Drum roll – announcing our 2018 Crawford Fund Student Award Recipients

May 10, 2018

As part of our efforts to support and encourage young people in studies, careers and volunteering in international agricultural research and development, our Crawford Fund Student Awards from Crawford Fund Committees have selected 22 students to include a visit to a developing country project as part of their studies and gain valuable  international agricultural research experience and expertise.

We recently brought together the reports from our 2017 awardees and encourage you to read their reflections that indicate great passion and learning – the future looks bright for the next generation of agricultural researchers.

Throughout 2018 the 22 successful Student Award recipients will travel to their host countries to research and explore their chosen topic areas. The successful applicants will participate in international agricultural projects and gain valuable experience in developing countries.

Almost all of this year’s awardees are connecting their research to an existing Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) project and three students will be undertaking the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) Rice Production course. We look forward to hearing about their experiences in the coming months.

Congratulations to our 2018 Student Award Recipients!

Australian Capital Territory 

Jacinta Watkins, Australian National University
Location: Philippines
Research: IRRI Production Course
Institute: IRRI

New South Wales  

Brooke Kaveney, Charles Sturt University
Location: Philippines
Research: IRRI Production Course
Institute: IRRI

Marisa Mitchell, University of Sydney
Location: Vietnam
Research: Identifying the constraints and/or opportunities in a One Health surveillance system for antibiotic resistance in Vietnam.
Institute: ACIAR
Project Link: LPS/2010/047

Lucinda Dunn, University of Sydney
Location: Cambodia
Research: Integrated pest management for rice stem borers in Cambodia.
Institute: ACIAR
Project Link: CSE/2015/044

Jessica Fearnley, University of New England
Location: Cambodia
Research: Insect pest management in north west Cambodia.
Institute: ACIAR
Project Link: ASEM/2013/03

Rachael Wood, Charles Sturt University
Location: Philippines
Research: IRRI Production Course
Institute: IRRI

Luisa Olmo, University of Sydney
Location: Cambodia
Research: Seroprevalence and risk factor study of reproductive pathogens in smallholder cattle and buffalo.
Institute: ACIAR
Project Link: AH/2011/014

Northern Territory

Samantha Nowland, Northern Territory Department of Primary Industry and Resources & The University of the Sunshine Coast.
Location: Tonga, Fiji
Research: Coastal Women’s Enterprise Building; Case study in pearl handicraft.
Institute: ACIAR
Project Link: FIS/2014/060

Queensland

Tamaya Peressini, University of Queensland
Location: Mexico
Research: Evaluating new sources of genetic resistance to wheat tan spot using global races of Pyrenophora tritici-repentis.
Institute: CIMMYT

Henry Birt, University of Queensland
Location: Indonesia
Research: Exploiting the banana microbiome to suppress Panama disease in Indonesia.
Institute: ACIAR
Project Link: Exploiting the banana microbiome to suppress Panama disease (Hort Innovation BA14014: Fusarium Wilt Tropical Race 4 Research Program)

Hayley Butcher, University of the Sunshine Coast
Location: Samoa
Research: Consumption practices and health benefits of the edible seaweed Caulerpa (sea grapes) within the Samoan diet.
Institute: ACIAR
Project Link: FIS-2010-098

Jacqueline Lau, James Cook University
Location: Malaysia
Research: The contribution co-management & community-based approaches to small-scale fisheries in developing countries: a global analysis.
Institute: ACIAR
Project Link: FIS/2016/300

Sonal Channale, University of Southern Queensland
Location: India
Research: Identification of candidate resistance genes in chickpea {Cicer arietinum) against root-lesion nematode Pratylenchus thornei.
Institute: ICRISAT
Project Link: Utilizing the chickpea genome sequence for crop improvement

Ruby Grantham, James Cook University
Location: Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste
Research: The temporal dynamics of small-scale fisheries as part of diversified coastal livelihoods.
Institute: ACIAR
Project Link: FIS/2016/300

Chieu Hoang Dinh, University of the Sunshine Coast
Location: Vietnam
Research: Analysis of genetic diversity for sea cucumber conservation in Vietnam and Australia.
Institute: ACIAR
Project Link: FIS/2010/042

Thomas Noble, Queensland University of Technology
Location: Myanmar
Research: Mungbean diversity and pathogen identification.
Institute: ACIAR
Project Link: CIM/2014/079

Daniel Cruz, University of Queensland
Location: India
Research: Agro-ecological research and training in India and Australia: sharing knowledge for a sustainable future.
Institute: Navdanya, Biodiversity Conservation Farm, Uttarakhand-India

South Australia

Mathu Indren, University of Adelaide
Location: Nepal
Research: Power from poo: field-testing biochar addition to large scale anaerobic digesters.

Tasmania

Melinda Sward, University of Tasmania
Location: Vietnam
Research: Integrating forage legumes into non-leguminous cut and carry cattle feed systems.
Institute: ACIAR
Project Links: LPS/2015/037 and SMCN/2014/049

Victoria

Ziyang Loh, University of Melbourne
Location: Myanmar
Research: Myanmar International Veterinary Development.
Institute: ACIAR
Project Link: AH/2011/054

Kimberly Pellosis, University of Melbourne
Location: Timor-Leste
Research: Agricultural innovations for communities for intensified and sustainable farming systems in Timor-Leste.
Institute: ACIAR
Project Link: CIM/2014/082

Western Australia

Christian Berger, University of Western Australia
Location: Timor-Leste
Research: Examining youth engagement in agriculture: a case-study from Timor-Leste.
Institute: ACIAR
Project Link: CIM/2014/082