A sex-linked supergene controls sperm morphology and swimming speed in a songbird
By: Kim, Kang-Wook, Clair Bennison, Nicola Hemmings, Lola Brookes, Laura L. Hurley, Simon C. Griffith, Terry Burke, Tim R. Birkhead, and Jon Slate. Nature ecology & evolution 1, no. 8 (2017): 1168. | Find with Google Scholar »
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Dear all,
Great to see a packed room for the first department meeting for 2018 – you can see the presentations here. If you missed the meeting please have a look at the presentations so you know what is coming up or changed in 2018 around the Department. This coming week we have the first of our Learning & Teaching special seminars for the year – everyone in our teaching staff should be there to hear about the new technologies available for student engagement.
cheers,
Michelle
Save the Date
This coming week 12th – 16th February
Tue 13th: E8C Digital Teaching Labs Induction; 9 – 11.30am; E8C-106.
Wed 14th: Department Morning Tea; 10.30am – 11.30am; The Hill.
Thu 15th: E8A AV Make-up Induction; 9.30am – 10.10am; E8A-120.
Thu 15th: L&T Special Seminar Engaging technologies: ALP, MEAP & PLD with Kath & Fidel; 2.00pm – 3:30pm; E8C212 (sign up here).
Fri 16th: F7B Digital Lab Induction; 10.30am – 12.00pm; 9.30 – 11.30am; F7B-108 & 105.
Next week 19th – 23rd February
Mon 19th: HDR Student Welcome + Lunch; 12.00pm – 2.00pm; E8A-280 (Tea Room).
Tue 20th: E8A AV Make-up Induction; 9.30am – 10.10am; E8A-120.
Wed 21st: Department Morning Tea; 10.30am – 11.30am; E8A-280 (Tea Room).
Wed 21st: Lab Supervisors’ information session; 1-2pm; E8A-280 (Tea Room).
Thu 22nd: E8A Digital Teaching Labs Induction; 9 – 12.00pm; E8A-129 & 150 (Red and Blue Labs).
Thu 22nd: Research Enrichment Program ‘Launch Event 2018’; All Morning; Level 8 of 12 Wally’s Walk (E7A).
Coming up
Thu Mar 22nd: HDR Supervision Training – Mental Health; 10.30am-12.00pm; E8A-280 (Tea Room).
Tue Apr 17th: L&T Special Seminar Commitment, engagement and learning in a large cohort of students by Maruizio Manuguerra; 1-2pm; E8C212 for (sign up here).
General News and Announcements
COMINGS AND GOINGS
New Academic: Bruno Buzatto, Convener BIOL114
Bruno Buzatto has just joined us from UWA. Bruno is an evolutionary biologist fascinated by behavioral ecology and sexual selection, and his research mostly focuses on insects and arachnids. More recently, he has developed a great interest in the evolution of alternative reproductive tactics, male dimorphism and the evolution of phenotypic plasticity.
Bruno will be convening BIOL114 in S1 2018. You can find him in E8C209, ph: x8226. Please make him feel welcome!
New Honorary Academic: Jessica Garb
The Department is pleased to welcome Dr Jessica Garb, who has recently joined as an honorary academic staff member. Dr Garb’s research is focused on spider silk and venom evolution, using genomic and phylogenetic methods to understand the composition and functional diversification of these essential ecological traits. Spiders spin multiple silk types, and Dr Garb characterizes the proteins in these fibers to examine how their sequence properties contribute to mechanical performance and reveals their evolutionary history. Her research on the genus Latrodectus, containing black widows and redback spiders, looks at how their biochemically unique and extremely potent venoms have evolved from non-venom proteins, as well as the ecological and biomedical significance of sequence variation in venom toxins.
RESEARCH OUTCOMES AND OPPORTUNITIES
National Youth Science Forum
Inspiring the next generation: Jemma Geoghegan, Sophie Calabretto (Mathematics) and Matthew Bulbert represented the Faculty of Science and Engineering at the recent National Youth Science Forum. The NYSF is held 3 times across January with 200+ top STEM Yr12 students per session coming from all over Australia. Macquarie has partnered with the program and this was our inaugural appearance. We conducted 5 min speed-dating sessions, 15min talks about Career paths and what is special about Macquarie, as well as tending an expo booth and a lush dinner under the dinosaur in the National Museum. The students were extremely bright-eyed and optimistic. They asked about various programs but were particularly eager to learn about career paths, asked for advice about their ideas for their future ideas and wanted to know what was special about Macquarie University and its different science departments.
