2017 GESSS-Q Program

2017 Keynote Speakers

Professor David Gust

Recently retired, Professor David Gust joined Queensland University of Technology in 1990. During that time, QUT has experienced significant growth and many changes – as such, Professor Gust has held numerous leadership and senior management positions in the university. Prior to retirement, he was the foundation Head of the School of Earth, Environmental and Biological Sciences in the newly formed Science and Engineering Faculty (SEF). Other significant appointments include SEF Assistant Dean (Executive), SEF Assistant Dean (Research), Deputy Director Institute of Future Environment and Science Academic Director. In these roles, Professor Gust has developed a strong understanding of Australian higher education policy and procedures with respect to teaching and research.

Professor Gust has degrees from Lawrence University (BA w/ honours), Rice University (MA) and the Research School of Earth Sciences, Australian National University (PhD). He has worked at the University of New Hampshire and the Lunar and Planetary Institute and NASA – Johnson Space Center. Trained in the fields of geochemistry and igneous petrology, Professor Gust has undertaken research that ranges from experimental studies on the origins of rocks and minerals to field studies on volcanoes in Japan and Africa and granites in Australia and USA. He employs theoretical, experimental, analytical and field approaches to solve problems in the fields of mineralogy, geochemistry, petrology, vulcanology, tectonics and planetary geology. He has over 60 peer-reviewed publications and conference abstracts, attracted more than A$3.5M in competitive research grants, equipment infrastructure, and institutional funds and supervised more than 60 Honours, Masters and PhD students. Professor Gust is an experienced educator with experience in course development and delivery that covers many subjects including environmental science, mineralogy and geochemistry. He was a foundation member of the Australian Council of Environmental Deans and Directors (ACEDD) and a past President of the Geological Society of Australia (Qld Division). Professor Gust is currently an Adjunct Professor at QUT

Professor Richard Arculus

Richard Arculus is an Emeritus Professor at the Research School of Earth Sciences of the Australian National University. He regards himself as an “accidental academic”, having originally pursued studies in Earth sciences with the aim of becoming a globe-travelling, exploration geologist. Doctoral studies of the geology of the island of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles followed by a post-doctoral fellowship at the Geophysical Laboratory of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, opened a path to academia that he has followed ever since. Richard obtained a BSc (1970) and PhD (1973) at the University of Durham in England. His doctoral supervisor was Professor G. Malcolm Brown of “layered igneous rocks” fame. Richard has worked at Rice University (Houston), the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor), the University of New England (Armidale), and the Australian National University.

Professor Arculus is an igneous petrologist who has focused on magmatism associated with convergent tectonic plate boundaries. The impact of plate recycling at subduction zones in terms of generation of the continental crust and overall geochemical evolution of the Earth are his prime interests. During the last 30 years, he has focused on submarine volcanism, hydrothermalism, and tectonism of island arcs and backarcs, primarily in the western Pacific. He has participated in and led many research voyages on Australian, New Zealand, and USA ships in these regions. Most recently, he was co-chief scientist of a research voyage that explored the submarine environs of Heard and Macdonald islands in the Southern Ocean. He has been deeply engaged with the various incarnations of the deep sea drilling programs; these have included the lead investigator role in obtaining funding from the Australian Research Council for our national membership of the programs. He served as co-chief scientist aboard the International Ocean Discovery Program’s Expedition 351 in mid- 2014; this expedition targeted the rock record of subduction zone inception and arc evolution of the Izu-Bonin- Mariana arc. He has received sustained research funding support from the National Science Foundation during his time in the USA, and subsequently from the Australian Research Council. He has published over 160 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters.

2017 Committee

Jack Ward (Sponsorship and Advertising), Astrid Hentschel (Sponsorship and Advertising Lead), Matthew Campbell (Program and Abstracts), Kasia Sobczak (Treasurer), Michael Miller (Website Administration and Advertising), Nick Dyriw (Chair), Kat Gioseffi (Secretary).

Not Pictured

GSA locally-based Governing Council

Ian Withnall

GSA Local Division

Patrick Hayman