Position Details Job Title: CSIRO Undergraduate Vacation Scholarships – Oceans and Atmosphere Reference No: 1343 Classification: CSOF1.1 Stipend: $1462.77 per fortnight Location: Please refer to the List of Projects at the end of this document Tenure: 8 to 12 weeks from November 2015 to February 2016 Role Purpose: The 2015/16 Vacation Scholarship Program is designed to provide students with the opportunity to work on real-world problems in a leading R&D organisation. Participation in the Vacation Scholarship Program has influenced previous scholarship holders in their choice of further study and future career options. Many have gone on to pursue a PhD in CSIRO or to build a successful research career within CSIRO, a university or industry. Project Description: How to Apply: Please refer to the list of Projects on the following pages of this document. If you require further information please contact the person listed as the contact for the project. Please apply for this position online at www.csiro.au/careers You will be required to: 1. list your top 2 research projects (from the list below) in order of preference; 2. submit a CV which includes: the reasons why the research project/s you have selected are of interest to you; and how your previous skills/knowledge and experience meets the project requirements; and an outline your longer-term career aspirations and detail how this program will help you achieve them. 3. upload your academic results. Referees: Please ensure that your resume includes the name and contact details of your academic supervisor and at least one other referee (work or university). If you experience difficulties applying online call 1300 984 220 and someone will be able to assist you. Outside business hours please email: csirocareers@csiro.au. Please do not email your application. Applications received via this method may not be considered. About CSIRO: The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is Australia’s national science agency. At CSIRO we shape the future. We do this by using science to solve real issues. Our research makes a difference to industry, people and the planet. Project Number OA01 Oceans and Atmosphere – Vacation Scholarships Project Details Project Title The role of sensors and citizen science in the collection of water quality information Project Description Water quality is a critical component of global fresh water security and ecosystem health, yet existing data are scarce and declining, have poor geographic and temporal coverage, and may be of questionable accuracy. With limited resources, Australian State Governments often struggle to collect adequate information on the status of inland and estuarine water quality across their jurisdictions to meet both reporting and legislative requirements. Many are looking at cheaper alternatives for the collection of environmental data across widespread geographic and remote areas. Remote sensing from satellites may provide one solution but may not be adequate for all water bodies, especially smaller ones. Cheaper optical sensors and mobile technologies, operated in the hands of concerned citizens or local authorities/CMAs, could provide a second tier of information to inform on water quality status across an individual state. These methodologies may provide a complementary data stream in the water quality monitoring toolkit, complementing and adding value to existing monitoring technologies, including the detection of the formation of algal blooms. Operating on similar principles to earth observation approaches, such measurements will also play an important role in the calibration and validation of satellite remote sensing approaches. The project would contribute to the evaluation of novel low-cost sensor technologies developed by CSIRO for the collection of high resolution spectral data over inland waters and develop the science around the measurements they can obtain. Three aspects of evaluation will be addressed: 1. Evaluation of the accuracy and quality of spectral data obtained by the sensors compared to data acquired from more expensive field spectroradiometers. 2. Evaluation of the accuracy of water quality data obtained through measurements performed at a number of different sites. 3. Test the influence of viewing geometry, time of day and season on the measurements and results obtained. The work could potentially be undertaken around the Brisbane region, targeting local reservoirs and the Brisbane River and potentially elsewhere (ACT and NSW) across waters dominated by both algae and suspended sediments. The approaches can be tested against concomitant samples for water quality determination, the costs of which will be met from other CSIRO projects. Outcomes include an evaluation of the strengths and limitations of the individual technologies for their quantitative and qualitative determinations of water quality information. The work may also be undertaken in collaboration with staff from the School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management, University of Queensland. Project Duties/Tasks Initial background reading and writing of research project outline Scoping of specific project aims and objectives Planning for field experimentation and sampling Undertake field measurements