Backshore nourishment of a beach degraded by off -road vehicles: Ecological impacts and bene fits
By: Cooke, Belinda C., Jason K. Morton, Alan Baldry, and Melanie J. Bishop. "Backshore nourishment of a beach degraded by off-road vehicles: Ecological impacts and benefits." Science of The Total Environment (2020): 138115. | Find with Google Scholar »
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Dear all,
Lots of changes are happening as slowly the COVID-19 restrictions are starting to lift, planning for S2 is well underway and yesterday the VC released details of the university’s 2020-24 Operating Plan, which will affect us all (more on this in coming weeks).
As of last Monday we are in Stage One of the University’s COVIDSafe return to work on campus plan. Sharyon, Marita & I have been working on the implementation plan for the department – you can find all the details below and the full plan here. Please read them carefully and let us know if you have any questions.
In other news, the official retirement date of Julia Raftos was this week – thanks to all who contributed to her virtual card – I’m sure she will be thrilled with all the warm wishes expressed. I’m looking forward to the party later in the year!
From Monday we will be able to travel within NSW, go to galleries and museums, go to a beauty salon and hang out with up to 49 other physically distant people in a café, pub or restaurant – don’t go too crazy too quickly! If you need to know what the updated NSW rules are on what you can and can’t do, you can find it here
See you virtually at Tuesday’s department meeting!
cheers
Michelle
Save the Date
Next Week
Tues 1st June: Department Meeting; 1:00pm – 2:00pm
Thur 4th June: Franklin Women Event, Managing relationships virtually: from teams to collaborators & networks; 2:30pm – 3:30pm (more details below)
Future Events
Tues 9th – Thur 11th June: HDR Conference via Zoom; three days; 9:00am-12:30pm.
Weekly Events
Wed: Shut Up and Write sessions – now online! See below for further details
Wed: Department seminars; Schedule ON OUR WEBPAGE HERE – Chris Reid will send out notices for future seminars to be held on Zoom
General News and Announcements
RETURN TO WORK – STAGE ONE
As of last Monday we are in Stage One of the University’s COVIDSafe return to work on campus plan. This means that we are planning for a gradual return to up to 25% of staff and students onto campus, with Stage One is expected to last ~4 weeks. Stage Two plans for a return of up to 50% of staff and students.
So what does this mean for us? The VC’s advice under Stage One is that you should continue to work from home where possible. The results of the staff survey showed that within our Department most people preferred a gradual return to campus, with a mix of on campus and work from home each week. People who need to use public transport to get to work are the least keen to return, not surprisingly!
We have now developed a plan to administer the return to work through Stages One and Two. All staff and students who wish to work on campus must have approval from the Department. The Department will ensure through its approvals process that on-campus attendance limits (Stage 1 – 25%, Stage 2 – 50%) and room occupancy limits are adhered to as well as physical distancing and hygiene protocols. We have calculated safe occupancy levels for all labs, shared office spaces and meeting rooms & kitchens. Signage will be in place showing maximum occupancy and physical distancing & hygiene protocols for all rooms. And an approvals and booking system is in place.
How can you request access for return to campus?
- If you were previously approved under the ‘critical’ or ‘essential’ criteria, we will assume that you still want to be on campus at those times and in those spaces. Please let us know if this is NOT the case
- You can request approval to be on campus by emailing your details to bio-hod@mq.edu.au. Requests must be approved by your supervisor. We will consider requests and provide notification of approval on a weekly basis or sooner if possible.
- Approvals will be granted ONLY for standard weekday working hours (7am-7pm). If you need access outside these hours you will also need to apply for approval via the ‘out of hours’ process. Approval will only be given for exceptional circumstances
- If more people request access for a shared space (lab or office) than the max occupancy, we will develop rosters and prioritise the following: time constraints and needs of HDR students, especially MRes Year 2 students, time critical research work, projects with non-negotiable, externally driven milestones or deadlines, equity of access and opportunity especially for those disproportionately impacted (e.g., women researchers, ECRs). Please let us know in your request for access if any of these criteria apply.
