Evaluation of yeasts in gel larval diet for Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni
By: Moadeli, T., B. Mainali, F. Ponton, and P. W. Taylor. Journal of Applied Entomology. | Find with Google Scholar »
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Hi All
Another week flies by as everyone is readying themselves for the next semester.. enjoy the short coffee queues while they last…
The week ahead promises to be a cracker – do all get along to the REP Outlook conference if you can .
Happy reading…
Grant
Save the Date
This coming week 23rd – 27th July
Tue 24th: 14EAR (E8A) Teaching Labs Induction; 9.00am – 12.00pm; 14EAR (E8A) 120.
Tue/Wed 24-25th: Research Enrichment Program – Outlook Conference “The Future of the Human Landscape”; Incubator Building, MQU.
Thu 26th: R-Users Group – Build and app in R with Shiny; 3.00pm – 5.00pm; 14EAR (E8A) 280 Biology Tea Room.
Thu 26th: Thursday Drinks – all welcome; 5.00pm – 6.00pm; 14EAR (E8A) 280 Biology Tea Room.
Following week 30th July – 3rd August
Wed 1st: Department Morning Tea; 10.30am – 11.00am; The Hill.
Wed 1st: No Department Seminar This Week.
Save the Date
Sep 19th: Biological Sciences Graduation Ceremony; 2.30pm; Great Hall, MQU.
General News and Announcements
Got Blood? Don’t need all of it? Consider donating. Every donation can save 3 lives!
Outreach Opportunity – Workshop Facilitator Wanted for Science Week Program at the Australian National Maritime Museum – Expressions of interest are sought from experienced science communicators with experience in working with kids/ families, interest in scientific illustration and/or oceanographic research. Must be able to commit to working both workshop dates. The ANMM aims to facilitate life drawing of local plankton species found under the microscope as part of a short 45 minute drop-in workshop program each day (3 sessions per day). Slides will be pre-prepared so the workshop facilitators job is to guide families in the exploration and identification of species, provide suitable background information and provide guidance on illustration techniques.
EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST DUE Tuesday 24 July.
EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST DUE Tuesday 24 July.
RESEARCH STORIES, OUTCOMES AND OPPORTUNITIES
Would you like the opportunity to sail on the R.V. Investigator?! CAPSTAN – Chief Scientist, Trainers and Student Participant Applications are now open! The 2nd CAPSTAN voyage is scheduled to depart from Hobart, Tasmania 29th April, arriving in Fremantle, Western Australia, 9th May, 2019 and it is time to crew the voyage! The following positions are now available.
Chief Scientist – Applications open 10th of July, close 15th of August 2018. Trainers – Applications open 15th of August, close 30th of September 2018. Student participants – Applications open 15th of August, close 30th of September 2018. For more information visit our website: https://goto.mq/6g nquiries: <fse.capstanenquiries@mq.edu.au>.
New HDR Student Social Group – The Macquarie Student Group is a new social group for all HDR and other students from all Faculties and Departments across Macquarie University. The group focuses on creating a healthy student culture, improving student wellbeing, and providing support for each other however we can, sharing thoughts and ideas, planning social events and for having fun at the same time! The Macquarie Students Group meets in person every Tuesday at 12 pm near the lake for a chat, to meet other students from diverse backgrounds and disciplines, throw around a frisbee and take a bit of a break from the computer/lab, so please feel free to come and say hi. There is a Facebook Group you can join <https://www.facebook.com/groups/2058880210996438/> for discussions and sharing ideas and social events, as well as a Google Group. Please contact April Foote <april.foote@hdr.mq.edu.au> for access to the Google Group and for more information.
Funding opportunity for PhD and ECRs – The department is now accepting applications for the Milthorpe Memorial Award (up to $2500). Applicants must be either PhD candidates or Level A-B ECRs. These funds can be spent on travel or research expenses for any research topic related directly OR indirectly to plants (this includes plant biology/ecology, plant-insect interactions, plants as habitat, etc), and must be spent this year. Please fill out the attached application form and email to HoD by 31 July 2018. Milthorpe Award Application_2018
2018-19 Fisheries Scientific Committee Student Research Grant round now open – Visit the FSC website to access the online application form. Applications close 11.59 pm (AEDT) on Tuesday 31 July 2018.
LEARNING AND TEACHING
Session 2 iLearn Drop-in Clinic – The iLearn Drop-in Clinic is back for Session 2, 2018 where help is on hand for all things iLearn. It will be open 10am – 2pm weekdays from 16th July – 3 August 2018. Get help with:
- iLearn – Editing and building your unit
- iTeach – iLearn Spaces (in plain English, creating/activating your iLearn unit for the new session)
- iTeach – Unit Guides
- Echo360 and Active Learning Platform
- Turnitin and Feedback Studio
Drop in any time at the following locations:
Monday 23 – Friday 27 July: 12SW 201 (formally C5A 201)
Monday 30 July – Friday 4 August: 12WW G23 (formally E7A G23)
No need to register, just turn up during the opening hours. Visit teche.mq.edu.au for more updates and tips.
