AGCC Convention Adelaide Australia Oct 14-18 2018

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AGCC Convention Adelaide Australia Oct 14-18 2018

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AGCC Australian Geoscience Council Convention
www.agcc.org.au
14-18 OCTOBER 2018 Adelaide South Australia



LETTER OF INVITATION FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE AUSTRALIAN GEOSCIENCE COUNCIL
Please accept our invitation to attend the inaugural Australian Geoscience Council Convention (AGCC 2018) in Adelaide, South Australia, from 14 to 18 October 2018 during Earth Science Week. The Convention will provide a focus and opportunity for geoscientists from the Asia Pacific Region to come together to discuss and promote all aspects of Geoscience and to gain valuable professional development from an engaging program.
The venue for the event is the newly expanded Adelaide Convention Centre, one of Australia’s leading convention and entertainment facilities that offers a vast array of meeting and exhibition spaces. Adelaide offers a Mediterranean climate, a relaxed lifestyle, a dynamic food scene, beautiful surrounding gardens and nearby beaches, and is at the doorstep of one of the world’s most renowned wine regions.
AGCC 2018 will be the largest Geoscience event to be held in the Asia Pacific Region since 2012. It will feature a very wide ranging scientific program, a range of pre- and post- Convention field trips, a large exhibition, expert training workshops and an education program.
Under the theme BIG ISSUES AND IDEAS IN GEOSCIENCE, AGCC 2018 will examine and address current and emerging issues that affect geoscientists and our society, with particular focus on energy security, resource development in Northern Australia, Geoscience education and communication, and the impact of boom-and-bust commodity cycles. Technical themes will cover theoretical and applied Geoscience, mineral and energy resources, environmental and societal science, and emerging technologies. The scientific program is based around five main themes, as outlined in this document. At this stage, the Theme Convenors welcome suggestions for additional sessions and symposia from interested scientists.
Field trips are planned to world-class mineral and fossil localities, and a variety of day tours will be available during the Convention, covering places of geological, scenic and cultural interest closer to and within Adelaide.
AGCC 2018 is supported by all eight Member Organisations of the Australian Geoscience Council. It will incorporate the 2018 Australian Earth Science Convention and the Australian University Geoscience Education Network annual meeting. We invite other Geoscience groups to consider integrating their technical meetings and symposia into the AGCC 2018, to benefit from the opportunities this offers for synergies and networking.
The AGCC 2018 website, www.agcc.org.au is our key information outlet. Please visit it to find up-to-date information about the Convention, make suggestions, register your interest or volunteer your services.
I look forward to meeting you in Adelaide in October 2018!

CONVENTION PARTICIPATION
All members of the global Geoscience community and the public are welcome to participate in the Convention and are warmly invited to attend the Convention. We will provide discounts to members of AGC Member Organisations and honour reciprocal arrangements they have with international organisations.
Please, complete the ‘Join the mailing list’ form when you visit the AGCC 2018 website www.agcc.org.au – you will then automatically receive updates and news.
All delegates are required to register online and pay the appropriate Convention registration fee. Note that registrations will not be confirmed until after payment has been made and cleared.
Official letters of confirmation will be provided to delegates by the Convention only after clearance of registration fee payment.
Early bird and group registrations open in November 2017.
Convention fees will be payable in Australian Dollars (AUD). Payments cannot be accepted in any other currency. Secure online credit card payment facilities will be available. Registration fees will be announced in the website in November 2017 and will be kept as low as practical, especially for student delegates.
AGCC 2018 PARTNERS
The legal entity responsible for the AGCC 2018 is the Australian Geoscience Council Inc. (AGC), the Council of Earth Science Societies in Australia and the peak body for Geoscience. It represents eight major Australian Geoscientific organisations with a total membership exceeding 8,000 individuals:
• Association of Applied Geochemists • Australian Geoscience Information Association • Australian Institute of Geoscientists • Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy • International Association of Hydrogeologists Australia • Australian Society of Exploration Geophysicists • Geological Society of Australia • Petroleum Exploration Society of Australia

CONVENTION ORGANISING COMMITTEE
Dr Bill Shaw, Chair of Organising Committee president@agc.org.au Ms Sue Fletcher,
Secretary of Organising Committee sue@gsa.org.au Ms Miriam Way,
Treasurer of Organising Committee mway@ausimm.com.au Mr Ashley Gordon,
Director of Carillon Conference Management ashley@ccm.com.au Dr Graham Carr,
Supporting Chair of Organising Committee graham.carr@csiro.au Mr Kim Frankcombe,
Supporting Treasurer of Organising Committee kfrankcombe@iinet.net.au Ms Leanne Gunther, Supporting Secretary of Organising Committee admin@agc.org.au Mr Brad Clements,
Supporting Treasurer of Organising Committee bclements@ausimm.com.au

