Student volunteer Bernadette Willey has been tackling the poignant issue through her volunteer work with a University of Tasmania PhD student. 

The work aims to collect and analyse data and literature about the subject and use computer software to identify the gaps.

Ms Willey said by allowing the programs to identify the gaps, other researchers in the field would more accurately be able to understand and filter the information.

She said it meant the work could be scanned in a more general format, which was very powerful.

Ms Willey is studying a Bachelor of Applied Science in Marine Environment at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies and is one of a number of student volunteers at UTAS.

IN OTHER NEWS:

Student volunteers were celebrated at the Newnham campus on Thursday as part of national student volunteer week.

Ms Willey said volunteering had been a rewarding part of her degree so far and had helped her hone her skills exponentially.

“It’s difficult to tell how passionate you are about a subject until you get in and get your hands dirty,” she said.

The volunteer work has been consistent for about five months, with Ms Willey initially volunteering once a week.

“But I really enjoy it so I found I was going there about three times a week later on,” she said.

Ms Willey said volunteering had given her access to a wide network that would be useful for her studies and had helped her to build on her skills.

She said it had been invaluable in allowing her to experience hands-on research in a field she was passionate about.

National Student Volunteer Week runs from August 13-19.