Write up of the results into research paper Relevant Fields of Study Environmental Science Geography Physics Remote sensing Location: Ecosciences Precinct, Brisbane (with some possible time in Canberra) Contact: Tim Malthus on (07) 3833 5583 or email tim.malthus@csiro.au OA02 Project Title Effect of Temperature on Alkalinity Analysis Project Description The precise analysis of alkalinity in seawater samples depends on many factors. Accurate measurements of both sample and acid titrant temperatures during analyses are crucial, and testing of different sensors may lead to significant gains in analytical precision. Project Duties/Tasks Install three different kinds of temperature probe on the alkalinity analysis system Test the effect of each configuration on analytical precision Help with sample analyses in the laboratory to observe the importance of analytical precision in ocean acidification research Relevant Fields of Study Analytical chemistry Inorganic chemistry Location: Hobart, TAS Contact: Kate Berry phone on (03) 6232 5270 or email Kate.Berry@csiro.au OA03 Project Title International Quality Controlled Ocean Database (IQuOD) Project Description Contribute to the international IQuOD project (www.iquod.org), by investigating and developing software tools for quality control of historical ocean temperature (and salinity) profiles. Options include Python coding for data analysis in a high performance computing environment, artificial intelligence/machine learning and/or web-interface GUI development. Project Duties/Tasks With IQuOD team members, agree on the specific project activities from these options: o Automate data processing for quality control of oceanographic datasets using Python. o Investigate machine learning algorithms to be applied to quality control of the datasets. o Web-interface GUI development with a goal of crowd-sourcing the manual QC part of the IQuOD project. Develop a project outline/plan, recognising that some activities will be feasibility studies. Develop and/or test various software tools and or web interfaces to undertake experiments to assess the most appropriate and feasible approaches. Implement the selected methods as part of a workflow to provide ongoing improvement of the ocean database data Present the results in a seminar or report format. Relevant Fields of Study Software development (especially Python) Large environmental data sets and high performance computing Machine learning and artificial intelligence Web interfaces and databases Location: Hobart, TAS Contact: Rebecca Cowley via phone on (03) 6232 5446 or email rebecca.cowley@csiro.au OA04 Project Title Modelling climate extremes Project Description The ability of CSIRO’s new high-resolution climate models to simulate the weather events leading to extreme rainfall over the Australian region will be assessed, and compared with the skill of CMIP5 models. How might extremes change under global warming? Project Duties/Tasks Help develop and apply software to analyse simulated daily data Calculate and interpret statistics of the distributions Develop projections for change in the form of maps and time series Relevant Fields of Study Applied Mathematics Meteorology/Climatology Statistics. Proficiency in numerical analysis and using software (such as Fortran, Python, NCL, netcdf data format) would be an advantage. Location: Aspendale, VIC Contact: Ian Watterson via phone on (03) 9239 4544 or email Ian.Watterson@csiro.au OA05 Project Title Design and analysis of undersea marine systems Project Description This project will allow students to participate in the development of engineering analysis software for use in the design of marine systems. Examples of potential applications include Pressure Vessel analysis, mooring design, and autonomous vehicle design. *NB Please note this project is designed to support two (2) students. Project Duties/Tasks Development of data analysis tools for processing and visualising engineering data from field experiments. Development of system analysis software to aid in the development of autonomous underwater vehicles. Participate in conducting lab experiments and new methods for design and fabrication of marine systems. Relevant Fields of Study Mechanical Engineering Ocean Engineering Naval Architecture Aerospace Engineering Civil / Structural Engineering Computer Science / Scientific Programming Location: Hobart, TAS Contact: Andreas Marouchos on (03) 6232 5433 or email andreas.marouchos@csiro.au OA06 Project Title Mapping rocky reef systems from multibeam bathymetry. Project Description Rocky reefs are a key biodiversity asset yet we know little about their extent and nature. This project will collate and interpret bathymetric data to locate and map rocky reefs on the Australian coast and allow students to participate in active biodiversity research. Project Duties/Tasks Collation of multibeam bathymetry data and identifying areas of rocky reefs. Processing and interpreting multibeam bathymetry and backscatter data as required. Developing maps identifying distribution, extent and structure of reefs Relevant Fields of Study Earth Science Marine Science / Ecology Surveying / Spatial Science Geography Location: Hobart, TAS Contact: Tara Martin on (03) 6232 5054 or email t.martin@csiro.au