Scholarships boost mining, petroleum students

Thirteen mining and petroleum students at the University of Adelaide have received Playford Trust scholarships in an initiative that recognises the growing demand in Australia for specialist engineers.

In a partnership between the State Government, leading resources companies, and the Playford Trust, $2 million in scholarships was awarded to 14 students state-wide.

The scholarships are administered by the Playford Memorial Trust, which supports high achieving tertiary students who contribute to the state’s skills, knowledge and research base.

The scholarships were announced at an event last night in which two former University of Adelaide students, who previously won scholarships, spoke about how they helped shaped their early careers.

The University of Adelaide students who received 2022 Playford Mining and Petroleum Engineering Scholarships in each category are:

Two-year Mining and Petroleum Engineering Scholarships

Hillgrove Resources / Playford Trust Mining Engineering Scholarship
Josh Saward, Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Mining). Josh aspires to design mines in South Australia and to keep working underground to assist with the drill and blast cycle.

OZ Minerals / Playford Trust Mining Engineering Scholarship
Ashra Harkin, Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) – Engineering Pathway. Ashra is interested in the path the mining industry is taking towards lowering carbon emissions and achieving a carbon neutral future.

Santos / Playford Trust Petroleum Engineering Scholarship
Oscar Collins, Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Petroleum). Oscar is excited by the opportunity to participate in the International Study Exchange offered as a part of his Petroleum Engineering degree.

SA Government / Hillgrove / Playford Trust Mining Engineering Scholarship
Jack Locke, Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) – Engineering Pathway. Jack focused on mathematics at school, and has since worked with a plumbing firm, assisting with in-ground civil drainage, working at heights, and installing flying downpipes.

SA Government / Santos / Playford Trust Petroleum Engineering Scholarship
Mohammad Hajeer, Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) - Engineering Pathway. Mohammad’s interest in engineering was ignited by his success in school subjects such as physics, mathematical methods, and a research project.

One-year Mining Program Honours Scholarships

Cooper Energy / Playford Trust Geoscience Honours Scholarship
Dana Imbrogno, Bachelor of Science (Honours) (Mineral Geoscience). Dana is in her Honours year, completing a structural mapping geology project at the Arkaroola Waterhole, a proposed World Heritage Site.

Iluka Resources / Playford Trust Mining Program Honours Scholarship
Naomi Smith, Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Chemical) | Bachelor of Mathematical and Computer Sciences (Computer Sciences). Naomi wants to pursue a career in the resources sector, focusing on metallurgy or oil and gas. She also aims to get involved in management, helping to run a team.

Rex Minerals / Playford Trust Mining Program Honours Scholarship
Johannes Smit, Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Chemical) | Bachelor of Finance. Johannes has a passion for the chemical engineering discipline. He has worked at BHP Olympic Dam, taking on a minerals-processing based project looking at green steel.

SA Government / Cooper Energy / Playford Trust Mining Program Honours Scholarship
Dmitri Jarkov, Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Chemical). Dmitri aspires to become a reputable problem solver in the resource industry. His Honours project group is redesigning the Port Wakefield wastewater treatment plant, in partnership with Trility.

SA Government / Iluka Resources / Playford Trust Mining Program Honours Scholarship
Isaac Tiney, Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Petroleum and Chemical). Isaac’s interests lie in the future of the energy and resources sector, particularly carbon capture and sequestration, hydrogen energy, and rare earth metal mining.

SA Government / OZ Minerals / Playford Trust Mining Program Honours Scholarship
Amelia Johnson, Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Chemical) | Bachelor of Mathematical and Computer Sciences (Applied Maths Major). Amelia has developed a thorough understanding of metallurgical and chemical processes relevant to lead and copper smelting. Her Honours project will focus on smelting technologies.

SA Government / Rex Minerals / Playford Trust Mining Program Honours Scholarship
James Browne, Bachelor of Science (Honours) (Geoscience). James aspires be an exploration geologist so he can help facilitate the discovery of the next world-class mineral deposit.

Tri-Star / Playford Trust Geoscience Honours Scholarship
Lluka Johns-Mead, Bachelor of Science (Honours) (Geology). Passionate about how geology has shaped life on Earth,  Lluka wants to pursue a career in research, is currently studying for an Honours project that looks at a mysterious rock from north-west NSW which has a potential use in novel technologies.