Welcoming Daniel Vlahek to the AuScope team
Introducing Daniel Vlahek. Image: Pav Czyz
This year, we welcome AuScope’s newest member, Daniel Vlahek. He will take on the company’s new Project Officer role and assist HQ in developing its operational and communication capability. This includes working with our broad ecosystem to enhance learning processes and knowledge sharing. Get to know Dan and his skillset!
Welcome, Daniel! Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your journey here?
I would love to Min!
My story starts in Papua New Guinea, where I was drawn to our natural world as a young kid. I used to play with tree frogs in the backyard and loved examining Mum’s flower garden. These experiences, I believe, gave me a deposition to explore a career in science to better understand our environment and find solutions to our most trying problems.
Initially, I started off in Biomedical Sciences, however, I later moved into Biological Sciences at La Trobe University as the ecology side of science interested me more. It was there that I discovered the topic of sustainability which I began exploring quite readily, with a keen focus on resource recovery and waste reduction.
Image taken by Dan of Big Basin Redwoods State Park during a hiking trip. Image: Supplied
The past five years have been dedicated to understanding waste and how we can better combat it by implementing circular economy principles. During this period, I have been fortunate enough to experience several multifaceted roles spanning the private, public and not-for-profit sectors. This has allowed me to nurture a diverse skill set of project and operational management, communications, systems thinking and data analysis. Most importantly, it has also allowed me to understand other people’s contexts.
Can you tell us a bit about your new AuScope focus?
Whilst my background does seem like I am exploring an entirely new field, I see it more as a continuation of my environmental management journey. Exposure to the work that AuScope is involved with will grant me greater insight into how geoscience plays a part in understanding our climate and its interconnection between natural resource and land usage. I plan on taking up a Master’s in Sustainable Development or Environmental Planning in the future, which I think time in this field will greatly help!
“Using my project management skills to create better program governance, reporting mechanisms, and ecosystem development is something I am quite keen to try! ”
What excites you about the future of geoscience in Australia?
A few things actually!
Geoscience is integral to our green energy transition, so I am quite interested in its contributions to the recovery and repurposing of rare earth metals. I am also curious to see how mines can be rehabilitated into new assets that enhance nature and promote social inclusion.
Another area is hydrology. Water is our most valuable resource, and learning ways to create a more symbiotic relationship between nature and human-managed systems is becoming more prominent. If society can integrate more nature-based solutions into our water management practices, I believe that subsection of geoscience can lead the way to Net Zero.
And finally, it's the engagement and integration of Indigenous Knowledge into our practices. Though I still have much to learn about First Nations Science, I am happy that we are finally connecting with our First Nations People to improve our world for everyone.
Tell us about a recent adventure that involved rocks or nature.
I love nature, and I try to get involved as much as I can with safeguarding and restoring our natural flora and fauna. Right now, I am involved with a local revegetation group called Lalor Landcare, which is based in Lalor, Melbourne. We aim to restore the northern corridor of Edgars Creek to its former condition before 1985.
Planting in the Lyndarum North Estate, located 44km North from Melbourne’s CBD. The estate sits at the northern most tip of Edgars Creek, with work aiming to protect and improve biodiversity value. Image: Supplied
It is a critical waterway with a lot of work to be done in its regeneration, but with a bit of elbow grease, it can return to being a high-value habitat that will vastly improve the lives of our local fauna and urban centres.
In closing, is there anything more that you would like to share?
Feel free to contact me anytime if you would like to discuss any projects you think can help build AuScope’s Capacity! I am always looking for ways to improve continuously, whether it be streamlining a process or enhancing organisational knowledge management. You can email me here!
AUTHORS
A conversation between Philomena Manifold and Daniel Vlahek from AuScope.