Ocellar structure in African and Australian desert ants
By: Penmetcha B, Ogawa Y, Ribi WA & Narendra A. 2019. Journal of Comparative Physiology A. | Find with Google Scholar »
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Hi All
Take a break from whatever you are doing and read below about the exciting times in Biology at MQ…
Its been a busy week finalising grades, celebrating success and farewelling the amazing Erin who is off on secondment to the medical sciences admin! (Thank you Erin and best wishes for your new role)
Special thanks to the Biology Social club for organising a very fun powerpoint improv event on Thursday.
Michelle will be back next week with stories of the sights, sounds, tastes and tyre punctures of Europe.
Have a great weekend,
Grant
Save the Date
This coming week 1st -5th July
Mon 1st: Insect Preservation Workshop, 1pm – 2:30pm; 6WW(E8C) digital teaching labs 106 & 110. RSVP to <braxton.jones@mq.edu.au>
Tue 2nd: Formal Department Exam Meeting; 11am – 12.30pm; Biology tearoom.
Tue 2nd: Christmas in July Lunch; 1pm – 3pm; Biology Courtyard, please register at this link – http://bit.ly/2VZkgTv
Wed 3rd: Department Morning Tea; 10.30am – 11.30am; 205b Culloden Rd.
Wed 3rd: 3-Minute Thesis “tailoring your presentation” workshop; 12-1pm, 14EAR(E8A)-280 (Biology Tea Room).
Thu 4th: Special Seminar delivered by Evolutionary Genomics Candidate – Michael Stat; details TBA.
Following week 8th – 12th July
Mon 8th: Special Seminar delivered by Evolutionary Genomics Candidate – Sally Potter; Details TBA.
Wed 10th: Department Morning Tea; 10.30am – 11.30am; 14EAR(E8A)-280 (Biology Tea Room).
Wed 10th: Special Seminar delivered by Evolutionary Genomics Candidate – Cheong Chan; Details TBA.
Thu 11th: Special Seminar delivered by Evolutionary Genomics Candidate – Oliver Griffith; Details TBA.
Thu 11th: Biology Social Club; 5.00pm – 7.00pm; Biology Courtyard.
Weekly Events
Thu: Venture Café; 3–8pm; (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 16th: Special Seminar delivered by Evolutionary Genomics Candidate – Seth Barribeau
July 18th: (Thursday) 6WW (E8C) Digital Teaching Lab Induction; 9.30am to 12pm; 6WW(E8C)-106.
July 22nd: (Monday) 4WW (F7B) Digital Teaching Lab Induction; 9.30am to 11.30am; 4WW(F7B) 105.
July 23rd: (Tuesday) 14EAR (E8A) Digital Teaching Lab Induction; 9.30am to 12.30pm (TBC); 14EAR (E8A) 120.
August 8th: Biology 3-Minute Thesis competition; 4:30-5pm, 14EAR(E8A)-280 (Biology Tea Room) – followed by Social Club!
General News and Announcements
Lab Spotlight – Former PhD student Ravindra’s recent paper (Ajay’s group) on miniaturisation in ants was featured on the cover of the latest issue of Journal of Experimental Biology. Photo by Ajay Narendra. The work was a collaborative effort between researchers from Ajay Narendra and Nathan Hart’s group.
Bhavana Penmetcha (Ajay’s group) recently completed her MRes studying anatomy and physiology of ocelli in ants. She has been awarded an iMQRES and will start her PhD shortly on something to do with ants, trackballs and neurons. Congratulations Bhavana!
Dr Franne Kamhi who was a postdoctoral fellow over the last 3 years in Ajay’s and Andy’s group will be moving to US to take up a Visiting Assistant Professorship at Oberlin College, Ohio. All the best Franne.
‘Tis the Season to be Knitting! In previous years we’ve had regular gatherings at lunchtime to knit squares for contribution to ‘Wrapped with Love’. http://www.wrapwithlove.org/
It’s never to late to start, and Biology has some champion knitters to help with the basics. We currently have wool and knitting needles in two locations in Biology, but we need a champion for each location to continue to support this activity. Can you be that champion? The two locations are the Biology Tearoom (E8A 280) and W19F foyer. The W19 collection needs a new home. Please send suggestions to <samantha.newton@mq.edu.au> by Monday 24th June.
Missing Books – The following two books have gone missing from the herbarium library. Flora of the Sydney Region by Pellow, Henwood and Carolin and Native Plants of the Sydney Region by Fairley and Moore. If anyone has borrowed these, could they please return the books as they will be needed for student pracs in semester 2.
