A review of global fisheries for polychaete worms as a resource for recreational fishers: diversity, sustainability and research needs
By: Cole VJ, Chick RC, Hutchings PA. | Find with Google Scholar »
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Hi all
It’s all hands on deck for the curriculum changes across the department, faculty and university. We will talk about the proposals for Biology’s curriculum at next Tuesday’s monthly department meeting – please come along and contribute.
Many members of the department are busily involved in the various Sydney Science Festival / National Science Week events this week (you can go and visit our Advanced Science students in the Botanic Gardens on Saturday!), plus gearing up for Open Day on 18th August. The excitement never ends!
cheers,
Michelle
Save the Date
This coming week 13th – 17th August
Sat 11th: National Science Week/Sydney Science Festival Science Safari; 9.00am – 2.00pm; Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney.
Mon 13th: STEM Careers Forum; From midday; Level 8, 12WW (E7A).
Tue 14th: Teaching and Assessment in STEM – Time For A Change; 12.00pm – 1.00pm; Level 1, 75 Talavera Rd.
Tue 14th: Department Meeting; 1.00pm – 2.00pm; Biology Tearoom E8A (14EAR) 280.
Wed 15th: Department Morning Tea; 10.30am – 11.00am; The Hill.
Wed 15th: Departmental Seminar – Professor Ken Cheng, Macquarie University; 1.00pm – 2.00pm; 14EAR (E8A) 280 Biology Tea Room.
Sat 18th: MQ Open Day; 9.30am – 4.00pm; Macquarie University Campus.
Following week 20th – 24th August
Wed 22nd: Department Morning Tea; 10.30am – 11.00am; 14EAR (E8A) 280 Biology Tea Room.
Wed 22nd: Departmental Seminar – Dr Thomas Newsome, University of Sydney; 1.00pm – 2.00pm; 14EAR (E8A) 280 Biology Tea Room.
Wed 22nd: “The Second Cure” Margaret Morgan in conversation with Michael Gillings; 6.30pm; Harry Hartog Bookstore, Macquarie Shopping Centre.
Thu 23rd: aaRgh – R drop in session; 3.00pm – 4.00pm; 14EAR (E8A) 280 Biology Tea Room.
Future Events
Sep 19th: Biology ECR Research Showcase; 9.30am; 14EAR (E8A) 280 Biology Tea Room.
Sep 19th: Biological Sciences Graduation Ceremony; 2.30pm; Great Hall, MQU.
Sep 21st: Frank Mercer Garden 40th Anniversary; 12.00pm – 2.00pm; Frank Mercer Garden, behind Biology Courtyard.
Oct 10th: Faculty Safety Day; 10.00am – 2.00pm; Biology Courtyard.
General News and Announcements
National Science Week / Sydney Science Festival is just around the corner. Come to the Royal Botanic Garden August 11 (9-2pm) where Macquarie Biological Sciences Advanced Science students will run the Science Safari. See the program for the day. Living Laboratory Program
Interested in the future of Biology Museum? We are putting together a small working group to investigate options for the Biological Sciences Museum in E8C. We are interested in updating some of the exhibits as well as opening up the space for use as a study space for undergraduate students and occasional events. If you are keen to join Michelle L, Libby and Marita in developing ideas and putting them into action, please email Michelle.
ASFB Student Competition in Science Communication Awards 2018 – Your votes needed! – PhD Student Joni Pini-Fitzsimmons has entered a video in the Australian Society for Fish Biology Student Competition in Science Communication (ASFB SCiSC) about just how social the world’s biggest marine stingrays are. You can view her video here: https://www.thinkable.org/submission_entries/Jqo4jD3r. If you enjoy the video please vote for it, and please share with your networks! Joni is in the running to win $1000 towards attending the annual ASFB conference later this year. There are only 7 entries this year and every vote counts! Thank you!
Train Station Closure nearly upon us!
Managers and staff can now access a new web page dedicated to the Station upgrade. It contains information and relevant links to the various transport options, policies and support tools to help managers and staff plan their commute and manage their work arrangements during this time. It will be the first place to look for information and will be continually updated.
