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Australian Gemini Undergraduate Summer Studentships

Applications for the Dec 2009 - Feb 2010 AGUSS program have now closed.
We will begin accepting applications for the 2010/11 program in August 2010.
Student Poster

Read the AGUSS blog for the experiences of previous AGUSS recipients.



Introduction

The twin Gemini telescopes are the among the most powerful optical/infra-red telescopes in the world. Australia is a partner in these telescopes, together with the USA, UK, Canada, Argentina and Brazil. Australian involvement in the Gemini Observatory is managed by the Australian Gemini Office, currently hosted at the Anglo-Australian Observatory. Funding for the Australian Gemini Undergraduate Summer Studentships (AGUSS) scheme is provided by Astronomy Australia Ltd. (AAL).

We invite applications from undergraduate students who would like to carry out a 10 week research project at the Gemini South observatory, located in the north of Chile. Students will carry out a project using the Gemini South telescope, under the supervision of Gemini South researchers. The Australian Gemini office will pay the airfare from Australia to the town of La Serena, Chile, and provide a stipend of ~A$600 per week (gross, plus superannuation). We will also provide medical insurance (though not comprehensive travel insurance) while in Chile.

Details of the Studentships

Up to three studentships will be offered for the summer of 2009/10. They will last for roughly ten weeks, from early-December until mid-February. They are open to undergraduate students of any nationality currently enrolled at an Australian university who have completed at least two years of an undergraduate degree in Physics, Maths, Astronomy or Engineering.

In addition to carrying out a research project, the students may participate in a lecture course and social activities offered at Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory, jointly with a group of US and Chilean summer scholars.

About Gemini South

The Gemini South telescope is located on the mountain of Cerro Pachon, in the Chilean Andes. The observatory is headquartered in the nearby city of La Serena. The observatory will arrange accomodation for the students.

How to Apply

Applications by e-mail are strongly preferred. Please send your application as a single Word or PDF document attachment to the AGUSS Program Supervisor, Dr Stuart Ryder (sdr -@- aao.gov.au). The application should include the following:

  • A curriculum vitae, including name and contact details, and your e-mail address.
  • A full listing of university courses taken, including a transcript of academic record (if your university supplies only hardcopy transcripts, please scan it and send us the JPEG or PDF file).
  • A one page statement on why you would like to get one of these studentships, describing your background, and including an insight into your longer term career goals, and interests in astronomy/astrophysics/instrumentation. What is it about the Gemini South observatory that particularly appeals to you?
  • You should ask two academics who are familiar with you to send us academic reference letters. E-mail to "sdr -@- aao.gov.au" is fine. The names and contact details of these referees should be included in your CV. The reference letters must reach us before the application deadline.

The closing date for applicants is 31 August 2009

Past recipients

Previous AGUSS recipients are listed here. Some have kindly provided a few words and pictures of their experiences, which you can view by clicking on their names.

AGUSS group
Here is a photo of some past AGUSS recipients assembled at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the Astronomical Society of Australia held in July 2009 in Melbourne. Left to right are AGUSS Coordinator Dr Stuart Ryder, David Palamara, Richard Linossi, Jacinta Delhaize, Simon Murphy, and Peter Jensen. Photo courtesy of Jacinta Delhaize.
AGUSS IYA
In January 2009, AGUSS students David Palamara (left of centre) and Sophie Underwood (right of centre) were joined by Australian Gemini Scientist Dr Stuart Ryder (far left) and Deputy Gemini Scientist Dr Christopher Onken (far right) for a live video link-up from the Gemini South headquarters in La Serena to the official launch of the International Year of Astronomy at Questacon in Canberra.

Other Astronomy Studentships in Australasia

AGUSS is an extremely competitive scheme - we typically receive 10 times more applications than there are studentships. For those who miss out, there are a number of similar programs operated by institutions throughout Australasia you may wish to consider, a separate list of which can be found here.

Questions?

If you have any queries about the studentship scheme before applying, then please feel free to contact the program supervisor Stuart Ryder by e-mail (sdr -@- aao.gov.au), or by phone at (02) 9372-4843.

Australian Gemini Office, ausgo -@- aao.gov.au