Also, please do not take books without permission. Please send an e-mail to <karen.marais@mq.edu.au> if you need to borrow books and write on the whiteboard in the herbarium when the books have been taken and sign back when returned.
Christmas in July lunch; Tuesday 2 July 2019, 1 pm to 3 pm – The Outreach committee will be holding a special lunch following the S1 exam meeting. Everyone is welcome to attend and celebrate the hard work of the volunteers and the outreach activities carried out on behalf of our Department. Weather permitting, the lunch will take place in the Biology Courtyard. There will be music, games and prizes and certificates presented for the most outreach done and filled out in our online form For catering purposes; please register at this link – http://bit.ly/2VZkgTv
FSE has a New Dedicated Sci-comms Officer – Virginia Tressider has just joined the Faculty of Science and Engineering to provide science communication support. She would like to encourage any academics who have a new paper or have anything else they would like publicised to contact her. The Faculty will now be able do more in-house that was previously outsourced to Science in Public, which should hopefully make things faster and more seamless.
Please see contact details below:
Virginia Tressider, Communications Adviser, FSE
Group Marketing
Building 1, 58 Waterloo Road
Macquarie Park NSW 2113
Email: <virginia.tressider@mq.edu.au>
Plant of the Week -click the thumbnails for larger images-
This week – Madeira Vine – *Anredera cordifolia
Madeira Vine doesn’t come from Madeira! This rampant, invasive twining plant actually comes from South America and now can be found on every continent with the exception of Antarctica. It reproduces by tubers and is a nightmare to control. Introduction of a leaf-eating beetle, Plectonycha correntina may provide some hope.
OPPORTUNITIES
NEW LIBRARY RESOURCE: JoVE Science Education Core Biology – The library is happy to advise that we now have access to a new module of JoVE (Journal of Visualised Experiments), JoVE Science Education Core Biology. After clicking on this link, it is best to choose the JoVE option.
JoVE is a peer reviewed scientific video journal, providing access to thousands of visualised experiments and laboratory techniques in a variety of scientific fields. The JoVE Science Education video library is dedicated to teaching scientific fundamentals through simple easy-to-understand video demonstrations.
Higher Education Academy Fellowship Program Now Open for Mid-2019 Applications – Macquarie educators interested in having their professional practice in higher education teaching, learning support, and leadership recognised, can now register to apply for HEA Fellowship. Applicants must first attend a 1-hour information session; sessions will be held between 29 May and 15 July – register and see more information: https://teche.mq.edu.au/2019/05/macquarie-hea-fellowship-program-now-open-for-mid-2019-application/
Educators at all levels are encouraged to participate – from casual tutors (Associate Fellow) through to program and unit leaders (Senior or Principal Fellow). Information about Fellowship itself: https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/individuals/fellowship
Faculty Staff (Professional & Academic) Travel Grants – support for staff travel is now provided centrally by the Faculty. Funding is available for ECR travel, international collaboration, teaching and professional staff development. If you would like to apply, please discuss with your supervisor and A/Prof Andrew Barron (for research travel) or Dr Drew Allen (for teaching travel). Research Eligibility and application details can be found here.https://staff.mq.edu.au/intranet/science-and-engineering/faculty-awards,-schemes-and-procedures
One round remain for the rest of the year:
– Round 3 closes Friday 27 September 2019
Apply as soon as possible for any travel you intend on taking in 2019, that meets the criteria. Funds awarded must be spent in 2019 and will not be carried into 2020.
SEMINARS AND WORKSHOPS
MolSci Seminar – Date/Time: Tuesday, 9th July, 2019; 1pm – 2pm. Speaker: Dr Thomas Booth from School of Molecular Sciences, University of Western Australia. Title: Evolution of Adenylation-Domain Specificity in Non-Ribosomal Peptide Synthesis. Venue: 4WW 322 seminar room. More information https://goto.mq/7n
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 first 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
Venture Café – Want to know more about innovation, and how to achive it? Come along to the Venture Cafe, Thursday, 3pm – 8pm, (map). Find out what is on each week here – https://venturecafesydney.org/
This week: 3pm: Film Screening: Blue; 3pm: Innovate Hear Meetup; 3pm: Thursday Gathering Cafe Night; 4:15pm: CleanTech Innovation – What Inspired You to Take Action? 5.15pm: Cleantech Innovation – Can Australia be a Global Leader?
Wildlife at the Watering Hole – 3rd Tuesday of each month, 6:30pm @ Botany View Hotel, King St Newtown!