Need help with unit development or anything L&T? Talk to our friendly Faculty L&T team contact – Natalie Spence (x1943, <natalie.spence@mq.edu.au>).
BLOGS AND OTHER THINGS OF INTEREST
Plant of the Week
This week – Acacia parramattensis – Parramatta Wattle.
Parramatta Wattle was supposedly first noticed by Europeans in 1788. Why did it take 174 years before it was formally named?
ASSESSING YOUR RESEARCH: THE CONTROVERSIAL USE OF BIBLIOMETRICS
This topic is being repeatedly addressed by articles in Nature. Here is a selection: First, a Senior Lecturer at Imperial College being told bibliometrics don’t matter – when they do:
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-05467-5
Andy Beattie’s response is included in a range of responses in Nature this week:
A further response from the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA):
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-05596-x
And the special problems of ecologists and environmental scientists outlined by Richard Kingsford of Sydney Uni:
Ally Training provides participants with an overall understanding of why LGBTIQ inclusion is important to the Macquarie University community and explores challenges often faced by people who identify as LGBTIQ and the impact of Homophobia, Transphobia & prejudice. Participants who complete the training will be able to join the MQ Ally Network if they so wish.
Key Takeaways:
- Introduction to the diversity of identities within the LGBTIQ+ community
- Gain an understanding of discrimination and bias that affect people in the LGBTIQ+ community
- Know what the Ally Network is and what it takes to be an active and effective Ally.
- Develop your skills to actively speak out against Homophobia, Transphobia and prejudice
- Learn to refer people to appropriate local resources, support services & assistance
If you’d like to attend Ally training please complete this poll so that we can find an appropriate time. https://doodle.com/poll/qpzsmvaq4enu5n45 Each session will run for approximately 2 hours. For more information or if you have any questions please contact <workplacediversityinclusion@mq.edu.au>.
Interesting Finds on YouTube – Stated Clearly.
Been looking for a clear and concise way to differentiate Biological Evolution from Chemical Evolution? Well here one is. Along with lots of other interesting Genetics and Evolution topics stated clearly, Stated Clearly is a very engaging YouTube channel, that has gems like “What is the evidence for Evolution?” That one is getting linked every time an Evolution denier pokes their head up from now on. Backed by NASA, and utilising peer-reviewed papers, this is one YouTube Channel that is actually scientifically of merit.
https://www.youtube.com/user/sciencestatedclearly
SEMINARS AND WORKSHOPS
Research Enrichment Program – Outlook Conference
July 24-25, Incubator Building, Macquarie University – “The Future of the Human Landscape”
The Outlook Conference (Research Enrichment Program Outlook Program) will bring together leading thinkers in diverse disciplines, spanning molecules to landscapes, and from scientific, historical and social viewpoints. Speakers at 2018 Outlook conference include Professor Tim Flannery (Writer and Social Commentator), Professor Angela Moles (UNSW), Associate Professor Greg Downey (MQ) and Professor Rob Brooks (UNSW). The objective of Outlook is to immerse participants in the frontiers of adjacent, and more distant disciplines. Speakers will present their vision for humanity’s future. These talks will not recount personal research findings, but will be future-scoping exercises. Our goal is to identify promising areas for high level trans-disciplinary collaboration, for novel applications, and to expose postgraduate students and early career researchers
aaRgh (ask an Rgeek for help) – Second Thursday of every month 3 – 4pm, Biology Tearoom – 14EAR (E8A) 280. Frustrated? Having an R-related problem? We will also run regular afternoon tea sessions where you can get one-on-one help, or just introduce yourself and chat. Snacks provided!
R Users Group – Build an app in R with Shiny, next Thursday (26th July) @3pm in the Biology Tearoom (14EAR (E8A) 280) – Kate Dodds is a first year PhD student in Mel Bishop’s Benthic Ecology lab in Biology where she is investigating methods to increase the ecological value of sea/harbour walls. Kate has recently discovered Shiny R and thinks it is a fantastic tool for sharing, visualising and interacting with your results. Shiny is a way to easily create sophisticated interactive web apps with R and requires no pre-existing knowledge of web page development to do so. Once you know the basic architecture required for the app’s development, the opportunities for Shiny’s applications are pretty much endless. Come along the to the next R User group workshop to learn how to create your very own app.
Department Writing Workshops for HDRs and ECRs – Running weekly for most of the year: Fridays 2-4pm in room E8B 111. Those interested in attending a session should email Ken Cheng <ken.cheng@mq.edu.au> by Wednesday 12:00-noon, preferably with a draft attached of what they are working on and some indication of what they especially need help with.
Peer Writing Assistance Session – Are you a HDR? Need help with your writing? Unsure how to structure your argument? Want advice on how to handle HDR life? If you answered yes to any of these questions then come along to a Peer Writing Assistance session! Peer Writing Assistants are current PhD students and HDR Mentors at Macquarie University that are a ‘fresh pair of eyes’ to look over your work and provide constructive advice. We are also available to talk about any aspect of the HDR experience. Sessions can be booked on the HDR workshops page.