Inaugural Women for the Environment Breakfast in Sydney – Bush Heritage Australia is hosting the inaugural Women for the Environment Breakfast in Sydney. A very similar and successful event has been run in Melbourne for the past seven years which has become a major feature of the conservation and environment social networking scene. Now it is Sydney’s turn! Bush Heritage invites you to attend this breakfast panel discussion investigating some of the critical environmental issues of our time, and how women are playing a leading role in solving them.
Details: 7 – 9am on Thursday 6th September at Allens in the Sydney CBD, featuring Dr Ann Jones, presenter of ABC Radio’s Off Track and Dr Sally Box, the Threatened Species Commissioner. See the attached pdf file which includes a link for booking seats at the event. Women for the Environment Breakfast
Indoor Plant Workshop – Want to have an office or living room like Rekha and Mariella, but don’t know where to start, or need a little motivation? Rekha and Masood are offering to run a workshop on creating a beautiful indoor plant display. All materials and tools provided. Minimum of 10 people required to run the workshop. There is only one workshop, but 4 possible dates (11, 12 or 13 Sept, or 3 Oct). Register your interest, so we can select the best date: https://doodle.com/poll/38fhcg2tbistc69a
COMINGS AND GOINGS
Dr Dong Ning has recently joined Ian Wright’s group as an ARC-funded postdoc (2018-2020). Ning investigates plant function using first-principles theory twinned with analysis of regional-global trait datasets. You might recognise Ning – she was a PhD student here from 2012-15. Welcome back Ning!RESEARCH STORIES, OUTCOMES AND OPPORTUNITIES
Biology ECR Research Showcase – Wednesday September 19th. The Early Career Researcher (ECR) Showcase is just around the corner on Wednesday September 19th. Please put it in your diary. The organisers (Ajay N, Rachael D, Jonas W) are busy collating a schedule of fascinating talks for your intellectual tastebuds, and also organising some carefully considered catering for your real ones. The ECR showcase is an annual mini-conference organised by our ECR committee, with the aim to promote and expose the great research being conducted in our department by our ECRs, while enabling networking across the department. All Department members (e.g. ECRs, Academics, Professional Staff and HDR students) are warmly invited to attend. Thank you so far to everyone who has volunteered to give a talk. Schedule to follow.
Would you like the opportunity to sail on the R.V. Investigator?! CAPSTAN – Chief Scientist, Trainers and Student Participant Applications are now open! The 2nd CAPSTAN voyage is scheduled to depart from Hobart, Tasmania 29th April, arriving in Fremantle, Western Australia, 9th May, 2019 and it is time to crew the voyage! The following positions are now available.
Chief Scientist – Applications open 10th of July, close 15th of August 2018. Trainers – Applications open 15th of August, close 30th of September 2018. Student participants – Applications open 15th of August, close 30th of September 2018. For more information visit our website: https://goto.mq/6g nquiries: <fse.capstanenquiries@mq.edu.au>.
New HDR Student Social Group – The Macquarie Student Group is a new social group for all HDR and other students from all Faculties and Departments across Macquarie University. The group focuses on creating a healthy student culture, improving student wellbeing, and providing support for each other however we can, sharing thoughts and ideas, planning social events and for having fun at the same time! The Macquarie Students Group meets in person every Tuesday at 12 pm near the lake for a chat, to meet other students from diverse backgrounds and disciplines, throw around a frisbee and take a bit of a break from the computer/lab, so please feel free to come and say hi. There is a Facebook Group you can join <https://www.facebook.com/groups/2058880210996438/> for discussions and sharing ideas and social events, as well as a Google Group. Please contact April Foote <april.foote@hdr.mq.edu.au> for access to the Google Group and for more information.
LEARNING AND TEACHING
Need help with unit development or anything L&T? Talk to our friendly Faculty L&T team contact – Natalie Spence (x1943, <natalie.spence@mq.edu.au>).
