Science, Technology and Engineering

Environmental Geoscience

Honours Projects

Honours projects in Environmental Geoscience are focussed around the two main research programs: groundwater and acid mine drainage; however, projects with a stronger geological or chemical background are also available.

During the honours year, students have the opportunity to develop their research and analytical skills, while gaining in-depth knowledge of a particular environmental issue. Projects may be laboratory or field based, and many of the projects work with government or industry organisations to provide solutions to real-world environmental problems. Many students find the honours year very rewarding and the experience gained is invaluable to future careers in research or industry.

Students also have the opportunity to participate in the annual Victorian Universities Earth and Environmental Science Conference held jointly with Melbourne and Monash Universities. The conference is designed to give La Trobe students the experience of presenting their research while interacting with students and lecturers from other universities. Honours students also participate in short-courses run by the Victorian Institute of Earth and Planetary Sciences; these provide a more in-depth knowledge in the student's field of study and again allow them to interact with students and lecturers from other universities.

Potential Projects

Read the list of honours projects available for students beginning in 2009.

Past Projects

2008

John Sharples - Modelling the impacts of land use changes on stream flow and salt load in the Hopkins catchment using the Catchment Analysis Tool (CAT).
- Modelling of groundwater recharge on a small scale (paddock) using MIKE SHE.

Sharon Honicke - Hydrogeology and hydrogeochemistry of the upper Campaspe deep lead.

Andrew Nelson - Geochemical Characterisation and Arsenic Remediation of Mine Discharge Water at the Glen Wills Historic Mining Area, Victoria.

Fiona Glover - Inland acid sulphate soils: a study of three wetlands along the Murray River, Australia.

Dale McKenzie - Groundwater - surface water interactions in the Cairn Curran catchment.

2007

Kate Bailue - Groundwater recharge and flow on a small scale (paddock) in the Willaura area, western Victoria.

Catherine Hart - Salinisation and groundwater - surface water interactions in the Glenelg River, western Victoria.

Matt Ryan - Using water and salt budgets to quantify the effect of blue-gum plantations on water sources in the Eastern Dundas Tableland, western Victoria.

Katherine Coady - Hydrogeochemical study of Upper Bet Bet catchment.

2006

Sarah Hagerty - Groundwater - surface water interactions in the Tullaroop catchment, central Victoria.

2005

Tracey Hassell - A hydrogeological and geochemical characterisation of an abandoned tailings dam at Savage River Mine in Tasmania.

2004

Meredith Bormann - Variation in rainfall composition across Victoria.

Michael Ernest - Hydrogeology around Lake Bolac, Western Victoria.

2003

Ben Beatty - Hydrogeology and water chemistry of the groundwater in the upper Loddon catchment, Clunes-Creswick district.

Chihiro Tanaka - Hydrogeology and water chemistry of groundwater in the Campaspe valley.

Janaya Wattie - Salinity of the Hopkins River, western Victoria.

Joni Woollard - Stability of acid mine drainage treatment sludge, Brukunga mine, SE South Australia.

Emily House - Sedimentology and geomorphology of Ad-Dhra area, SE edge of Dead Sea, Jordan.

2002

Glenn Marriott- The use of quartz in an anoxic limestone drain.

Matthew Edwards - Chemical, isotopic and geophysical study of dryland salinity at Kamarooka, central Victoria.

2001

Darren Bennetts - Locating preferential flowpaths within the Willaura catchment using isotopic geochemistry.

Danny McDonald - Development of instrumental procedures for the analysis of toxic forms of arsenic in environmental waters and sediments.

2000

Gemma Nicol - The effect of magnesium hydroxide on the physical properties of soil.

Silvana Santomartino - A comparison of methods for acid sulphate soil analysis.

Sarah McAliece - Dryland salinity in the Creswick area, Victoria.

Steven McGrath - Determination of Cadmium in North-Central Victorian Rivers by Potentiometric Stripping Analysis.

Duane Kelly - Determination of Weak Acid Dissociable Cyanide by Flow Injection, Ligand Exchange and Amperometry.

Marc Kelly - Palaeoclimate interpretation of freshwater stromatolites, Mt Gambier.

1999

Susanna Finger - Geochemistry and Arsenic Contamination of Gold-mine Waste Water.

Geology Department Theses

Downlaod a list of honours thesis completed in the Department of Geology at La Trobe University since 1973.