New crop of plant scientists emerges at CSIRO

Under the CSIRO Plant Industry Summer Student Program, 17 students are engaged in a range of important agricultural research projects designed to discover, for example, how high temperatures affect crops and the genetic bases of crop development.

The Program, which runs from 6 December to 11 February, provides university students with real insights into the day-to-day working lives of some of Australia’s most experienced agricultural scientists.

“These students are working alongside CSIRO scientists on real-world projects”, says CSIRO Plant Industry Chief, Dr Jeremy Burdon.

“Their work is actively contributing to the body of knowledge around fundamental issues facing the agricultural world:  increasing crop yields, tolerance to disease and stress, and securing the world’s food supply in the face of a variable climate for a world that must feed nine billion people by 2050.”

The program is a key part of CSIRO and its partners’ ongoing commitment to ensuring that emerging scientists are given the opportunity to experience how research is conducted in Australia’s leading science research agency.

University Of Sydney student, Amanda Huen, is involved in a project investigating the physiological and genetic bases for hybrid plants producing superior yields.

“This is an unbeatable experience which will help me be far more certain about the kind of career path I would like to follow as I finish university,” Ms Huen says. 

The CSIRO Plant Industry Summer Student Program is supported by Bayer CropScience and the Grains Research and Development Corporation.