- We will set up a booking system through O365 for all shared office space and research labs so that we can track usage
- You DO NOT need to notify Security when you are on campus
What conditions apply for research?
- Lab Supervisors must approve access and ensure that physical distancing as well as the usual safe work practices are followed in the research lab they are responsible for
- HDR supervisors are responsible for ensuring that their students have adequate supervision in research labs
- COVID-19 safe work practice guidelines for physical distancing, personal hygiene and cleaning will be added to laboratory inductions as standard
- All laboratory areas and research facilities must have available adequate soap for handwashing and 70%w/w ethanol for wiping high touch areas eg benches, door handles, some equipment. Lab users will be responsible for cleaning these areas before and after use.
- Senior technical staff (Marita Holley, Muhammad Masood, Josh Aldridge) will be on campus each working day to monitor research facilities (Plant Growth Facility, Aquatic Facility, shared research labs)
How about fieldwork?
- From 1st June fieldwork within NSW can be approved by the ExecDean
- There are additional requirements in addition to the usual FieldFriendly approval process. These are submission of a COVID-safe travel plan, emergency response plan, and statement of adherence to COVID-safe guidelines. Josh (terrestrial) and Nick (marine) can provide guidance on these requirements
If you have any questions, please ask our Department Manager Sharyon O’Donnell
L&T update
- We are compiling info on what did and didn’t work with online teaching in S1 to help S2 unit convenors – emails sent out today
- The Faculty will provide a workshop / induction for S2 casual academic staff focusing on online teaching delivery – expectations and best practice
- There will be some face-to-face prac classes (with fewer students than normal) in S2 but all lectures will be online
ECR Announcement
The ECR committee are putting together a strategy to build a better network for the ECR’s and create channels where people can ask for advice/help/moral support on a range of topics. We are putting together a Slack group with different sections for general advice, social chat, DECRA applicants, COVID support and job application support. Keep an eye out for your invite email!
We will also be starting an online ECR chat once a month where we can talk about what’s helping/hindering us and what extra support we need. We’re here to help, so if you have other ideas or specific things which would help you, please get in touch: lizzy.lowe@mq.edu.au
Funding Success!
MRes student Jonathon Mifsud was awarded the William Macleay Microbiological Research grant from the Linnean Society of New South Wales for his research titled “Mining public plant transcriptomes to reveal a diverse plant virome”. Jonathon is supervised by Rachael Gallagher and Jemma Geoghegan.
Happy Retirement to Julia Raftos
This week saw the end of Julia’s long service leave so she is now officially retired. Julia has been a long standing, deeply respected and much loved member of academic staff. She was an incredibly diligent teacher and was much sought after by students for advising as she was so competent and empathetic. We will deliver her virtual retirement card and plans are in place for a proper non-virtual farewell for her and Jenny Donald, once the COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.
Thank you Julia for everything you have done for the Department over the years!
Results of the COVID-19 Recovery – staff survey
52 people from Biology responded to the survey out of 365 from the Faculty. 10% wanted to return to work as soon as possible, 38% preferred a combination of working from home and on campus and 52% wanted to stay working from home fulltime as long as possible. Across the Faculty, the main reasons given for wanting to work from home were that they were more productive (24%), didn’t feel safe commuting (22%) and liked working from home (21%). Nearly 50% preferred returning 2-3 days per week and would like flexibility in days worked and start & finish times. Most people wanted to be on campus the same day as their team/colleagues. No big surprises, though women were less likely to want to return as soon as possible and gave increased productivity at home as the main reason while men didn’t feel safe commuting.
Department Seminars
The department seminars for this semester have now come to an end. Many thanks to Chris Reid and Kath McClellan for their agility and willingness to find work arounds during the lockdown period – the Zoom seminars worked surprisingly well and had a solid turnout. They will be back from August!
