BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES DEPARTMENT MATTERS | June 3, 2016

Dear all,

Congratulations to Jane Williamson who has been appointed as the Deputy Associate Dean for International and Corporate Engagement (or DAD ICE) – expect to have Jane knocking on your door sometime soon drumming up business!

Thanks to those who came along and participated in the discussion on measuring research engagement and impact – it was very productive and Mel Bishop will put a summary together for the Faculty.

Heads up that next Tuesday is our regular department meeting – see you all there!

cheerio

Michelle

Save the Date

This coming week 6th – 10th June

Tue 7th; Department Meeting; 1:00 – 2:00pm; E8A-280 (tea room).

Wed 8th; Morning Tea with HoD; 10:30 – 11:00am; E8A-280 (tea room).

Wed 8th; Departmental Seminar: Rachel Brown “What evolvability really is”; 1:00 – 2:00pm; E8A-280 (tea room).

The following week 14th – 17th June

Wed 15th – Thurs 16th June; 2016 Annual HDR Conference; 9am onwards each day; Location E8A labs.

Thursday 16th June; MRes poster session, announcement of HDR conference prizes and DRINKS from 3pm

Coming up

July 5th; Formal Department meeting for S1 grades

July 31st; applications for PhD scholarships due

Aug 20th; Open Day

General News and Announcements

Mark Westoby honoured in special issue of Journal of Ecology

In case you missed it, Mark Westoby has been honoured by Journal of Ecology in an Eminent Ecologist Virtual Issue. The issue includes 12 of his most influential papers published in the Journal of Ecology. To provide some context, Mark has written a number of fascinating posts for the Journal of Ecology blog (scroll down, it was posted May 5).

HDR student Interviews

A reminder that HDR student interviews are happening during the time period of the HDR conference (15th and 16th of June). HDR students have been split into 12 groups and each of these has a panel of 2 or 3 academics carrying out the interviews. Both students and academics should by now know what panel group they belong to. It might be best if academics review student info on google drive before the interviews (20 minutes per student), to do so – login directly (https://drive.google.com/drive/), then look for HDR panels in the “shared with me” section.

Flights; STA and Campus Travel Feedback

If you have an issue with or want to highly praise our campus travel agents, please send an email through to <sci.bio-adm@mq.edu.au>.

Include your booking number and detail about the issue you experienced, or praise you’d like to give.

The University’s Procurement manager, Belinda Anderson meets with them regularly and no issues raised means our no improvement in service.

Your issues/praise will be forwarded to Belinda Anderson who will discuss them with the travel agents.

Australian Mammal Society Conference 

The Australian Mammal Society annual conference will be held in Alice Springs in September – a great time of year to visit central Australia. It’s a great meeting for anyone interested in the ecology, biology and conservation of Australasian mammals. Registration opens 20th June – details in the flyer, attached.

Flyer_AMS_2016

Departmental Seminar

Day/Date/Time/Location: Wednesday, 8/6/2016, 1pm, E8A-280 (Tea room).

Speaker: Rachael Brown

Title: What evolvability really is

Abstract: Despite the prominence of discussions of evolvability in evolutionary biology, there remains considerable disagreement about what evolvability is. I offer a solution to this problem. I argue that existing approaches focus too much on evolvability as something requiring as an explanation, rather than an explanation in of itself. Thinking about evolvability in this broader sense, both unifies existing definitions and gives us a useful tool for thinking about evolution in various contexts from conservation biology to developmental biology.

Fieldwork Webpage Update

The Biology Fieldwork webpage has been updated and now includes links to Field Friendly, the Fieldwork and Snorkelling manuals and the step-by-step Guide to Field Friendly.

You will still find the links to absence on duty and incident reporting here as well as the vehicle booking system.

Please check it out when you get a chance- https://bio.mq.edu.au/support/fieldwork/

Marine Fieldwork Questionnaire

Andrew Irvine would like you to fill out the following questionnaire if you do marine fieldwork.

https://mqedu.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_9vonYXpFVBbdqzH

Australian Antarctic Science Programme applications are now open

The Australian Antarctic Science Programme invites applications for research and monitoring projects, including for Australian Antarctic science grants, commencing in 2016-17 and 2017-18. Researchers with projects requiring major logistical support in 2018-19 should also apply now.

The Australian Antarctic Science Grant Programme offers funding for:

• Research projects
• Co-funded post-doctoral fellowships, and
• The RJL Hawke post-doctoral fellowship.

The application guidelines and further information are available at information for scientists.

For more information please contact planning@aad.gov.au.

Applications close at 5 pm (Australian Eastern Standard Time) Tuesday, 12 July 2016.

Volunteers Needed for FIRST Robotics

FIRST Robotics has three events in July; each held on the Macquarie University campus.  There is a massive volunteer drive underway and we hope you will find time to participate!   Roles exist for technical, judging, and non-technical roles for FIRST LEGO League, FIRST Tech Challenge & FIRST Robotics Competition programs.

