Jill Stevens
2022
Jill Stevens is the current Chairperson and founder of the Teacher Earth Science Education Programme (TESEP). She was awarded the Selwyn Medal for 2022. Jill is renowned for the quality of her professional work and primarily for her efforts to ensure the quality of future geoscientists via TESEP, an organisation she started to help teachers teach geology.
Jill graduated from the University of Queensland, with First Class Honours (Palynology) and subsequently worked in oil and gas exploration, development and production with Esso Australia (ExxonMobil) in Sydney, Houston and Melbourne in a career that spanned over 40 years. Her work on integrating all the geotechnical data to construct a unified detailed chronostratigraphic framework for the southern margin of Australia, with particular emphasis on the Victorian Gippsland and Otway basins, was a key tool for all the exploration geoscience community.
In 2006, Jill first recognised there was a lack of exposure to geoscience in high school earth science programs across Australia, so she decided to organize an “Education Forum” at the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) International Conference and Exhibition held that year in Perth. There, it was decided (under her leadership) that the best way to improve geoscience education was to “teach the teachers,” which became the primary TESEP objective.
Through the years, Jill has been directly and indirectly responsible for more than 120 one-day workshops – and provided materials to more than 2,000 teachers across Australia.
That translates to contributing to the educational needs of more than 500,000 students. And Jill took on this challenge as a volunteer whilst working full time as a Senior Petroleum Explorationist with ExxonMobil based in Melbourne.
Jill is the face of TESEP and her efforts have been central to raising the profile of geoscience in Victoria and beyond at the secondary school level. In recognition of the great work done by all members of the TESEP team, Chairperson Jill Stevens and TESEP were awarded the prestigious 2012 AAPG Harrison Schmitt Award in recognition of outstanding accomplishment in Teacher Education Outreach work. The award is named after the first geologist-astronaut on the Moon.
Jill was also recognised with the Petroleum Exploration Society of Australia (PESA) Meritorious Service Award in 2008. This award recognised Jill's outstanding long term commitment and provision of exceptional service to the Victorian branch of PESA and the upstream industry generally.
Jill Stevens has made a significant contribution to Victorian geology by the most significant and impactful way possible; by providing the resources to our high school educators to allow them to engage the hearts and minds of Victorian students. As Jill herself said back in 2012 when interviewed by AAPG about what TESEP means to her, Jill said she wanted to “…sow the seeds that can spark a young individual to pursue earth and environmental science, just like me with my high school teacher Mr. Protheroe”.
Jill graduated from the University of Queensland, with First Class Honours (Palynology) and subsequently worked in oil and gas exploration, development and production with Esso Australia (ExxonMobil) in Sydney, Houston and Melbourne in a career that spanned over 40 years. Her work on integrating all the geotechnical data to construct a unified detailed chronostratigraphic framework for the southern margin of Australia, with particular emphasis on the Victorian Gippsland and Otway basins, was a key tool for all the exploration geoscience community.
In 2006, Jill first recognised there was a lack of exposure to geoscience in high school earth science programs across Australia, so she decided to organize an “Education Forum” at the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) International Conference and Exhibition held that year in Perth. There, it was decided (under her leadership) that the best way to improve geoscience education was to “teach the teachers,” which became the primary TESEP objective.
Through the years, Jill has been directly and indirectly responsible for more than 120 one-day workshops – and provided materials to more than 2,000 teachers across Australia.
That translates to contributing to the educational needs of more than 500,000 students. And Jill took on this challenge as a volunteer whilst working full time as a Senior Petroleum Explorationist with ExxonMobil based in Melbourne.
Jill is the face of TESEP and her efforts have been central to raising the profile of geoscience in Victoria and beyond at the secondary school level. In recognition of the great work done by all members of the TESEP team, Chairperson Jill Stevens and TESEP were awarded the prestigious 2012 AAPG Harrison Schmitt Award in recognition of outstanding accomplishment in Teacher Education Outreach work. The award is named after the first geologist-astronaut on the Moon.
Jill was also recognised with the Petroleum Exploration Society of Australia (PESA) Meritorious Service Award in 2008. This award recognised Jill's outstanding long term commitment and provision of exceptional service to the Victorian branch of PESA and the upstream industry generally.
Jill Stevens has made a significant contribution to Victorian geology by the most significant and impactful way possible; by providing the resources to our high school educators to allow them to engage the hearts and minds of Victorian students. As Jill herself said back in 2012 when interviewed by AAPG about what TESEP means to her, Jill said she wanted to “…sow the seeds that can spark a young individual to pursue earth and environmental science, just like me with my high school teacher Mr. Protheroe”.
