Limits to species richness in terrestrial communities
By: Alroy, John. Ecology letters 21, no. 12 (2018): 1781-1789. | Find with Google Scholar »
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Hi all,
Lots of good news on the research funding front and also more promotion success – see below for details! Next Tuesday is the formal Department Exam meeting followed by our End-of-Year celebration. We will be holding our inaugural new Biosciences building end-of-year party – I’m sure it will be fabulous in the new venue!
cheers,
Michelle
Save the Date
This coming week 3rd – 7th December
Tue 4th: Department Exam Meeting; 11 am – 1 pm; 14EAR (E8A) 280 Biology Tea Room. Academics should send apologies to annevanuden@mq.edu.au if unable to attend.
Tue 4th: EOY Lunch; 1 pm – 4 pm; Fauna Park, Biosciences building – 205b Dining Area – Last chance to nominate colleague for awards here – https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LDP8PPV
Thu 6th: Reflective Writing Workshop; 10.30am; 14EAR (E8A) 280 Biology Tea Room.
Following week 10th – 14th December
Dec 10-11th: Department Retreat for academic staff; MQ city campus.
Dec 12th: Sustainability Silver Accreditation Morning Tea; 10.30am; 14EAR (E8A) 280 Biology Tea Room.
Dec 12th: MU Species Spectrum Research Centre end-of-year event; 11.00am-1.00pm (including lunch); ‘Senate Room’ (16 Wally’s Walk, room 310).
Dec 13th: aaRgh R drop in help; 3.00pm – 4.00pm; 14EAR (E8A) 280 Biology Tea Room.
Dec 13th: Biology Social Club; 5.00pm – 7.00pm; Biology Courtyard.
Future Events
Dec 24, 2018 – Jan 1 2019 Inclusive – University shutdown.
2019
Feb 14th: 6WW (E8C) Digital Teaching Lab Induction; 9.00am – 11:30am; 6WW (E8C) – 106.
Feb 15th: 4WW (F7B) Digital Teaching Lab Induction; 9.30am – 11:30am; 4WW (F7B) – 105.
Feb 19th: 14EAR (E8A) Digital Teaching Lab Induction; 9.00am – 12:00pm; 14EAR (E8A) – 120 (Red Lab).
General News and Announcements
Promotions news
Congratulations to Anthony Chariton and Matt Bulbert who have both been promoted to Senior Lecturer – well deserved!
Congratulations to our Ecological Society winners! – Laura Fernandez won 3rd prize for her poster on the ecological impacts of myrtle rust and Vanessa Pirotta won the 2018 Office of the Environment & Heritage and Ecological Society of Australia award for outstanding outreach. Learn all about the other outreach winners here: https://www.ecolsoc.org.au/awards-and-prizes/student-awards-grants/oehesa-prize-outstanding-outreach/2018-winners
ARC Congratulations and commiserations
MQ achieved good success with ARC Discovery grants, ranking 8th nationally. Well done to Nathan Hart (CI on 2 ARC DPs!), Mariella Herberstein, Culum Brown and Brian Atwell, as well as our newest recruit Rick Shine. Also in more good news two of our fabulous MQRFs made successful transitions to be ARC DECRA Fellows from 2019 – Jonas Wolff and Chris Reid. Congratulations all and commiserations to those who were unsuccessful this year.
and more funding success!
Well done also to Jane Williamson and colleagues who were successful in obtaining funding from the Save Our Seas Foundation for a project on ‘Diversity, dynamics and destinations of sawsharks from southeastern Australia’
Marine Fieldwork Approvals for December – Your friendly marine fieldwork manager, Nick Harris, will be away from the 7th of December until the New Year. For all marine fieldwork approvals, please see Josh Griffiths in the interim. For any proposed boating, snorkelling or diving fieldwork in December, please see Nick before the 4th to discuss.
Sustainability Silver Accreditation Morning Tea – With thanks to the hard work of the Sustainability Working Group, and input from many people across the department, Biology has been successful in achieving Silver accreditation for Sustainability and it the first academic department in the university to achieve this status. We will celebrate this achievement at the department morning tea on Wednesday 12th December at 10:30am, in the Biology Tearoom. Please join us for cake and presentation.
