Bats as reservoirs of antibiotic resistance determinants: A survey of class 1 integrons in Grey-headed Flying Foxes (Pteropus poliocephalus)
By: McDougall, Fiona, Wayne Boardman, Michael Gillings, and Michelle Power. Infection, Genetics and Evolution 70 (2019): 107-113. | Find with Google Scholar »
|
Hi all,
I’m looking forward to the ECR Showcase next Tuesday – it looks like a great line-up of speakers. Please come along to support our Early Career Researchers and hear about their work!
cheers,
Michelle
Save the Date
This coming week 15th – 18th April
Tue 16th: Biology ECR Research Showcase; 9.00am – 1.00pm; 14EAR(E8A) – 280 (Biology Tea Room).
Wed 17th: Department Morning Tea; 10.30am – 11.30am; 14EAR(E8A)-280 (Biology Tea Room).
Thu 18th: Biology Social Club; 5.00pm – 7.00pm; Biology Courtyard.
Fri 19th: Good Friday.
Following week 23rd – 26th April
Mon 22nd: Easter Monday.
Wed 24th: Department Morning Tea; 10.30am – 11.30am; 205b Culloden Rd.
Thu 25th: ANZAC Day.
Fri 26th: Biology Graduation Ceremony; 6.00pm; 14SEO Graduation Hall.
Weekly Events
Thu: Venture Cafe; 3–8pm; (map).
Fri: Writing workshops with Prof Ken Cheng – to support HDRs and ECRs with scientific writing; 2–4pm; Ken’s office at 205b Culloden Road, G12.
Fri: Behaviour and Evolution Journal Club; Friday at 12:30pm (bring your lunch); 205B Culloden Rd Boardroom.
Weekly Biological Sciences seminar program is here
Weekly Molecular Sciences seminar program is here
Future Events
May 3rd: Learning and Teaching Planning Day – all Biology academic staff; location MGSM Conference Room.
May 9th: Ask An R Geek for Help (aaRgh); 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM; Continuum room (75 Talavera road, room 3114); snacks provided.
May 23rd: Workshop on introduction to tidyverse package in R; 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM; Continuum room (75 Talavera road, room 3114); snacks provided.
June 11th-13th: HDR Conference 2019, 9am-1pm, Panel Interviews: 2-5pm; venue TBD – Save the date!
General News and Announcements
Another Baby Boy for the Department of Biological Sciences!
Proud Parents Josh and Tiff Aldridge welcomed Baby Benjamin into the world at 12 pm on the 10th April.
Vital stats 52cm, 3.35Kg
Mother and Baby are doing well.
.
.
Congratulations to Melanie Bishop and Katie Dafforn (Environmental Sciences) who, along with UNSW and other colleagues, have secured ARC Linkage funding for a project on bringing Sydney rock oysters back from extinction. You can read the press release here:
Congratulations to PhD student Kate Dodds (Benthic Ecology Lab) who was awarded the 2019 Allen Award from the Australian Marine Sciences Association. The award provides up to $2000 towards attendance at the Association’s annual conference which, this year, is in Fremantle.
The Mini-Beast Fair 2019 – The second annual Minibeast Day was another huge success. The Department hosted 40 curious six-year-olds from Abbotsleigh Girls school, they had an absolute blast, learning from the live, interactive exhibits on phasmids, spiders, insect development, electron microscopy, slime moulds, ant brains, honey bees and indigenous invertebrate stories. Even a fire alarm in the middle of the first session didn’t dampen their spirits, with the team deciding an impromptu trip to the Biological Sciences Museum was a great way to fill in the evacuation time. After lunch, the girls were taken on an immersive collecting trip through the Biology Courtyard gardens to discover what Minibeasts lurked on campus. Everyone had a fantastic day, thanks to our dedicated team of presenters and organisers who really went above and beyond, so a huge thank you to Chris Reid, Georgina Binns, Bruno Buzatto, Matt Bulbert, Sue Lindsay, Braxton Jones, Jim McLean, Alfonso (Poncho) Aceves Aparicio, Zach Sheehan, Will Frazer and Manizah Ayesha Kassim for their exhibits, Emily Remnant, Theo Colin and Andy Barron for their assistance with the honey bees, and Jenny Ghabache for photos and admin support and Winnie Man for tech support. See you all again next year!
