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Science
It’s how we make sense of our world.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People have understood its power for thousands of years.
They see the patterns, the life force through their connection to land and sea.
If you are an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander student, it’s time to come on board. I’ve always had a passion for science and how it can be connected to Indigenous knowledge.
That’s something that really inspired me. I’m a second year university student studying science and law and I’ve got a cadetship with the CSIRO.
The CSIRO wants more students like Hannah McLeary to forge a career in science.
This scholarship will give students the opportunity to take part in voyages on board Australia’s only blue water research vessel, working alongside Australia’s top scientists. Voyages travel from the Southern ocean up to the equator performing oceanography, marine biology and geoscientific research.
Olivia and Abigail took part in a voyage to Antarctica studying whales and krill. They talked to Hannah about being on board.
The opportunity to do really nitty gritty science, it was fantastic.
I gained a whole set of new skills.
Being able to go out in the field and actually have hands on experience in collecting the samples that I’m going to analyse later was just excellent.
I also got to see some incredible thing like blue whales, icebergs.
The whole experience was just incredible. Indigenous university students studying science, technology, engineering or mathematics are eligible for this scholarship.
The CSIRO hope these scholarships will kickstart exciting new careers and provide graduates for the CSIRO into the future If you got the opportunity to participate on a voyage, you definitely should do it, because you just never know what you might learn, or what you might be part of, or what you might discover.
Be part of the new wave of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander science leaders. Apply now to join an Investigator Voyage.
Kick start your career with the Indigenous Time at Sea Scholarship
The Indigenous Time at Sea Scholarship brings students on board RV Investigator to work alongside scientists and technicians to assist with research and gain valuable at sea research experience. The program will support two students on selected voyages, who will work together, as well as with on board and on shore mentors.
Students will also be provided with ongoing support, mentoring and the potential for employment opportunities to continue their engagement with CSIRO.
Updates from Educators on Board
Educator on Board: Taking teacher training to the high seas
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- Real-life experiences
for teachers are important,
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as it brings context back to the class.
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Often, students find it hard
to see the real-life value
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in maybe what you're teaching at school,
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so being able to show how
it applies in the real world
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is a fantastic opportunity,
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both for myself, and for the students.
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- It's one thing to just
teach the curriculum,
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but actually to be able to
link that to an application,
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how scientists are using that currently,
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that's more meaningful for students,
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and that's what they're going to remember.
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- Educator on Board is a
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teacher professional
development opportunity
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for Australian STEM teachers,
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where we offer the
opportunity for teachers
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to sail onboard Australia's
blue-water research vessel,
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RV Investigator.
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- As soon as I'd read the
objectives of the voyage,
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it was like it was written for me,
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so I was pretty excited
to be a part of it.
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- So it's a really rough day today.
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- I thought it would be a great experience
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to be able to see how a vessel runs,
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and to be able to bring
that back to the class.
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- What kind of requirements,
or experiences,
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would you need to get on a boat like that?
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- It was really fantastic to
see the kind of things that
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the teachers wanted to know,
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and what it was that the
students wanted to know,
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about working at sea, and
marine science in general.
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So it was really great as a researcher,
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to see that that excitement,
and interest in marine science
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exists at a very early age.
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- So one of the really important things
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about the Investigator,
and the teacher on board,
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is that they get that chance to reconnect,
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be inspired, be reinvigorated,
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and catch up with what the
modern, current technology is,
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and what the current research is doing.
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- Participants get to
see, and participate in
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an amazing diversity of science,
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from witnessing and observing
seabirds, and marine mammals,
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through to hunting for shipwrecks
that have never been seen
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for the first time,
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through to collecting
sediment core samples,
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to look at toxic algal
blooms that have happened
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10 or 20 thousand years in the past.
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So, sailing on board the Investigator
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as part of this program,
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it exposes you to a really
diverse amount of science,
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and each voyage is different,
and each voyage is exciting.
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- When the CPR first went over the stern,
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so that's the Continuous
Plankton Recorder,
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was really exciting, and
then when we opened it up,
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and could see the zooplankton,
and the phytoplankton,
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on the silk, and the excitement
of the scientists face,
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that it's been successful,
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it was infectious,
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and so I too was really excited
about seeing that plankton
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sitting on the top of that silk.
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I've already organized someone to bring
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some dinoflagellate samples
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into the classroom, and show the students
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exactly what they found on this voyage.
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- It was amazing to see the
technology on board the vessel,
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from up on the bridge,
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with their dynamic positioning system.
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- It will give us past
track of the vessel.
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It's quite responsive,
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and it's quite a clever system,
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taking into account all our
winds and seas and swells.
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- And the view you get
from the bridge as well,
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of all the marine life
as we go, was fantastic.
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Provides me with a better understanding of
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how a research vessel runs,
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and being able to bring
that back to the students,
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and provide them with information,
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and all the career opportunities,
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whether they're interested in research,
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or interested in a position as crew
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aboard a vessel like the Investigator.
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- Educator on Board program,
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it's professional
development at it's best.
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It is really important
for the CSIRO to connect
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researchers and teachers.
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Investing in STEMs discipline
is really important
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because those are the disciplines
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that will underpin the jobs of the future.
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- I think I'm a better teacher,
having been on the program.
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I've made so many connections
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with the scientists on board,
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and I'll have those connections
for many years to come.
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- The Educator on Board program will be
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developing curriculum-linked resources,
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based on the science of the voyage,
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and the operations of Investigator,
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and those resources will be available
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through the CSIRO website,
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for all Australian teachers to use.
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- If there's any teacher out there
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that's thinking about
applying for this program,
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I would say, grab it with both hands,
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and jump in boots-and-all.
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It is just a unique experience,
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and certainly one that
I will never forget.