research published!
I competed my Honours year at UWA in 2019, and when my supervisors suggested I should work towards having it published I thought it was going to be another one of these things in life that never get finished. It took me 2 years to get the paper up to publication standard while I was working in the field as a graduate student, I can't tell you how many times I was sitting around the camp fire working on revisions, there was a lot of self doubt, a lot of steep learning curves and a lot of lost sleep. But I lived to tell the tale and can now say my work has been published, which is a very, very proud moment.
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