-click thumbnail for larger image-
OFFICE INSPECTIONS – The WHS team will be conducting office inspections over the next month, starting from mid-April. Please take the opportunity to clean up your office so that these are as painless as possible for everyone. We will get reports back out to you by mid-May, and any corrective actions need to be taken within a month if you want to remain eligible for any Departmental financial support this year. If you have any personal belongings in your office/ desk drawers etc, that you are not happy with the inspection team seeing, then please also take the chance to take these home before the inspections begin.
Plant of the Week – click the images for larger versions –
This week’s plant, Viola banksii, a native violet, is a contribution from Beatrix Paille, a student from Pennant Hills High School.
There are over 700 species in the Violaceae family which is probably best known for pansies and the more traditional old world violets. Curiously, most species are shrubs or small trees although the best known genus, Viola, is herbaceous.
Call for Research and Professional Development Workshop Suggestions The Department is compiling a program of workshops focused on research and professional development for postgraduate students and ECRs in the Biological Sciences, and we want your suggestions! Perhaps there is a particular skill you want to develop or advice that you are seeking. Or you may want to deliver a session on something relevant! This could range from writing and data analysis, to publishing and interview skills, and anything in between. We are looking for suggestions of workshop topics as well as nominations for people or groups to run them.
Please submit your suggestions via this google form: https://forms.gle/KaYnCr4fp2b1ucWm8
COMINGS AND GOINGS
New Faces – We have three new arrivals in Ian Wright’s lab group (see photos). Global vegetation modeller Dr Fabio Berzaghi is a Visiting Scholar from Italy, by way of France, and will be in the department until September. Dr Yuki Tsujii has just started a two-year postdoc position here, funded by the Japan Society for Promotion of Science. He will be working on phosphorus fractionation in leaves, that is, how is that Australian species do so well physiologically with so little P? Assoc.Prof Li Xin’e is a Visiting Scholar from Yangzhou University in China. She is a specialist on Tibetan and Mongolian grasslands, but is seeking to broaden her horizons by working in some Australian ecosystems. Please say hello to Fabio, Yuki and Li Xin’e when you pass them in the hallway or see then in the tearoom!
-click thumbnail for larger image-
OPPORTUNITIES
Faculty Staff (Professional & Academic) Travel Grants – support for staff travel is now provided centrally by the Faculty. Funding is available for ECR travel, international collaboration, teaching and professional staff development. If you would like to apply, please discuss with your supervisor and A/Prof Andrew Barron (for research travel) or Dr Drew Allen (for teaching travel). Research Eligibility and application details can be found here.
https://staff.mq.edu.au/intranet/science-and-engineering/faculty-awards,-schemes-and-procedures
Two rounds remain for the rest of the year:
– Round 2 closes Friday 31 May 2019
– Round 3 closes Friday 27 September 2019
Apply as soon as possible for any travel you intend on taking in 2019, that meets the criteria. Funds awarded must be spent in 2019 and will not be carried into 2020.
ABC Top 5 – Applications are now open for two media residencies in the ABC’s Top 5 Media Residency Program: Science and Humanities. In partnership with UNSW, the ABC Top 5 Science program is now in its fifth year. For a second year, the ABC is partnering with the University of Sydney for the Top 5 Humanities & Social Sciences.
The Top 5 residency provides an in-house intensive two-week media experience based at ABC RN in Sydney. The program is designed to nurture the communication skills and media awareness of our emerging thinkers – to help them share their knowledge and expertise with audiences seeking credible material and informed debate. The Science program is for early career university researchers in science, technology, engineering, maths and medical research (STEMM). The five winners will undertake a two-week media residency at the ABC in July, ahead of National Science Week.
AINSE Winter School – applications now open. The Australian Institute of Nuclear Science and Engineering (AINSE Ltd.) offers scholarships to its Member Universities to enable a nominated student to attend the Winter School on applications of nuclear techniques. The School is held at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation’s (ANSTO’s) Lucas Heights campus, located approximately 30km south of Sydney. The 23rd AINSE Winter School will run over five days from Monday 8th to Friday 12th July 2019. The scholarship is open to all senior undergraduate students to whom a knowledge of nuclear analysis techniques would be of interest. See Winter School 2019 Poster for more.
The AINSE Councillor at each university is responsible for coordinating the selection of a scholarship student. Please contact your University Councillor, or AINSE administration <ainse@ainse.edu.au>, to find out more about the AINSE Winter School. Applications close 15th May 2019.
