A high incidence of non-cavity nesting in an introduced population of House Sparrows suggests that the species should not be constrained by cavity-nest site availability
By: Sheldon, Elizabeth Louise, and Simon Charles Griffith. Avian Research 8, no. 1 (2017): 29. | Find with Google Scholar »
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Dear all,
The end of 2017 is fast approaching – looking forward to seeing all academic staff at the formal department meeting for grading on Tuesday at 11am, followed by our end of year party in the Biology courtyard which promises to be a cracker! Don’t forget to send in your nominations of colleagues who deserve special mention at the party to Sharyon.
cheers,
Michelle
Save the Date
This coming week 4th – 8th December
Tue 5th: MRes Year 2 Poster Presentation; 9am – 11am; E8A 280 (Tea room).
Tue 5th: 11am Formal Department Meeting for Grading in E8A 280, followed by the End of Year Party in the Biology Courtyard at 1pm. Register here
Next week 11th – 15th December
Wed 13th: Department Morning Tea; 10.30am – 11.30am; E8A 280 (Tea room).
Coming up in 2018
Tue Feb 13th: E8C Digital Teaching Labs Induction; 9 – 11.30am; E8C-106.
Fri Feb 16th: F7B Digital Teaching Labs Induction; 9.30 – 11.30am; F7B-108 & 105.
Thu Feb 22nd: E8A Digital Teaching Labs Induction; 9 – 12.00pm; E8A-129 & 150 (Red and Blue Labs).
General News and Announcements
Grant Success
Congratulations to Jane Williamson for her success in obtaining a Sea World Research and Rescue Foundation Grant with colleagues at the University of Newcastle and DPI to look at the trophic ecology and geographic patterns of Great Hammerhead Sharks in eastern Australia.
Work With Invertebrates?
Kate Lynch and colleagues are conducting a study on stakeholders perceptions towards invertebrate cognition and welfare. To participate, click here <https://latrobe.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_agyYfkQrlxTY19P>
This year the Biology Diversity Committee is bringing you the End of Year Party!!!
Come along to relax and celebrate a successful year!
Things to look forward to include:
– Delicious food; Indian, pasta, salads and sushi (vegetarian and vegan options available)
– Games, games, games:
- The Re-gifting auction – bring your unloved/unwanted gifts wrapped and ready to be auctioned off
- Guess the baby photo – Send Rekha your baby photo and see how many people can recognise you
- The Golden Toss (back by popular demand) – the closest coin wins!
- Test your super-powers
– Staff Awards – nominate anyone who has done something heroic, outrageous, brave or just plain silly (email to Sharyon)
– Door prize – to be eligible to win a special prize, you need to have registered by Friday, 1 December 2017.
Bring plenty of golden coins, all funds raised will be donated to Médecins Sans Frontières – Doctors without Borders
See you all there!
Photo Competition – December 2017 – Chance to win $100 Gift Card
This month’s theme is TEAMWORK!
Please follow the drop box file request link to submit your images.
Submission close: 31 December 2017
The top photos each month will be shared on our Department website and this newsletter. The top winning photo for the month will be featured on our Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. The best image from the preceding 12 months will be announced at the annual biology Christmas party and the lucky winner will receive a $100 Gift Card! You can enter as many photos as you like.
Criteria
- Shows what’s unique about the work being done
- Taken in the last five years
Please provide the following details to jenny.ghabache@mq.edu.au:
- Details of where/what/who/ is featured in the photo
- Who took the photo
- Date/Year is was taken
It is that time of year again!
Admin Office Hours
Effective Now…
End of year financial workload is high for the admin staff, so office hours are changing.
Admin Offices Open: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
Admin Offices Closed: Tuesday and Thursday
Offices Affected:
- Sharyon O’Donnell – E8B203 (Project Accounts ending in 2017)
- Julian May, Harriet O’Sullivan and Ayden De Courcey – E8B 204 ( Financial processing team)
- Kate Barry, Caitlin Kordis – E8B 207 (Exam processing team)
If your matter is urgent, please see Ayden De Courcey or Jenny Ghabache – E8B206 who will arrange an appointment with the appropriate person.
Alternatively, please pick up the phone & call, to avoid increasing the email load.
We need your co-operation with this, to ensure the admin staff survives this stressful time.
