Rewilding immunology
Andrew S. Flies, Wild Comparative Immunology Consortium (Inc. Michelle Power) | Find with Google Scholar »
|
Dear all,
Department Matters is a bit late as Friday’s usual activities got blown away with the university’s announcement of its framework to bring students back to campus in S2. Drew, Linda & I have been working with unit convenors since the announcement to reschedule unit activities and return as far as practical to face to face teaching (with the exception of lectures) – not a trivial task at short notice, with everything to be finalised and provided to the Faculty by 6pm Sunday. So yes it’s been a busy few days – thank you so much to all our unit teaching and support staff who have been flexible, adaptable and cheerful which has enabled us to re-design our entire S2 delivery in such a short timeframe.
In old news, Thursday’s department grades meeting was held via zoom. Teaching staff did a great job of providing all the information needed regarding our COVID-10 response and impacts on teaching, as well as the usual discussions about students, grades and units. While there was some grade inflation in a few units, there was remarkably little impact on student outcomes considering we had such a radically different teaching session.
This coming week is my last as HoD – Nathan is having a brief and well-deserved holiday before taking on the role as Interim HoD from 13 July. I encourage everyone who needs a break after S1 teaching to book a few days (or more!) leave and re-charge themselves. I certainly will be!
cheers
Michelle
Save the Date
Next Week: a quiet one!
Future Events
Tues 21st July: Orientation Day
Thurs 23rd July, 12-2pm: L&T retreat – Unit reviews (ecology and skills units) and S2 unit learning outcomes (by zoom). All academic staff to attend.
Wed 22nd July, 12.30-1.45pm: Research workshop ‘Pathway to Impact’ for Mid-career and Senior career academics. Brought to you by the Department Research committee
Fri 24th July, 11am-12.15pm: Research workshop ‘Pathway to Impact’ for Early career academics and postdocs. Brought to you by the Department Research committee
Sat 15th August: MQ’s Open Day (mostly online)
15 August – 15 September: Sydney Science Trail (more info below)
Weekly Events
Wed: Shut Up and Write sessions – now online! See below for further details
Wed: Department seminars; HAVING A BREAK until S2.
General News and Announcements
New Baby Alert!
Kate Dodds and her husband welcomed a new addition to the family 2 weeks early, on the 18th June – little Caroline Ann. She’s doing a great job keeping them up at night, but they’re all surviving so far!
Plant of the Week
This week: Coleus – believe it or not, an Australian native plant!
When trying to decide a possible plant to feature next week, Brian jokingly suggested Coleus, the common or garden plant with brightly coloured leaves so much loved by elderly relatives. Much to our surprise, when we started to look into its origins, we discovered that it is actually an Australian native plant, widespread across northern Australia. Plant of the Week – Coleus – would you believe it – an Australian native comp
Survey on collaborative research
You are invited to participate in a study on the “Practices of identifying and initiating new research collaborations”. Participation in the study is voluntary and involves an online survey of approximately 5 minutes. During the survey you will indicate your preferences relating to email requests to collaborate on a research project. The study is being conducted by Mauricio Marrone, Senior Lecturer in the Macquarie Business School, and Jarryd Daymond, Research Associate in the University of Sydney Business School. Please email Mauricio directly if you would like further information on the project (mauricio.marrone@mq.edu.au). Please click here to complete the survey or find out more about the project.
OPPORTUNITIES
Free online media training from the AusSMC
The Australian Science Media Centre is offering 10 researchers from the Faculty the opportunity to participate in an online training workshop delivered via Zoom. The session will focus on dealing with and understanding the mainstream media, explaining tricky science simply, and preparing for media interviews.
Registration for the sessions can be accessed via EventBrite.
The workshop will run from 09:30 AEST – 12:30 AEST on Friday July 24th
SEMINARS AND WORKSHOPS
Upcoming Franklin Women Event: Reducing Stress and Building Resilience
Working in the health and medical research sector brings unique stressors and we often hear about how important resilience is for a successful career; however, we’re rarely told how to develop this resilience. To teach us how to reduce stress and build resilience, we are thrilled to host mindfulness and meditation practitioner and R u Ok? Ambassador, Chelsea Pottenger, for this online 1-hour workshop. Chelsea will share some tools to help you become calmer and enhance your productivity so that you can maximise your output while performing under pressure. Take a break for morning tea to learn some valuable new skills and connect with women from across the sector!
