Internships

Position

Research Assistant at the Australian Centre for Culture, Environment, Society and Space (ACCESS)

Supervisor

Associate Professor Sonia Graham

Bogong moths are of deep cultural significance to many Indigenous Australians, are critical to the Australian Alps ecosystem but are also seen as a significant pest to wheat and barley crops. Despite their significance, we know remarkably little about their distribution and migration patterns. This project aims to unravel what information is contained in historical newspaper articles about the presence of Bogong moths, specifically where and when they have been reported over time.

This internship position contributes to a larger project being led by Dr Kate Umbers at Western Sydney University that is aiming to collect ecological data on Bogong moth distribution and migration. This social research project involves a media analysis to understand what historical newspapers can reveal to us about the presence of Bogong moths over time, such as what months they could be found and where, and whether this pattern changed over time. Activities will involve: using the Trove database to identify and collate newspaper articles that mention Bogong moths from the mid 1800s onwards; extracting relevant presence data into a table and possibly making maps to show where Bogong moths have been reported over time; and undertaking thematic analysis of the newspaper articles to see how experiences with Bogong moths have changed over time. There will be an opportunity to learn how to use NVivo qualitative analysis software to facilitate the analysis and comparison of newspaper articles. The internship will be supervised by Dr Sonia Graham and expressions of interest are now being sought. The internship will suit a third-year student. The internship is offered in a flexible mode for 80 hours, between July 24 to November 4. The work can be done online, and will involve about five project meetings.

Content for 80-hour placement agreement

Desired outcome

The media analysis will contribute social data to Dr Kate Umbers’ Australian Research Council Industry Mid-Career Fellowship. It is possible that the intern’s media analysis could be turned into an article for submission to the Australian Geographer journal.

Description of roles and tasks

1. Search for and download the historical newspaper articles using the Trove database.
2. If necessary, undertake training in how to upload documents into NVivo and undertake word frequency searches and thematic analysis.
3. After consultation, use NVivo to analyse the newspaper articles
4. Write a report that summarises the quantitative and qualitative data.
   Maximum word count: 5000 words.

Planned timetable for 80 hours

• Read key articles provided by Dr Umbers followed by a meeting between student, Dr Umbers and organisation supervisor (4 hours)
• Use Trove to search for and collate newspaper articles from mid 1800s onwards and discuss at meeting (8 hours)
• Training session on NVivo if needed (3 hours)
• Preliminary coding of 10 newspaper articles in Excel and NVivo (10 hours) and meeting (1 hour)
• Coding of remaining newspaper articles (60 hours) and meeting (1 hour)
• Report writing (15 hours) and presentation of results meeting (1 hour)

Position

1x Research Assistant at ACCESS

Supervisors

Dr Peta Wolifson, Chris Gibson, Chris Brennan-Horley, Andrew Warren

This internship project stems from a large research program based at UOW that aims to understand COVID-19 disruptions to the economic geographies of Sydney through a focus on creative work. The creative industries were hard hit by the pandemic yet are being presented as central to urban economic recovery planning. Our research is revealing shifts in creative workers’ space use, work practices, economic diversification, networks, and on-the-ground adaptations. The research aims to generate new practical knowledge of reconfigurations of the creative industries in Sydney, and provide insights for urban policy to support resilient and inclusive recovery.

This internship will contribute to a discrete piece of work within this wider project. The role will involve collecting data on live performance venues in inner Sydney over the past 5 years to understand shifts in ownership trends of these spaces and the reasons behind these shifts. Across larger and smaller venues the intern will use publicly-available data to paint a picture of acquisitions, openings, closures, and consolidation of ownership in Sydney’s live performance landscape. The intern will also aim to contextualise these shifts in ownership in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, lockout laws and other impacts, noting evidence of policy and planning implications.