SEMINARS AND WORKSHOPS
The Biology ECR Research Showcase is next Tuesday April 16, 2019 (Biology Tea Room, 14EAR (E8A) – 280, 9.00am – 1.00pm). The Showcase will be a great half day with fascinating talks, conversations and networking. All students and staff are welcome!
Biological Sciences Seminar – Date/Time: Wednesday, 1st May, 2019; 1pm – 2pm. Speaker: Dr Ted Stankowich, California State University Long Beach. Title: Spines, Sprays, and Shields: The Evolution of Prey Defenses and Aposematism in Mammals Venue: 14EAR-280 (Biology Tea Room). More information on this and all department seminars ON OUR WEBPAGE HERE.
Molecular Sciences Seminar – Date/Time: Tuesday, 30th April, 2019; 1pm – 2pm. Speaker: Dr Michael Collins, the National Measurement Institute, Department of Industry, Innovation and Science, Australian Government. Title: Forensic Applications of NMR in Illicit Drug Chemistry. Venue: 4WW 322 seminar room. More information https://goto.mq/6q.
And: Date/Time: Thursday, 2nd May, 2019; 10am – 12pm. Speaker: James Khoury, Territory Manager, Anton Paar Australia Pty. Ltd. Title: Characterization & Synthesis Seminar. Venue: 4WW 322 seminar room.
If you would like to attend, please register your name in the link below:
Macquarie University Women in Engineering (@ School of Engineering) and IEEE Macquarie University Women in Engineering affinity group would like to invite you all to join for the “MQ Women in Engineering Leadership Summit.” The summit consists of sessions which will help in nurturing leadership skills and provides a platform for networking with the leaders from the Industry and Academia. Event is organised for early to mid-career academic staff members and HDRs of Macquarie University. Further details regarding session and speakers, are given in the attached flyer.
When and Where? 09:00-17:00; April 15, 2019. MUSE Conference Room A, Level 3, 18 Wally’s Walk, Macquarie University.
Please register at https://mqwie_leadershipsummit.eventbrite.com.au
Networking sessions during Lunch, Morning and afternoon tea breaks.
Women of Mathematics Event – May 2, includes a Public Lecture and Opening of an Exhibition. ALL ARE WELCOME
https://women-of-mathematics-event.eventbrite.com.au
WiMaths Public Lecture & Exhibition__May 2_Promotional Poster
Wildlife at the Watering Hole – 3rd Tuesday of each month, 6:30pm @ Botany View Hotel, King St Newtown!
Workshop on Ecological and Evolutionary Genomics – August 4th-9th 2019. Where: Katoomba, Blue Mountains, NSW
Website: https://www.weeg2019.com/
The Workshop on Ecological and Evolutionary Genomics will provide training in a select suite of recent approaches using modern genomic sequencing data in the fields of ecology and evolution. Topics covered will include landscape genomics, detecting selection, genomic structural variants, and DNA metabarcoding. Each day of the workshop is dedicated to a particular topic, with international and national academic presenters who are experts in their fields. The content is aimed at PhD and Masters students, post-docs, including all levels of faculty.Keynote presenters: Ary Hoffman (University of Melbourne, VIC), Brenna Forester (Colorado State University, USA), Niko Balkenhol (University of Goettingen, Germany), Maren Wellenreuther (University of Auckland/ Plant and Food Research, New Zealand), and Michael Bunce (Curtin University, WA).
Please send a statement of interest and a brief 1-page CV to <weeg2019@mq.edu.au> by the CLOSING DATE APRIL 26th. Any queries, please email Rachael Dudaniec <rachael.dudaniec@mq.edu.au>.
Workshop: Spatio-Temporal Statistics with R (Sydney, 29-30 April 2019)
Instructors: Prof. Noel Cressie and Dr. Andrew Zammit-Mangion (University of Wollongong, Australia).
Where: UOW Sydney Business School, Gateway Building, Circular Quay, Sydney.
When: 29 April (full day) and 30 April (half day).
Details: For more information and registration details visit https://niasra.uow.edu.au
Venture Café – ALL academics, staff, their families etc, are very welcome to attend each week. It’s free and there is a bar which is also free to those who attend – more details about this week’s program and more at this link:
https://venturecafesydney.org/events/2019/2/28/the-power-of-story-telling
Sensing Technology Conference 2-4 Dec – The 13th International Conference on Sensing Technology (ICST 2019) will be held on December 2 to 4, 2019 at Macquarie University. Topics include vision sensing, biological sensors, acoustic, noise & vibration sensors, sensor arrays and application of sensors. The conference flyer with all details is attached here.
