There are many avenues available to build scientific knowledge, to network with interesting people and to gain career experience in science or natural history.
You can join a group. To enhance that experience, you can volunteer for a committee with your chosen group. This can make a big difference to the group’s mission.
Sign up for a newsletter – most groups have a newsletter and some have a free electronic newsletter for anyone who subscribes.
Attend an event – there are several events every week. Check the websites of your favourite groups and check this Queensland Science Network website, which includes a link to the Advance Queensland and Inspiring Queensland events calendars.
Participate in a field trip, backyard survey or community event. Numerous opportunities to participate in citizen science through field trips, backyard surveys and group activities are available through QSN member groups. Check your favourite group and also the webpages of member groups the Australian Citizen Science Association (Queensland) and EarthWatch-ClimateWatch. Projects in your locality or chosen field of science may be listed on the ACSA Project Finder.
Publish something. Scientists and naturalists with scientific information they wish to share have several options… Read more.
Contribute data to the Atlas of Living Australia, a collaborative, digital library of data about Australian biodiversity from multiple sources.
Donate money. All groups affiliated with this site engage in ‘public benefit’ activities, meaning that they are not commercially self-supporting. Numerous opportunities are available to make an enduring difference to our natural world. The tax-deductible Research Fund of The Royal Society of Queensland is an example. Donations may be made for any program of the Queensland Science Network via the Philanthropy page of the Society, or by clicking on the button below (you do not need your own PayPal account to use this button). Send an email via admin AT royalsocietyqld.org if you wish to suggest a purpose for the donation.
Specific initiatives
The Queensland Government has announced a new round of Smithsonian Fellowships. Individual grants of up to $32,600 are available to staff from Queensland research, education and cultural agencies. The Fellowships Program enables collaborative research and cultural exchange between scholars and institutions in Queensland and the Smithsonian Institution. Applications for the 2024 fellowships close at 2pm […] The Royal Society of Queensland is pleased to announce the successful applicants for grants of >$23,000 for research into microscopic or macroscopic fungi. The grants honour Queenslander Walter Fisher whose career focused on yeasts. Details are on the Society’s Research Fund page. Walter Fisher passed away peacefully on 13 July 2023 at the age of […] Pharmacist Geraldine Hall, educated at the University of Queensland, took a position as Pharmacist at the public hospital on Norfolk Island in 1999. In 2006 she opened her own pharmacy business in the Island’s commercial centre and became a trusted member of the community in the light of her extensive medical knowledge and personal discretion. […] The Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science award Australian scientists and innovators with prizes to recognise outstanding achievements in science and research-based innovation. Closing date: Thursday 9 February 2023 5:00pm AEDT There are five Science Prizes ranging between $50,000 and $250,000. The Prizes are awarded for outstanding achievements in: scientific research research-based innovation excellence in science […] See the World Bee Day Australian website for a list of activities to showcase the honey bee and its role in contributing to ecosystem services. The National Waterbug Blitz is Australia’s first nationwide, citizen science, waterway monitoring event. In spring each year, Australians are encouraged to discover how healthy their local waterways and wetlands are, simply by exploring and identifying what waterbugs live in them. Many schools, farmers, local residents, catchment or Landcare and other community groups, are collecting information […] Students, teachers, Indigenous Rangers and community citizen scientists: jump on a boat or get muddy to make a difference & sign up for EarthWatch Mangrove Watch program Student Challenge High school students in Yr 10-12 in Queensland Government schools can apply for a one-week environmental scholarship, working as research assistant alongside scientists. Applications for the […] Scientists are inviting schools in Queensland to sign up to help search for Australia’s missing insects. Dr Andy Howe insect ecologist of the University of the Sunshine Coast is co-ordinating the Queensland arm of the “Insect Investigators” program led by the South Australian Museum. The program is seeking 50 schools across Queensland, Western Australia and […] Wildlife Queensland is offering a free will-making service for those who would like to sponsor the vital work that the group tackles. By partnering with Australia’s top-rated will-writing platform, Gathered Here, Wildlife Queensland is offering its supporters a free will-writing service that easily allows a donor to leave a gift in their will to help […] Western Sydney University and the University of New England have set up a Citizen Science Project called the Dead Tree Detective. The aim of the project is to collect observations of dead or dying trees around Australia. It sounds a bit grim, but knowing where and when trees have died will help us to work […]
2024 Smithsonian Fellowships – open to 25 April
Walter Fisher grants for mycology announced
Improving public health in remote communities: The Geraldine Hall Memorial Prize
The Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science
World Bee Day 20 May annually
National Waterbug Blitz
EarthWatch Mangrove Watch Program
Find missing insects – Calling Queensland schools
Leaving a legacy for wildlife
The Dead Tree Detective