2017/18 Vacation Scholarships
Job Title: / CSIRO Undergraduate Vacation Scholarships –Education and OutreachReference No: / 43692
Classification: / CSOF1.1
Stipend: / $1462.77 per fortnight (before tax)
Location: / Please refer to the list of Projects at the end of this document
Tenure: / 8 to 12 weeks from November 2017to February 2018
Role Purpose: / The 2017/18 Vacation Scholarship Program is designed to provide students with the opportunity to work on real-world problems in a leading R&D organisation.
Participation in the Vacation Scholarship Program has influenced previous scholarship holders in their choice of further study and future career options. Many have gone on to pursue a PhD in CSIRO or to build a successful research career within CSIRO, a university or industry.
Project Description: / Please refer to the list of Projects at the end of this document.
If you require more information please contact the person listed for the project.
Eligibility/
Pre-Requisites: / To be eligible to apply you must be an Australian/New Zealand Citizen, Australian Permanent Resident, or an international student who has full work rights for the 8 to 12 weeks duration (does not require visa sponsorship).
Vacation scholarships are for students who:
- are currently enrolled at an Australian university;
- have completed at least three years of a full-time undergraduate course (however exceptional second year students may be considered);
- have a strong academic record (credit average or higher); and
- intend to go on to honours and/or postgraduate study.
How to Apply: / Please apply online at You will be required to:
- select your top 2 preferred research projects in order of preference;
- submit a resume/cover letter(as one document) which includes:
- the reasons why the research project/s you have selected are of interest to you; and how your previous skills/knowledge and experience meets the project requirements;
- an outline of your longer-term career aspirations and detail how this program will help you achieve them; and
- using the project numbers listed below, list in order of preference, all of the projects you are interested in.
- upload youracademic results in the ‘Requested Information’ field.
If you experience difficulties applying online call 1300 984 220 and someone will be able to assist you. Outside business hours please email:.
Project Number
/ Vacation Scholarships Project DetailsEducation Outreach 1
/ Project TitleCREST Award learning materials
Project Description
CSIRO’s Creativity in Research Engineering Science and Technology (CREST) is a national non-competitive awards program supporting open-ended student research, design and innovation. Around 10,000 students enrol in the awards program each year with around 80% converting to an award. CREST has been operating since 1995 nationally with over 100,000 Australian school students having received a CREST Award.
Open-ended project work using innovation is a part of the Australian Curriculum and CREST provides a powerful mechanism for engaging students.
Project Duties/Tasks
The hardest part for teachers and students undertaking open-ended project work is helping students find a topic area that is of interest to them, to inspire the students and to track and evaluate the students’ scientific thinking and gain an understanding of student interests and point of need teaching opportunities. To support teachers and students and increase the numbers of both participating we propose to develop a decision-making platform that could host a decision quiz as well as a platform for students to record their developing CREST ideas whilst using the quiz. The benefits are that students record their thoughts and the teachers can evaluate them. This will be accompanied by the production of 18 case study videos for professional learning for teachers, inspiration for students to promote the program.
Digital Technologies specific material also needs to be developed to better support teachers with the new Digital Technologies curriculum and encourage others take on digital technology based CREST projects, new introductory activities including teacher/student support material for the open ended level need to be developed. This material will align to the Digital Technologies Curriculum to enable teachers to easily incorporate it into their classrooms.
Relevant Fields of Study
We are looking for two students to work on this project: one with ICT/ computing and the other with science, engineering, education.
Location: Brisbane, Melbourne, Canberra or Sydney
Contact: For more details please contact Sarah Haytonby phone onphone on (02) 9545 8191or email
Project Number
/ Vacation Scholarships Project DetailsEducation Outreach 2
/ Project TitleData sets
Project Description
Develop a platform and curriculum-linked materials that will allow students and teachers from years 5 to 10 and of all abilities to access research datasets to make their own discoveries and contribute to the research knowledge and outputs from research.
Project Duties/Tasks
Work with CSIRO Education staff, ICT professionals and teachers to develop a platform to allow students to access CSIRO research datasets and to make their own scientific discoveries and provide real-life experience using real data for students to learn skills including coding, statistical analysis, scientific, and computational thinking, logical thinking and reasoning to design their own research questions for analysing the data; visualisation and visual interpretation of data and potentially to inspire invention and innovation by using data to create products and services.
Relevant Fields of Study
We are looking for two students to work on this project: one with ICT/ computing and the other with education.
Location: Canberra, Melbourne or Brisbane
Contact: For more details please contact Vicki Stavropoulos by phone on phone on (02) 6276 6567 or email
Education Outreach 3
/ Project TitleDouble Helix Club
Project Description
CSIRO ran the Double Helix Club for over 30 years. The impact of the club and the role that it played in inspiring young people to study science subjects and to consider careers in science, technology, engineering and maths was not tracked.
We would like to develop a program to identify past Double Helix members and to ask them for their stories.
Project Duties/Tasks
- Put project plan together including a proposal for how to identify and seek input and stories from past Double Helix members.
- Contact past Double Helix past members and record their stories. Develop a database of contacts.
- Put together case studies and videos of the past members for use internally within CSIRO and possibly externally to CSIRO.
- Marketing, Journalism
Contact: For more details please contact Vicki Stavropoulos by phone on phone on (02) 6276 6567 or email