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
Professional Staff Development Grants scheme opens on 11 March Grants of up to $4000 are available for professional staff to develop their knowledge, skills and experience through activities such as study tours, professional development programs and conferences.
Applications for the 2019 Ethel Mary Read (EMR) Research Grants are Now Open. EMR Grants are composed of small research grants. They are intended for researchers who are just starting out in their respective fields of study and will cover minor costs. The maximum grant awarded is $AUD1500 per year. Applications close midnight 30 April 2019 and are awarded in July and run for one financial year. Apply Now.
Australian Academy of Science
There is a wide range of funding opportunities available for research, travel and conference support, closing dates generally 1st June. For details see here
Considering Study Leave or Research in Germany? Check out opportunities for funding from the German Academic Exchange Service here
HDR NEWS AND OPPORTUNITIES
See photos from Laura Fernandez’s completion seminar.
The library has announced that the HDR Study Space on level 5 of the library is now open with automatic swipe card access, i.e. you no longer need to apply for access. This space is available to students enrolled in approved HDR courses, Bachelor of Philosophy / Master of Research students, and academic and professional staff. This may be of interest to those of you who are looking for a quiet place to finish off a writing project.
PhD Students: got a grant? Dept. will co-fund up to $1500 – The Department would like to encourage students to seek external sources of funding, and has a small budget with which to support successful candidates. New limits from 2019: PhD students ONLY: Dept. will match up to $1500 of external (non-MQ) funding ONCE during the student’s candidature.
If you have received a grant (student as chief investigator) and wish to request co-funding, please forward a copy of the award letter to <sharyon.odonnell@mq.edu.au> and <julian.may@mq.edu.au>.
Australian Wildlife Society University Research Grants are scholarships offered to honours or postgraduate students at Australian universities. Each year, ten $1,500 grants are awarded. Applicants wishing to become a member of the Society can do so at www.aws.org.au. Closing date: 31st May 2019.
If you are, or supervise, a female PhD candidate who is an Aust citizen or permanent resident, please take a look at these Fellowships:
The 2019 Barbara Hale Fellowships and the 2019 Georgina Sweet Fellowship will close to applications on the 30th April 2019.
The 2019 AFGW Barbara Hale Fellowships
The 2019 AFGW Georgina Sweet Fellowship
Are You a HDR Student? Need Help with Writing? – HDR Mentors in collaboration with HDR Learning Skills is running another round of Peer Writing Assistance (PWA) for the rest of the year! This program is designed to support MRES and HDR candidates in managing thesis writing and research-related concerns. All peer writing assistants have undergone training for their role and are current PhD candidates at Macquarie. Registrations are now open for individual consultation bookings. If you are interested, please go to book in for a 30-minute session with a PWA. If you have questions about the PWA program please email hdrmentors@mq.edu.au>
ADMIN THINGS
Outreach Activities – Have You Participated in an Activity for Biology Recently? Don’t forget to fill in the super-quick form here – ACCESS OUTREACH FORM HERE
Building Name Changes – Cheat Sheet – If you are trying to identify buildings on campus with new names or old names, please use this link to convert them from old to new or vice versa.
THIS AND THAT
Accommodation Wanted – Dr Yuki Tsujii <yuki.tsujii@mq.edu.au> has just arrived in Sydney for a two year postdoc position in Ian Wright’s group. Yuki is looking for an apartment to rent, or (more likely) a room in a share house/apartment. If you have a room going or know of one, please shoot Yuki an email – he would really appreciate it!
Harvest Hub – great food that doesn’t cost the earth
Do you want:
- To eat with the seasons?
- Have fresh fruit and veg delivered weekly?
- Buy from local growers and support local farmer more directly?
- Access weekly specials and a flexible, easy to use ordering system?
- Have produce delivered to you at work?
- Buy grains and cereals too?
Then try Harvest Hub www.harvesthub.com.au
Hub name: MACQUARIE04 F: @harvesthubau
More information?
- Check out the website
- Talk to Samantha Newton <samantha.newton@mq.edu.au>.
- Orders are delivered weekly, on Tuesdays
Correct Method for Submitting to Department Matters
Department Matters submissions now have their own email address. Please send all your news items for the newsletter to <fse.bionewsletter@mq.edu.au>
Also, please see the following to correctly format your additions, and keep them rolling in!