HDR NEWS AND OPPORTUNITIES
3-Minute Thesis – PhD students: the Department round of this competition will be held on Thursday 8th August, 4:30-5pm, in 14EaR 280 Biology Tea Room – followed by Dept. Social Club to celebrate! Faculty and University finals will follow in Sept.
TO ENTER: Send your slide to <lizzy.lowe@mq.edu.au> and <julian.may@mq.edu.au> by 31st July 5pm.
WORKSHOPS: “Tips from a 3MT winner” with Lizzy Lowe, Wed 3rd July, 12-1pm, in 14EaR 280 Biology Tea Room. Register: <julian.may@mq.edu.au> plus: “How to Win the 3MT” with Megan Brewer, Thu 4th July, 2-3:30pm, 9WW(E6A) room 133. Register: https://myrdc.mq.edu.au/registration/new/84421?year=2019
See info and videos of previous year’s winners: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/my-research-program/3-minute-thesis-competition
Science and Conservation Career Day – Currently studying in the biological sciences? Are you thinking about career pathways or postgraduate research? Not sure what to do next? Then come along to the 2019 Sciences and Conservation Careers Day hosted by the Royal Zoological Society of NSW at Taronga Zoo.
You’ll hear from scientists across a range of disciplines that are working to make an impact for the conservation of the species and ecosystems important to us all. You’ll have the opportunity to meet and mingle with the speakers and participate in panel sessions where you can seek advice on the next steps in your career.
When: Saturday 6 July 2019, 9:00am – 2:00pm. Where: Taronga Institute of Science and Learning, Taronga Zoo, Mosman. Cost: $20 RZS members (incl. lunch), $50 Non-members (incl. lunch and zoo entry).
On the day you’ll hear from industry professionals from a variety of fields.
For more information and to register, clink this link.
Fulbright 2020 Program provides prestigious, high-quality, transformative exchange experiences to Australian students wishing to conduct research in collaboration with US institutions. In 2019 they have doubled the number of Fulbright Scholarships on offer to Australian applicants. Open to: Postgraduate, Postdoctoral, Scholar, or Distinguished Chair positions.
The 2020 round of Fulbright applications will remain open until 15 July 2019, for programs to commence June/July 2020; see application information here: https://www.fulbright.org.au/applicants/australian-applicants/
NOTE: Applicants must hold Australian citizenship, and not be dual-Australian-US citizens.
An information session recording can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/QpLRAMpvyl0
PhD Students: got a grant? Dept. will co-fund up to $1500 – The Department would like to encourage students to seek external sources of funding, and has a small budget with which to support successful candidates.New limits from 2019:PhD students ONLY: Dept. will match up to $1500 of external (non-MQ) funding ONCE during the student’s candidature.
If you have received a grant (student as chief investigator) and wish to request co-funding, please forward a copy of the award letter to <sharyon.odonnell@mq.edu.au> and <julian.may@mq.edu.au>.
Are you a HDR student? Need help with writing? HDR Mentors in collaboration with HDR Learning Skills is running another round of Peer Writing Assistance (PWA) for the rest of the year! This program is designed to support MRES and HDR candidates in managing thesis writing and research-related concerns. All peer writing assistants have undergone training for their role and are current PhD candidates at Macquarie.
The PWA program is based on the principle of collaborative learning in which a more experienced research student helps you develop stronger academic and research skills. Peer Writing Assistants are not teachers. Rather, they are trained to function as a ‘friendly audience’ or ‘fresh pair of eyes’ to help you gain new perspectives on your writing or research ideas.
Registrations are now open for individual consultation bookings. If you are interested, please go to book in for a 45-minute session with a PWA here.
And:
Writing workshops – Convened by Ken Cheng, running weekly for most of the year: Fridays 2-4pm in Ken’s office at 205b Culloden Road, G12.
These writing workshops are meant for HDR students and early-career researchers. In these face-to-face encounters, writing at any stage of any genre is welcome, from first draft to final polish, from empirical paper to literature review to popular news story. Ken envisages personal feedback linked perhaps with rounds of revisions on selected passages during the session. The aim is not just to get stuff written, but to write everything well.
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.
ADMIN THINGS
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
Transgender Men see Sexism from Both Sides
https://time.com/transgender-men-sexism/
Critique vs Criticism –
A news article recently appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald on “Radical candour” = giving criticism to others with empathy, and the intent to help them improve. This can avoid the potential pitfalls of “ruinous empathy” (being nice, no criticism) and “obnoxious aggression” (criticising harshly).
