Multiple paternity in captive grey nurse sharks (Carcharias taurus): implications for the captive breeding of this critically endangered species
Townsend, R., A. Stow, M. Asmyhr, and P. Momigliano. 2015. Multiple paternity in captive grey nurse sharks (Carcharias taurus): implications for the captive breeding of this critically endangered species. Pacific Conservation Biology 21:122-125. | Find with Google Scholar »
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Dear all,
I hope you’ve all survived week 1 of S2! We hosted a visit by University of Leuven to the Seawater Facility – thanks to Jane & Peter for their excellent tour. If you are interested in developing collaborations with researchers there then check their webpage (http://www.kuleuven.be/english) and come and talk to me. I’ll be enjoying canapes at the Faculty student awards tonight. Have a great weekendI
cheerio
Michelle
General News and Announcements
ABC’s Q&A Audience Opportunity
The ABC’s Q&A program, hosted by Tony Jones, has a special show coming up this Monday August 3rd featuring ‘Big Thinkers” in the world of science, maths and medicine.
One of their panelists is Marine Ecologist and CSIRO principal research scientist Beth Fulton – so topics around environmental science, how climate change will affect our oceans, and also the protection of our seas and marine life etc could come up.
Any staff or students interested in coming along need to register here.
In the last question which asks ‘where did you hear about us’ if you write “MQ Marine” you will be prioritised and they will send some more information about the show. Audience members need to be available from 8:30 pm on Monday night. But please register ASAP as seating is limited.
Along with Beth, they’ve also got:
The Director of New York’s Hayden Planetarium, acclaimed science communicator Neil deGrasse Tyson
Broadcaster, mathematician and footy coach Adam Spencer
Oncologist and author of ‘Dying for a chat’ and ‘So it’s cancer – now what?’ Dr Ranjana Srivastava
Colloquium Speaker Robert Gerlai – 5th, August – 1pm Biology tearoom
Our colloquium speaker on 5 August is Robert Gerlai of the University of Toronto, Canada (http://www.utm.utoronto.ca/
Department Meeting Next Week – Tuesday 3rd, August
Please come along to E8A 280 (Biology tea room) and hash out the issues of the day at our first Department Meeting of the semester.
New PhD Students in Biology
Kate Barry and Mariella Herberstein have received 2 new PhD students within their lab.
Mahmud Mahmudunnabi. Mahmud’s research will assess the alteration of progeny phenotype in response to maternal experience in sexually cannibalistic praying mantids and spiders.
Mohammad Ameri. Mohammad’s research will assess the role of sex pheromones in sexually cannibalistic praying mantids. He will identify and synthesise the sex pheromone of Pseudomantis albofimbriata and record the subsequent male behavioural responses.
They will be located in E8A282. Say hi if you see them around.
New Lab Policy – no shoes, no prac.
After a much deliberation and rising WHS related issues, we have decided not to provide shoes and lab coats to students. If students do not observe appropriate protocol for PPE they will not be allowed to enter labs. All unit convener please reinforce this message to students at your first lecture and in practical sessions.
The alternative for lab coats is that we can provide students with a disposable lab coat for $2.00 each. No shoes – no prac and student will have to either miss the session or attend prac at another time.
The money collected will be recorded and we will purchase pipettes or laboratory consumable. Please let me know if have any question.
Regards and thanks for your support.
Rekha
Inter-university Neuroscience & Mental Health Conference
Thursday 24th and Friday 25th September, 2015
The University of New South Wales (The John Niland Scientia Building)
Following on from the success of the first Inter-University Neuroscience and Mental Health Conference which attracted over 250 delegates for an exciting 2 day meeting at the University Of Sydney, the conference will be held again this year on 24 – 25 September, 2015 at The University of New South Wales. The conference will be an open meeting with a call for papers (15 minute oral) and posters for sessions and streams over two days.
University not reimbursing professional membership fees
From 1/09/15 the University will not reimburse professional memberships even in circumstances where a combined membership/conference fee is less expensive than the non-member conference fee. In the past, where a case could be made that a professional membership allowed one to publish with a journal or attend a conference at a lower rate, the membership could be claimed for reimbursed. This loop-hole is now closed and no membership fees will be claimable.
The policy can be viewed here.
Supervisor Registry & Training
Reminding all potential HDR supervisors, applications are now online. Here is is a guide on how to use the system: Supervisor Help Card – it’s pretty straight forward.
Also, can all academic staff check to see that they are on the supervisor register – here
Reminder: Annual supervising training is required to keep your place on the MQ supervisor register – this can be achieved with an in house workshop on managing cotutelle programs – 11th of August, tearoom 1-2pm.
Supervisor FAQ here. What’s a cotutelle student – see here.
Nomination Of Examiner Forms Now Online
From the first of August all nomination of examiners forms need to be completed online here. It appears painless.
PGRF Applications Due 14th, August
HDR students, don’t forget PGRF applications are due on the 14th of August.
Plant of the Week: Hakea sericea – Needlebush – Hakea one day, Grevillea the next
(the genus Hakea is to move to Grevillea)
Vice-Chancellor’s Internship
Each year the Vice-Chancellor’s office offers a graduate intern position for a student who has graduated or expects to successfully complete their studies between December 2014 and November 2015. The internship runs from mid-January to December 2016, and offers one Macquarie University graduate the opportunity to work alongside the Vice-Chancellor and his staff on a complex array of topics and matters in the higher education and business sectors.
