The SRCfTA plays an important role in the training of postgraduate students in the School of Physics. Seven PhD students, four Honours students and a Graduate Diploma of Science student were supervised by SRCfTA staff members during 1996. Five of the PhD students were supported by Australian Postgraduate Awards or University Postgraduate Research Awards, while one was funded by an SRCfTA stipend. In addition, one third year student undertook a special project with Don Melrose in the second semester, and one did a mid-year vacation project with Lewis Ball.
SRCfTA postgraduate students. From left: Stephen Hardy, Sue Byleveld, Jean-Pierre Macquart and Jason Cullen.
SRCfTA Vacation Scholars for 1996/97. From left: Matthew Fitzgerald, Cindy Ng, Lisa Evans and Ashley Crouch.
An essential skill for a good researcher is the ability to present results and ideas clearly and comprehensibly. Students of the SRCfTA are given specific opportunities to develop their presentation skills through Journal Club talks, the informal Friday meetings, and through participation in workshops and conferences. The need to tailor the material and presentation to meet the needs of the audience is particularly stressed, and is reinforced by requiring the students to present a variety of talks with different emphases. Students are encouraged to attend and present their work at the yearly scientific meeting of the Astronomical Society of Australia, and to make at least one overseas trip during their candidature. The SRCfTA provides financial assistance for these activities. The benefits of this program are evident from comments on how well the SRCfTA students present their work.
The Special Research Centre participates in two Vacation Scholarship programs, in which undergraduate students undertake a research project during their summer vacation with guidance from a staff member of the SRCfTA - the first taste of research for many of the participants. The SRCfTA continues to participate in the School of Physics' Vacation Scholar program for University of Sydney students, providing funds for one Second Year student over the summer of 1995-96, and two over the 1996-97 summer.
The Special Research Centre again joined the nationally-advertized Vacation Scholars program initiated by the AAO, the ATNF, and the Division of Radiophysics, CSIRO following the success of the SRCfTA's initial involvement in 1995. A total of 25 students who have just finished their Third Year or Honours Year courses were selected for the program in 1996/1997. Four students were selected from 16 applicants for scholarships in the SRCfTA, and Simon Johnston co-supervised one of the students based at the ATNF. Two of the Research Centre Scholars originated from Monash University, and one each from the Universities of Tasmania and New South Wales. The scholarships run for 8-12 weeks over November to February. In addition to their research projects the vacation scholars meet at the ATNF for a few days of lectures on a variety of aspects of the research undertaken in the host institutes, spend a weekend at one of the ATNF telescopes or at the Anglo-Australian Telescope undertaking an observational project of their own devising and participate in a one day course on presentation skills. At the end of the program the students present their research results in a short talk to all the supervisors involved in the program.
The vacation scholarship scheme aims to raise awareness of astronomy and astrophysics amongst physics and engineering students, and to attract some of the best students into astrophysics. The scheme provides valuable research training for the participating students, and the projects undertaken often lead to publications in scientific journals.
Student Supervisor Topic
Postgraduate
Shaun Amy Lewis Ball, Prof. Lawrence Cram (Astrop.) Radio sources in the Magellanic Clouds, Mar 1989 -
(resumed candidature Aug 1996)
Michael Burgess (based at ANUATC) Prof. Dayal Wickramasinghe (ANUATC), Kinwah Wu, Dr Peter Wood (MSSSO) Mass transfer instabilities in binary systems Mar 1996 -
Sue Byleveld, APA Don Melrose, Mark Wardle, Dr Helen Pongracic (DSTO) Influence of magnetic fields on star formation Feb 1993 -
Jason Cullen, UPRA Kinwah Wu X-ray emission from accreting compact objects Feb 1996 -
Stephen Hardy, APA Don Melrose Neutrino astrophysics Jan 1994 -
Lucyna Kedziora-Chudczer, UPRA Don Melrose, Dr David Jauncey (COSSA) Variability in radio emission from quasars Jan 1993 -
Curtis Saxton, SRCfTA stipend Kinwah Wu, Helen Pongracic (DSTO) Shock oscillations in cataclysmic variables Feb 1995 -
Andrew Willes, APA Peter Robinson (Theor.), Don Melrose Coherent emission processes in the Sun Mar 1993 - Sep 1996
Fourth Year
Patrick Esplin Simon Johnston Nulling pulsars Jan - Nov 1996
Peter Ireland Mark Walker Selection effects in pulsar surveys Jan - Nov 1996
Jean-Pierre Macquart Don Melrose The effect of discrete structures in scintillation theory
Jan - Nov 1996
Naomi McClure-Griffiths (based at Oberlin College USA) Dr Dan Stinebring, Simon Johnston Scintillation in PSR B1259-63 Sep 1996 - May 1997
Third Year
Stojan Karlusic Lewis Ball Chaotic orbits in shocks Jul 1996
Malcolm Kennett Don Melrose Generalized Faraday rotation Jul - Nov 1996
Vacation
Melissa Bradley Lewis Ball Modeling radio supernovae
Dec 1995 - Feb 1996
Ashley Crouch Don Melrose Acceleration of particles and synchrotron losses
Dec 1996 - Feb 1997
Peter Dawson Lewis Ball Visualizing shock drift acceleration
Dec 1995 - Feb 1996
Russell Edwards (at ATNF) Dr Dick Manchester (ATNF), Simon Johnston A pulsar timing machine for Tidbinbilla Dec 1996 - Feb 1997
Lisa Evans Neil Cramer (Theor.), Sergey Vladimirov Dusty plasmas around comets
Dec 1996 - Feb 1997
William Gauvin Lewis Ball Particle orbits and shock acceleration
Dec 1995 - Feb 1996
Matthew Fitzgerald Michelle Storey, Jenny Nicholls Modeling the non-thermal radio emission from a magnetic Bp star
Dec 1996 - Feb 1997
Jean-Pierre Macquart Don Melrose Scintillation of radio sources
Dec 1996
Cindy Ng Mark Wardle The propagation of Alfvén waves in interstellar clouds
Dec 1996 - Feb 1997
Matthew Whiting Simon Johnston Pulsar scintillation
Dec 1995 - Feb 1996
Lyndal Wilson Mark Walker Faint galaxies under the microscope
Dec 1995 - Feb 1996
Lap Kun Yeung Neil Cramer (Theor.) Surface waves in dusty plasmas with mobile dust grains
Dec 1996 - Feb 1997