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
Department Matters submissions now have their own email address. Please send all your news items for 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.
- Keep your submission short and direct (two paragraphs) and if possible provide a document, email or link where readers can get more information. Any long submissions will be cropped.
Keeping to these guidelines will streamline your article’s addition to the newsletter. Thank you.
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
Miniaturisation reduces contrast sensitivity and spatial resolving power in ants
By: Palavalli-Nettimi, Ravindra, Yuri Ogawa, Laura A. Ryan, Nathan S. Hart, and Ajay Narendra. Journal of Experimental Biology 222, no. 12 (2019): jeb203018. | Find with Google Scholar »Sperm collection and storage for the sustainable management of amphibian biodiversity
By: Browne, R.K., Silla, A.J., Upton, R., Della-Togna, G., Marcec-Greaves, R., Shishova, N.V., Uteshev, V.K., Proaño, B., Pérez, O.D., Mansour, N. and Kaurova, S.A., 2019. Theriogenology, 133, pp.187-200. | Find with Google Scholar »Quantity discrimination in Port Jackson sharks incubated under elevated temperatures
By: Pouca, Catarina Vila, Connor Gervais, Joshua Reed, Jade Michard, and Culum Brown. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 73, no. 7 (2019): 93. | Find with Google Scholar »The effect of dissolved nickel and copper on the adult coral Acropora muricata and its microbiome
By: Gissi, Francesca, Amanda J. Reichelt-Brushett, Anthony A. Chariton, Jenny L. Stauber, Paul Greenfield, Craig Humphrey, Matt Salmon, Sarah A. Stephenson, Tom Cresswell, and Dianne F. Jolley. Environmental Pollution 250 (2019): 792-806. | Find with Google Scholar »Assessment of the cooling-then-freezing method for euthanasia of amphibians and reptiles
By: Shine, Richard, John A. Lesku, and Harvey B. Lillywhite. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 255, no. 1 (2019): 48-50. | Find with Google Scholar »A revision of the genus Petta Malmgren, 1866 (Annelida: Pectinariidae), with two new species from deep waters of southeastern Australia, and comments on phylogeny of the family
By: ZHANG, JINGHUAI, PAT HUTCHINGS, and ELENA KUPRIYANOVA. Zootaxa 4614, no. 2 (2019): 303-330. | Find with Google Scholar »Morphological traits can track coral reef responses to the Anthropocene
By: Zawada, Kyle JA, Joshua S. Madin, Andrew H. Baird, Tom CL Bridge, and Maria Dornelas. Functional Ecology (2019). | Find with Google Scholar »Retinal adaptations of southern bluefin tuna larvae: Implications for culture
By: Hilder, Pollyanna E., Stephen C. Battaglene, Nathan S. Hart, Shaun P. Collin, and Jennifer M. Cobcroft. Aquaculture 507 (2019): 222-232. | Find with Google Scholar »A guide to modelling priorities for managing land-based impacts on coastal ecosystems
By: Brown, C.J., Jupiter, S.D., Albert, S., Anthony, K.R., Hamilton, R.J., Fredston‐Hermann, A., Halpern, B.S., Lin, H.Y., Maina, J., Mangubhai, S. and Mumby, P.J., 2019. Journal of Applied Ecology. | Find with Google Scholar »The r package divDyn for quantifying diversity dynamics using fossil sampling data
By: Kocsis, Adam T., Carl J. Reddin, John Alroy, and Wolfgang Kiessling. Methods in Ecology and Evolution (2019). | Find with Google Scholar »Proteomes of Leaf-Growing Zones in Rice Genotypes with Contrasting Drought Tolerance
By: Wu, Yunqi, Mehdi Mirzaei, Dana Pascovici, Paul A. Haynes, and Brian J. Atwell. Proteomics (2019): 1800310. | Find with Google Scholar »In the Media
Culum Brown and Catarina Vila Pouca were featured on Radio National Big Ideas
Professor Culum Brown and Dr Catarina Vila Pouca from the Department of Biological Sciences were featured on Radio National Big Ideas regarding understanding shark behaviour and personalities.
Which Plant Where was showcased in an article by the Anthropocene Magazine and Future Earth.
The Which Plant Where team’s latest research on the effects of climate chance on urban tree species was showcased in an article by the Anthropocene Magazine and Future Earth.
Lizzy Lowe provided comment to the Daily Mail
Dr Lizzy Lowe from the Department of Biological Sciences provided comment to the Daily Mail about a huntsman and its babies found in a letterbox.