Summer Student Hayley Given, inspecting plant roots at the new High Resolution Plant Phonemics Centre in Canberra. (CSIRO)

Australia’s top students check out science careers

Reference: 10/08

Predicting climate change effects on wheat, understanding grapevine diseases and studying plant-water relationships are some of the topics 22 top university students are investigating this summer as part of the CSIRO Summer Student Program.

• 1 February 2010

The program, which runs from 7 December to 12 February, provides a select group of students from around Australia with some insights into the working lives of scientists at CSIRO’s Plant Industry Division.

“As part of the program, students work on their own projects which complement existing CSIRO research, so their work contributes to Australia’s scientific knowledge,” says CSIRO Plant Industry Chief, Dr Jeremy Burdon

“They are supported by a scientific mentor and experience what a career in science can offer. The program also gives our scientists the opportunity to work with a new generation of young, bright and enthusiastic minds.”

At the end of the program, students convene in Canberra to present their findings to an audience of local scientists.

“It is a terrific experience which will really help me make decisions about what career path I want to follow,” says student, Hayley Given, who has been using near infrared imaging technology in the new High Resolution Plant Phenomics Centre in Canberra, to study how plants take up water.

This year’s projects were undertaken at CSIRO Plant Industry’s facilities in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Narrabri and Perth.

They included:

• Investigating seed development
• Studying how plants take up water
• Sugarcane and wheat genetics
• Understanding Australia’s invasive plant species
• Plant pathology.

The CSIRO Plant Industry Summer Student Program is supported by the Australian Pastoral Research Trust and the Grains Research and Development Corporation.

Read more media releases in our Media section.