OsHV-1 countermeasures to the Pacific oyster’s anti-viral response
By: Green, Timothy J.; Rolland, Jean-Luc; Vergnes, Agnes; et al. FISH & SHELLFISH IMMUNOLOGY Volume: 47 Issue: 1 Pages: 435-443 Published: NOV 2015 | Find with Google Scholar »
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Dear all,
Hopefully if you are reading this you have made a smooth transition to the new email system – Ray Duell has provided some more information below.
Warm congratulations to the many winners of awards from biology at the Faculty end-of-year function – Rachael Gallagher (early career researcher), Ian Wright (runner-up mid-career researcher), Lesley Hughes (innovative research partnerships), Mel Bishop (HDR supervision), Rob Harcourt (runner-up HDR supervision) – well done all!
Thanks to everyone who came along to the department research retreat last Monday – it was a very productive day exploring research and funding opportunities. Special thanks to Mel Bishop for organising the day so successfully.
There was a lovely farewell morning tea last Tuesday for Teresa, Marie & Anne Marie. Teresa and Marie have been with biology for a long time and will be sadly missed but we wish them all the best for their retirement. Anne Marie is moving to the Science Centre so although she’ll be missed she won’t be far away!
Finally – see you all at the Christmas Party this Friday – food & drinks on the department to say thanks to you all for a great year!
cheerio
Michelle
General News and Announcements
Office 365 is here. Outlook Mail replaces Gmail on Monday!
Monday is the day we all get to start using Outlook as our work mail program. Hopefully you have all done at least the ‘overview’ training. On Monday, the link to your new mail system will be https://portal.office.com/, so replace your old gmail URL with this one. Login will be your address <firstname.lastname@mq.edu.au> and your OneID password. You have the option to use the programs of Office 365 (including Outlook) online, and you can also download the 2016 versions of the software (Word, Excel, Powerpoint etc) to use on the desktop (recommended).
Please note, for some higher features of all these programs, the desktop versions are a must. If you can’t find a feature, even after consulting the help documentation (and you can check out the latest user guides and the official Microsoft Office Training Centre) then it’s likely to only be in the desktop version of the program. For example, you can set one reminder for a calendar entry in the Calendar online ap, but to set multiple reminders, you need to use the desktop equivalent (part of the Outlook program).
The 2016 Office 365 Word program has some terrific collaboration benefits when combined with OneDrive. Much like Google Docs, you can work on a text document simultaneously, but with all the features of Word at your fingertips, and if combined with a voice call through Skype for Business, working on group projects and grant applications just became a whole lot more collaborative.
Important Information for After Launch (i.e. from Monday onwards)
- Log in and update your email signature (instructions can be found in your quick reference guide).
- Your Gmail calendar will not be migrated and all appointments will need to be re-created in Office 365 (instructions can be found in your quick reference guide).
- For queries or questions visit the Office 365 drop-in-centre: Open 9am to 5pm, Monday 14 to Friday 18 December, Building W6B, Room 207. Eastern campus location TBC.
- Need assistance? Contact your local faculty or office IT team, or the IT HelpDesk on 02 9850 HELP (4357), or help@mq.edu.au.
Random Emails from the Past: a 365 Effect
You may receive some random emails from the past due to some mailboxes changing over to the new system. Feel free to be nostalgic, but also to delete!
Promotion success
Congratulations to our two newest Professors Brian Atwell and Phil Taylor.
Annual Postgrad Reports Deadline Reminder
Supervisors and Post-grads, please ensure you have finished your annual report by next Friday the 18th of December. You can find the reports here.
Research Retreat
One of the many discussions at the research retreat was given by Linda Beaumont on attracting HDR students and understanding the scholarship ranking system – she has provided some helpful guides below.
