BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES DEPARTMENT MATTERS | July 11, 2019

Dear all,

A quiet post-exam grades meeting week around the department, with the exception of those working on supplementary exams and our hard-working academic admin people (Caitlin & Julian) who are working hard on getting the 2020 curriculum transition uploaded for next week. Thanks to those who have come along to hear research seminars from the candidates for the evolutionary genomics lectureship – you are very welcome to provide any feedback to me or any of the selection panel members. The last one is next Tuesday.

Please remember that the admin team is very short-staffed at the moment so be patient with any requests.

Cheers,

Michelle

Save the Date

This coming week 15th – 19th July

Tue 16th: Special Seminar delivered by Evolutionary Genomics Candidate – Seth Barribeau; 10.00am – 11.00am; 14EAR(E8A)-280 (Biology Tea Room).

Wed 17th: Department Morning Tea and Farewell for Jenny Ghabache; 10.30am – 11.30am; 14EAR(E8A)-280 (Biology Tea Room).

Thu 18th: 6WW (E8C) Digital Teaching Lab Induction; 9.30am to 12pm; 6WW(E8C)-106.

Following week 22th -26th July

Mon 22nd: (Monday) 4WW (F7B) Digital Teaching Lab Induction; 9.30am to 11.30am; 4WW(F7B) 105.

Tue 23rd: (Tuesday) 14EAR (E8A) Digital Teaching Lab Induction; 9.30am to 12.30pm (TBC); 14EAR (E8A) 120.

Wed 24th: Department Morning Tea; 10.30am – 11.30am; 4EAR(E8A)-280 (Biology Tea Room).

Thu 25th: Biology Social Club; 5.00pm – 7.00pm; Biology Courtyard.

Fri 26th: National Tree Day – planting event; 10.30 am; Biology Courtyard – RSVP for catering here: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/national-tree-day-2019-tickets-65083073224

Weekly Events

Thu: Venture Café; 3–8pm; 58 Waterloo Road, Macquarie Park, NSW (map). Find out what is on each week here – https://venturecafesydney.org/

Fri: Writing workshops with Prof Ken Cheng – to support HDRs and ECRs with scientific writing; 2–4pm; Ken’s office at 205b Culloden Road, G12.

Fri: Behaviour and Evolution Journal Club; Friday at 12:30pm (bring your lunch); 205B Culloden Rd Boardroom.

Weekly Biological Sciences seminar program is here

Future Events

July 31th: Julia Raftos’ Farewell Morning Tea; 10:30-11.30am, 14EAR(E8A)-280 (Biology Tea Room) – there will be delicious cakes!

August 8th: Biology 3-Minute Thesis competition; 4:30-5pm, 14EAR(E8A)-280 (Biology Tea Room) – followed by Social Club!

August 14th: Rick Shine’s 1000’s paper celebration morning tea; 10:30-11.30am, 14EAR(E8A)-280 (Biology Tea Room) – there will be delicious cakes!

August 22nd (TBC): REP: The Art & Science of Getting Published; 9:30 am – 3:30 pm; 14EAR(E8A)-280 (Biology Tea Room) – Further details to come!

September 19th: REP: Reviewing for Journals workshop; 3:00 – 5:00 pm; 14EAR(E8A)-280 (Biology Tea Room) – Register here.

September 23rd: MQ graduation ceremony for Biological Sciences

October 2nd: Developing your five-year plan workshop; 12:30 – 2:00 pm; 12 Wally’s Walk, 801 – Register here.

General News and Announcements

Julia Raftos’ Farewell Morning Tea – Wednesday 31 July – 10.30am-11.30am – Biology Tearoom – Julia will shortly going on LSL before retiring. The Department will be holding a special morning tea to honour Julia’s contribution to teaching over her many years of service. Come along and join in the celebration with delicious cakes and don’t forget to BYO mug!

National Tree Day – planting event – Date: Friday 26th July; 10.30am; Biology Courtyard.

To celebrate National Tree Day we will be planting several trees or shrubs near the biology buildings.

