New lower Cambrian shelly fossil assemblage zones in the lower Hawker Group, Arrowie basin, South Australia
By: • Marissa J. Betts, John R. Paterson, James B. Jago, Sarah, M. Jacquet, Christian B. Skovsted, Timothy P. Topper & Glenn A. Brock (2016) Gondwana Research 36: 163-195. | Find with Google Scholar »
|
Dear all,
The work of some of our researchers is featured in the current exhibition in the MQ Art Gallery – Pioneering Minds In the Field – worth dropping by for a look!
Slides for this week’s department meeting are here for those who weren’t able to be there.
Mel and I will be at the Faculty retreat next Thursday-Friday so please save any problems until then and see A/Prof Grant Hose who will fix everthing.
cheerio
Michelle
Save the Date
This coming week 8th – 12th August
Wed 10th: Morning tea with HoD; 10:30am – 11:00am; The Hill.
Wed 10th: Departmental Seminar – Alison Downing; 1pm – 2pm; E8A-280 (Biology Tea Room).
Following week 15th – 20th August
Wed 17th: Morning tea with HoD; 10:30am – 11:00am; E8A-280 (Biology Tea Room).
Wed 17th: Departmental Seminar – Prof Russell Bonduriansky (UNSW); 1pm – 2pm; E8A-280 (Biology Tea Room).
Sat 20th; Open Day.
Coming up
August 25th: Executive Dean Barbara Messerle visit and lunch with Biological Sciences; 1pm – 2pm; E8A-280 (Biology Tea Room).
Sept 15th; Department Secret Safety Activity
Sept 19th: ECR research showcase day.
Sept 20th: Graduation for biological sciences, 2.30-4pm.
Oct 26th; Faculty Safety day
Oct 31st: Applications for domestic (APA) PhD scholarships due.
General News and Announcements
Learning and Teaching news
Session 2 is upon us! Thanks very much to all S2 convenors who completed unit guides updates relative to the new assessment policy and uploaded the information into iTeche. Overall, we were a little late with a few yet we were still the only Department that managed to do so and received a congrats from Michael Hitchens. I will start to chat to S1 convenors in regards to new assessment policy over next months.
Make sure you keep up to date with all the L&T news, including the new Faculty L&T newsletter – Frankly Speaking via the iTeach blog: http://teche.ltc.mq.edu.au/science/
A plethora of workshops and iLearn clinics are being run over the coming weeks. Anyone who is wanting help should make use of this training – check them out at http://teche.ltc.mq.edu.au/science/
Tracker, tracker, tracker: There have been many issues and an urgent upgrade is underway. Students have been contacted and provided with alternative avenues for assistance.
Happy teaching!
Have your say: national research infrastructure capability issues paper
The Government is presently seeking feedback on its National Research Infrastructure Capability Issues paper (attached). They are particularly interested in stakeholder thoughts around the questions posed in the word document (also attached). The Issues paper will inform the development of a road map for investment in national research infrastructure. The road map will set out the key priority areas for investments in creation, re-investment, decommissioning or defunding of projects and facilities. Please email feedback to Melanie Bishop <melanie.bishop@mq.edu.au> by Mon 15 August.
2016-National-Research-Infrastructure-Capability-Issues-Paper
2016_research_infrastructure_roadmap_submission_template
NSW OEH Adaptation Hub Biodiversity Node Kick-off Workshop 19 August
The Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) has extended its support for the NSW Adaptation Research Hub, Biodiversity Node by providing another two years of funding. This funding will allow us to continue undertaking collaborative climate change adaptation research that focuses on outputs that are directly relevant and usable to end-users, particularly policy and operations within OEH.
To formally acknowledge Phase II the Biodiversity Node will be holding a Kick-off Workshop that will facilitate broad engagement and collaboration across the Biodiversity Node, as well as enhance opportunities for knowledge sharing and identification of new research linkages, while reducing any duplication.
The morning session will be to showcase all existing and newly funded projects (7min talk with 3 min Q&A) and is open to everyone to attend. It will be held at the Vibe Hotel; 111 Goulburn Street Surry Hills
A working lunch will be served providing a chance for networking with our researchers.
Please contact Leigh Staas for more information leigh.staas@mq.edu.au
Departmental Seminar Series
Day/Date/Time/Location: Wednesday, 10th August, 1 – 2 pm, E8A-280 (Tea room).
Speaker: Alison Downing
Title: Mosses and fossils of the Gurbantunggut Desert of north-western China
Abstract: Biologists from the Key Laboratory of Biogeography and Bioresources in Arid Lands, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography in far north-western China, have been studying biological soil crusts typical of the deserts of this region for more than a decade. An invitation to join a Chinese-led, international team of palaeontologists studying crinoids in marginal desert lands of north-western Xinjiang led to an unexpected invitation to work with Chinese scientists on soil crust biology of the Gurbantunggut Desert. Understanding the biology of desert soil crusts can provide useful tools for the management of arid lands where soil crusts play a major role in minimizing erosional processes and in doing so, reducing sandstorm frequency and the associated costs of adding to pollution in the major cities and towns of eastern China. I would like to introduce some of the studies with which I’ve been involved, for example, the recognition of fungi and bacteria as primary desert soil binders rather than the previously claimed requirement for photobionts (cyanobacteria, green algae) to be the primary soil binders and the use of 15N isotopes to track fungal hyphae originating in biological soil crusts to mycorrhizal associations with vascular plants of desert shrublands.