Christmas Hamper Collection for North Ryde Community Aid – Macquarie University is collecting items for North Ryde Community Aid. Hampers are put together for frail and elderly residents of North Ryde who are living independently. Biology will have a collection box in the tearoom for donations. Suitable items include non-perishable food and drink, festive snacks and sweets, toiletries, puzzles and games and festive decorations. Items collected and packed 14 December. Hampers delivered 17/18 December – volunteers wanted. Email <samantha.newton@mq.edu.au> for more information.
Christmas Hamper Program – North Ryde Community Aid – Christmas is just around the corner and North Ryde Community Aid is now gearing up for their annual Christmas Hamper Program. Since 2016, MQ Uni has done a fantastic job to band together to contribute generously to this great cause. Once again, Sustainability will be helping to organise MQ staff participation in the North Ryde Community Aid Christmas Hamper collection, packing and delivery. Its a fantastic event, and a great way to give back this Christmas. 2018 Xmas Hamper suggestions
While we organise the logistics & advertising materials of the drive, please save the following dates:
- Campaigning and collection from Monday 5th November (drop off locations to be confirmed).
- Packing Hampers on Friday 14th December.
- Delivery on Monday 17th and Tuesday 18th December (in groups of 2 or 3 take several hampers and deliver them to homes around Ryde. Volunteers would travel in their own car).
SEMINARS AND WORKSHOPS
Invitation from the MUSSRC Executive Committee — MU Species Spectrum Research Centre end-of-year event. 11.00am-1.00pm (including lunch) on Wednesday the 12 December in the ‘Senate Room’ (16 Wally’s Walk, room 310).
This event will celebrate the achievements of the Research Centre supported working groups as they apply the trait-based approach to a wide range of organisms and systems. Lunch will be provided. Please RSVP to fse.species-spectrum-admin@mq.edu.au and let us know if you have any dietary requirements we can cater for. Please also pass this invitation to your colleagues. Everyone is warmly invited.
HDR OPPORTUNITIES
Session 1, 2019 Casual Teaching Applications are Now Open – Applications close Friday 21 December 2018.
Click here to apply. Please contact <caitlin.kordis@mq.edu.au> with any questions.
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. Registrations are now open for individual consultation bookings. If you are interested, please go to book in for a 30-minute session with a PWA. If you have questions about the PWA program please email <hdrmentors@mq.edu.au>.
also…
Weekly Writing Workshops for HDR Students and Early Career Researchers – Convened by Ken Cheng – Running weekly for most of the year: Fridays 2-4pm in room E8B 111.
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. If you are interested in attending a session email Ken Cheng <ken.cheng@mq.edu.au> by Wednesday 12:00-noon, preferably with a draft attached of what you are working on and some indication of what you especially need help with.
ADMIN THINGS
Travel Bookings Absence on Duty (AOD) Submissions – Due to the recent trend of last-minute AOD requests, any late submissions will not be approved. Please give a minimum of 3 weeks before you travel domestically, and 6 weeks internationally, for approvals to be processed and bookings made for you. The more notice you give, the easier it is, and the better prices you can get.
Not receiving general emails? – We have had some trouble with the email lists. If you or anyone you know seems to have dropped off the email lists to receive department seminar notices, Department Matters, etc, please email or drop in to see Jenny Ghabache in the admin office.
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.
OPPORTUNITIES
Request For Assistance – Would anyone be willing to help Kiara for an hour or so with creating (and mainly understanding) a phylogenetic tree with character traits in “Mesquite”, and the package “APE” in R? In return she can offer a cupcake, a sandwich, or a decorative office plant. Thank you ~ Merci ~ شكرا
Title: BirdLife Australia Volunteering – The BirdLife Discovery Centre in Newington Armory, Sydney Olympic Park, is looking for volunteers. The Discovery Centre is open on the weekends from 10.00 am until 4.00 pm. There are no live birds but plenty of displays of stuffed ones; lots of things for kids to do and short videos to watch. There is also live streaming on the internet of the White-bellied Sea Eagles’ nest in the forest behind the Discovery Centre. There is also a free guided bird walk the last Sunday of each month (except December which, this year, will be on Sunday 16th) commencing at the Visitors Centre next to the bicycle hire at the wharf. Some knowledge of the common, local Australian birds would be required.
If interested please contact the volunteer coordinator Deborah Harris via email <daisyproctor@yahoo.co.uk>.
Call for Students & Volunteers for Plant-Pollinator Research – Prof Graham H. Pyke, UTS, is looking for Students and Volunteers to be involved in Plant-Pollinator research, focusing on plants of the genus Blandfordia, also known as Christmas Bells. Field trip timings starting late November through to the end of Janurary, 2019. If this sounds interesting, please read the following documentation, and then contact contact Graham at <Graham.Pyke@uts.edu.au> for more information on trips.
