19 January 2009
Floods can have both positive and negative impacts. They can bring welcome relief for people and ecosystems suffering from prolonged drought, but are also estimated to be the most costly natural hazard in Australia.
Every year flooding causes millions of dollars damage to buildings and critical infrastructure such as roads and railways, as well as to agricultural land and crops. Floods can also affect the health of communities and disrupt business.
As part of the ongoing process to understand more about the natural hazards affecting Australia such as floods, Geoscience Australia developed the Australian Flood Studies Database. Released in October 2006, the database is the first attempt to assemble all available information on existing flood studies at a national level.
As the database has been in use for over two years, we would like your feedback in order to:
If you have used the database or have an interest in floods, your input will be highly valuable to our review.
15 January 2009
The half-day workshop simulated how geoscientists search Australia for new mineral deposits using rock samples, maps and data from remote Western Australia.
During the day, students took the chance to talk to some of Australia's leading geoscientists about the careers and opportunities available in the field of Earth science.
"It was great to see scientists engaging with students and helping them learn about what we do," said Dr Neil Williams, CEO of Geoscience Australia. "I'd like to see the students pursing a career in geoscience and participating in our cadetship and graduate programs".
The National Youth Science Forum is a two week program held in Canberra each year for students moving into year 12 with an interest in science, engineering and technology.