Jessica Hargreaves, Bachelor of Advanced Science (Honours) ‘17

I wanted to study at ANU because it’s a world class institution, and at RSES we have great access to academics. I think that is important in order to excel in my degree and in my research. I actually started my degree wanting to do maths. I took a first year Earth Sciences course and loved the applicability of looking outside the window and being able to understand what is happening around us.

Field work is the essence of Earth Sciences.  Donations to the Earth Sciences Future Fund enable excursions and field trips to happen. Field work is important to me because it’s shown me a bigger picture and allowed me to make leaps and connections to bigger things. Being surrounded by formations that are millions of years old and having that first-hand experience is something that doesn’t often happen.

Being able to experience field work and conduct research at an early stage in my career has been really valuable, and wouldn’t be possible without my scholarship or the support of donors. I currently hold the Anton Hales Scholarship, which allows me to focus on my research in my Honours year. I can look in depth at my research and expand it further to other areas. I’m really grateful to RSES donors, as my scholarship wouldn’t exist without them.

There are a lot of undergraduate and PhD students here doing amazing research. I think giving back is really important because it enriches these students and enables us to contribute to the wider science community.