Social Network Analysis Mini-conference & Workshop – When/Where: 10 – 13 September 2018, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia. Attendance is free but places are limited so register soon! Flyer_SNA_NA_final For details of content – https://sites.google.com/site/drfarine/teaching/sna_workshop For inquiries & registration details – Nicolette Armansin (Macquarie University), <nicolette.armansin@mq.edu.au>.
MQ Quantitative Advice Forum returns – http://quantitative-advice.gg.mq.edu.au/ – We are pleased to announce that the Quantitative Advice Forum is once again up and running. This forum is for any and all questions about stats, maths, and programming, at all levels from basic to advanced. The format is similar to StackExchange and similar forums, but you’ll be talking with people from within the Macquarie community in a more relaxed environment. You can buy them a coffee if they really help you out! Ask your own questions, or share your knowledge and help your colleagues.
SUSTAINABILITY
Recycle Nook – books books books! The Recycle Nook has been rearranged so that academic texts are on the top shelf and fiction and general interest are on the lower shelves. There are a number of recent and ‘historic’ texts on the top shelf, esp Microbiology, Zoology and HSC Science. Have a browse and see if these are of interest and value to anyone you know. Any text published prior to this century will be recycled on Friday 10th August (giving you 3 weeks of browsing pleasure). Also in the recycle nook are a number of printer cartridges, blank CDs/DVDs, and miscellaneous other items. These printer cartridges will be recycled on 10th August, if they have not found a new home.
Sustainability Proposals – Feedback Wanted
(Draft) Statement of Commitment: We are a diverse, vibrant community, united by our interest in, and curiosity for, living systems. We create a better future through collaboration, accountability and sharing of knowledge and resources.
At the last meeting of the Sustainability Working Group, the following proposals were put forward for development and adoption.
Feedback is sought by Monday 23 July to Samantha Newton, <samantha.newton@mq.edu.au>.
What sort of feedback?
- How you can contribute
- Suggestions for development and implementation
Proposals
- BioTree (like Gumtree): an intranet-based inventory for equipment, consumables and knowledge
- Buddy system: extending the current buddy system beyond new academics to all new staff and HDRs
- Develop ways of making department events more inclusive and enhance cross-collaboration between lab and professional groups
- Plant workshop: on care and maintenance of office-based plants
- Electronic exams: moving away from paper-based exams
- Plate your PhD: personalise your plate with your PhD topic – reduce waste and start a conversation at department events.
- Have a sustainability statement and target for each biology course
- Skill sharing: what skills do you have to share with other department members? (Links to BioTree)
ADMIN THINGS
Admin Alert! Admin workload is particularly high, so this is a reminder to submit your Absence on Duty early. Please give a minimum of 3 weeks before you travel domestically, and 6 weeks internationally, for approvals to be processed and bookings made for you. The more notice you give, the easier it is, and the better prices you can get. Any last-minute travel requests may not be processed.
PURE Training – The PURE system is used to manage researcher profiles, outputs including publications, funding applications, awards, projects and reports. Do you feel like you could use some more PURE training? Please register your interest via an email to <jenny.ghabache@mq.edu.au>.
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
Location-W (Fauna Park) Admin Support – Monday, Wednesday & Friday from 10am – 1pm in W19F.
Deliveries – You will notice that we have placed a red “transfer Box” in W19F, put anything in this box that needs to be delivered to the E8 area location. We also have a red “Transfer Box” in E8B Level 2 location, which is for goods to betaken to the W location. These boxes will be emptied every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 10am. Deliveries from the main “MQ” store will be delivered daily. Any questions please contact Sharyon O’Donnell.
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.
Correct 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.
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New Publications
Vessel scaling in evergreen angiosperm leaves conforms with Murray’s law and area-filling assumptions: implications for plant size, leaf size and cold tolerance
By: Gleason, Sean M., Chris J. Blackman, Scott T. Gleason, Katherine A. McCulloh, Troy W. Ocheltree, and Mark Westoby. New Phytologist 218, no. 4 (2018): 1360-1370. | Find with Google Scholar »Large sensitivity in land carbon storage due to geographical and temporal variation in the thermal response of photosynthetic capacity
By: Mercado, Lina M., Belinda E. Medlyn, Chris Huntingford, Rebecca J. Oliver, Douglas B. Clark, Stephen Sitch, Przemyslaw Zelazowski, Jens Kattge, Anna B. Harper, and Peter M. Cox. New Phytologist 218, no. 4 (2018): 1462-1477. | Find with Google Scholar »Functional biogeography of angiosperms: life at the extremes
By: Zanne, Amy E., William D. Pearse, William K. Cornwell, Daniel J. McGlinn, Ian J. Wright, and Josef C. Uyeda. New Phytologist 218, no. 4 (2018): 1697-1709. | Find with Google Scholar »In the Media
Vanessa Pirotta provided comment to The New Daily
Vanessa Pirotta from the Department of Biological Sciences provided comment to The New Daily in relation to an Icelandic whaling company accused of killing an endangered blue whale.