You may have noticed that we try to keep all the articles to the same format for the Department Matters, however, rest assured, they do NOT all turn up in this format! To help keep your Department Matters looking as good as possible, when sending in additions to the Newsletter, please try to keep these formatting guidelines in mind.
- Please write in third person. The information is coming from the Newsletter, not directly from you.
- Do not use fancy text formatting. Bold heading, normal text, and only italics or bold to highlight. No font size changes will make it through, sorry.
- If sending via email, set your email output to basic. HTML output will add all sort of formatting that will have to be removed before your article can go into the newsletter.
- Keep your submission short and direct (two paragraphs) and if possible provide a document, email or link where readers can get more information. Any long submissions will be cropped.
Keeping to these guidelines will streamline your article’s addition to the newsletter. Thank you.
Have You Missed Out on an Issue of Department Matters? Back issues can be found at this newsletter archive link for your reading pleasure.
New Publications
Diversity dynamics of Phanerozoic terrestrial tetrapods at the local-community scale
By: Close, R.A., Benson, R.B., Alroy, J., Behrensmeyer, A.K., Benito, J., Carrano, M.T., Cleary, T.J., Dunne, E.M., Mannion, P.D., Uhen, M.D. and Butler, R.J., 2019. Nature ecology & evolution, 3(4), p.590. | Find with Google Scholar »Pectinariidae (Annelida, Terebelliformia) from off southeastern Brazil, southwestern Atlantic
By: NOGUEIRA, JOÃO MIGUEL DE MATOS, WILLIAM MG RIBEIRO, ORLEMIR CARRERETTE, and PAT HUTCHINGS. Zootaxa 4571, no. 4 (2019): 489-509. | Find with Google Scholar »Seasonal and habitat structures of crustacean decapod assemblages associated with Zostera marina beds in northern Jinhae Bay, Korea
By: Park, Joo Myun, and Seok Nam Kwak. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom (2018): 1-11. | Find with Google Scholar »Genetic Diversity of Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) Species Complex Across Malaysia
By: Shadmany, Mohammad, Laura M. Boykin, R. Muhamad, and Dzolkhifli Omar. Journal of economic entomology 112, no. 1 (2018): 75-84. | Find with Google Scholar »Mantid sex pheromones: female calling behaviour and male responses in the Australian false garden mantid, Pseudomantis albofimbriata (Dictyoptera: Mantidae)
By: Mahmudunnabi, Md, and Katherine L. Barry. Journal of Natural History 53, no. 3-4 (2019): 171-183. | Find with Google Scholar »Intraspecific variation in soy across the leaf economics spectrum
By: Hayes, Fallon J., Serra W. Buchanan, Brent Coleman, Andrew M. Gordon, Peter B. Reich, Naresh V. Thevathasan, Ian J. Wright, and Adam R. Martin. Annals of botany 123, no. 1 (2018): 107-120. | Find with Google Scholar »Cool storage of Queensland fruit fly pupae for improved management of mass production schedules
By: Benelli, M. , Ponton, F. , Lallu, U. , Mitchell, K. A. and Taylor, P. W. (2019). Pest. Manag. Sci.. Accepted Author Manuscript. doi:10.1002/ps.5436 | Find with Google Scholar »In the Media
Vanessa Pirotta was interviewed on ABC Southern Queensland Drive
Dr Vanessa Pirotta from the Department of Biological Sciences was interviewed on ABC Southern Queensland Drive about the annual migration of Humpback whales.
Michelle Leishman and Leigh Staas were featured in Forge Magazine
Distinguished Professor Michelle Leishman and Leigh Staas from the Department of Biological Sciences, and Dr Lara Moroko from the Department of Marketing in the Faculty of Business and Economics were featured in Forge Magazine regarding the Macquarie Centre for Smart Green Cities.
Adam Stow was featured on ABC News and in Forbes.
Associate Professor Adam Stow from the Department of Biological Sciences was featured on ABC News nationally regarding the discovery of a population of grey nurse sharks off the coast of the Northern Territory. Associate Professor Stow was also featured in Forbes regarding the declining population of grey nurse sharks.
Recent Completions
Lorraine Hardwick submitted her PhD Thesis entitled “Functional ecological processes in upland swamps and chain of ponds systems in the Blue Mountains and Southern Highlands of eastern New South Wales, Australia.”
Supervised by Grant Hose