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Volunteering



Station Volunteers



Research Volunteers

Volunteer Research Assistance

Many researchers at Lizard Island are assisted with field and laboratory work by volunteer assistants. The Research Station receives many enquiries from recent biology graduates and others who are keen to assist researchers at Lizard Island. We have been able to place very few people in this kind of work because assistants are usually organised by researchers well in advance of each field trip without any input from the Research Station. Usually the assistants are found through the researcher's own network of students, colleagues and friends.

Research teams live in shared accommodation at the Station, so the researcher and his/her field assistants are together virtually 24 hours a day. It is important that the researcher and his/her field assistants agree on such things as who will pay for what (travel, bench fees, food etc), the type of work to be done (e.g. lots of diving, mostly lab work) and the amount of time off while on the island (usually none for short field trips). Personal habits and abilities such as smoking, food preferences, and cooking ability can also be important in selecting a field assistant.

Appropriate qualifications and experience in scuba diving are usually absolute prerequisites for research assistants at Lizard Island. Prospective research volunteers should carefully read the Station's diving regulations and additional information provided about changes that will occur from 1 November 2008. An Australian boat licence and boating experience are an advantage.

This section of the web site is provided as a service to link researchers who need volunteer assistants with people who want to provide such assistance. Aspiring volunteers are invited to submit information about themselves and their availability for field work. Lizard Island researchers who require a volunteer assistant are invited to submit the dates for which they need a field assistant and any other relevant criteria. Neither set of data is listed online and prospective volunteers are not provided with any information about researchers who require assistants. The Research Station provides individual researchers with the details of any volunteers who are potentially suitable. It is then up to the researcher to contact volunteers and any further arrangements are made between the individuals concerned.

How to register

1. Researchers

Lizard Island researchers who need a volunteer assistant should send a brief email message to the Research Station indicating:

• Your name and institution
• The dates for which a volunteer is required (or month/year if actual dates are not known)
• Whether or not the volunteer needs to be qualified to scuba dive at LIRS
• Any other selection criteria

2. Research volunteers

Prospective volunteers should send a short email message to the Research Station giving the information suggested below. Please do not send any attachments and do not send your complete CV - save that to send to any researcher who may contact you. You should not try to convince the Research Station to accept you; you should provide concise information that will allow you to be matched with a researcher's requirements. Be brief! Provide:

• Your name and country of residence.
• The exact month(s)/year that you would be able to volunteer. You will not be put on the register if you are not specific about this. For example, 'January to March 2010' is acceptable but an open ended answer such as 'Anytime from February' will be rejected.
• Indicate the circumstances that allow you to volunteer at Lizard Island (e.g. university holidays, backpacking in Australia between particular dates, would travel to Australia to take up this opportunity etc).
• The reason you would like to volunteer (e.g. biology graduate seeking field experience, always wanted to see Great Barrier Reef etc).
• If you are a diver who will qualify under Queensland law, provide details of your scuba certifications and your diving experience, highlighting any coral reef diving experience (e.g.”PADI Divemaster, 340 dives logged, most recent in *month/year* in *location*. Most of my diving has been in the Mediterranean but I have done 15 dives on coral reefs in the Red Sea”.).
• Evidence of your knowledge of Queensland occupational diving requirements and the LIRS diving regulations and your willingness to meet them (e.g. “If accepted into a research team, I will obtain an AS 2299 dive medical in Australia prior to the trip and I will obtain training and certification in first aid and medical oxygen administration as required.”)
• Any scientific or marine field work qualifications and experience.
• Any special skills and qualities that may be relevant for life on a small island (e.g. hopeless cook, vegetarian, non-smoker etc).

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