Content for 80-hour placement agreement

Desired outcome

The data collected by the intern will inform the Australian Research Council Discovery Project (DP220100756) being undertaken by Professors Chris Gibson and Pauline McGuirk, and Drs Chris Brennan-Horley, Nicole Cook, Andrew Warren, and Peta Wolifson at the University of Wollongong. The broader project is titled “Reassembling the pandemic city: shifting geographies of creative work”. The data collected will be analysed by the research team and mapped by Dr Brennan-Horley to demonstrate ownership trends and provide a richer understanding of the shifting dynamics of Sydney’s live performance scene.

Description of roles and tasks

1. Conduct desk-based research to identify the ownership of live performance venues in Sydney, identifying major players in the process.

2. Conduct a desk-based search for publicly-available media on venue ownership changes in Sydney’s live performance scene over the past 5 years, recording dates of ownership changes, acquisitions, openings, publicly-stated reasons for ownership transfers, and impacts of policy and planning interventions.

3. Record venue data in an Excel spreadsheet suitable for filtering and geospatial mapping.

These tasks may be conducted in tandem. Sources may include major news outlets, venue websites and social media, gig guides, blogs and other music/live performance media.

Planned timetable for 80 hours

1. Initial meeting and project discussion between student and supervisor (2 hours)
2. Desk-based research to identify the ownership of live performance venues in Sydney (30 hours)
3. Desk-based search for publicly-available media on venue ownership changes in Sydney’s live performance scene over the past 5 years (20 hours)
4. Summarise and analyse data using maps, tables and graphs where appropriate (20hrs)
5. Progress meetings and presentation of findings to supervisor and research team (8 hours)

This internship would suit a 3^rd year student passionate about live music and nightlife, preferably with a lived familiarity with Sydney’s live performance scene. The tasks also require a methodical and detail-oriented approach requiring familiarity with spreadsheets. The 80 hours of desk-based work can be conducted over a flexible period between Weeks 2 and 13 of Spring Session and will involve project meetings that can be conducted online or in person.

Position

1 x Research Assistant at ACCESS

Supervisors

Associate Professor Jennifer Atchison (ACCESS)

The social history of plant introductions in northern Australia is full of intrigue and politics. An extraordinary number of plants were brought to Australia from across the world as part of agricultural and scientific development. Indigenous and migrant labour, often convict and/or poorly paid, assisted in plant trials and experiments to grow new plants. Many of these plants have since become serious weeds and threaten environments and landscapes by changing the nature of fire regimes and local ecologies. In this project the research team is documenting and examining archival records of early plant introductions to better understand how invasive plants became established in Australia and would like to engage an intern to assist in cataloguing photographic records and identifying key events, people and places for investigation.

Content for 80-hour placement agreement

Description of roles and tasks:

1. Sorting and filing of photographs of archival records.
2. Entry of archival files into archival index/code book.
3. Literature searching and collation of historical documents.
4. Identifying and describing key people, places and plants according to an established index/matrix for the research team to investigate.
5. Present findings in a chosen output format (e.g. a written report, story map, presentation).

Planned timetable for 80 hours

1. Initial meeting and project discussion (2 hours)
2. Entry of archival files into reference manager (30 hours)
3. Literature review identifying and describing key people, places and plants with reference to entries in an established index/matrix for the research team to investigate (30 hours).
4. Present findings in chosen output format. Prepare and present findings (14 hours)
5. Progress meetings (4 hours).

The project can be completed entirely via Zoom and there is flexibility regarding when hours can be completed. However, the intern would be encouraged to meet on campus where possible (COVID-19 restrictions permitting). This subject would suit a 3^rd year student with an eye for detail, and a keen and demonstrated interest in the global history of Indigenous peoples and how environments change.

Position

1 x Research Assistant at ACCESS

Supervisor

Associate Professor Sonia Graham

There are over 3,000 Landcare groups across NSW. These volunteer groups bring together members of the community to look after Country. They care for one another and the environment by planting trees, pulling weeds, doing citizen science, holding social events, among many other activities. While the Landcare groups largely work autonomously, most groups rely on occasional grants from various government and philanthropic organisations. We know very little about these relationships between Landcare groups and their funders.