Advances in Teaching and Assessment in STEM – Professor Geoffrey Crisp (PVC Education) from the University of New South Wales will look at the growing mismatch between students’ expectations and abilities and those of their teaching staff. Universities across Australia are all frantically ‘renewing’ this or that curricular feature to stay competitive. So, if we don’t change our teaching and assessment practices here, will we become extinct? Come along and find out! https://teche.mq.edu.au/events/teaching-and-assessment-in-stem-time-for-a-change/
When: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm, Tuesday 14 August
Where: Level 1, 75 Talavera Road.
The Biology and Environment Society, BAES, is hosting a careers night for undergraduate students on the 17th of September to showcase the potential career pathways and experiences on offer after graduation. They are looking for a variety of speakers from different career stages and backgrounds to come give short 10-15 minute talks about what they do, how they got there and potentially give some sage advice.
Ideally, we would like 1 academic, 1 early career researcher & 1 PhD student. We are also looking for someone with a non-academic background (e.g. private sector or government). So, if you’re interested in helping out or have some recommendations please contact BAES at <bio.enviro.socmq@gmail.com>
Wuyagiba Study Hub – Macquarie University has been working with members of Ngukurr and Numbulwar communities of south east Arnhem Land to establish a remote Study Hub at Wuyagiba outstation. We are doing a funding drive to try and get some basic infrastructure, funding for local Aboriginal staff and equipment so we can Trial the idea in Sept-October this year. Follow this link to access the Wuyagiba Study Hub website https://www.wuyagibastudyhub.org/
Macquarie has received applications from 25 students from Ngukurr for the Trial Tertiary Preparation Course. The Wuyagiba Study Hub website has more information about Our Journey, Our Plan and a link for donations. Funding for this Trial will be housed at Macquarie University’s Aboriginal Student Support Unit, Walanga Muru. All donations are tax deductible. We have already received some substantial donations and support from Macquarie University but we need about $50,000 more by September to cover all expected costs. The Study Hub will be free to students and all equipment provided.
Please pass on this information to anyone who you think might be keen to support Aboriginal students from remote south east Arnhem Land gain access to this unique and locally driven two-way University education on Country. Any donations would be gratefully accepted! We need your help! If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Emilie Ens, PhD <emilie.ens@mq.edu.au>.
ADMIN THINGS
Admin Alert! Admin workload is particularly high, so this is a reminder to submit your Absence on Duty early. Please give a minimum of 3 weeks before you travel domestically, and 6 weeks internationally, for approvals to be processed and bookings made for you. The more notice you give, the easier it is, and the better prices you can get. Any last-minute travel requests may not be processed.
Photo Competition – AUGUST 2018 – go into the draw to win a $100 Gift Card this month! This month’s theme is Landscape! Your images could be used on our Department website, this newsletter, on our social media and in other biology publications. A lucky person’s name will be drawn each month, and they will receive a $100 Gift Card! Criteria: you must provide caption information including details of what/where/who(names of people)/date & you must have taken all photos & the image must have been taken in the last five years. Please follow the dropbox file request link to submit your images.
Submission close: 31 AUGUST 2018. You can enter as many photos as you like – one entry to the draw per photo with caption info, good luck!
PURE Training – The PURE system is used to manage researcher profiles, outputs including publications, funding applications, awards, projects and reports. Do you feel like you could use some more PURE training? Please register your interest via an email to <jenny.ghabache@mq.edu.au>.
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
Location-W (Fauna Park) Admin Support – Monday, Wednesday & Friday from 10am – 1pm in W19F.
Deliveries – You will notice that we have placed a red “transfer Box” in W19F, put anything in this box that needs to be delivered to the E8 area location. We also have a red “Transfer Box” in E8B Level 2 location, which is for goods to betaken to the W location. These boxes will be emptied every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 10am. Deliveries from the main “MQ” store will be delivered daily. Any questions please contact Sharyon O’Donnell.
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.