You may have seen the recent guardian report on the scientific evidence that planting a lot of trees will help tackle climate change. We already know trees are awesome. The University has a policy for planting 2 trees for every one that is removed, but it’s not enough. Come and help us do our bit. National Tree Day was started in 1996 and is held on the last Friday of July for schools, and the last Sunday of July for the community. We’re holding our event on the Friday.

Join Lizzy, Anthony and Laura to plant a tree on National Tree Day. The planting will be followed by morning tea. Please RSVP for catering purposes. https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/national-tree-day-2019-tickets-65083073224

Congratulations! PhD candidates Francisco Martinez Baena (Paco) and Joni Pini-Fitzsimmons have both been awarded funding from the 2019 Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment offered by the Ecological Society of Australia for their respective PhD research projects. This is the second year in a row that Joni and Paco have received the Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment.

Join Millions of People Reducing Their Plastic Waste – Plastic Free July is a global movement that helps millions of people be part of the solution to plastic pollution – so we can have cleaner streets, oceans, and beautiful communities. Will you be part of Plastic Free July by choosing to refuse single-use plastics?

Whether you’re a beginner looking for a few single-use plastics to avoid, or someone well on their way to a plastic free life, we have ideas to inspire you at home, work, school, and within the community.

https://www.plasticfreejuly.org/get-involved/

PFJ-Poster-Challenge

Plant of the Week – click the thumbnails for larger images-

This week – Malvaviscus arboreus.

Do you have a Hibiscus with scarlet flowers that never open growing in your garden? Well, it just might be Malvaviscus arboreus, a plant from North America closely related to Hibiscus. A 1993 study came to the conclusion that there were two species in the genus, M. arboreus in North America, and M. concinnus in South America. However, some consider this plant actually belongs in the genus Hibiscus. Confusing, isn’t it?

Media training opportunity for ECRs! – Nominations are now open for Fresh Science 2019 (closing: Wed, 14 August 2019 – 11.59pm).

This national competition is targetted at ECRs with no media experience but whose peer-reviewed research (e.g. a discovery, invention, patent) is deserving of attention. Selected applicants will receive a day of media training, to help them find their voice and tell their “story”. Full details of what’s involved is available from the Fresh Science webpage. Eligibility criteria:

• ECR with PhD completed no more than five years ago.
• Currently working in Australia and preferably for work done in Australia.
• Research which has produced peer-reviewed results – e.g. a discovery, invention, patent, etc.
• Research which is currently being undertaken or has been published/ concluded since January 2018.
• Research that is newsworthy but has not had significant media coverage.
• Researchers who can demonstrate (through the online nomination form) some ability to present their research to a lay audience in a clear, interesting and informative way.

NOTE: Your research must be cleared for public and media presentation – may need to consult with collaborators and commercial partners before nominating.

Renewal of the Research Enrichment Program (REP) workshop series – Since the Research Enrichment Program (aka Genes to Geosciences) was sadly let-go at the end of 2018, there has been a vacuum of research development workshops.
Now, due to the dedication of Biology academics, this workshop series is being renewed!
Reviewing for Journals is detailed below; keep an eye out for details and registration links of the other workshops in upcoming Department Matters. For more information about these upcoming workshops click on this PDF.

Reviewing for Journals – Thursday 19 September, 3:00 – 5:00 pm; 14EaR(E8A)-280 (Biology Tea Room); facilitated by Rachael Gallagher.
Would you like to review for journals, but are not too sure how the whole process works? Have you already reviewed, but would like to brush-up on your skills?
This short, two-hour course is designed to introduce young researchers to the ethics and skills required to become a good journal reviewer.
WHAT WILL BE COVERED:
– The ethics of reviewing – how to be fair and helpful to authors
– Examples of good and not-so-good reviews
– Worked examples of scenarios that may arise when reviewing
– The opinions of journal editors from within the Department
Suitable for: Early-mid career researchers.
To attend: REGISTER HERE

Getting funding from the PGRF travel scheme – ran 9th July, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm; 205b Culloden Rd Boardroom; facilitated by Linda Beaumont.
PhD students remember to email draft PGRF applications to <linda.beaumont@mq.edu.au> by 30th July to receive feedback.
Full applications are due to <fse.bio-adm@mq.edu.au> by 6th August at 5pm for HoD sign-off.