This internship position involves collecting data on funding provided to 10 Landcare groups across south-east NSW to understand how these groups are supported by government and non-government organisations. Activities will involve: downloading annual reports from local councils, Local Land Services, and other funding bodies; extracting data from the annual reports on funding provided to the 10 Landcare groups over time; and then creating a social network for each group using the data collected. There will be an opportunity to learn how to use UCINET and NetDraw software for producing social network maps. The internship will be supervised by A/Prof Sonia Graham and expressions of interest are now being sought. The internship will suit a third-year student. The internship is offered in a flexible mode for 80 hours, between February 27 and June 9. The work can be done online, and will involve about five project meetings, some of which will be conducted in person.

Content for 80-hour placement agreement

Desired outcome

The social network developed by the intern will form part of an Australian Research Centre Discovery Early Career Research Project (DECRA) project being undertaken by A/Prof Sonia Graham at the University of Wollongong. The broader project is titled ‘Catalyzing collective action for effective weed management’.

Description of roles and tasks

1. Search for and download annual reports for key organisations who provide funding to 10 Landcare groups in south-east NSW.
2. Extract data on how much funding was provided to each group each year.
3. If necessary, undertake training in how to create a social network map using UCINET
4. After consultation, use UCINET and NetDraw to create a social network map for each group
5. Write a report that summarises where each group gets its funding from and how that has evolved over time. Maximum word count: 5000 words.

Planned timetable for 80 hours

1. Initial meeting between student and organisation supervisor (1 hour)
2. Follow up meeting to review documents identified and collated and discuss data format required for social network mapping (20 hours)
3. Extraction of funding data (20 hours)
4. Training session on UCINET and NetDraw if needed (3 hours)
5. Creation of 10 social network maps and meeting (20 hours)
6. Report writing (15 hours) and presentation of results meeting (1 hour)

Position

1 x Research Assistant at ACCESS

Supervisors

Associate Professor Natascha Klocker and Dr Olivia Dun

The Settling Well project aims to provide the first longitudinal, comparative assessment of the impacts of humanitarian migrants’ settlement in regional Australia. The project will use a mixed-method and multi-sited approach to generate new knowledge of the opportunities and challenges that regional settlement creates for humanitarian migrants and the regional communities in which they settle. It commenced in 2022 and is funded until December 2026 by the Australian Research Council Linkage Program [LP200100205] with contributions from five Partner Organisations (Department of Home Affairs, Multicultural NSW, Australian Red Cross, AMES Australia and Multicultural Australia). The six regional research sites for the project are: Albury and Cowra in NSW, Nhill and Mildura in VIC, and Rockhampton and Townsville in QLD.

We are seeking an intern to explore housing availability and affordability in the six study sites, as this has been identified as a key challenge for humanitarian migrants looking to settle in regional Australia.

Content for 80-hour placement agreement

Description of roles and tasks

1. Search for publicly available policy documents and plans on humanitarian settlement across the Settling Well project’s six regional study sites, and review those documents for content on housing availability and affordability.
2. Desk based research on housing prices and rental availability in the project’s six regional study sites.
3. Conduct some preliminary analysis of the documents and write a brief report relating to housing availability and affordability in each location.
4. Participate in a fieldwork trip to rural NSW or VIC to observe some key stakeholder interviews.

Planned timetable for 80 hours

1. Initial meeting and project discussion between student and the research team (2 hours).
2. Search for publicly availably policy documents and rental market review (44 hours).
3. Conduct some preliminary analysis of the documents and write report (10 hours).
4. Participate in a fieldwork trip to rural NSW or VIC and potentially observe key stakeholder interviews (20 hours).
5. Progress meetings (4 hours).

The project can be completed entirely via Zoom with the fieldwork trip being optional. Note, if you opt not to participate in the fieldwork trip, an additional 20 hours will be added to another task to ensure the requirements for the internship are met. The fieldwork trip will likely be for 4 or 5 nights – but would not involve more than 20 hours of work time. Travel expenses will be paid for by the project.

The intern is encouraged to meet the researchers on campus (COVID-19 restrictions permitting) at the start of the project. This subject would suit a 3^rd year student with an eye for detail, and a keen and demonstrated interest in regional Australia and/or migration issues.