Plant of the Week
This Week: The Desert Lime
Unlike the other five species of Australian native Citrus that grow in coastal rainforests of north and eastern Australia, the Desert Lime is widespread across arid and semi-arid regions of Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia. The Desert Lime was utilised by Indigenous Australians and by early settlers, and although it is not as well known as the Finger Lime, it is becoming increasingly popular as a gourmet bush food. Photographs and notes on habitat have been contributed by geologist and environmentalist David Edgecombe. Plant of the Week – Desert Lime – Citrus glauca – David Edgecombe
Professional Zoom Backgrounds
Thanks to the creative services team, we now have some professional Macquarie University Zoom backgrounds that are available for use. Please contact Calli Miller <calli.miller@mq.edu.au> if you would like to use them. More options available.
OPPORTUNITIES
Expressions of Interest for Biology Casual Teaching for S2 2020 NOW OPEN
All HDR students and current S1 casual academic staff have been invited to apply for casual teaching positions in S2, 2020. This includes work for practicals, tutorials, marking, fieldwork, on-campus sessions (although the majority of work will still be conducted online).
Please click on the link to complete a short survey that will capture your availability, induction information and unit preferences which will enable unit convenors to decide on who will work in their units in S2 2020.
Please note to be able to work for the Department in S2, there are mandatory lab and Faculty inductions that will be required, including a potential new ‘online teaching workshop’ that may be required of you before any work can commence. You’ll be notified of the date and time for this mandatory induction.
Applications for S2 casual teaching will close at 11:55pm on Sunday 14 June 2020.
PhD position fulltime (4 years) in ‘Predicting Biodiversity Patterns with Environmental DNA (eDNA)’
The PhD uses eDNA to predict patterns in biodiversity using phyllosphere communities linked to the unique spectral signal from remote sensing within the ERC Project ‘Biodiversity monitoring from space’. This position will focus on tracing microbial communities (as discriminated by eDNA profiling) to a unique spectral signal, and then map the communities using remote sensing, complemented where available by legacy human-observed datasets. The successful applicant will have a MSc in molecular ecology, microbiology or biology, geography or similar, and has demonstrated knowledge of DNA extraction from environmental samples. An enthusiasm for biogeography and terrestrial ecology. Link to website.
Applications close: 15 June 2020
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS: NSW Premier’s Prizes for Science & Engineering
The NSW Premier’s Prizes for Science & Engineering seek to recognise excellence in science and engineering, and reward leading researchers for cutting-edge work that has generated economic, environmental, health, social or technological benefits for New South Wales.
Over $100,000 Prize Pool, including $60,000 for the 2020 NSW Scientist of the Year.
See the NSW Premier Prizes website for more details.
The 2020 ECA Research Grants are now extended!
The Ecological Consultants Association of NSW supports ecological research in Australia and would like to award three grants each year to assist researchers to carry out their ecological projects.
- ECA of NSW Conservation Grant ($2000)
- Ray Williams Mammal Research Grant ($2000)
- Bushfire Ecology Research Grant ($1000)
Download a PDF Information and Application Form – Grant Application 2020
Download a Word Application Form – Grant Application Form 2020
Due to the uncertainty of how long the university-imposed restrictions will be in place as a result of COVID-19, the ECA NSW has decided to extend the deadline for the receipt of student grant applications to 30 June 2020.
SEMINARS AND WORKSHOPS
Virtual International Statistical Ecology Conference: June 22-26, 2020
The International Statistical Ecology Conference is a biennial meeting of researchers at the interface between ecology and statistics. This year held online!
Registration closes 12 June: http://www.isec2020.org/
Upcoming Franklin Women Event: Managing Relationships Virtually: from teams to collaborators & networks!
After a short pause while we adapted to #ISO the FW team are excited to hold our first virtual event. The last few months of intense online working have emphasised how managing virtual relationships requires a different skill set than face to face relationships. We are excited to welcome Relational Strategist, Julia Palmer, for a remote 1-hour workshop on tips for staying connected virtually, now and in the future. take a break for afternoon tea and join us to learn some new relationship building skills and connect with our wonderful FW community!!
All the details are below and in the Managing Relationships Virtually_Flyer.
