The $20,000 annual Lynn Brake Scholarship will support new or continuing Postgraduate students (PhD, Masters, Honours, Diploma or Graduate Certificate) to undertake research within an Australian tertiary institution in a field related to the Great Artesian Basin, including water resource management, hydrogeology and management of springs connected to the water resources of the basin. Funding for the Lynn Brake Scholarship will be available for 12 months, with students able to re-apply for further support through annual competitive public calls.
The scholarship grant program honours Lynn Brake’s legacy around water resources in Australia, in particular in relation to the basin, and aims to support the development of future scientists and researchers and foster the links between academia, the wider community, and governments. The grant will contribute to the delivery of the Great Artesian Basin Strategic Management Plan.
Lynn Brake played a pivotal role on the Great Artesian Basin Coordinating Committee (GABCC) in providing strategic advice on a range of matters, including the development of the Great Artesian Basin Strategic Management Plan. The outcome of his efforts and those of the GABCC members has assisted in fostering a long-term cooperative approach with water users and other stakeholders, supporting basin communities and industries. In particular, his enormous energy and dedication has enhanced the protection of the basin mound springs located throughout the basin.
Applications will open for the 2024 scholarship in late 2023.
For further information, and to be added to the distribution list for when this opportunity is advertised, please email gabsecretariat@dcceew.gov.au.
2023 scholarship winner
The 2023 Lynn Brake Scholarship has been awarded to Mr Dylan Ford, an Honours Student at the University of Queensland. He will use the funds to contribute to his Honours research investigating the connectivity of alluvial aquifer groundwater to deeper Great Artesian Basin aquifers in the Yelarbon Desert.
Mr Ford's research aligns with the Great Artesian Basin Strategic Management Plan, as it aims to confirm what supports the ecological and cultural assets of the basin, which will help to inform policy and management decisions.
2022 Scholarship Winner
The 2022 Lynn Brake scholarship was awarded to Mr Clint Hansen, a Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology PhD candidate and Indigenous Iman man. He will use the funds to contribute to his PhD research identifying culturally supported scientific methods of water management and allocation where coal seam gas exploration is expanding on the lands of the Iman People.
Mr Hansen’s research aligns with the Great Artesian Basin Strategic Management plan, specifically with the aim to protect and enhance Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander values, cultural heritage and community values which is Principle 3 of the Plan.