Please visit “FIRST Volunteer Opportunities” to register!

New PhD Student in the Quantitative Ecology and Evolution Lab

Damaris Torres-Pulliza, from Puerto Rico, has recently joined the Quantitative Ecology and Evolution Lab as a PhD student under the supervision of Joshua Madin.  Her research interest and background fall under the broad multidisciplinary heading of geospatial sciences applied along the ridge-to-reef continuum for systematic ecological conservation planning. More specifically, identifying, developing and testing quantitative methods, conceptual models and geospatial tools to suitably transform raw information into structured data insights for scientific problem solving and spatially explicit decision making. Her project will focus on data fusion and modeling to assess spatial and temporal scaling of storm-induced ecological change on coral reefs at Lizard Island.  You can find her in E8B 212.

Please help her feel welcome!

Pint of Science Festival a Raging Success

Last Mon-Wed was the Pint of Science festival, an international science festival running concurrently in 60 cities in 12 countries. The department made a strong contribution with an ex-student Siobhan Dennison acting as project manager and organiser (and selling out every night), and both Mike Gillings and James O’Hanlon speaking and getting phenomenal feedback from the audience.

Plant of the Week – Whisk Fern (Psilotum nudum)

Whisk Fern (Psilotum nudum) – no longer considered a living fossil – now classified as a true fern.

Harvest Hub

Harvest Hub is a fruit and veg delivery service hosted by Biology. Deliveries are made every Wednesday morning. Contact Samantha Newton if you have questions about the Harvest Hub, or look at the website for more information. www.harvesthub.com.au

Binless Office Trial – Small Bin, Big Impact

The Binless Office trial commenced this week.

A big thank you to everyone who has engaged with the trial and provided assistance, feedback and enthusiasm. Positive feedback has been very high. The attached FAQ has more information.

Binless Office Trial_FAQ

Worm castings

The department has two worm farms, which are very healthy and have produced an abundance of worm castings that will soon need a new home. If you have a home garden that would benefit from some worm castings please bring in a container next week. Samantha Newton will be harvesting the worm castings during the week. Worm castings are an excellent source of nutrients for the garden.

Email Samantha <Samantha.newton@mq.edu.au> if you’re interested.

Freecycle Nook

Some great books in the freecycle nook this week: Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham; War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, and book 4 of A Game of Thrones, to name a few.

Global Leadership Program Recruiting

GLP is currently recruiting for a Coordinator to work part-time equivalent to 4 days per week for 1 year fixed-term.

Please find more information on the website here: http://jobs.mq.edu.au/cw/en/job/496760/glp-coordinator.

Knitting Squares Back On

A not for profit organisation, Wrapped with Love, http://www.wrapwithlove.org/ encourages knitters/crocheters to create squares, which when combined, form a blanket for those who suffer extreme cold in this world.

What: Knit or crochet a square

How: Pattern & recommendations attached

With what: Use yarn and needles in E8A tearoom, or bring your own

When: Biology morning teas; Wednesdays 10:30-11

KnitSquares Instructions

A Keen Volunteer

My name is Zhi Yuan Wang, student number 43049303. I recently completed my Bachelor of Medical Sciences degree at Macquarie University. I am planning to do a higher degree, but at the same time, I would like to do volunteering for the department of Biological Sciences. I am prepared to do anything that you offer me in order for me to gain some practical/work experience.I can help with practical class preparation, experiment preparation or assistance, equipment handling, etc. I am available all week.

For academic transcript and contact details, please email <ray.duell@mq.edu.au>

Underwater Quantum Sensor

Guyo Gufu <guyo-duba.gufu@hdr.mq.edu.au> is PhD student supervised by Michelle Leishman. He is conducting some growth experiments on submerged freshwater plants and would like to know if anyone in the department has an underwater quantum sensor that he could borrow.

Room to Let

Vivian Cumbo has a room for rent in her large, modern, split-level Phegan’s Bay home that captures views over the bay, ocean & national park on the Central Coast. You will enjoy a relaxed lifestyle, living in peace & quiet amongst the natural surrounds & the raw beauty of the bay. The location is convenient with only a 10 minute drive to Woy Woy CBD and rail station, and short access to the M1 making it less than an hour to Macquarie Uni. The house is set on the water with high cathedral ceilings & open plan living. The room for rent is large, has a built-in wardrobe and can come furnished with a double bed. Rent is $240 a week and includes your own bathroom and full access to the house amenities.  Please contact her at <vivian.cumbo@mq.edu.au> if you are interested.

New Publications

In the Media

Recent Completions

Giselle Mushett has submitted her PhD Thesis entitled “Evolution of Aggressive Behaviour in the Australian Alpine Grasshopper Genus Kosciuscola”

Supervised by Mariella Herberstein

---