If you would like to nominate an outstanding student who you think may be interested in this position, please email Michelle. Nominations close 14 August.
September Graduation List
Please see graduand list for the September graduation here, for your action:
- Check for omissions or any other anomalies
- Closing date for additional students to be added to September graduations is 11 August
- Immediately advise Ken Wong, Senior Graduations Officer, of any changes to grades after 28 August
A friendly reminder that the due date for graduate and occasional speaker recommendations is Friday 31 July 2015.
Taronga Zoo Internships
Taronga Zoo is offering internships with their Behavioural Studies Unit – applications close 8 August and details are here.
Inaugural Environmental Sciences Seminar
Professor Bruce Thom will be speaking on Wednesday, August 5th at 1pm in the AHH lecture theatre.
Short Seminar Series – Wildlife Health in Antarctica 3rd, August 2015
A reminder of the short seminar series in association with a G2G Antarctic health working group on Monday 9.30 -12.30 in the biology tea room. If you would like to attend we would appreciate commitment to listen to the talks for the entire morning program or either side of the tea break (10.45-11.15) to minimize disruption. Speakers include Nick Gales (AAD), Rachael Grey (usyd), Daniel Acuna (Universidad de Concepción, Chile), Andre Barbosa (Natural Science museum Spain), Frances Gulland (Marine Mammal centre, California), Rob Harcourt, Michelle Power, Grant Hose and more!
* Note to Staff: Please don’t put your lunches in the Biology tea room on Monday. Tea & coffee will be available in E8C 215 and there is a fridge there for your use.
Department Learning and Teaching Seminar / Discussion
Please join us from 12pm Monday August 10 in the Biology tea room for a presentation by Erli Scheider Costa from the Universidade Estadual do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil on integrating learning and teaching and research with schools and communities. Afterward we will have a discussion (over a light lunch) on this and communicating science to schools.
New Publications
Personality in the wild zebra finch: exploration, sociality, and reproduction
McCowan, L. S. C., M. C. Mainwaring, N. H. Prior, and S. C. Griffith. 2015. Personality in the wild zebra finch: exploration, sociality, and reproduction. Behavioral Ecology 26:735-746. | Find with Google Scholar »Evaluation of the realism of climate reconstruction using the Coexistence Approach with modern pollen samples from the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau
Zhang, Z.-Y., S. P. Harrison, V. Mosbrugger, D. K. Ferguson, K. N. Paudayal, A. Trivedi, and C.-S. Li. 2015. Evaluation of the realism of climate reconstruction using the Coexistence Approach with modern pollen samples from the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 219:172-182. | Find with Google Scholar »When Science Places Threatened Species at Risk
Meeuwig, J. J., R. G. Harcourt, and F. G. Whoriskey. 2015. When Science Places Threatened Species at Risk. Conservation Letters 8:151-152. | Find with Google Scholar »Mate Familiarity Affects Pairing Behaviour in a Long-Term Monogamous Lizard: Evidence from Detailed Bio-Logging and a 31-Year Field Study
Leu, S. T., D. Burzacott, M. J. Whiting, and C. M. Bull. 2015. Mate Familiarity Affects Pairing Behaviour in a Long-Term Monogamous Lizard: Evidence from Detailed Bio-Logging and a 31-Year Field Study. Ethology 121:760-768. | Find with Google Scholar »Will there be a shift to alien-dominated vegetation assemblages under climate change?
Leishman, M. R., and R. V. Gallagher. 2015. Will there be a shift to alien-dominated vegetation assemblages under climate change? Diversity and Distributions 21:848-852. | Find with Google Scholar »The Functional Significance of Chiral Genitalia: Patterns of Asymmetry, Functional Morphology and Mating Success in the Praying Mantis Ciulfina baldersoni
Holwell, G. I., O. Kazakova, F. Evans, J. C. O'Hanlon, and K. L. Barry. 2015. The Functional Significance of Chiral Genitalia: Patterns of Asymmetry, Functional Morphology and Mating Success in the Praying Mantis Ciulfina baldersoni. PLoS ONE 10. | Find with Google Scholar »How do native species respond to invaders? Mechanistic and trait-based perspectives
Berthon, K. 2015. How do native species respond to invaders? Mechanistic and trait-based perspectives. Biological Invasions 17:2199-2211. | Find with Google Scholar »Low genetic diversity in pygmy blue whales is due to climate-induced diversification rather than anthropogenic impacts.
Attard, C. R. M., L. B. Beheregaray, K. C. S. Jenner, P. C. Gill, M.-N. M. Jenner, M. G. Morrice, P. R. Teske, and L. M. Moeller. 2015. Low genetic diversity in pygmy blue whales is due to climate-induced diversification rather than anthropogenic impacts. Biology Letters 11. | Find with Google Scholar »Aspects of the reproductive biology of dusky, spinner and sandbar sharks (Family Carcharhinidae) from the Tasman Sea. Marine and Freshwater Research
Pascal T. Geraghty, W. G. M., and Jane E. Williamson. 2015. Aspects of the reproductive biology of dusky, spinner and sandbar sharks (Family Carcharhinidae) from the Tasman Sea. Marine and Freshwater Research. | Find with Google Scholar »