All the details are in the Reducing Stress and Building Resilience_Flyer
When: Wednesday 15 July 2020
Time: 10.30 to 11.30 am
Inclusions: Inspiring speaker and new skills
Registration: Essential via our website – spaces are limited
Cost (excl GST): Members – $14.50 Guests – $35
July Online Workshops – MQ
Please see below some online workshops that will be taking place in July. Staff can register by logging into HR Online > My HR > Training and Development > Training Requests > Register for a Course > SD – Skill Development > (select workshop of their choice). If anyone has issues registering, they can contact Katrina Hizo katrina.hizo@mq.edu.au and she will manually add the staff member to the workshop.
|
Online Workshop |
Date |
Time |
|
Strengthening Personal Resilience: Staff
|
Wed, 15 July |
9.30am to 11.30am |
|
Managing Projects Participants need to attend all four sessions (the full day workshop has been split into 4 sessions) |
Session 1: Tues 21 July Session 2: Tues 21 July Session 3: Tues 28 July Session 4: Tues 28 July |
9.30am – 11.30am 1pm – 2pm 9.30am – 11.30am 1pm – 2pm |
|
Responding to Mental Illness |
Wed, 22 July |
10am to 11am |
Venture Café – will be convening their community online, via Zoom, and offering the #ThursdayGathering programming in a Virtual format.
For more information visit: https://venturecafesydney.org/whats-on-this-week
HDR NEWS AND OPPORTUNITIES
PhD extensions for COVID-19 disruption
The HDRO office has now clarified the policy and procedure for extensions required as a result of COVID-19 disruption to PhD scholarship and submission deadlines. All of the details are now lodged on the HDR iLearn page under Announcements here.
The university and department are very sympathatic to the issues that are likely to have disrupted students plans, and will endeavour to help where possible. Please direct any questions you may have to Emma and Simon, and we will try to address them and support any applications made.
For those who are not able to submit an extension request at the moment, make sure that you are documenting any issues that you are currently facing, to support a case made later in your candidature.
IASS Fellow Programme: Call for Applications for 2021 – Potsdam Germany
The Institute of Advanced Sustainability Studies is in Potsdam and covers work across;
• Perception, values, orientation
• Democratic transformations
• Governance for the environment and society
• Systemic interdependencies: technology, nature, society
• Energy systems and societal change
• Forums: science, policy and society
Applicants should have a recent PhD or equivalent experience and can apply here;
See more info via the following:
PhD scholarship available in MQ Neurobiology Lab
“Genetic and anatomical basis of brain lateralisation”. One of the ultimate goals of neuroscience is to link genes to anatomy and behaviour. This Project aims to understand how the left and right sides of the brain become specialised for different cognitive functions—a phenomenon called lateralisation. The Project is funded by the Australian Research Council and the work will be conducted primarily at Macquarie University (Sydney), but with opportunities to work with collaborators at the University of Queensland (Brisbane). Using a chicken model of brain lateralisation, you will quantify patterns of differential gene expression that give rise to anatomical and functional asymmetries during development and localise changes in gene expression to specific brain areas and circuits. The successful applicant will conduct gene expression microarray/RNAseq analysis, in situ hybridisation and immunohistochemistry experiments, and potentially behavioural testing of birds.
Scholarship type: Domestic/International Scholarship (direct entry to PhD, or MRes Yr2 + PhD) see website for more information.
Contact Nathan Hart for more information: <nathan.hart@mq.edu.au>
THIS AND THAT
Plastic Free July – register today
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? Plastic_Free_July2020 pdf
Macquarie Uni’s Waste – Explained
Many people have asked about how the one bin system works and if Macquarie Uni does any recycling. The MQU Waste Explained provides an overview of waste management at Macquarie.
International MRes Student Seeking Housing
Greetings! As I enter my second term of my first year of MRes at Macquarie, I have found myself in need of a new place to live. I am a single, non-smoking female person with no pets who is working on a palaeobiology thesis. I’m seeking a lease for the next six months, but potentially for the next year and a half (end of the MRes). Happy to contribute to household chores and shared expenses!
If you or someone you know is currently in need of an additional housemate, or has a studio apartment/granny flat/other single person living situation, please contact Alyssa Fjeld at 0450-357-762, or by email at alyssa.fjeld@students.mq.edu.au
Something to lighten up your day
Do you want to share a piece of your research, or want to brag about a cool fieldwork trip you have been on?