Associated Files
A Guide to Scholarship Rankings
Scholarship _Rating_Sheet_HDR_2016
Val Williams Scholarship in Botany 2016 Australian Plants Society NSW – North Shore Group
The Australian Plants Society seek applications from students undertaking scientific research at the Honours, Masters or PhD levels. Conditions apply, but the first criterion is that the research will contribute to the knowledge, conservation or propagation of native plants in the Sydney or surrounding regions. We awarded the inaugural $2,000 scholarship in 2009 and since then nine scholars have used their scholarship money to augment their research. It will be maintained at $2,000 for our Eighth Round in 2016. Our Scholarship honours the memory of the late Val Williams, an esteemed Australian Plants Society North Shore Group member and APS NSW President and student of botany and conservation.
Application forms can be downloaded from our web site at http://www.blandfordia.org.au/Scholarship.html
Applications will close on 11th March 2016 and the successful applicant will be notified by 12th April 2016.
In addition, a complementary one-year membership of Australian Plants Society sponsored by Australian Plants Society NSW will be offered to the successful applicant.
Now is the Time for Volunteer Placement
Over summer, there is a lot of opportunity to have a volunteer in your lab. If this is something you’d like to do, please check out the Excel file Volunteers DEC 2015.xlsx. Within are 2 tabs, one with instructions for placing a volunteer, and the other is a list of all current volunteering requests made by student
Not One, Not Two, But Three Sad Good-byes
This week we said goodbye to a big chunk of the Biological Sciences Admin Team. Teresa Potalivo, who has been our finance officer for many years, is retiring for a second time and moving to Perth (so she can’t come back again next year for a 3rd retirement apparently!). Her decades of experience in so many facets of University finances, and her lovely, kind and caring attitude will be sorely missed. Also, Marie Howitt, who set up and managed all the all the accounts and dealt with flights and other bookings with a happy smile and many a pleasant chat, will be leaving us as well. Finally, Anne Marie Monchamp, department administrator and all round helpful soul, will be moving from that position to the Science Centre.
They will all be greatly missed, and we wish them all the best for their next adventures.
And for those who missed it, here are some snaps from the Farewell Morning Tea held on Tuesday this week (thanks Prasanth!).
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Sarah Jacquet Receives Award at Conference
Sarah Jacquet received an award for runner up for best talk at the Malacological Society of Australasia (MSA) Conference in Coffs Harbour last week. Her talk was titled: “New Lower Cambrian macromolluscs from South Australia and taphonomic constraints in the fossil record.” (authors: Sarah M. Jacquet* and Glenn A. Brock). She was the only Palaeontologist at the conference, and said she received some great prizes!
Sarah says: “It was a fantastic conference and I wanted to add that the MSA advertised a Sea Slug Census event this weekend (12th December) at Nelsons Bay. Basically scientists and volunteers are invited to go to Nelsons bay, take pictures of any nudibranchs they come across and at the end pool the photos together to determine species richness of the sea slug fauna in the bay. This is a great example of citizen science and would be a fun day out for any divers in the department. See link below for more details on the project and what the census is all about:
Biology and Bush Tucker Gardens Working Bee
Date: Thursday 17th December
Time: 9-11am
Refreshments provided (light lunch)
The final working bee for this year will be focused on weeding (bush tucker garden) and earth moving (biology garden). There may also be the opportunity to plant some trees and shrubs in the biology garden.
It’s a hot part of the year, but Sam Newton will be looking after the garden throughout the summer break, to keep all our new plants alive. Contact Sam directly if you have any questions. <samantha.newton@mq.edu.au>
NRM Small Grants program Round 2 Now Open
Condamine Alliance in partnership with the Australian and Queensland governments are pleased to advise that the Small Grants program Round 2 is Now Open!
Targeted outcome areas are:
- Building Sustainable and Productive Agricultural Communities and Landscapes
- Protection and Restoration of Ecosystems Functions and Matters of National Environmental Significance
- Productive and Resilient Agricultural Landscapes
- Clean Water for the Condamine
Guidelines and application form are on the Condamine Alliance web site www.condaminealliance.com.au.
