Summers of research
by Michèle Nardelli
UniSA and the Australian National University (ANU) are offering
summer scholarships as the first initiative of their new
partnership.
For Jan-Felix Schmakeit, a second-year UniSA computer science student from Germany, a new scholarship scheme that might find him doing research at ANU over summer is something he’s keen to consider. Schmakeit was joined by two ANU students at the launch of a new UniSA-ANU Summer Research Scholarship program designed to nurture high potential undergraduates wanting to develop research careers.
The UniSA-ANU Summer Research Scholarships will be available each year to 10 students from each university across the summer period from mid-November to early February. The eight-week program involves supervised research with leading researchers at the host institution and the scholarship covers a weekly research stipend, a living allowance and a contribution to travel expenses.
A graduate in physiotherapy from UniSA and now a final-year medical student at ANU, Alicia Siggs says the new scheme will be attractive to students at either institution.
"I’m in my final year so it is not something I can take up but it is a perfect opportunity for students who want to explore a research passion, to see if it really is where they want to go with their careers," she said.
And Brendon Fong who is from Adelaide but is completing his Bachelor of Philosophy focusing on pure maths at ANU, says the scholarships present a great opportunity.
"Serious students are always looking for extra study experiences – placements or research opportunities – the fact that there is a scholarship attached is a real bonus," Fong said.
At the launch, UniSA Vice Chancellor Professor Peter Høj said the Summer Research Scholarships would provide an opportunity to develop the research skills of some of the country’s brightest and best students.
"This is the first important initiative in our partnership with ANU and it is appropriate that its objective is to contribute to the development of future research excellence in Australia," Prof Høj said.
ANU Vice Chancellor Professor Ian Chubb said the scholarships provided greater opportunities for students to gain hands-on research experience in a professional setting.
"This is a chance for students to benefit from the different but complementary research strengths of the two universities," Prof Chubb said.
Applications for the 2008/09 UniSA-ANU Summer Research Scholarships will close on September 19th.
You can apply online.