The central nervous system of Oweniidae (Annelida) and its implications for the structure of the ancestral annelid brain
By: Beckers, Patrick, Conrad Helm, Günter Purschke, Katrine Worsaae, Pat Hutchings, and Thomas Bartolomaeus. Frontiers in Zoology 16, no. 1 (2019): 6. | Find with Google Scholar »
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Hi all,
There was lots of news and info presented at the department meeting on Tuesday – thanks to all those who came along and you can find the presentations here.
There was a great turnout at this month’s HDR completion seminar by Laura Fernandez, with the social club in full swing afterwards.
cheers,
Michelle
Save the Date
This coming week 8th – 12th April
Wed 10th: Department Morning Tea on the Hill; 10.30am – 11am, 205B Culloden Rd.
Wed 10th: Capella Science Morning Tea; 10.30am – 11.30am; 14EAR(E8A)-280 (Biology Tea Room).
Wed 10th: Department Seminar – Dr Emily Remnant, USyd; 1.00pm – 2.00pm; 14EAR(E8A)-280 (Biology Tea Room).
Following 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.
Weekly Events
Thu: Venture Cafe; 3–8pm; (map).
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
Apr 26th: Biology Graduation Ceremony; 6.00pm; 14SEO Graduation Hall. Register for the academic procession here
May 3rd: Learning and Teaching Planning Day – all Biology academic staff; location MGSM Conference Room.
June 11th-13th: HDR Conference 2019, 9am-1pm, Panel Interviews: 2-5pm; venue TBD – Save the date!
General News and Announcements
The April Graduation Ceremony is on Friday 26th April at 6pm. All academic staff (including research fellows and postdocs) are welcome to participate in the procession – you can register here
Seeking Work Experience Activities – Do you have any field or lab activities happening NEXT WEEK 8-12 April? Do you want some free labour? If yes please let Jenny Ghabache know as she is co-ordinating our school work experience program.
Plant of the Week – click the images for larger versions –
This week – Cape Honeysuckle – Tecomaria capensis
Cape Honeysuckle, or Tecomaria capensis, is a vigorous scrambling plant with brilliant orange-red flowers. This southern African species has escaped from gardens and become naturalised in many parts of the world. It is classified as an environmental weed in Queensland and New South Wales.
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. 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
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
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 2018, that meets the criteria. Funds awarded must be spent in 2019 and will not be carried into 2020.
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
Biological Sciences Seminar – Date/Time: Wednesday, 10th April, 2019; 1pm – 2pm. Speaker: Dr Emily Remnant, USyd. Title: Honey bee viruses: Cause or consequence of colony collapse? Venue: 14EAR-280 (Biology Tea Room). More information on this and all department seminars ON OUR WEBPAGE HERE.
The Biology ECR Research Showcase is on Tuesday April 16, 2019 (Biology Tea Room, 14EAR (E8A) – 280, 9.00am – 1.00pm). The Showcase was moved to a new month during the semester break to allow as many Biology members as possible to come. We expect it to be a great half day with fascinating talks, conversations and networking. Please put it in your diaries.
All ECRs are invited (self-nominated of course) to present your work. Please get in touch with the ECR committee to confirm your availability to participate and present your work, preferably before March 15.
For those who are new, this is a half-day mini-conference that acts as a platform for ECRs in Biology to present their work to the entire Department. The aim being to facilitate networking, and to gain visibility, share new ideas, techniques and technology within the Department. It will be held at the Bio Tea Room from 9am to 1pm. It would be ideal if all ECRs presented, of course with a priority for those who have recently joined the Department.
Jonas Wolff, Bruno Buzatto and Stephan Leu will be organising this mini conference. Please get in touch with them.
INVITATION: Resurgence: Queer Indigeneity in Higher Education – Date: Tuesday 9 April; Time: 11am-2pm; Location: The Incubator, 8 Hadenfield Ave, Macquarie University; RSVP: >madi.day@mq.edu.au>.
The Department of Indigenous Studies invites all to an upcoming event discussing the needs of Queer and Gender Diverse Indigenous Students in Higher Education. The Department of Indigenous Studies in conjunction with Forum for Indigenous Research Excellence invite you to an interactive session focusing on narratives of identity. Through a multimedia approach, presentation, and group dialogue, a panel of international Indigenous speakers will discuss how to actively influence institutional culture, especially in regards to amplifying the voices of queer Indigenous students. Speakers will share their personal and professional experiences challenging the ally industrial complex within higher education while advocating alongside Indigenous students. This session will specifically focus on holistic approaches to Indigenous student support services. Please join us in welcoming esteemed international Indigenous guests and their insights.
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.
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
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.
Are You Part of a HDR Dynamic Duo? You may have seen the HDR Dynamic Duo section in the HDR Support & Development team newsletters. They feature dynamic duos from across the faculty, be it HDR candidate & supervisor, HDR Mentor & HDR Mentee, HDR Candidate and Industry placement supervisor. If you are interested in being featured, the HDR Support & Development team are seeking contributions. Please head to the HDR Support and Development website for more information and to download the questionnaire.
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: applications are due by the 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
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
Growth, reproduction and functional trait responses of three freshwater plant species to elevated carbon dioxide
By: Gufu, Guyo D., Anthony Manea, and Michelle R. Leishman. Aquatic Botany 154 (2019): 18-23. | Find with Google Scholar »Grid-like units help deep learning agent to navigate
By: Cheng, Ken. Learning & behavior 47, no. 1 (2019): 3-4. | Find with Google Scholar »Effects of sun compass error on spatial search by Clark’s nutcrackers
By: Kelly, Debbie M., Ken Cheng, Russell Balda, and Alan C. Kamil. Integrative zoology (2018). | Find with Google Scholar »Wild zebra finches choose neighbours for synchronized breeding
By: Hanja B.Brand, Simon C. Griffith, Wiebke Schuett. 2019. Animal Behaviour Volume 151, May 2019, Pages 21-28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.03.002 | Find with Google Scholar »In the Media
Simon Clulow was featured in the New York Times
Dr Simon Clulow from the Department of Biological Sciences was featured in the New York Times in relation to his research using assisted reproductive technologies to save the Sehuencas water frog in Bolivia from the brink of extinction. The project is a collaboration between Simon and researchers at the Museo de Historia Natural in Cochabamba.
Culum Brown was interviewed on ABC Radio Sydney Drive
Professor Culum Brown from the Department of Biological Sciences was interviewed on ABC Radio Sydney Drive about friendships between sharks.
Recent Completions
Birgit Szabo has submitted her PhD Thesis entitled “Does sociality affect cognitive ability in lizards? Learning and behavioural flexibility in Australian skinks.”
Supervised by Martin Whiting
Ina Geedicke has submitted her joint MQ-U/Hamburg PhD thesis entitled ‘Anthropogenic impacts on mangrove and saltmarsh communties in eastern Australia.’
Supervised by Michelle Leishman