IMPORTANT DATES
Please take note of the following deadlines: 14 October 2017 Abstract submissions open 04 November 2017 Early bird and group registrations open (available until 7 July 2018) 16 June 2018 Abstract submissions close 7 July 2018 Early bird registrations close 28 July 2018 Formal notification to authors of acceptance or otherwise of Abstract 18 August 2018 Registration and payment deadline for presenters of papers (oral and poster) that will be included in the Convention 01 September 2018 Final program released (including submitted papers) 6 October 2018 Standard registrations close. A higher registration fee will apply to all registrations received after this date. No online registration will be accepted after this date. A higher onsite registration fee will apply to all registrations received onsite.
PROPOSED OVERALL STRUCTURE AND TIMING OF THE AGCC 2018

Pre-Convention Field Trips 7 October – 14 October 2018 Registration opens, Exhibition set up, Business Meetings 14 October 2018 AGCC 2018 Welcome Reception Evening, 14 October 2018 Opening Ceremony First session, 15 October 2018 Scientific Program 15 – 18 October 2018 Big issues and Ideas in Geoscience day 16 October 2018 Business Meetings Evenings, 15 – 18 October 2018 Convention Dinner Evening, 17 October 2018 Closing Ceremony Last session, 18 October 2018 Post-Convention Field Trips 18 – 25 October 2018

BIG ISSUES AND IDEAS IN GEOSCIENCE DAY
Tuesday 16 October 2018 will be set aside in the program for consideration of four Big Issues identified for this Convention:
Our energy security options – dirty words in a clean world (fossil fuels, nuclear, fracking, renewables, and alternative markets) In June 2017, Australian Chief Scientist Dr Alan Finkel released “Blueprint for The Future - Independent Review into The Future of The National Electricity Market”. Interruption of supply and pricing projections of electricity and gas around the country are raising concern. Diminishing coal and gas reserves, worries about nuclear energy options and environmental agitation about unconventional gas (fracking and the “shut the gate” movement) all sit uneasily with the Australian public. How can the Geoscience community provide objective science to quell the alarmists and move forward in the face of this dilemma?
Resource-driven development of Northern Australia The development of Northern Australia, a vast area of land with a sparse population in close proximity to our Asian neighbours and markets, is one of the great nation-building opportunities for the 21st Century. Resources of this region, whether mineral, energy, agricultural or water, must be central to the Federal Government’s new major strategic focus. Northern Australia has 40% of the country’s land area but, because of its historical remoteness, is likely to have a much greater proportion of its undiscovered mineral deposits. The innovative and sustainable development of water resources will be critical to the potential of this region to emerge as the food bowl of Asia in coming decades. Collectively, the best Geoscience, collaborating across a range of disciplines, will be essential to realise this potential.
Geoscience education and new modes of communication The Member Organisations of the AGC have adopted a strategic plan that takes a very broad view of Geoscience Education, from primary school, through continuing education, public awareness and even policy framing. A reviewer of the new Earth and Environmental Science component of the Australian Curriculum stated that ‘The inclusion of Earth into the study program has improved the academic rigour of the subject and positioned it squarely as a science’.
Many geoscientists consider our knowledge base to be huge in terms of spatial and temporal understanding and are sometimes amazed at the ‘Earth illiteracy’ of people we encounter every day. Is this likely to change as the current crop of primary and secondary students develop and move into the community?
Core competencies and standards in education and the delivery of education are relevant to all disciplines and levels of education. What will be their impact on students, academia, industry and society?
Professor Iain Stewart, Director of the Sustainable Earth Institute in Plymouth, UK and a riveting speaker who is passionate about Geoscience communication and education will help us address this Big Issue.
Smoothing the impact of boom and bust commodity cycles The ‘dismal science’ of economics has not provided much joy for geoscientists, many of whom suffer cyclical unemployment, seemingly at the whim of the market and commodity cycles. Mining historian Geoffrey Blainey first highlighted the historical linkages between commodity booms and Australia’s development.


GENERAL INFORMATION
Visas Unless you are a citizen of Australia or New Zealand, you will need to apply for and obtain a visa prior to your journey to Australia.

For full information on Australian visas, please visit the Australian Government Department of Immigration and Border Protection website: www.border.gov.au
The Convention will provide a letter of invitation for visa purposes to delegates who have paid the full registration fee and are from those countries that need an invitation letter to enter Australia.
Accommodation Whatever your accommodation budget, there are plenty of hotels to choose from in Adelaide and regionally in South Australia if you plan to stay on for some sightseeing.
You’ll find plenty of accommodation in Adelaide, including boutique hotels and international hotels. Most hotels are in the city centre, and there are many hotels, motels, bed & breakfasts and other options nearby.

