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Education
 Science Week 2006 - community grants information
National Science Week is being held from Saturday August 12 to Sunday August 20, 2006.
The aim of National Science Week is to increase the awareness and understanding of the role of science, technology and innovation in everyday life and our future.
The NT National Science Week Coordination Committee (NScWk NT CC) receives funding from the Commonwealth Department of Education Science and Training - National Innovation Awareness Strategy (NIAS) to coordinate National Science Week in the NT. Of this funding, the NScWk NT CC has allocated $6,000 (maximum for any event is $1,500) for grants available to community groups to assist with the facilitation of an event during National Science Week 2006.
>> Find out more on the Project grant guidelines (Word file 294 Kb)
>> Submit application on the Project grant application form (Word file 283 Kb)
 Tales of the Todd
The
Tales
of the Todd Web site was created for release during the
2003 National Science Week. It provides a series of projects,
information and resources such as a virtual
tour of the Todd, which explore a range of aspects about
the science of central Australia's Todd River as well as arid
zone rivers in a wider context.
Aimed at school children, the site also includes resources
for teachers that mesh with the curriculum focus of NT schools.
School project help
There is an abundance of information available for school
students to access from the CAZR Web site. Before you begin,
start with a few tips on utilising
the information.
 Big Headed Ant Project
The
Big Headed Ant project, CSIRO Centre for Arid Zone Research, and the Threatened Species Network (TSN) – Arid Rangelands have combined forces to raise public awareness and gather information about the introduced Big Headed Ant (Pheidole megacephala) in Alice Springs.
The Big Headed Ant is an introduced species in Alice Springs. It poses a serious threat to our local native ant communities by reducing their number and diversity. This is likely to have a major impact on the ecological services that native ants provide which include soil aeration, pest control and seed dispersal
Aimed at the community, the site also includes resources
for teachers that mesh with the curriculum focus of NT schools as well as a home survey you can download and fill in.
Fact sheets
The following fact sheets are provide material useful for
school projects, teachers and curious children.
Graduate student positions at CAZR
CAZR encourages postgraduate students and postdoctoral fellows
to undertake research projects with its scientists, in areas
of mutual interest. Postgraduate students can be co-supervised
by university-based staff and CAZR researchers. Funding support
will be required and there are some CSIRO funding sources.
Bench fees are AU $6,000 per year. Accommodation is not supplied,
although some subsidised flats are available through Desert
Knowledge Australia.
Please note the following information:
- CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems is supporting a new
CSIRO program of supplementary PhD scholarships. CSIRO
has established a new program to support research training
in Australian universities, through award of supplementary
PhD scholarships for students who obtain Australian
Postgraduate Awards or equivalent University scholarships.
- Australian Postdoctoral Fellowships The Australian Research
Council (ARC) and CSIRO have developed a collaborative co-funded
program to offer Australian Postdoctoral Fellowships. The
aim is to strengthen the linkages between universities and
the CSIRO and produce economic and social benefits for Australia.
Up to 10 ARC Postdoctoral fellowships (CSIRO), will be awarded
for funding commencing in 2003.
Fellowship holders will be members of teams comprising of
both university and CSIRO researchers. These teams will provide
the research project support, and the program will pay the
Fellowship salaries. The program is co-funded by ARC and
CSIRO on a matching basis.
Applicants will be collaborative research teams, comprising
one or more Australian Postdoctoral Fellowship (APDs) and
at least two Chief Investigators. The research team must comprise
at least one Chief Investigator from a university and one
Chief Investigator from a CSIRO division. Australian Postdoctoral
Fellowship (CSIRO) are tenurable in eligible higher education
institutions or CSIRO Divisions.
Funding from the ARC is awarded to organisations, not to
the individual researchers or research teams. Universities
or CSIRO divisions may be administering institutions for Australian
Postdoctoral Fellowships (CSIRO).
>> more information on ARC
CSIRO Post Doc fellowships.
Research areas for potential projects
Sustainable Communities
Developing regional-scale models that synthesise aspects
of the social, economic and environmental drivers and functioning
of rangelands human communities.
Extending existing approaches to community participation
in regions of low population density.
Modelling the demographics of remote populations and their
service needs.
Landscape resilience and monitoring
Understanding flows and redistribution of water and nutrients
in rangelands landscapes ('landscape function') and relating
these to the productivity of different landscape types in
different climates.
Productivity responses to rainfall in arid-zone habitats
using remotely-sensed radar and NOAA satellite data.
Developing new uses of remote sensing and the new generation
of satellite-based sensors in rangelands.
Modelling the economics of different land uses in the context
of climatic variability.
Regional conservation planning/Biodiversity assessment and
'green' marketing/Natural resource management.
Assessing the impacts of spatial and temporal scale and variability
on the populations of organisms in the arid zone.
Comparative life-history strategies of key taxa in different
habitats in the arid-zone.
Comparative study of reproduction of Hooded Robins with other
species in arid mulga woodlands.
Experimentally or theoretically addressing the impacts of
resource fragmentation on the delivery of ecosystem services,
agricultural productivity or the maintenance of biodiversity
in rangelands.
Distribution, impact and management of buffel grass (Cenchrus
ciliaris) in the environments of the arid zone.
Interactions of pastoralism, fire, and climate on birds in
arid Australia.
Spatial patterning and changes in fire regimes and biodiversity.
Patterns of ant species richness and community organisation
in arid Australia.
Distribution of rare and threatened plants in relation to
country types and grazing impacts in central Australia.
Scholarship Contacts
Please contact Justin Harsdorf phone 02 6242 1546
if you wish to discuss developing proposals/projects.
justin.harsdorf@csiro.au
Administrative queries should be directed to Naomi Hedgecoe
phone 02 6242 1673.
naomi.hedgecoe@csiro.au
>> Meet CAZR staff
CSIRO and other education links
Links to a range of educational resources on the Web are
listed by CSIRO
Education. CSIRO also runs an enquiries
centre specialising in rapid responses to science-related
queries. More information can be obtained from related
Web sites.
Related sections: Resources,
Research, Australia's
Arid Lands
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