Send your photos and a blurb to post on the Biology Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts to Calli Miller: <calli.miller@mq.edu.au>
Correct Method for Submitting to Department Matters
Department Matters submissions now have their own email address. Please send all your news items for the newsletter to <fse.bionewsletter@mq.edu.au>
Have You Missed Out on an Issue of Department Matters? Back issues can be found at this newsletter archive link for your reading pleasure.
New Publications
Exploring the key drivers of forest flammability in wet eucalypt forests using expert-derived conceptual models
By: Cawson, Jane G., Victoria Hemming, Andrew Ackland, Wendy Anderson, David Bowman, Ross Bradstock, Tegan P. Brown et al. Landscape Ecology (2020): 1-24. | Find with Google Scholar »Invasive weed species’ threats to global biodiversity: Future scenarios of changes in the number of invasive species in a changing climate
By: Shabani, Farzin, Mohsen Ahmadi, Lalit Kumar, Samaneh Solhjouy-fard, Mahyat Shafapour Tehrany, Fariborz Shabani, Bahareh Kalantar, and Atefeh Esmaeili. Ecological Indicators 116 (2020): 106436. | Find with Google Scholar »Integrating outcomes of IUCN red list of ecosystems assessments for connected coastal wetlands
By: Sievers, Michael, Ryan M. Pearson, Mischa P. Turschwell, Melanie J. Bishop, Lucie Bland, Christopher J. Brown, Vivitskaia JD Tulloch et al. Ecological Indicators 116 (2020): 106489. | Find with Google Scholar »Horizon Scan of the Belt and Road Initiative
By: Hughes, Alice C., Alex M. Lechner, Alexander Chitov, Alexander Horstmann, Amy Hinsley, Angela Tritto, Anthony Chariton et al. Trends in Ecology & Evolution (2020). | Find with Google Scholar »Ecosystems monitoring powered by environmental genomics: A review of current strategies with an implementation roadmap
By: Cordier, Tristan, Laura Alonso‐Sáez, Laure Apothéloz‐Perret‐Gentil, Eva Aylagas, David A. Bohan, Agnès Bouchez, Anthony Chariton et al. Molecular Ecology (2020). | Find with Google Scholar »The hydrological function of a large chain-of-ponds: a wetland system with intermittent surface flows
By: Williams, Rory T., Kirstie A. Fryirs, and Grant C. Hose. Aquatic Sciences 82, no. 3 (2020): 1-18. | Find with Google Scholar »Effects of early thermal environment on the behavior and learning of a lizard with bimodal reproduction
By: Beltrán, Iván, Rebecca Loiseleur, Victorien Durand, and Martin J. Whiting. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 74, no. 6 (2020): 1-13. | Find with Google Scholar »Covariation in superoxide, sperm telomere length and sperm velocity in a polymorphic reptile
By: Friesen, Christopher R., Nicky Rollings, Mark Wilson, Camilla M. Whittington, Richard Shine, and Mats Olsson. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 74 (2020): 74. | Find with Google Scholar »Environmental DNA can act as a biodiversity barometer of anthropogenic pressures in coastal ecosystems
By: DiBattista, Joseph D., James D. Reimer, Michael Stat, Giovanni D. Masucci, Piera Biondi, Maarten De Brauwer, Shaun P. Wilkinson, Anthony A. Chariton, and Michael Bunce. Scientific reports 10, no. 1 (2020): 1-15. | Find with Google Scholar »Dynamic changes in DNA methylation during postnatal development in zebra finches Taeniopygia guttata exposed to different temperatures
By: Sheldon, Elizabeth L., Aaron W. Schrey, Laura L. Hurley, and Simon C. Griffith. Journal of Avian Biology 51, no. 5 (2020). | Find with Google Scholar »Dynamic changes in DNA methylation during postnatal development in zebra finches Taeniopygia guttata exposed to different temperatures
| Find with Google Scholar »In the Media
Dr Robert Kooyman provided comment to the Sydney Morning Herald about vulnerable environments exposed to bushfire damage due to lack of preparation in firefighting plans.
Read more »
Dr Oliver Griffith was interviewed on 2SER about the evolution of dinosaur eggs.
Read more »