THEMES AND PROPOSED SUB-THEMES
The AGCC 2018 Scientific Program Committee (chaired by Dr Chris Yeats, Executive Director Geological Survey of New South Wales) is developing the technical program around five themes, each convened by a leader in that field.
The themes are designed to cover many facets of the Geosciences. Four to seven sessions are currently proposed for each theme:
Theme 1: Understanding the Earth - Professor Dietmar Müller dietmar.muller@sydney.edu.au Dr Dietmar Müller is Professor of Geophysics in the School of Geosciences at the University of Sydney. He is well known and respected nationally and internationally. His research interests include marine geology and geophysics, plate tectonics, geodynamics, basin evolution, paleoclimate, paleoceanography, the deep carbon cycle, virtual globes, simulation and modelling as well as big/complex Geoscience data analysis.
Sub-themes that are currently outlined: a. Deep Earth systems and planetary fluxes b The dynamic Earth – planetary dynamics and geohazards c. Sedimentary basins d. Marine Geoscience- the evolving oceans e. Earth’s climate – past, present and future f. The solar system and beyond Professor Müller is a member of the GSA.
Theme 2: Life on Earth – origins and diversity - Professor Simon George simon.george@mq.edu.au Dr Simon George is Professor of Organic Geochemistry and Director of the Macquarie University Marine Research Centre. He has had considerable experience in conference organisation both while at Macquarie University and prior to that while at CSIRO. His research interests overlap strongly with this Theme.
Sub-themes that are currently outlined: a. The origins and development of life b. Ediacaran symposium c. Mass extinctions d. Ancient and historical record of life in Australia e. The limits of life on Earth – extremophiles f. Geobiology – mineral/rock interactions with organic hydrocarbons g. Life beyond our planet Professor George is a member of PESA.
1VD Bouguer Gravity image of offshore South Australia, 2016. Image courtesy of GSSA.
11AUSTRALIAN GEOSCIENCE COUNCIL CONVENTION AGCC 2018 FIRST CIRCULAR
Theme 3: Resources – discovery, development, use and sustainability - Dr Kevin Cassidy barerock@iinet.net.au Sub-themes that are currently outlined: a. Mineral systems and discovery under cover b. Petroleum frontiers – includes unconventional hydrocarbon sources (coal seam gas, fracking, etc.) c. The future of coal d. The future energy mix (coal/gas/nuclear/renewables) e. Building our society – construction materials and industrial minerals f. Water resources – groundwater resource sustainability g. Geoscience and sustainability – balancing extraction with environmental management (cumulative impacts as a holistic view)
Theme 4: Applied Geosciences in the 21st Century – innovation, technology and the future - Chris Woodfull cwoodfull@srk.com.au Chris Woodfull is Managing Director of SRK Consulting (Australasia). He is a geologist with over 27 years’ experience in exploration, mining geology and environmental management, in industry or as a consultant. He is an experienced project director and manager in a range of areas including: geological risk, exploration and independent technical reviews for the resource sector. Chris has worked on numerous exploration targeting/assessment and structural geological risk studies for minerals and coal exploration and mining companies. In recent years, he has managed a number of major geological and multi-disciplinary projects including two multi-client, basin-scale structural framework and risk studies to assist coal, coal seam gas and minerals companies operating and exploring in the Sydney-Gunnedah Basin in New South Wales and the Bowen, Surat and Drummond Basins in Queensland.
Sub-themes that are currently outlined: a. Geohazards, risk and mitigation b. Mining geology and geometallurgy c. Engineering geology – from underpinning our civil infrastructure to mine closure d. Geoscience for the Agriculture Sector e. Exploration technology – new techniques and applications f. Mathematical geology, AI and robotics, 3D modelling and automated interpretation Chris Woodfull is a member of AusIMM.
Diamond drilling into Cambrian basement through 250 metres of sediments of the Murray Basin in western Victoria. Image courtesy of Austpac Resources.
AUSTRALIAN GEOSCIENCE COUNCIL CONVENTION
12 AGCC 2018 FIRST CIRCULAR AUSTRALIAN GEOSCIENCE COUNCIL CONVENTION
Theme 5: Beyond the rocks – Geoscience in our society: current application and future trends – Dr Anna Littleboy anna.littleboy@csiro.au Dr Anna Littleboy is a Research Director at CSIRO and leads the
Australia’s Mineral Futures Team, exploring the future of the Australian minerals sector given the trends shaping the world today. With a background in the earth and environmental sciences Anna has more than 20 years’ research management experience and has delivered new interdisciplinary research initiatives in mineral resource innovation, clean coal technologies, environmental sensing, social license to operate, flow chemistry, recycling and strategic foresight. She is a skilled strategist who works across disciplines to develop innovation with global impact, and has established influential initiatives at the interface where science informs policy. Anna has worked as a facilitator and mentor in a range of external companies including resource companies, State and Federal Governments and international organisations.
Sub-themes that are currently outlined: a. Geoscience and education b. Geoscience in economics and finance c. Geoscience advocacy, professionalism and ethics d. Geoscience solutions - understanding, prediction and adaptation


Along the coast and throughout South Australia you will find a range of accommodation to suit single travellers, couples or families. http://southaustralia.com/places-to-go/ ... ommodation
AGCC 2018 has blocked rooms in a range of hotels which will be made available to delegates at the time of registration.
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