MolSci Seminar – Date/Time: Tuesday, 25th July, 2019; 12pm –1pm. Speaker: Professor David M. Kehoe, Department of Biology, Indiana University, U.S. Title: Light Color Acclimation in Marine Synechococcus: Molecular Mechanisms, Regulation, Evolution and Ecological Role. Venue: 4WW 322 seminar room. More information https://goto.mq/71

Lunchtime Litter Collection – The days may be cooler, but they’re also clear and sunny. Lunchtime is a great time to go for a walk and get some vitamin D! It’s also a great time to join the Biology Litter Collection competition! The next event will be Wednesday 23rd July, 1pm. Meet in the Biology courtyard, bring a bucket or bag if you can.

We’ll be holding events throughout the rest of the year, every few weeks. At each event you go out to collect litter, between 1 and 1:30pm. Collections will be assessed at the end of each collection and gold stars awarded accordingly. Event results are tallied at the end of the year with a prize for the best collector.

Event dates: Tues 23rd July; Tues 13th August; Tues 10th September; Tues 8th October; Tues 12th November; Tues 10th December.

This week: 4.15pm: Is Edflix the future of learning; 5.15pm: Lego – (Un)Mastered: Build your superpower.

UWA Job Opportunity – The University of Western Australia are currently seeking to appoint a stellar candidate to a new teaching and research position ( Level B) focused on terrestrial biodiversity. The current statement is broadly worded to include potential applicants who may be interested in either plants or marsupials. From a plant perspective, they’re particularly seeking applicants who can develop new strengths in taxonomy and systematics, with an emphasis on Australian (and especially west Australian) flora, and using molecular techniques. Applications will be closing on 18 August 2019. Please click here to view the advertisement.

Lynda.com is changing to LinkedIn Learning on 16th July 2019 – LinkedIn Learning contains the same content as Lynda.com but it will allow a more personalised learning experience.

For further information & support:
– Visit our online LinkedIn Learning guide for help: https://libguides.mq.edu.au/linkedinlearning
– Contact your Research Librarian: https://www.mq.edu.au/about/campus-services-and-facilities/library/research/research-librarians

Department Fleet cars –  Josh Griffiths will be managing the departmental vehicles between the 11th of July and the 2nd of August as Tarun Rajan is off to Prague to try and win a medal for Australia at the World Championships. Please direct all vehicle queries, induction requests to Josh Griffiths <josh.griffiths@mq.edu.au> during this time.

Need to Contact the Biology Admin Team via Email? Please send your email to <fse.bio-adm@mq.edu.au> or drop in and see us. The old google group (sci.bio-adm) email no longer works, if you have this email as a remembered address please delete.

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

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.

THIS AND THAT

Need a place to rent short-term know someone that does? –  Rachael Dudaniec has a 1-bedroom place available in Balgowlah, (10 mins from Manly) between Aug 25-Oct 20. Pets allowed. Please email rachael.dudaniec@mq.edu.au for more details.

Moving beyond P values: data analysis with estimation graphics: This article (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41592-019-0470-3) might interest you if statistics is your shtick.

Harvest Hub – great food that doesn’t cost the earth

Do you want:

• To eat with the seasons?
• Have fresh fruit and veg delivered weekly?
• Buy from local growers and support local farmer more directly?
• Access weekly specials and a flexible, easy to use ordering system?
• Have produce delivered to you at work?
• Buy grains and cereals too?

Then try Harvest Hub www.harvesthub.com.au

Hub name: MACQUARIE04 F: @harvesthubau

More information?

• Check out the website
• Talk to Samantha Newton <samantha.newton@mq.edu.au>.
• Orders are delivered weekly, on Tuesdays

Correct Method for Submitting to Department Matters

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