BLOGS AND OTHER THINGS OF INTEREST
Plant of the Week
This week – Loquat – Eriobotrya japonica. Back in the olden days, you could find loquat trees in many Sydney suburban backyards. Towards the end of last century, the numbers had diminished significantly but now they are making a surprising comeback. In spite of the scientific name, Eriobotrya japonica, indicative of Japan as their place of origin, they actually come from the Dadu River Valley in southern China.
Ally Training provides participants with an overall understanding of why LGBTIQ inclusion is important to the Macquarie University community and explores challenges often faced by people who identify as LGBTIQ and the impact of Homophobia, Transphobia & prejudice. Participants who complete the training will be able to join the MQ Ally Network if they so wish.
Key Takeaways:
- Introduction to the diversity of identities within the LGBTIQ+ community
- Gain an understanding of discrimination and bias that affect people in the LGBTIQ+ community
- Know what the Ally Network is and what it takes to be an active and effective Ally.
- Develop your skills to actively speak out against Homophobia, Transphobia and prejudice
- Learn to refer people to appropriate local resources, support services & assistance
If you’d like to attend Ally training please complete this poll so that we can find an appropriate time. https://doodle.com/poll/qpzsmvaq4enu5n45 Each session will run for approximately 2 hours. For more information or if you have any questions please contact <workplacediversityinclusion@mq.edu.au>.
SEMINARS AND WORKSHOPS
Biological Sciences Weekly Seminar
Date/Time/Venue: Wednesday, 15th August 2018, 1 – 2pm, 14EAR (E8A) 280 Biology Tea Room.
Speaker:Professor Ken Cheng, Macquarie University. Title: Thinking outside the brain: Embodied, extended, and enactive cognition in animals. More information at https://goto.mq.edu.au/biologyseminar2018-abstracts
REP Workshop ‘Is the Mainstream Account of Evolution Satisfactory?’ – Monday 10 Sept (10am – 12-noon), 07 Wally’s Walk (E6B) 149 Briefing Room. Organised by David Wells, Jemma Geoghegan, Michael Gillings, Catherine Grueber (USyd) and Mark Westoby. Chaired by Grant Hose.
The broad aim of this workshop is for participants is to think over our knowledge of evolutionary biology, especially the question whether standard or mainstream accounts of Darwinism should be regarded as somehow unsatisfactory or incomplete. The question for participants to think about beforehand is: If you were redesigning an intro-to-evolution course or a standard evolution textbook, what changes would you make as top of your priority list? These changes could be new topics added, or existing topics handled in a new way, or some sort of rearrangement of the overall layout of material. At the workshop five panel members will put forward their own ideas in response to this question (David Wells who initiated the workshop, Jemma Geoghegan, Michael Gillings, Catherine Grueber, Mark Westoby.). Then discussion will move to the floor.
Click here to register for ‘Is the mainstream account of evolution satisfactory?’
MQ Quantitative Advice Forum returns – http://quantitative-advice.gg.mq.edu.au/ – We are pleased to announce that the Quantitative Advice Forum is once again up and running. This forum is for any and all questions about stats, maths, and programming, at all levels from basic to advanced. The format is similar to StackExchange and similar forums, but you’ll be talking with people from within the Macquarie community in a more relaxed environment. You can buy them a coffee if they really help you out! Ask your own questions, or share your knowledge and help your colleagues.
Conference on Light Pollution – Dr. Richard McDermid (MQ Dept. of Astronomy) is organising a small conference in the Warrumbungles around the topic of light pollution this September. The conference website is here: http://www.fredwatsontours.com.au/dark-sky-conference.html. The main motivation for this is around the creation of Australia’s first ‘Dark Sky Park’ – an accreditation given to the Warrumbungle National Park in 2016 by the International Dark Sky Association. Since then, MQ has had some involvement there, including a number of PACE projects around measuring light pollution, and school outreach, mainly with an astronomy focus. However, given the ‘multi-disciplinary’ nature of this topic,broader engagement with research from departments such as Biology is welcome.The idea of this conference is to bring together different light pollution stakeholders, including health professionals, lighting industry, ecology, community representatives, etc. in an attempt to find some common ground and possible ways forward e.g. around technology solutions, monitoring, research efforts, standards and guidelines, etc.
