Download - ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies

GRADUATE TRAININGIn 2009, one hundred and fifty ninegraduate students were supervised bythe ARC Centre’s senior researchers,making the Centre the world’s largestprovider of graduate training in coralreef science. This commitment topostgraduate training entails a largeinvestment in support of studentresearch projects, conservatively costedat 25% of our annual budget. In addition,the Centre has a major early-careerdevelopment program. As part of this,we actively involve students through astudent committee. The Centre providesintellectual, organisational and financialhelp for student mentoring activities,student awards, inter-nodal supervisionand visits by postgraduate students.The inaugural recipients of the “TheVirginia Chadwick Awards”, are DavidAbrego, Peter Cowman, Andrew Hoey,Ruth Reef and Alejandro Reyes. The fiveprizes of $1000 are made each year foroutstanding publications written by ARCCentre of Excellence graduate students.In 2009, the ARC Centre again organisedand sponsored a National MentoringDay for student delegates attending theannual Australian Coral Reef Societymeeting. This year the mentoring daywas held at the Novotel Hotel in Darwinat the end of September. The graduatestudents who attended came fromJames Cook University, University ofQueensland, Victoria (NZ), Murdoch,Southern Cross, Sydney and NSWuniversities. An exit survey of thestudents revealed the success of theworkshop with a rating of 3.89 from apossible 4. In Brisbane, earlier in theyear at the Centre’s annual Symposium,17 graduate students participated in aworkshop entitled Talking science withthe media, organised by the Centre’sStudent Committee. The workshop waspresented by Econnect CommunicationsPty Ltd., who have for the past 15 yearsrun workshops on communicatingscience via the media.The success of the ARC Centre’sgraduate program can be seen throughthe national and international recognitionthe students attracted in 2009:• Vanessa Adams was awarded the SirKeith Murdoch Fellowship of $25,000from the American AustralianAssociation. In addition she receivedthe Ecological Society of AustraliaThe Nature Conservancy AppliedConservation Award for 2009.• Darren Coker, Rebecca Lawton,Andrew Cole and Alexander Vail wereall granted John Glover Travel Awardsby the Australian Society for FishBiology. Darren also won an AIMS@JCU conference Travel Prize.• Stephanie Januchowski receivedthree grants for conference traveland research, including $33,000 fromBiosecurity Queensland for researchassociated with her PhD studies.• Alexander Vail won the Michael HallAward for Student Innovation andthe Gilbert Whitley Memorial StudentAward (junior) at the Indo Pacific FishConference in Freemantle in June.• Andrew Cole was awarded theUniversity Centenary Student Grantfor 2009 by the Wildlife PreservationSociety of Australia,• Rebecca Fox was awarded theAustralian Coral Reef Society’s TerryWalker Prize for 2009.• At the annual Australian Coral ReefSociety Meeting in Darwin, RebeccaLawton was awarded the DanielleSimmons Award for 2009, whileEmily Howells won the Vicki HarriottMemorial Student Prize for thebest student presentation. Yui Sato,Rebecca Fox and Colin Wen alsowon student presentation prizes atthe meeting.• Andrew Cole, Rebecca Lawton andAlexandra Carter received researchsupport from the PADI Foundation.• Alexandra Carter received theGBRMPA Science for ManagementAward for 2009.• Felipe Gusmao was awarded thePeter Holloway Oceanography Prizefor his presentation at the AustralianMarine Science Associationconference in Adelaide.• Christopher Doropoulos wasawarded a Queensland GovernmentSmart State PhD Scholarship.• Rebecca Fox and Alicia Crawley wereboth awarded Lizard Island DoctoralFellowships.The Centre is indebted to the 2009Student Committee for their energyand input. They, along with studentco-ordinator, Olga Bazaka, make aninvaluable contribution to the successof the ARC Centre of Excellence.Members of the committee duringthe year were Alicia Crawley (UQ),Anne Leitch (JCU/CSIRO), Juan PabloD’Olivo (ANU), Paulina Cetina Heredia(JCU/AIMS), Rachael Middlebrook(UQ), Stephanie Januchowski(JCU) and Tom Brewer (JCU).34ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies