Opportunity to work with world class scientists

Ever wanted to work alongside Southern Cross University’s internationally renowned scientists on projects investigating wetland sustainability, ocean acidification, plant genetics or our archaeological past?

The 2014 Science Summer School, now in its fourth year, gives undergraduates and recent graduates the opportunity to team up with one of the University’s leading researchers to undertake a short science-based project over a four week period in January 2014.

The program is open to all budding scientists and researchers from across the country and around the world.

Kirsten Cowley, a Charles Sturt University Masters graduate, spent January 2013 in a boat on North Creek at Ballina (on the NSW North Coast) doing water surveys to measure levels of carbon emissions. Her project supervisor was Dr Damien Maher from the University’s Centre for Coastal Biogeochemistry Research.

“We installed three time-series stations on the creek banks. The next day we did a 24-hour boat survey up and down the creek following the incoming and outgoing tides measuring diurnal changes of carbon dioxide and methane along a tidal continuum,” Kirsten said.

“I got to co-author a paper with Dr Maher on the results (yet to be published). It was a big learning curve and it opened up new avenues for me, including doing research into carbon emissions for the first time.

“The resources at Southern Cross University were fantastic, as was the accommodation. And the help that I received was brilliant.”

Kirsten, an environmental officer at Ausgrid, said the greatest benefit of the Science Summer School was increasing her confidence in conducting research.

“The experience has been the catalyst for me to pursue PhD research, hopefully with Dr Maher as co-supervisor.”

Southern Cross University is continuing to develop an international research profile, with its research in six areas given the highest possible classification of ‘well above world standard’ in the Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) 2012 national report.

“The Science Summer School is a great opportunity to develop valuable field and laboratory skills, and experience what undertaking an Honours, Masters or PhD project is like, with the support of one of our internationally renowned researchers,” said SCU Science Summer School coordinator Associate Professor Andrew Rose from Southern Cross GeoScience.

“It is a wonderful showcase of the range of scientific research being completed right here on the North Coast of New South Wales.”

The Science Summer School runs from January 6 to 31 with the support the University’s Special Research Centres Southern Cross GeoScience and Southern Cross Plant Science, along with the School of Environment, Science and Engineering.

Projects available include:
• ‘What is the nature of the rice grain amylose-lysophospholipid relationship?’, supervisors: Dr Daniel Waters, Dr Lei Liu and Dr Terry Rose (Southern Cross Plant Science)
• ‘Getting to the root of adaptive variation in Tea Tree’, supervisor: Dr Merv Shepherd (Southern Cross Plant Science)
• ‘How do plant root exudates solubilise phosphorus from the soil?’, supervisor: Dr Terry Rose (Southern Cross Plant Science)
• ‘Environmental chemistry of coastal wetlands: Acid sulfate soils, element cycling, water quality and wetland sustainability’, supervisor: Professor Richard Bush (Southern Cross GeoScience)
• ‘Let there be light: sunlight-driven photochemistry of floodwaters’, supervisor: Associate Professor Andrew Rose (Southern Cross GeoScience)
• ‘How will ocean acidification affect calcium carbonate formation rates?’, supervisor: Associate Professor Andrew Rose (Southern Cross GeoScience)
• ‘Measuring secure carbon biosequestration in plants’, supervisor: Professor Leigh Sullivan, Dr Jeff Parr and Graham Lancaster (Southern Cross GeoScience)
• ‘The use of freely available large datasets to create world maps of pleistocene archaeological site occurrence’, supervisor: Dr Renaud Joannes-Boyau (Southern Cross GeoScience)
• ‘Bridging between computer science and geoscience: building user friendly software for clumsy geoscientists’, supervisor: Dr Renaud Joannes-Boyau (Southern Cross GeoScience).

Full details of the projects and an application form can be downloaded from the 2014 Science Summer School. There is no course fee charged to successful applicants. For more information, call 02 6620 3519. Applications close on October 11.


Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) 2012


Southern Cross University’s top rating of five for ‘well above world standard’ was given in the specific research fields of geochemistry, zoology, crop and pasture production, and forestry sciences. In the broader research fields, the University received the top rating of ‘well above world standard’ in earth sciences, and agricultural and veterinary sciences. The University also received ratings of world standard and above world standard in nursing, biological sciences, tourism and studies in creative arts and writing.

Photo: Kirsten Cowley in the field during the 2013 SCU Science Summer School.