Cultural Safety Training
Do you feel comfortable and confident talking about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, their history and cultural knowledge? Do you want to engage more with Indigenous cultures and embed Indigenous knowledge into your teaching and research but are worried about causing offense? If so, this is the workshop for you! Phil Duncan, from the Indigenous Strategy unit will provide Cultural Safety Training for Biology staff. There are only 25 places available, so be quick – sign up now: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cultural-safety-training-biological-sciences-staff-tickets-39633526946
When: Thursday 7th December, 9am-12:30pm (includes morning tea and lunch)
Where: E8A280 (Biology Tea Room),
Who: Biology staff
Dietary restrictions? Please email Jenny Ghabache with your needs after registering.
The Library is Encouraging Researchers to Create an ORCID via PURE, or Link to Their Existing ORCID via PURE
ORCID (Open Researcher Contributor ID) is a unique researcher identifier. ORCID acts like a DOI, but rather than identifying a digital object, it provides a lifelong digital name. ORCID allows researchers to insert a unique identifier into these transactions, which makes it possible to easily group and collect research activities. ORCID is fully owned and controlled by the researcher. It doesn’t change, irrespective of funder, affiliation or field of research. ORCID is an optional field in the ERA 2018 ERA Data Submission.
ORCID Benefits
- Distinguishes you and ensures your research outputs and activities are correctly attributed to you
- Is often a requirement when you submit journal articles or grant applications
- Reduces form-filling (enter data once, re-use it often)
- Consolidates your research output to make tracking your research citations easier
- Enables interoperability across many systems (works with many institutions, funders, and publishers)
- You can link your Scopus ID and ResearcherID to your ORCID
- Web of Science uses your ORCID to update its publication data
ORCID & PURE
Macquarie University’s research management system, Pure, links directly to ORCID. Researchers can create, add and link their ORCID via PURE by following these step by step instructions. Once linked, PURE will regularly export your research outputs directly to your ORCID account: automatically keeping your ORCID profile up to date.
Macquarie University Library provides ORCID support for researchers. Please see the Library Guide or contact your Research or Clinical Librarian. Got a question about ORCID at Macquarie? Please email <ORCID@mq.edu.au>
In Case You Didn’t See This in Research Matters
The FameLab Australia 2018 applications are now open and all STEM PhD candidates and Post-docs who have received their PhD within 5 years who wish to take advantage of training in performance skills and hone scientific storytelling are now welcome to apply. FameLab is a way to help early career STEM researchers access training in science advocacy and research presentation – with the added opportunity to win cash prize and compete with researchers from 31 countries at the Cheltenham Science Festival in the UK!
We ask that applicants submit a short video entry talking about their own research, and we then invite our science advisor to review their research. After the first round of selections, we hold semi-finals in four states (and provide training before each from science communicators) and a national final in Fremantle, WA, where the Cheltenham Science Festival sends their trainer to work with the finalists. It is live-streamed from the WA Maritime Museum, through Australia’s Science Channel with podcasts available through the ABC. The winner then advances to compete in the FameLab International Final held in the UK in June ‘18 for what has become the world’s biggest science communications competition. Entries are open until February 16, 2018.
Plant of the Week
Harlequin Bugs and Norfolk Island Hibiscus.
Harlequin Bugs can often be found on Norfolk Island Hibiscus. These colourful insects have been the focus of behavioural studies by researchers Scott Fabricant, Raelene Giffney, Darrell Kemp and Marie Herberstein, from the Department of Biological Sciences here at Macquarie University.
The photo of the Harlequin Bugs needs to have this attribution:
By Louise. – Flickr, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2341113
Invitation — MU Species Spectrum Research Centre End-of-Year Event
The Species Spectrum Research Centre funds working group activity to apply a trait-based approach to a broad range of questions and organisms. Species Spectrum funded working groups use emerging technologies to assemble and analyse big data sets in animal behaviour, microbial function, mimicry and crypsis, coral biology and ant perception and navigation and more. The unifying element across the working groups is in the compilation of trait data for a broad set of organisms, materials and behaviours to understand their function at the continental and global scale: ie to characterise “species spectra”.
The Species Spectrum Research Centre warmly invites you to its end-of-year event:
11:30am – 1pm, Tuesday 12th Dec — E7A, level 8.