When: Thursday 4 June 2020
Time: 2.30 to 3.30 pm
Inclusions: Inspiring speaker and facilitated relationship building with FW community
Registration: Essential via our website – spaces are limited
Cost (excl GST): Members – $9.50 Guests – $30
Shut Up and Write Sessions now online!
We have a WhatsApp group and we make times as they suit us, so if you’re interested in being involved, pop Lizzy Lowe an email with your phone number and she’ll add you to the group.
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
CSL Florey Next Generation Award 2020 – Call for Nominations
The Australian Institute of Policy and Science is pleased to announce the 2020 CSL Florey Next Generation Awards.
Detailed information about the awards is available on the AIPS Website – CSL Florey Next Generation Award Page .
The CSL Next Generation Award is awarded every second year to a current Australian PhD candidate who has demonstrated outstanding capability, creativity and potential in the biomedical sciences and human health advancement.
Nominations must be via the Nomination Form which is linked to the AIPS Website – CSL Florey Next Generation Award page.
The 2020 applications close at COB (Sydney time) on Friday 5th June 2020.
For more information please contact Steve Burke, General Manager, AIPS on director@aips.net.au
THIS AND THAT
Room to Let
Perfect housing opportunity for students who like a quiet environment. The house is about 15 minutes on bike from the campus, 10 minutes by bus. There are bus stops nearby the house and a late-night bus that can take you back from Townhall. Midway shopping centre is in a 5 mins walking distance. The house and the room are fully furnished. A backyard where you can grow anything you like. You will be sharing the house with maximum 3 people. The rent is around $205/week and includes all expenses, further detail about the price should be discussed with the landlord, who is a very kind lady. Please email Ko-Huan Lee <ko-huan.lee@hdr.mq.edu.au> if you have any questions or are interested.
Do you have great ideas for staying connected? Want to share what your friends and colleagues are doing to stay physically distant but socially close?
Send us ideas to share, images to post on the Biology Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts to Calli Miller: <calli.miller@mq.edu.au>
The funny sides of working from home:
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
The Peril and Promise of Integrons: Beyond Antibiotic Resistance
| Find with Google Scholar »Radiotracking invasive spread: Are common mynas more active and exploratory on the invasion front?
By: Colyvas, Josephine Burstal Simon Clulow Kim, and Salit Kark. | Find with Google Scholar »Hurricane effects on Neotropical lizards span geographic and phylogenetic scales
By: Donihue, Colin M., Alex M. Kowaleski, Jonathan B. Losos, Adam C. Algar, Simon Baeckens, Robert W. Buchkowski, Anne-Claire Fabre et al. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 117, no. 19 (2020): 10429-10434. | Find with Google Scholar »Organizing principles for vegetation dynamics
By: Franklin, Oskar, Sandy P. Harrison, Roderick Dewar, Caroline E. Farrior, Åke Brännström, Ulf Dieckmann, Stephan Pietsch et al. Nature Plants (2020): 1-10. | Find with Google Scholar »Pan-cancer analysis of whole genomes
By: Campbell, Peter J., Gaddy Getz, Joshua M. Stuart, Jan O. Korbel, and Lincoln D. Stein. bioRxiv (2017): 162784. | Find with Google Scholar »Eat your heart out: choice and handling of novel toxic prey by predatory water rats
By: Parrott, Marissa L., J. Sean Doody, Colin McHenry, and Simon Clulow. Australian Mammalogy (2019). | Find with Google Scholar »In the Media
Dr Vanessa Pirotta was interviewed on ABC Radio Brisbane News regarding reduced marine traffic on the Great Barrier Reef which could lead to more whales in the area this year
Read more »
Professor Rick Shine and Dr Greg Brown were featured on ABC News at Noon regarding a 22-year study of the animals at Fogg Dam near Darwin.
Read more »
Professor Rick Shine and Dr Greg Brown were featured on ABC Online regarding a 22-year study of the animals at Fogg Dam near Darwin.
Read more »
Distinguished Professor Lesley Hughes was featured on 2SER regarding Australia’s recovery from recent extreme weather events associated with climate change.
Read more »
Dr Daniel Natusch provided comment to National Geographic regarding the trade in exotic leathers.
Read more »