For more details, contact: Dr Richard McDermid <richard.mcdermid@mq.edu.au>.
aaRgh (ask an Rgeek for help) – Second Thursday of every month 3 – 4pm, Biology Tearoom – 14EAR (E8A) 280. Frustrated? Having an R-related problem? We will also run regular afternoon tea sessions where you can get one-on-one help, or just introduce yourself and chat. Snacks provided!
Department Writing Workshops for HDRs and ECRs – Running weekly for most of the year: Fridays 2-4pm in room E8B 111. Those interested in attending a session should email Ken Cheng <ken.cheng@mq.edu.au> by Wednesday 12:00-noon, preferably with a draft attached of what they are working on and some indication of what they especially need help with.
Peer Writing Assistance Session – Are you a HDR? Need help with your writing? Unsure how to structure your argument? Want advice on how to handle HDR life? If you answered yes to any of these questions then come along to a Peer Writing Assistance session! Peer Writing Assistants are current PhD students and HDR Mentors at Macquarie University that are a ‘fresh pair of eyes’ to look over your work and provide constructive advice. We are also available to talk aboutanyaspectof the HDR experience. Sessions can be booked on the HDR workshops page.
STEM Careers Forum – career talks | Q&A | networking with refreshments. Monday 13th Aug Level 8 and Atrium 12 Wally’s Walk (E7A). The annual STEM careers forum presents a feast of warm networking opportunities featuring:
- Speakers with STEM backgrounds
- STEM career pathways
- Stories, tips and opportunities to kick start your STEM careers
This event is ideal for UG, PG and HDR students who study with the Faculty of Science and Engineering. Register to receive your networking guide including the speaker list on: https://students.mq.edu.au/experience/careers-and-job-opportunities/careers-and-employment-service/careers-fair/stem-careers-forum
Writing Workshops – Running weekly for most of the year: Fridays 2-4pm in room 6SR (E8B) 111. Convened by Ken Cheng.
These writing workshops are meant for HDR students and early-career researchers. In these face-to-face encounters, writing at any stage of any genre is welcome, from first draft to final polish, from empirical paper to literature review to popular news story. Ken envisages personal feedback linked perhaps with rounds of revisions on selected passages during the session. The aim is not just to get stuff written, but to write everything well. Those interested in attending a session should email Ken Cheng <ken.cheng@mq.edu.au> by Wednesday 12:00-noon, preferably with a draft attached of what they are working on and some indication of what they especially need help with.
SUSTAINABILITY
Recycle Nook – books books books! The Recycle Nook has been rearranged so that academic texts are on the top shelf and fiction and general interest are on the lower shelves. There are a number of recent and ‘historic’ texts on the top shelf, esp Microbiology, Zoology and HSC Science. Have a browse and see if these are of interest and value to anyone you know. Any text published prior to this century will be recycled on Friday 10th August (giving you 3 weeks of browsing pleasure). Also in the recycle nook are a number of printer cartridges, blank CDs/DVDs, and miscellaneous other items. These printer cartridges will be recycled on 10th August, if they have not found a new home.
Correct Method for Submitting to Department Matters
Department Matters submissions now have their own email address. Please send all future submissions to 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.
Keeping to these guidelines will streamline your article’s addition to the newsletter. Thank you.
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New Publications
A review of global fisheries for polychaete worms as a resource for recreational fishers: diversity, sustainability and research needs
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John Baumgartner was mentioned inScience Trends
Dr John Baumgartner from the Department of Biological Sciences was mentioned inScience Trends in relation to a study into the impact on fish reproduction of contamination of aquatic habitats with antidepressants.
Recent Completions
Samiya Tabassum submitted her PhD Thesis entitled Living on the edge: ecological and evolutionary mechanisms of range expansion in invasive species
Supervised by Distinguished Professor Michelle Leishman