This event will celebrate the Research Centre’s success in 2017 and look towards 2018 activity.
Lunch will be provided. Please RSVP – and let us know if you have any dietary requirements – in an e-mail to fse.Species-Spectrum-admin@mq.edu.au.
Please also pass this invitation to your colleagues. Everyone is warmly invited.
With best wishes
MUSSRC Executive Committee
Session 1 2018 Biology Tutor Applications are Now Open
If you’re interested, you can apply here.
More information about the application process, including selection criteria, can be found on the BIOL899 or BIOL990 iLearn webpages.
Please contact Caitlin Kordis if you have any questions.
Applications close 30 November 2017.
Are you getting credit for your Outreach Activities? Have participated in an activity for Biology recently?
Don’t forget to fill in the super-quick form here – ACCESS OUTREACH FORM HERE
Christmas Charity Collection
Collecting Food and gifts for:
North Ryde Community Aid
(for frail and elderly residents of North Ryde)
Please donate by Monday 11 December
Place labelled presents under the Christmas tree (or food in the adjacent box)
Food hampers will be packed on Friday 15 December and delivered Monday 18 December. If you can help with either of these please email Samantha Newton (Biology)samantha.newton@mq.edu.au and/or Laura Hamilton (Sustainability) laura.hamilton@mq.edu.au
See poster (attached) for suggestions.
Library News
The Library is unveiling a new look interface for MultiSearch on Monday December 4, 2017. You can preview the new look now and give feedback.
Why are they doing this?
The new interface is easier to navigate, offers new features and is mobile device friendly. The core functionality of MultiSearch will not change.
What’s new?
- Full details for each item in your results list is now displayed on one page
- Options for saving and exporting are more easily visible
- MyLibrary now allows you to sort your loans by due date and provides an overview page
- e-Shelf has been renamed “My Favourites” and is located under the pin icon. Sign-in to save items to My Favourites by clicking the pin icon
- It is now possible to select multiple filters to include or exclude items from your search results and lock filters so they stay active for all searches until you leave MultiSearch
- Resource Recommender which suggests databases, relevant Subject and Research Guides or other relevant resources, now appears at the top of your search results
Do you need to do anything?
Update any bookmarks to point to the new MultiSearch interface after December 4, 2017.
Saved searches and alerts will not be transferred across to the new interface. You will need to re-create these and save them as a saved query in My Favourites. Instructions will be available on December 4, 2017.
Where can you get help or find out more?
More details are available here or you can contact your Research Librarian.
11 December, 2017 – MQMarine Collaboration Workshop & End-of-Year Function
This workshop will be a follow-up on our first, and very successful, ‘MQMarine Collaboration Workshop 2015’. As with our previous workshop, which connected MQ researchers at various career stages and from multiple disciplines, the focus is on initiating and/or strengthening collaborations!
Program outline:
We will begin the workshop with a presentation by Prof. Michael Gillings, who will talk about existing collaborations at MQ, and how to initiate and maintain productive collaborations.
The afternoon will be filled with short (5 min) presentations by MQ Early Career Researchers on their research – all research students (Masters and PhD’s), postdocs and other ECR’s are welcome to present. All participating Academics are encouraged to focus on the bigger picture and identify potential links that might connect the ECR projects to initiate avenues of collaboration.
We will end the workshop with a summary of MQMarine’s achievements in 2017 by the Director Prof. Simon George and an end-of-year function starting at 4pm to which everyone is warmly invited!
If you have any questions please email marinescience@mq.edu.au.
To register for this workshop follow this link and use the password = Collaboration2017.
Test Out the Scoop a Poop kit!
Do you have brushtail or ringtail possums in your yard?
The Scoop a Poop project needs more possum poop. The team would also appreciate feedback on the usability of the collection kit they use for their citizen science project.
If you can collect poop and return the kit by 8th December, please contact Koa Webster (<koa.webster@mq.edu.au>; ext. 6289) for a kit.
NOTE: both BRUSHTAIL and RINGTAIL possum poop now accepted!
Commonwealth Rutherford Fellowship to Work in UK – Due Dec 11
http://cscuk.dfid.gov.uk/apply/rutherford-fellowships/
The 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.
