John Cumming graduated with a Bachelor of Agricultural Science degree with first class honours in 1997 and a PhD in environmental soil chemistry in 2005. After eight years of study, John still looks back on his time at the University and fondly remembers his peers and social events ‘especially the famous Ag Science spit roasts’.
“I think it is a great achievement and the agricultural science department at the University has changed a lot over the last 30 years in particular. It is an important asset for all Tasmanians.”
John said the agricultural science degree gave him a strong scientific foundation to pursue postgraduate studies and further professional accreditation.
In addition to his qualifications gained at the University, John also has a Stage 2 Certified Professional Soil Scientist status from the Australian Society of Soil Science and is a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
While completing his PhD, John worked at Sustainable Forest Management, then went on to start his own company, Geo-Environmental Solutions (GES), that specialises in soil testing for building projects.
20 years later, John is still the owner and Director of the company that now employs several soil scientists, consultants and geotechnicians.
“In my role at GES I have completed numerous land assessments for submission to federal, state and local government agencies,” he said.
“In addition, over the past fifteen years I have completed over 10,000 site and soil classifications for residential developments in Tasmania.”
John said that agricultural science needs to stay relevant and encourage the next generations of students to pursue a career in science.
“The core professions are unfortunately suffering from a lack of new students and now more than ever the world needs feeding and our natural resources protection,” he said.