RSAA Winter Program Scholarships
Each winter RSAA offers a number of Winter Scholarships, which enable suitably qualified undergraduate students to spend 1 week at Mount Stromlo Observatory to learn all the facets of doing research in astronomy from several of our faculty staff members. The program includes lectures on multiple research areas as well as hands-on work including observation planning, nighttime observations, data analysis and scientific writing.
Student opportunity type
About
The scholarships provide a first-hand view of the work at a research observatory and scholars have access to state-of-the-art optical, infrared, radio, computational and laboratory facilities. Areas of research include instrumentation for astronomy and space, star formation, stellar evolution, galactic dynamics, observational cosmology, active galactic nuclei, interstellar-medium physics, computational astrophysics and planetary science.
These scholarships are intended for currently enrolled undergraduate students completing the second or third year of a full-time course leading to an Honours degree.
Applicants must be currently enrolled as students (international and domestic) at an Australian University in their 3rd or 2nd year. Students studying at universities in New Zealand are welcome to apply.
Program
Each day the student will learn about a specific theme related to the research in the astronomy field.
- Monday – Science Goals: Day of lectures from experts on stars, galaxy evolution, cosmology and exoplanet research. The day will conclude with an exercise on science goal writing.
- Tuesday – Astronomical instrumentation: Lectures on Imaging and spectroscopic instrumentation. Exercise on instrument design.
- Wednesday – Astronomical observations: Lectures and exercises on observation proposal principles and observation preparations. Evening will be spent on telescope taking data that will be used for the rest of the week.
- Thursday – Data analysis: Lectures and exercises on data analysis principles and software. Data taken from the previous day will be used for this analysis work.
- Friday – Scientific writing: LaTex primer and lecture on scientific writing principles. Report on the week observations produced by the students.
Program and application dates
The RSAA Winter Program Scholarship will run again in Winter 2027. Applications will open March 2027.
Benefits
- Summer Research Interns will receive a weekly stipend scholarship (tax-free) for the full duration of the program.
- Travel to and from the student point of origin will be reimbursed to the student (economy class plane ticket or fuel reimbursement if driving)
- Accommodation and some meals will be provided.
- All participants will receive a statement of participation at the end of the program.
General
- The primary working location will be Mount Stromlo Observatory.
- Transport to and from Mount Stromlo Observatory is the responsibility of the student. A free shuttle bus for students runs Monday to Friday between the ANU main campus and the observatory.
- Students must be available for the full duration of the program.
Contact
If you have questions, please contact Associate Professor Tony Travouillon or Dr Trevor Mendel