The CRC's Summer Research Scholarship program offers talented students nearing the end of their university undergraduate degree the opportunity to complete a short research project in topics relating to water quality and treatment that are relevant to the needs of the Australian water industry. The projects are undertaken over a 10 week period during the university vacation at one of the CRCWQT research or industry nodes.

This year's winners receive their awards from CRC and WQRA Chairs. L to R: CRC Chair Emeritus Professor Nancy Millis AC MBE, Chris Miller, Jenny Cheng, Liu Fei Tan, and Water Quality Research Australia Chair Keith Cadee.

This year, the Summer scholarship program was run jointly with Water Quality Research Australia Limited, the new research organisation which has been established to succeed the CRC when it terminates in July 2008. Six scholarships were awarded by WQRA and three by the CRC. Projects this year were located in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide.

The Summer Research Scholarship Seminar was held in Melbourne on 21 February 2008. The prize for the best presntation was won by Jenny Cheng from UNSW. Her project was a study of cyanobacteria, “Generation of Reactive Oxygen Species by Microcystis aeruginosa and Examination of Implications for Iron Acquisition”. Chris Miller and Liu Fei Tan shared the second prize. The day following the seminars, Melbourne Water Corporation hosted a technical tour for the scholarship holders. The tour included site visits to a nearby catchment, historic aqueduct, reservoir and water treatment plant.

Program for WQRAL / CRC Summer Scholarship Reporting Seminar (PDF)
Venue: Hotel Ibis, 15 Therry Street, Melbourne