VLS Summer Scholarships

Each year, the School of Veterinary and Life Sciences offers approximately 8 scholarships, worth $1500 each, for undergraduate students to undertake a 6 week research project in the School. The Summer Scholarships are designed to provide students who have an interest in pursuing a research career with the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in an area that interests them.

Who can do a Summer Scholarship?

Entry into the Summer Scholarship program is open to all students (Domestic and International) enrolled in units within the School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, who have successfully completed at least two years of their undergraduate degree. You may only complete one VLS Summer Research Scholarship during the course of your degree.

What does a Summer Scholarship project involve?

Summer Research Scholars spend 6 weeks conducting a research project in the School of Veterinary and Life Sciences over the summer break. New projects are offered every year, to reflect the current research being conducted in the School, and each is conducted under the supervision of a VLS staff member. Your project may be completed into two blocks either side of the Christmas shut down period, by agreement with your supervisor. The cost of your research project will be covered by your host laboratory. On completion of your project, you will be required provide a written report about your work. Following endorsement of this report by your supervisor and the Head of School, you will receive a letter acknowledging your receipt and successful completion of a VLS Summer Research Scholarship. In addition to your individual project, the Summer Scholarships coordinators will organise several informal gatherings over the summer period, to give you the opportunity to share your experiences with other Summer Scholars. Research scientists from Murdoch University and outside institutions are invited to attend some of these meetings to talk informally about how their career has developed, providing insight into the diversity and flexibility of real careers in scientific research.

What do I gain from a Summer Scholarship?

Completing a prestigious VLS Summer Scholarship will expose you to a wide range of benefits and opportunities to advance your research career, including:

• A $1500 Scholarship and a Letter of Achievement from the School of Veterinary and Life Science.
• Hands-on experience in scientific research to guide your future career decisions.
• A chance to develop personal and professional relationships with staff and research students within the School.
• Evidence of tertiary research experience to improve your competitiveness in research-based postgraduate training schemes.
• The opportunity to participate in and advance cutting edge research occurring in the School of Veterinary and Life Sciences.
• Assistance in developing sophisticated laboratory techniques and scientific skills (report writing, accurate record keeping, data analysis) that will facilitate subsequent completion of Honours and improve your employability.
• An opportunity to make contacts and explore career paths in scientific research during informal small-group discussions with experienced biomedical science researchers.
• The possibility of continuing links with the host laboratory, which may include casual employment, co-authorship of scientific papers resulting from project work or presentation of work at scientific conferences or symposia.

A bit more about the Scholarship funding

Each Summer Scholarship is valued at $1500 in 2013. Payments are arranged by the Division of Research and Development, either as regular installments or as a single payment of the full amount at the completion of the Scholarship. Summer Scholarships are regarded as income in determining the level of Austudy benefits, thus Scholarship recipients who are also receiving Austudy payments are responsible for notifying the relevant authorities of their Scholarship income.

How do I apply for a Summer Scholarship?

To apply for a 2013-2014 VLS Summer Research Scholarship, you need to submit an Application Form (Doc) to Mrs Sue Taylor before the closing date (see important Dates). Before submitting an application, you will need to contact a VLS staff member to be your potential supervisor and nominate a project. You may directly approach a potential supervisor in a field that interests you, or find a supervisor by choosing from the list of available projects. Scholarship recipients will be selected based on their academic record, intention to undertake future research and the merit of their research proposal. Successful candidates will be notified by mail within two weeks of the closing date of applications. If you accept a VLS Summer Scholarship, you will need to agree to the conditions described in the Summer Scholarship Regulations (PDF)

How do I find out more?

Students who would like more information about VLS Summer Scholarships are encouraged to contact the Summer Scholarships coordinators: Dr Charlotte Oskam, Ph: 9360 2175, c.oskam@murdoch.edu.au Dr Sarah Etherington, Ph: 9360 6708, s.etherington@murdoch.edu.au

Important dates for Summer Scholarships 2013/2014