The Mineralogical Society of Great Britain & Ireland and the Geological Society are pleased to announce the Hazel Prichard student bursary. The bursary, funded by her family, honours the achievements of Professor Hazel Prichard (1954–2017) in the mineral sciences.
The deadline for applications is 15th February each year.
A bursary of up to £3000 is available to support an undergraduate or taught MSc student.
- The bursary is specifically to support geological fieldwork with an applied element or a short-term placement as a geologist with a mineral exploration or mining company when undertaking a research project that may or may not form part of their degree course.
- The research project should be relevant to the understanding of mineral genesis and the processes of concentration, mineral exploration, the development of resources or the environmental impact of extraction of metalliferous or other minerals, excluding oil and gas.
- The bursary is specifically for travel (within UK and/or overseas), and living support whilst in the field or at a mine site. It is not to be used for any associated costs for analyses or other laboratory work, which must be covered by the university or mining company.
- The cost of attending a conference associated with the research project can be included as a minor component of the bursary.
- If the committee evaluating the applications decides to award the bursary to an individual, then £3000 can be given. If two students are chosen for a group project at a single location, then the sum can be £4000. If more than two students are chosen for a group project at a single location, then £5000 can be awarded.
Eligibility
The student(s) should be registered for a BSc, MSci, MGeol, MSc or equivalent degree in the subject area of geoscience at a university in the UK or Ireland. (Applications by those studying for a research post-graduate degree, e.g. MPhil, PhD, MRes or MSc by research, will not be accepted.)
How to apply
To apply, please submit an application statement that describes the project’s aim and objectives, details of the research to be undertaken, the logistics, the names and background information of any companies involved. The statement should include a projected financial budget. Please also include a one page CV and the name and contact details of a university supervisor or tutor who has agreed to provide a reference. If applicable, details of the contact in the proposed host company should also be given.
Applications should be made to HazelPrichardbursary@geolsoc.org.uk. The deadline for applications is 15th February each year.
Expectations of the successful student(s)
It is a condition of the bursary that the student(s) produces a short report of the activities undertaken at the end of the period of fieldwork or placement. The report should include a summary of the geological findings, a geological map (if appropriate) or other similar visual and spatial output, and an assessment of how the bursary has aided the student in achieving their degree and career ambitions. A financial statement detailing how the money was spent will also be required. Any published or unpublished report resulting from the bursary should acknowledge the financial support.
Hazel Prichard
The bursary is funded in memory of Professor Hazel Prichard, BSc, PhD, MBA by her family. Professor Prichard was a member of staff in the School of Earth and Ocean Sciences at Cardiff University and for many years was the Director of the Exploration and Resource Geology degree course. Previously she was a Royal Society Research Fellow at the Open University. She was an international authority on ophiolites and platinum-group element mineralisation and the anthropogenic release of these elements into the environment.
About the bursary
The bursary is awarded jointly by the Mineralogical Society of Great Britain & Ireland and the Geological Society, in conjunction with their specialist groups (the Mineral Deposits Studies Group and the Applied Mineralogy Group, respectively).
The award committee will consist of the Chair + Secretary (or other suitable nominee) of each of the Applied Mineralogy Group and the Mineral Deposits Studies Group with Mineralogical/Geological Society staff to act as chair/coordinator.
2022 winners
This was a joint application by Yasamin Bayley and three fellow students and St. Andrews University. They were conducting an investigation into the emplacement, layering and syn-magmatic tectonics of the Ilimaussaq alkaline layered igneous intrusion using Anisotropy of Magnetic Susceptibility (AMS) analysis at the M3Ore Lab.
2021 winners
There were three joint winners this year: Alexander Taylor Kong, Eliot Jones and Ethan Shaw all of whom have been MSc students in Mining Geology at Camborne School of Mines, University of Exeter, UK. Their three-pronged project was based on the Ben Buie Complex, Isle of Mull, Scotland, and had the aim of providing a greater understanding of magmatic differentiation and layering processes within the British Palaeogene Igneous Province (BPIP), identifying key controls on the potential for Ni-Cu-Co-PGE and V-Ti(Fe) mineralisation within the region. The students investigated the geometry of the intrusion and the controls on mineralisation in a layered mafic-ultramafic complex. A more detailed report will follow.
2020 winner
There was no winner in 2020.
2019 winner
The first winner of the award, in 2019, was Joana Lluch Cabre of St. Andrew’s University. The report of her visit to Groote Eylandt manganese deposit in Australia is given here.