Don’t expect water buffaloes, lotus and rice paddies; rather camels, deserts, forests of spruce and birch, and snow-capped mountains.
Travel Grants Available
Campus Travel and Student Flights are offering Travel Grants to the value of $4000 for airfares and $1000 for accommodation, transportation, tours or other travel arrangements .
Travel grants are available to academics, researchers, tertiary teachers and tertiary students.
Application involves completion of a form.
Click here for application form and more information
Plant of the Week
Fringed Wattle – Acacia fimbriata
PhD Student Rep
A PhD student representative for the Faculty level HDR committee is required, if anyone is interested – please contact Adam Stow <adam.stow@mq.edu.au>.
Respect. Now. Always. Project Launch
YOU’RE INVITED
Following the release of The Hunting Ground (2015), Universities Australia launched the Respect.Now.Always campaign in February 2016. The campaign takes a determined step in the fight against sexual assault and sexual harassment. Macquarie University has adopted the aims of the Respect.Now.Always campaign and developed our own cultural change project. This two-year project aims to improve Macquarie’s capacity to prevent and respond to incidents of sexual violence involving students and staff.
The Respect.Now.Always. Project will be launched on Tuesday 16 August with a screening of The Hunting Ground followed by a panel discussion featuring the Vice-Chancellor, community partners and University staff and students.
We’re nurturing a Macquarie community that is a place of safety and respect. Register now for the Respect. Now. Always. Project Launch and join us.
When: Tuesday 16 August, 1pm-4pm
Where: Campus Hub, Building C10A, Level 3, 1 Central Courtyard, Macquarie University
RSVP: Register by Tuesday 9 August here.
Sydney Chapter – Society for Conservation Biology – REMINDER
We kindly invite you to join us for our next Conservation Café TOMORROW, 6th August @ 10am at the Education Precinct in Centennial Park.
Conservation Café is a monthly event open to anyone! Hosted by the Sydney Society for Conservation Biology, the event aims to celebrate the incredible work being done by our region’s conservation professionals in an informal setting.
This August, come hear from Macquarie University’s Dr. Rachael Dudaniec about the iconic Darwin’s finches and the devastating threat they face from the introduced parasitic fly, Philornis downsi.
The consequences of the accidental introduction of this fly to the Galapagos Islands around 1962 has presented an unprecedented challenge to ecologists, with larvae killing >50% of finch chicks.
Rachael has been on the frontline of the conservation efforts to mitigate the impacts of the fly, and will be discussing two decades of research on this parasitism. Her talk will provide a real and raw synthesis of what we know about this interaction and the possible avenues and needs for conservation management. You can find out more about Rachael’s research at dudanieclab.weebly.com.
Get your tickets on Eventbrite (link: https://conservationcafeaugust16.eventbrite.com.au) ! Spaces are limited. Please download our flyer (attached) or share on social media (@sydneySCB https://www.facebook.com/sydneyscb/) and help us advertise!
Complimentary tea, coffee and snacks provided by Sydney-SCB with re-usable cups available for purchase towards our conservation projects.
Conservation Cafe August 2016_1page
Workshop on Scanning Electron Microscopy for two days at the Microscopy Unit on the 15-16 August.
The workshop will include talks on SEM design, theory, basic operation, sample preparation and applications. The workshop will also provide hands-on demonstrations of the Hitachi TM3030Plus, Tabletop Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) with EDX and will focus on life sciences and material sciences applications. More information here.
Good news for HDR students – life beyond the PhD
You may be interested in a recent article in The Conversation about Life beyond the PhD, as well as this speech from Australia’s Chief Scientist, Dr Alan Finkel
Inter-university neuroscience and mental health conference
Following on from the success of the second Inter-University Neuroscience and Mental Health Conference which attracted over 250 delegates for an exciting 2 day meeting at the University of New South Wales, the conference will be held again this year on 20 – 21st September, 2016 at Macquarie University.
It is now time to submit your abstracts!
Please submit your abstract here by August 12, 2016
Plenaries to date:
Professor Andrew Hill
Professor Christos Pantelis
Professor Jennifer Blackford
Fees: Early bird $100 Academic/Professional,
$50 Students (undergrad/postgrad/HDR)
This includes catering and drinks across the 2 days – and parking is FREE!
