By Amanda Maslin, 4 November, 2025
Students from QUT’s Faculty of Science Dean’s Scholars Program recently had the incredible opportunity to visit the CSIRO’s Pullenvale Research Facility – home to world-leading innovation in robotics, mission control, and lunar exploration.
Hosted by Wayne Stasinowsky, a CSIRO research scientist whose work focuses on planetary resource utilisation and remote operations, the visit gave students a behind-the-scenes look at cutting-edge projects in robotics, space exploration, and automation — and the chance to hear directly from the specialists shaping Australia’s scientific future.
From inspiration to opportunity: Dee’s reflections
For Dee Yardley, a Dean’s Scholar in the Faculty of Science, the experience was nothing short of inspiring.
“I think the biggest standout to me was just how much research and innovation is occurring in our backyard,” Dee said. “Especially in the space exploration sector and the mobile mission command that we were able to see inside of. It’s awesome to see how interlinked Australian research organisations really are in such upcoming sectors.”
Dee particularly enjoyed exploring CSIRO’s InSitu simulation area, where she had the chance to manoeuvre a model rover through a regolith simulation space — a highlight that connected directly to her interests in planetary science and geology.
“I hope to one day help contribute to the work being done in that space.”
The visit also gave students an up-close look at CSIRO’s robotics projects.
“I’ve always been intrigued by robotics but hadn’t really seen anything like the robots that CSIRO was gracious enough to show us,” Dee said. “The way their capabilities and uses were explained to us was so thorough — I was really surprised by some of the ‘missions’ they get sent on!”
Next steps: Joining the CSIRO Student Vacationship Program
That guidance has already helped Dee take her next big step — she’s been accepted into the CSIRO Student Vacationship Project Program over the summer.
“My project is in the Mineral Resources sector at the Australian Resource Research Centre in WA,” Dee explained. “I’ll be helping to investigate pisoliths as indicators of landscape evolution and mineral exploration potential, and gaining hands-on experience with secondary electron microscopy and QGIS. I’m really hoping to use this as a stepping stone for further research and to better understand how large-scale scientific operations are run.”
Expanding Opportunities for Summer Research
For students inspired to take their learning further, both QUT and CSIRO offer valuable programs to gain hands-on research experience over the summer.
At QUT, the Vacation Research Experience Scheme (VRES) allows you to collaborate with academic researchers, contribute to your ongoing studies, and build practical skills in a research setting. These programs are an excellent way to explore potential career pathways, strengthen research expertise, and make meaningful industry connections.
The CSIRO Undergraduate Vacation Studentships Scheme provides the chance to work alongside leading scientists on real-world projects across a wide range of disciplines.