Student Research Grants
The 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 must be a member of the Society, and those wishing to join can do so at http://www.aws.org.au/
Grants are available for research projects of direct relevance to the conservation of Australian wildlife – plant or animal. Grants may be used for the purchase of equipment and consumables, travel expenses related to field research, or attendance at conferences at which you are presenting your work. The grant is paid direct to the student. Application forms available at http://www.aws.org.au/
LEARNING AND TEACHING
Upcoming Department L&T special seminars:
- Thurs 15th Feb: Engaging technologies: ALP, MEAP & PLD with Kath & Fidel; 2-3:30pm; E8C212 (sign up here).
- Tues 17th April: Commitment, engagement and learning in a large cohort of students by Maurizio Manuguerra; 1-2pm; E8C212 for (sign up here)
HDR Supervision Training – Mental Health
There is an upcoming workshop that will contribute to your requirement of ongoing HDR supervisory training.
Dr Benjamin Wilkes, Clinical Psychologist, Campus Wellbeing will be facilitating the workshop: Responding to Mental Illness in the tertiary setting.
Ben has graciously offered to run this session especially for the Biological Sciences Department.
When: Thursday 22nd March 10:30-12
Where: E8A 280 Biology tea room
This workshop will cover:
– Managing the supervisory relationship
– Supporting students with symptoms of mental illness
To register: please email <julian.may@mq.edu.au>.
Sessional teaching position available in S2
We are seeking a sessional staff member to convene and deliver a large 200-level planet unit, BIOL260 Science of Sex, in S2 2018. The successful applicant will be required to organise and deliver all aspects of the unit, including delivering lectures and co-ordinating guest lectures, marking assessments, answering student enquiries and maintaining the iLearn page. While the position mostly entails work during S2 (i.e. August –November 2018), some unit organisation before the start of S2 will also be necessary. Applicants should have at least 2 years tertiary teaching experience, and significant knowledge in the areas of animal behaviour and/or reproductive biology would also be helpful.
If you are interested, please send a CV with cover letter by Feb 16th to the Head of Department fse.bio-hod@mq.edu.au
SEMINARS AND WORKSHOPS
Research Enrichment Program ‘Launch Event 2018’
Come along and see what the Research Enrichment Program is about and it’s menu of offerings for 2018. Everyone is warmly welcome:
Morning of Thursday the 22nd February, level 8 of 12Wally’s Walk (E7A).
Tea/Coffee and biscuits will be provided.
ADMIN THINGS
Find out all about what’s happening around the Department all week long on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Photo Competition – February 2018 – Two Chances a Year to Win a $100 Gift Card
This month’s theme is BIOLOGY 2017.
Looking for photos from any events, activities, team photos, plants, animals or anything else of interest. Remember you must have taken the photo in 2017.
Your images could be used on our Department website, in this newsletter and on our social media. The two lucky winners a year will each receive a $100 Gift Card! A winner will be announced at the Biology EOY party and another in early April.
Criteria
- photo captured in 2017
- must provide caption information including details of what/where/who/date
- all photos must have been taken by you
Please provide the details to <jenny.ghabache@mq.edu.au> and the follow the drop box file request link to submit your images.
Submission close: 28 February 2018
You can enter as many photos as you like.
Changes to HoD sign off for HDR/MRes Documents
Do you require sign-off for HDR or MRes forms and documents?
All forms such as nomination of examiners, supervisor memos, thesis corrections etc, no longer come through to our HoD Michelle Leishman for signing.
What do you need to do?
Please send an email with a soft copy (PDF or Word file) attachment through to the following delegates for approval/signature. Please remember to CC Jenny Ghabache on the email. Please note that hardcopies will no longer be accepted at the HoD office.
HDR documents – Culum Brown
MRes documents – Grant Hose
Recurring Room Bookings – Contact Admin to Re-book for 2018
We still have some recurring room bookings within Biological Sciences (E8A280, E8B215, E8C212) that were set up some time ago. Please contact admin (fse.bio-adm@mq.edu.au) to re-book your recurring meetings for 2018 – for those who have already done this, thank you. Any meetings that have not been re-booked before the end of February will be deleted from the calendar.
As a courtesy, if you know you will not be using a room in your usual time, please let us know – particularly during busy periods (e.g. exams), when many rooms are needed.
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
SUSTAINABILITY
E-waste Disposal
This month, the Department will be doing a battery and electronic waste collection. Bring all items that you wish to dispose of to the administration front desk (room 206, E8B). Collection ends at the end of February.