To register, please go here
New Publications
An enigmatic univalve macromollusc from the lower Cambrian (Series 2, Stage 3) Heatherdale Shale, South Australia
By: • Sarah M. Jacquet, James B. Jago & Glenn A. Brock (2016) Australasian Palaeontological Memoirs 49:21-30. | Find with Google Scholar »Lower Cambrian helcionelloid macromolluscs from South Australia
By: Sarah M. Jacquet & Glenn A. Brock (2016) Gondwana Research, 36: 333-358. | Find with Google Scholar »Ocean acidification has lethal and sub-lethal effects on larval development of yellowfin tuna, Thunnus albacares
By: Frommel, Andrea Y., Daniel Margulies, Jeanne B. Wexler, Maria S. Stein, Vernon P. Scholey, Jane E. Williamson, Don Bromhead, Simon Nicol, and Jon Havenhand. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 482 (2016): 18-24. | Find with Google Scholar »Strontium mineralization of shark vertebrae
By: Raoult, Vincent, Victor M. Peddemors, David Zahra, Nicholas Howell, Daryl L. Howard, Martin D. de Jonge, and Jane E. Williamson. Scientific Reports 6 (2016). | Find with Google Scholar »Impact of nest sanitation on the immune system of parents and nestlings in a passerine bird
By: Evans, Jessica K., Simon C. Griffith, Kirk C. Klasing, and Katherine L. Buchanan. Journal of Experimental Biology (2016): jeb-130948. | Find with Google Scholar »Blood pressure phenotypes in youth: advances in the application of central aortic pressure
By: Avolio, Alberto, and Mark Butlin. Journal of hypertension 34, no. 7 (2016): 1254-1256. | Find with Google Scholar »(286) Proposal to replace Division III of the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants
By: Knapp, S., Turland, N.J., Barkworth, M.E., Barrie, F.R., Fortunato, R.H., Gandhi, K., Gereau, R.E., Greuter, W., Herendeen, P.S., Landrum, L.R. and Mabberley, D.J., 2016. Taxon, 65(3), pp.661-664. | Find with Google Scholar »Report of the Special Committee on By-laws for the Nomenclature Section
By: Knapp, S., Turland, N.J., Barkworth, M.E., Barrie, F.R., Fortunato, R.H., Gandhi, K., Gereau, R.E., Greuter, W., Herendeen, P.S., Landrum, L.R. and Mabberley, D.J., 2016. Taxon, 65(3), pp.665-669. | Find with Google Scholar »A comprehensive analysis of mechanical and morphological traits in temperate and tropical seagrass species
By: Carmen, B., Yusuke Onoda, Juan J. Vergara, J. Lucas Pérez-Lloréns, Tjeerd J. Bouma, Yayu A. La Nafie, Marion L. Cambridge, and Fernando G. Brun. Marine Ecology Progress Series 551 (2016): 81-94. | Find with Google Scholar »New disease outbreak affects two dominant sea urchin species associated with Australian temperate reefs
By: Sweet, Michael, Mark Bulling, and Jane E. Williamson. Marine Ecology Progress Series 551 (2016): 171-183. | Find with Google Scholar »Sensitivity of the xerophytic moss Syntrichia caninervis to prolonged simulated nitrogen deposition
By: Zhang, Yuanming, Xiaobing Zhou, Benfeng Yin, and Alison Downing. Annals of botany (2016): mcw058. | Find with Google Scholar »Laboratory longevity and competitiveness of Dacus ciliatus Loew (Diptera: Tephritidae) following sub-sterilizing gamma irradiation
By: By: Nemny-Lavy, E.; Nestel, D.; Rempoulakis, P. BULLETIN OF ENTOMOLOGICAL RESEARCH Volume: 106 Issue: 3 Pages: 415-419 Published: JUN 2016 | Find with Google Scholar »A model inter-comparison study to examine limiting factors in modelling Australian tropical savannas
By: Hutley, Lindsay B., and Martin G. De Kauwe. Biogeosciences 13, no. 11 (2016): 3245. | Find with Google Scholar »In the Media
Michael Gillings was interviewed on the Pioneering Minds Podcast
The Pioneering Minds Podcast guest this week is Professor Michael Gillings, evolutionary biologist and top four finisher in the Australian Lecturer of the Year poll six years straight. In this talk with Adam Norris, they cover topics as diverse as teaching as a form of entertainment, the evolution of language and the precarious future of the world as we know it. Visit SoundCloud or iTunes to hear more.
Dr Alex Schnell was featured in Iran Daily
Dr Alex Schnell from the Department of Biological Sciences was featured in Iran Daily regarding her research into the aggressive behaviour of male cuttlefish.
Recent Completions
Thomas Edward White BSc.(Hons) submitted his thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy entitled The Evolution of Polymorphism in Colour-Based Prey Lures
Supervised by Darrell Kemp and Mariella Herberstein
Dustin John O’Hara BSc (Marine Biology – Advanced) submitted his Master of Philosophy entitled Increase spatial resource partitioning among a multispecies seabird colony in a lower productivity year: Tracking and stable isotope analysis of three sympatrically breeding species over a three year period.
Supervised by Robert Harcourt, Ian Jonsen, Dave Slip, Nicholas Carlile, Gemma Carroll