Plants of the Week – a Medley of Christmas Flowers from Around the World!
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England: Ivy, holly, mistletoe
North America: Poinsettia
New Zealand: NZ Christmas Bush – Metrosideros excelsa
Victoria: Mint Bush – Prostanthera lasianthos
And the answer to last week’s quiz question:
Nuytsia floribunda, the Western Australian Christmas Bush, is a root parasite, so you would expect to find it growing surrounded by shrubs and other trees. This photograph is unusual because the tree is isolated in the middle of a paddock surrounded by scant coverage of grass. Although Nuytsia does parasitise grasses (and a whole host of other plants), it’s probable that it became established here before the surrounding woodland was cleared, or was more extensive than it is now.
Two correct answers: Congratulations to Michael Gillings and Lesley Hughes in Paris!
The Wilderness Society Welcomes New Volunteer Coordinator
This December, Sydney-SCB welcomes Eleonora Bergamaschini, volunteer coordinator, and several active volunteers from The Wilderness Society.
Eleonora and Co will tell us about the new leadership model and way of defending Australian environment that The Wilderness Society has adopted recently. This new system integrates to the traditional public policy and campaigning structure with community organising principles to build capacity and community support. With practical examples from the recent People’s Climate March and directly from volunteers’ voices we will learn how this new system works and its potential.
Eleonora and Co will tell us about the new leadership model and way of defending Australian environment that The Wilderness Society has adopted recently. This new system integrates to the traditional public policy and campaigning structure with community organising principles to build capacity and community support. With practical examples from the recent People’s Climate March and directly from volunteers’ voices we will learn how this new system works and its potential.
December 12, 10:00am
Centennial Parklands
Conservation Cafe Flyer!
Website of the Week – Compound Interest (submitted by Alice F)
Although mostly concerning infographics related to chemistry, this is an interesting site if you want to know any details about the chemistry of Christmas, as they have an advent calendar! They also have a ‘this week in chemistry’ which has a comment on artificial photosynthesis that produces ethanol as a fuel source. This is the full report.
If you have found an interesting website that has to do with Biological Sciences or related fields, please submit it to us! <ray.duell@mq.edu.au>
New Publications
Current extinction rates of reptiles and amphibians
By: Alroy, John PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Volume: 112 Issue: 42 Pages: 13003-13008 Published: OCT 20 2015 | Find with Google Scholar »Antiviral immunity in marine molluscs
By: Green, Timothy J.; Raftos, David; Speck, Peter; et al. JOURNAL OF GENERAL VIROLOGY Volume: 96 Pages: 2471-2482 Part: 9 Published: SEP 2015 | Find with Google Scholar »A whale alarm fails to deter migrating humpback whales: an empirical test
By: Harcourt, Robert; Pirotta, Vanessa; Heller, Gillian; et al. ENDANGERED SPECIES RESEARCH Volume: 25 Issue: 1 Pages: 35-42 Published: 2014 | Find with Google Scholar »No evidence for recovery in the population of sperm whale bulls off Western Australia, 30 years post-whaling
By: Carroll, Gemma; Hedley, Sharon; Bannister, John; et al. ENDANGERED SPECIES RESEARCH Volume: 24 Issue: 1 Pages: 33-43 Published: 2014 | Find with Google Scholar »Genetic structure and diversity of two highly vulnerable carcharhinids in Australian waters
By: Geraghty, Pascal T.; Williamson, Jane E.; Macbeth, William G.; et al. ENDANGERED SPECIES RESEARCH Volume: 24 Issue: 1 Pages: 45-60 Published: 2014 | Find with Google Scholar »In the Media
2SER Regular Segment: Science 202 with Siobhan Dennison, Macquarie University
Siobhan Dennison from the Department of Biological Sciences spoke to 2SER’s Breakfast program about the parenting habits of cuckoo birds and why they lay their eggs in the nests of other birds. See page 2 of the report.