AMSI and MASCOS awarded 9 vacation scholarships for 2007-08 based on applications invited from all AMSI member universities. Click on the project title to see the report written by the student.

The following students were successful.  

Previous awarded scholars and supervisors dating back to 2004 are archived here.

Background of awarded Vacation Scholarships

AMSI and MASCOS will fund Vacation Scholarships for students at AMSI member institutions. The Scholarships give intending honours students the opportunity to undertake a research project under the guidance of a supervisor.
Application for the scholarships were competitive, as judged jointly by the Directorsof AMSI and MASCOS. Assessment was based on a combination of the past grades of the nominee student and the substance of a 1-page project application.

The scholarship payments have 2 components:

• an award of $350/week for up to 6 weeks, and
• travel and accommodation costs for the student to attend CSIRO’s Big Day In for 2 days and make a presentation about their project.

Student eligibility and requirements

• Australian citizens or permanent residents,
• Outstanding students. In practice, this means that AMSI/MASCOS awards should be made to the best candidates before any locally funded awards are made, and
• Third-year students doing a major in the mathematical sciences and with the expressed intention of proceeding to an honours year. This includes students doing joint degrees that include mathematics, and students from disciplinessuch as physics, engineering or economics who take a substantial amount ofthird year mathematics (taught by the mathematics department) in their degrees. However, outstanding second-year students may also be nominated if they will be undertaking a course of study in their third year along the lines just described.

AMSI/MASCOS Vacation Scholarships are not awarded to students already doing honours or postgraduate study, or who have received a previous AMSI/ICE-EM scholarship.

2.     After completion of the project, vacation scholars must submit a project report ofabout 300 words by the end of February for the AMSI web site. The report should summarise the project and address the nature of the topic, methods of investigation, results found, and benefits of the experience. It can be generated in any format but needs to be provided as a pdf.

3.    AMSI/MASCOS vacation scholars, together with CSIRO vacation scholars, are expected to attend the CSIRO Big Day In (BDI) for 2 full days in February 2007. At this event they will make 15-minute presentations about their project and take questions for up to 10 minutes.
This will enable them to  

• Meet and socialise with their peers,   
• Gain experience presenting to their colleagues and supervisors, and   
• Learn about a range of careers in science by interacting with several CSIRO scientists (including mathematicians) in a discussion panel.

AMSI/MASCOS covers the cost of airfares and accommodation and CSIRO covers the cost of meals for this event. Detailed information will be available to vacation scholars in early January.

4.     In preparation for the Big Day In, supervisors are expected to:

• Assist vacation scholars to prepare a 15-minute presentation on their project, suitable for an audience of their peers. The end result should be a set of pdfsor PowerPoint. and
• Arrange an opportunity for students to do a trial run of their presentationslocally. The aim is to provide feedback from experienced presenters so that students can improve their presentations before the BDI.

AMSI and MASCOS strongly encourage supervisors to attend their student’s presentation at the BDI, both to provide support and to assist with questions if required. Travel and accommodation are not covered, but meals are provided.

Nomination Process

Nominations were judeged by a competitive basis, as described above. Supervisors who have not ensured that previous students completed their requirements in a timely manner will not be approved.

The process was as follows:
1.    Departments or Schools of Mathematical Sciences called for applications from eligible undergraduates. (Some Departments asked their staff to pre-nominate projects that they were willing to supervise.)

2.    Departments selected the most outstanding applicant for nomination as an AMSI/MASCOS vacation scholar, completed the nomination form, attached a most recent statement of results and returned it to Graham Keen at AMSI by 5 October 2007.

3.    AMSI contacted the Departments soon after and indicated whether the nomination was successful. Those accepted were designated AMSI/MASCOS Vacation Scholars and received a certificate from them, which is presented at the BDI.

Payment Process

1.    The value of each Vacation Scholarship is $350 per week (plus GST ifapplicable) for up to 6 weeks. It is paid in 2 instalments: all but the final 2 weeks at the beginning of the period, and the final 2 weeks at the end of the period.

2.    On being notified of acceptance, the nominating Department invoices AMSI for the initial period of the scholarship (being the total period less the final 2 weeks). It is expected that Departments pay the awardees out of their own funds and treat the AMSI payment as a reimbursement.

3.     AMSI reimburses the last two weeks of the Vacation Scholar stipend when the student's final report is received. The Department needs to invoice AMSI for the final amount at that time.