My experience as an Education Endowment Fund scholarship recipient
We asked two of our 2023 Education Endowment Fund (EEF) Scholarship recipients about some of the standout moments from their EEF journeys, and how the EEF has helped expanded their horizons in the resources sector.
Sophie Gillogly – University of Newcastle | Bachelor of Civil Engineering (Honours)/Bachelor of Business
One of the key highlights from the EEF scholarship for me was the mentoring program and the relationships it fostered.
Through this program, I was fortunate to be paired with Peter Fairfield FAusIMM(CP) who has over 35 years of operations and consultancy experience. The mentoring program is self-driven, which helped me to build on my skills with planning and time-management, but most importantly the program helped me to begin navigating my career path.
Peter and I worked through establishing short- and long-term ‘SMART’ goals which provided a sense of stability and reassurance for when I transfer from being an undergraduate to a graduate. The genuine connection I formed with my mentor has also extended beyond the program's duration as even now, Peter remains a trusted mentor that I continue to keep in touch with.
Through the EEF scholarship you also get the opportunity to go on a field trip to a resource rich area. The trip opens your mind to different opportunities in the industry and is a source of learning about different resources, mining techniques and professional roles.
2023 Education Endowment Fund field trip.
Additionally, the field trip forges meaningful connections with the other EEF scholars who share similar passions and interests for their future. These are relationships that I have kept beyond the field trip and people that I continue to reach out to for advice. Whether it is on my current challenges of managing a student society or just for a chat about our different undergraduate positions and the opportunities available to us.
The EEF scholarship has allowed me to think about my career trajectory and what impact I want to make in the industry through discussions with my mentor and other scholars. In immersing myself in this community within AusIMM, I’ve been surrounded by individuals who not only inspire me but have also contributed to realising my own goals and passions.
Guster Laufmann – Curtin University | Bachelor of Engineering (Mining Engineering)/Bachelor of Commerce (Finance)
Highlighting the impact of the EEF scholarship is really a simple task: it was a fantastic experience from start to finish and allowed me to grow immensely both personally and professionally. However, picking a highlight is far more difficult since the scholarship – in its entirety – had so many varied but unforgettable highlights.
If I had to pick one, however, it must be the EEF trip to Tasmania. Not only did I learn about the incredible mining diversity across the breadth of Tasmania – from enormous iron ore pits to narrow underground gold mines and everything in-between – but I learned about different processes, methods and perspectives of looking at the same thing.
I learned that metallurgists, geologists, mining engineers, and geotechnical engineers can all look at the same small underground drive but explore so many different facets of the same thing. While a mining engineer looks at all the ways to access and extract the ore, a geologist sees the complex and nuanced mineralisations running throughout the orebody. While a metallurgist sees the nuanced flowsheet required to create a useable product, a geotechnical engineer sees the dynamic distribution of forces throughout the mine. Each of these unique perspectives changed the way I look at a mine and its operations, and I recaptured my youthful sense of excitement to learn more about what I don’t know in mining.
I realise too, that this ties in with the impact of the incredible people with whom I got to share this wonderful experience. The enthusiasm and excitement shared by the other recipients was infectious, and quickly we became a tight-knit group, enriching our experiences of some of Tasmania’s most surreal attractions, scenery and wildlife. Simply, the other fantastic EEF recipients are the reason the trip was so memorable.
In that vein, the EEF scholarship supported me through expanding my vision, from both a professional and personal point of view, with not only my peers, but my wonderful mentor too. The mentoring side of the program is understated but facilitated a great professional connection with industry titans, allowing me to expand my network.
Overall, the EEF scholarship is a fantastic opportunity that will be cherished by those fortunate enough to receive it.