JOB POSITIONS AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Postdoctoral Research Associate, Marine Green Engineering, Sydney Institute of Marine Science
We are seeking an energetic and innovative benthic ecologist, with green engineering research experience, to fill a Postdoctoral Research Associate position. The Research Associate will coordinate and conduct research on several green engineering grants recently awarded to SIMS researchers.
The position is for 18 months, with the possibility of extension; a position description, selection criteria and the application process are detailed in the attached document.
Applications close 5 pm, Friday 23 February.
For further details, please contact A/Prof Melanie Bishop <melanie.bishop@mq.edu.au>.
BLOGS AND OTHER THINGS OF INTEREST
How Current University Bureaucratic Norms Lead to Bad Science
First the analysis, then how it was reported:
From the Royal Society:
http://rsos.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/3/9/160384
“Selection for high output leads to poorer methods and increasingly high false discovery rates”
From the Guardian:
Food for thought for everyone doing scientific research
A Kinder Kind of Science
Nature report on an international conference on scientists behaviour with short articles from Auckland, Stanford, UC London, Duke, Bristol and Christchurch based on the notion: “Everyone here is smart and kind – don’t distinguish yourself by being otherwise”. Looks appropriate for a department that champions diversity:
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-00482-y
Scientific 7-minute Workout
Want to exercise more, but don’t have time? Try a 7-minute routine, which can be easily fitted into your day.
https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/10/24/for-a-7-minute-workout-download-our-new-app/
WANTED & AVAILABLE
Volunteer Position
Molly Gilmour is looking for a volunteer(s) to join her to look at animal behaviour in the arid zone. Dates from the 19/02/18 to 31/03/18 of March. Even if you can just come for part of the time she would still love to hear from you! Travel (from Sydney), food, and accommodation will be covered.
She is studying sheep personality and movement out at Fowlers Gap in rural NSW. You’d be helping with personality tests and focal follows of individuals in the field and in the station.
If you’re interested in behavioural research, movement, or even just fieldwork come along and get some great experience out at Fowlers! The field site itself is beautiful – it’s a research station with an incredible diversity of plants and animals and people do research on things like kangaroos, birds, and reptiles. There are also a variety of trails to walk and great places to watch the sun set. Get in touch by either phone or email: 0439811741 or< molly.gilmour@hdr.mq.edu.au>.
Room for Rent
Kaja Wierucka has a room for rent from the 21st of February to April. The two-bedroom apartment is in Ryde, with direct connections to Macquarie University and the CBD. Rent is $250/week (including all bills and internet). Contact her at <kaja.wierucka@hdr.mq.edu.au>
Looking for a Room to Rent?
Laura Fernandez and her housemate have one in their house at Woy Woy, near the train station. It is a three-bedroom house, very affordable price. If anyone is interested, please drop her an email at <laura.fernandez@students.mq.edu.au> and she will give you more details.
New Publications
Australia’s continental-scale acoustic tracking database and its automated quality control process
By: Hoenner, X., Huveneers, C., Steckenreuter, A., Simpfendorfer, C., Tattersall, K., Jaine, F., Atkins, N., Babcock, R., Brodie, S., Burgess, J. and Campbell, H., 2018. Scientific data, 5, p.170206. | Find with Google Scholar »The View from the Trees: Nocturnal Bull Ants, Myrmecia midas, Use the Surrounding Panorama While Descending from Trees
By: Freas, Cody A., Antoine Wystrach, Ajay Narendra, and Ken Cheng. Frontiers in Psychology 9 (2018): 16. | Find with Google Scholar »Flight activity of Noack’s round-leaf bat (Hipposideros cf. ruber) at two caves in central Ghana, West Africa
By: Nkrumah, Evans E., Ebenezer K. Badu, Heather J. Baldwin, Priscilla Anti, Stefan M. Klose, Peter Vallo, Christian Drosten, Elisabeth KV Kalko, Samuel K. Oppong, and Marco Tschapka. Acta Chiropterologica 19, no. 2 (2017): 347-355. | Find with Google Scholar »Macromitrium erythrocomum (Bryophyta: Orthotrichaceae), a new species from tropical Queensland, Australia
By: Ramsay, Helen, Andi Cairns, and David Meagher. Telopea 20 (2017): 261-268. | Find with Google Scholar »In the Media
Fleur Ponton was featured in The Atlantic Monthly
Dr Fleur Ponton from the Department of Biological Sciences featured in The Atlantic Monthly in relation to the ability of parasitic horsehair worms to not only escape the bodies of their host cricket species, but also the body of their host’s predators.