Call for students & volunteers – Christmas Bells 2018-2019 #1 Sep 2018 General information re trips to Pt Macquarie #02 – Jan 2018 Photos re research at Pt Macquarie – Nov 2018
BLOGS AND OTHER THINGS OF INTEREST
Plant of the Week – click on thumbnail to enlarge the image
This week – Gold Tipped Bottlebrush, Melaleuca polandii
With golden tipped scarlet stamens and bright green leaves, what could be more appropriate for Christmas than the Gold Tipped Bottlebrush,Melaleuca polandii, or as it is also known, Callistemon polandii? This colourful shrub has a fairly restricted natural distribution in the vicinity of Cooktown and Cape Flattery in tropical north-eastern Queensland yet manages to thrive when planted in gardens in Australia’s southern cities.
Mindfulness Meditation Practice Group, for HDR students and staff Mindfulness Meditation Practice Group flyer
There are still places available in the mindfulness meditation practice group. If you’re interested in learning mindfulness meditation, or would like a little time out to break up your work day, please come along.
When and where:
Tuesday 11 December, 11am-12pm, 12SW 435
Registration: https://myrdc.mq.edu.au Enquiries: <michelle.jamieson@mq.edu.au>
When and where:
Tuesday 11 December, 11am-12pm, 12SW 435
Registration: https://myrdc.mq.edu.au Enquiries: <michelle.jamieson@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>
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.
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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.
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New Publications
A Thermotolerant Variant of Rubisco Activase From a Wild Relative Improves Growth and Seed Yield in Rice Under Heat Stress
By: Scafaro, Andrew P., Brian J. Atwell, Steven Muylaert, Brecht Van Reusel, Guillermo Alguacil Ruiz, Jeroen Van Rie, and Alexander Gallé. Frontiers in Plant Science 9 (2018): 1663. | Find with Google Scholar »Effects of tropical storms on the demography of reef corals
By: Baird, Andrew H., Mariana Álvarez-Noriega, Vivian R. Cumbo, Sean R. Connolly, Maria Dornelas, and Joshua S. Madin. Marine Ecology Progress Series 606 (2018): 29-38. | Find with Google Scholar »A 3D MRI-based atlas of a lizard brain
By: Hoops, Daniel, Ester Desfilis, Jeremy FP Ullmann, Andrew L. Janke, Timothy Stait‐Gardner, Gabriel A. Devenyi, William S. Price, Loreta Medina, Martin J. Whiting, and J. Scott Keogh. Journal of Comparative Neurology (2018). | Find with Google Scholar »The developmental environment modulates mating-induced aggression and fighting success in adult female Drosophila
By: Bath, Eleanor, Juliano Morimoto, and Stuart Wigby. Functional Ecology (2018). | Find with Google Scholar »Why Human Environments Enhance Animal Capacities to Use Objects: Evidence From Keas (Nestor notabilis) and Apes (Gorilla gorilla, Pan paniscus, Pongo abelii, Pongo pygmaeus)
By: Cheng, Ken, and Richard W. Byrne. Journal of Comparative Psychology (2018). | Find with Google Scholar »Identifying in situ climate refugia for plant species
By: Baumgartner, John B., Manuel Esperón‐Rodríguez, and Linda J. Beaumont. Ecography (2018). | Find with Google Scholar »Predictable adaptive trajectories of sexual coloration in the wild: Evidence from replicate experimental guppy populations
By: Kemp, Darrell J., Frana‐Katica Batistic, and David N. Reznick. Evolution (2018). | Find with Google Scholar »Field tests of a general ectotherm niche model show how water can limit lizard activity and distribution
By: Kearney, Michael R., Suzanne L. Munns, Danae Moore, Matthew Malishev, and C. Michael Bull. Ecological Monographs 88, no. 4 (2018): 672-693. | Find with Google Scholar »In the Media
Lesley Hughes was featured in Australian Geographic
Distinguished Professor Lesley Hughes from the Department of Biological Sciences was featured in Australian Geographic regarding the impacts of heatwaves on the Great Barrier Reef.
Nathan Hart was featured in the Sydney Morning Herald
Associate Professor Nathan Hart from the Department of Biological Sciences was featured in the Sydney Morning Herald in relation to surfboards that light up to deter sharks.