Biological Sciences Administrative Requests
Please email any admin requests you have to <sci.bio-adm@mq.edu.au>. The email is monitored by the whole Admin Team, so your request won’t sit unanswered in a single person’s inbox should they be away or on leave. If you need to contact the individual admin staff member directly, you will find their contact details in this document.
And if you need HoD signoff on any applications, forms, etc please send to <fse.bio-hod@mq.edu.au>
STEM Speakers in Schools
What is it?
The Speakers in Schools program places Macquarie University academics in schools to connect students and teachers with researchers who inspire, inform and challenge students to question their thinking. Presentations discuss hot topics, global issues affecting society, have inspirational and significant impact for students.
How does it work?
We request that interested schools give us 4 weeks’ notice with some suggested dates, Alison Willard (FSE Future Students) will then liaise with you to see if any of those dates suit your schedule. The FSE Future Students Team provides transport for you (either someone will accompanying and drive you, or you can get a cab charge voucher).
Are you interested?
Please express your interest here:
Worm Farm and Tea Bags
Our worms are healthy and enjoying the lovely coffee, banana and salad scraps you’ve been providing. The worm farm is about to be refreshed, with lovely worm castings available for the home veggie garden.
A quick inspection reveals a layer of tea bags and tags.
Further investigation, via google, has revealed some interesting information about tea bags:
- Most teabags (including the Dilmah tea supplied by the department) is 70-80% biodegradable
- T2 tea bags are made of Nylon (not biodegradable)
- Loose leaf tea is fully biodegradable and tastes better
Therefore, for the sake of our worms, our gardens and or planet, please switch to loose-leaf tea, or non-T2 teabags where possible. If you absolutely must use a T2 tea bag, or a bag sealed with a staple, please throw the used bag into the general waste, not the worm container.
>If you would like to take home some worm castings for your garden, please email Samantha Newton, <samantha.newton@mq.edu.au>
Looking for Room to Rent
Marta Skowron Volponi is a visiting scholar at Mariella’s lab, and is looking for a room to rent from the 14th of January until end of February for herself and my husband and possibly for just Marta until the end of March. Any offers or referrals would be greatly appreciated. Email Marta on <marta.a.skowron@gmail.com> if you have any leads.
New Publications
Transcriptomic profiling of adaptive responses to ocean acidification
By: Goncalves, Priscila, David B. Jones, Emma L. Thompson, Laura M. Parker, Pauline M. Ross, and David A. Raftos. Molecular Ecology 26, no. 21 (2017): 5974-5988. | Find with Google Scholar »FIRST DETECTION OF MEGOURA CRASSICAUDA MORDVILKO, (HEMIPTERA: APHEDIDAE) IN AUSTRALIA AND A REVIEW OF ITS BIOLOGY
By: Hales, Dinah F., Peter S. Gillespie, Stephen Wade, and Bernard C. Dominiak. General and Applied Entomology: The Journal of the Entomological Society of New South Wales 45 (2017): 77. | Find with Google Scholar »Baseline and stress-induced blood properties of male and female Darwin’s small ground finch (Geospiza fuliginosa) of the Galapagos Islands
By: Timothy D Clark, Sonia Kleindorfer, Rachael Y Dudaniec (2017) General and Comparative Endocrinology. | Find with Google Scholar »In the Media
Culum Brown provided comment to ABC News
Associate Professor Culum Brown from the Department of Biological Sciences provided comment to ABC News about the Port Jackson shark being the friendliest shark in Australia, and being added to the citizen science Great Victorian Fish Count :
Alexandra Carthey was interviewed on ABC Radio Sydney Evenings, ABC Radio Sydney Mornings and 2SM and featured on Mix 106.3 Canberra
Dr Alexandra Carthey from the Department of Biological Sciences was interviewed on ABC Radio Sydney Evenings, ABC Radio Sydney Mornings and 2SM and featured on Mix 106.3 Canberra regarding her new research that has shown that domestic cats are the most dangerous animal to native Australian wildlife. See page 5 of the report.
John Alroy provided comment to the Sydney Morning Herald, Yahoo!, The Guardian and CentralWestern Daily
Associate Professor John Alroy from the Department of Biological Sciences provided comment to the Sydney Morning Herald, Yahoo!, The Guardian and CentralWestern Daily regarding new research into robust source reefs in the Great Barrier Reef and whether reefs in he far north can possibly be kept alive by being replenished from the south.