In recognition of the constant need for ground breaking research to advance the state's highly competitive minerals and energy industry the Minerals and Energy Research Institute of Western Australia (MERIWA) has awarded scholarships to two post graduate students at The University of Western Australia who are conducting research in the petroleum and minerals fields.

Ms Amy Hearman's research focuses on an assessment of landform stability at rehabilitated sites including a study to determine rainfall properties that trigger run-off and erosion. Her work, in the Department of Soil and Plant Nutrition at UWA, will be funded for two and a half years.

PhD student, Mr Zoran Seat, working in the Centre for Global Metallogeny at UWA, will continue his study, commenced in 2003, on the newly-discovered nickel sulphide deposits in the Western Musgrave Block of Western Australia near the WA, SA and NT borders.

MERIWA Executive Officer, David Milton, said "it is important to provide prestigious scholarships to encourage and support the high achievers in the energy industry."

The scholarships, worth $10,000 per annum, are provided by MERIWA, a state government body which receives industry support, to further scientific understanding of a wide variety of areas in the minerals and energy field from economic analyses to environmental studies.

The work of the two UWA graduates was selected from fifteen researchers from all universities.