The PESA AEGC Student Travel Bursaries have been designed to provide financial assistance to students and early career geoscientists to attend the AEGC by helping to cover travel expenses and conference registration fees. Open to PESA members giving an oral, poster or Geopitch competition presentation, they offer a member per state the chance to attend this conference for a significantly reduced price.
This year, Courtney Berry, a student at Curtin University currently based in Brisbane was one of the lucky winners of the award. Read on to hear more about Courtney’s experience at AEGC.
“The highlight of my AEGC experience in Perth this year was taking part in the GeoPitch competition. Open to students and early career professionals, each participant had just three minutes to present their research or project. My presentation, titled Flow to Fortune: Linking Rock Properties to Reservoir Success, explored how understanding rock properties, fluid type and drive mechanism can help assess reservoir complexity and prioritise potential in mature basins. It was an incredible experience presenting alongside so many inspiring geoscientists, and I am thrilled to be announced as the winner!
Attending AEGC from 8–11 September was an amazing opportunity for learning and connection. I was fascinated to see how the mining industry is adopting new technologies like AI and how these advances can be adapted within the oil and gas sector to improve efficiency and understanding.
Another highlight was the PESA-AIG-SPE-ASEG Young Professionals networking event. It was great to meet and share ideas with others who are just as passionate about geoscience and expand my network.
I’d like to extend a huge thank you to PESA for their generous support through the bursary, which made it possible for me to attend the conference. The experience was inspiring, insightful, and one I’ll carry forward in my future work.”
PESA’s Education and Awards Committee were very pleased to hear that Courtney Berry won the GeoPitch competition and thoroughly enjoyed her experience at the conference. They are currently accepting applications for the Horstman Federal Postgraduate Scholarship until Friday 17th October. For more details, visit the website https://pesa.com.au/scholarships/2025-horstman-federal-postgraduate-scholarship/
