Facies, phosphate, and fossil preservation potential across a Lower Cambrian carbonate shelf, Arrowie Basin, South Australia
By: Jacquet, Sarah M., Marissa J. Betts, John Warren Huntley, and Glenn A. Brock. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology (2019). | Find with Google Scholar »
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Dear all,
No particular news from the HoD desk this week to report, so just enjoy the regular news items in this week’s Department Matters!
Cheers
Michelle
Save the Date
This week 14th – 18th October
Mon 14th: Special Seminar – Ian Hutton, naturalist from Lord Howe Island; 1pm – 2pm; 14EAR(E8A)-280 (Biology Tea Room).
Wed 16th: Department Morning Tea; 10.30-11am; (Biology Tea Room).
Wed 16th: Department Seminar – Professor Shinichi Nakagawa, UNSW; 1pm – 2pm; 14EAR(E8A)-280 (Biology Tea Room).
Thu 17th: Biology Sports Event; 3.30pm – 5.00pm; Biology Courtyard.
Thu 17th: Biology Social Club; 5.00pm – 7.00pm; Biology Courtyard.
Following week 21st – 25th October
Wed 23rd: Department Morning Tea; 10:30-11am, 205B Culloden Rd.
Wed 23rd: Department Seminar – Professor Lin Schwarzkopf, James Cook University; 1pm – 2pm; 14EAR(E8A)-280 (Biology Tea Room).
Thu 24th: AARGH: R-Users Group (RUG) Help Session; 3.30 PM – 5.30 PM; Continuum room (75 Talavera road, room 3114); snacks provided, BYO mug).
Weekly Events
Wed: Shut up and Write Sessions; 11.00am – 12.00pm; 6WW(E8C)-212 or 14EAR(E8A)-360A.
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 Speakers:
Oct 30th: Dr Nate Lo, University of Sydney.
Nov 6th: Dr Tatiana Soares da Costa, La Trobe University.
Future Events
Oct 29th: Respect.Now.Always Training Session for Staff; 1pm – 2pm; 14EAR(E8A)-280 (Biology Tea Room).
Dec 3rd: Department Formal Exam Meeting followed by End-of-Year Party 
.
Dec 5th: Department Research Retreat for academic staff.
General News and Announcements
Adjunct Professor David Mabberley Honoured – Adjunct Professor David Mabberley has been honoured with the publication of a Festschrift, published as a Supplementary issue of the Gardens’ Bulletin Singapore. The issue consists of a series of essays written by his students and peers. The images below are from the presentation event where David gave a lecture on ‘A life of plants’.
Meanwhile David has been very busy with two new books about to be published – https://shop.kew.org/the-extraordinary-story-of-the-apple and https://www.newsouthbooks.com.au/books/botanical-revelation/
Sports Event in the Biology Courtyard – Please come join us next Thursday 17th October, 3:30-5pm at the Biology Courtyard for a relaxed afternoon of mildly competitive games. Teams will be formed on the day. We will have a number of activities, including table tennis, giant chess, giant jenga, and more! This event will be followed the Biology Social Club. Organized by the Diversity and Inclusion team, all welcome!!
Tech Staff National Awards 2019 – Do you know a technical staff member that goes above and beyond? Time to nominate them for the 2019 National Awards! Nominate online through a quick and easy form. Link is in the digital flyer below.
The Respect.Now.Always Team is Running a Training Session for the department’s academic and professional staff on Tuesday 29 October 1-2pm in the Biology tearoom. The goal of the session is to help academic and professional staff be aware of what is appropriate behaviour in the workplace, including interactions with students and colleagues, and to be aware of the support & resources available. This is an important aspect of the inclusive and respectful culture that we value. All academic and professional staff should attend unless they have a prior teaching or related commitment.
Please RSVP via the calendar invitation or to Calli Miller by Friday 11th October (for catering purposes).
LGBTIQ Awareness Workshop: Ally Training – A couple of Ally training sessions have been scheduled in the next couple of months. Please find below more info and links to register for the training below:
In this 2 hour workshop you will learn why LGBTIQ inclusion is important to the Macquarie University community and explore the impact of Heteronormativity, Homophobia, Transphobia & prejudice. This training is open to all students, academic and professional staff at Macquarie.
2040 – The Ryde Gladesville Climate Change Action Group are organising for the movie 2040 to be shown at the Macquarie Centre on 14th October. The film is cited as ‘an inspiring film showing how we can deal with climate change, now, using the technologies we currently have and create a good 2040’. The link and details are given below
https://fan-force.com/screenings/2040-event-cinemas-macquarie/
Monday 14th October, 7:00 pm, Event Cinemas Macquarie
Macquarie S/c Cnr Waterloo & Herring Rd North Ryde
$21.00 AUD Admission + $2.00 booking fee = $23.00
Plant of the Week -click the thumbnails for larger images-
This week: Robinia pseudoacacia – Black Locust
An odd common name for a tree? Why was it so important in a naval battle between American and English ships in 1814? And why is it so successful as an invasive species?
OPPORTUNITIES
Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC): Ecology & Conservation Internship Program 2020 – The AWC have recruited interns who fit well with their organisation and it’s activities for many years, and these interns are regularly offered employment positions with AWC post-internship. Applicants are being sought for the 2020 cohort, with applications closing on 10 November 2019. Please see the attached documentation, or the AWC website.
Research on Plant-Pollinator Relationships – opportunities for involvement as student, volunteer or collaborator, with field trips scheduled to Port Macquarie during Nov/Dec 2019 and Jan 2020. If interested, please contact Professor Graham Pyke at <Graham.Pyke@mq.edu.au>.
For more details, please consult this word document.
2019-20 Fisheries Scientific Committee Student Research Grant Round Now Open – The Fisheries Scientific Committee (FSC) is now accepting applications for the 2019-20 Student Research Grants Round. The FSC has available $3,000 to fund 1-2 student projects, aimed at filling gaps in research information for threatened or potentially threatened species of fish and marine vegetation in NSW.
How to apply – Visit the FSC website to access the online application form.
Applications close 11.59 pm (AEDT) on Friday 1 November 2019.
Postdoctoral Fellowships – Lizard Island Research Station, AU
These enable early-career scientists to conduct research at the Lizard Island Research Station. Fellowships are worth up to AUD 15,000 each towards bench fees, travel costs, freight, field and lab consumables and other field work expenses.
Maximum award: AUD 30,000
Closing date: 11 October
SEMINARS AND WORKSHOPS
Special Biological Sciences Seminar – Date/Time: Monday, 14th October, 2019; 1pm – 2pm. Speaker: Ian Hutton, naturalist from Lord Howe island.Title: Lord Howe Island World Heritage values, its conservation and the threats. Venue: 14EAR-280 (Biology Tea Room).
Biological Sciences Seminar – Date/Time: Wednesday, 16th October, 2019; 1pm – 2pm. Speaker: Professor Shinichi Nakagawa, UNSW.Title: A Behavioural Ecologist Meets Meta-analysis and Falls in Love… Venue: 14EAR-280 (Biology Tea Room). More information on this and all department seminars ON OUR WEBPAGE HERE.
Molecular Sciences Seminar – Date/Time: Tuesday, 22nd October, 2019; 1pm – 2pm. Speaker: Dr Albert Fahrenbach from the University of New South Wales.Title: Synthetic pathways to make and store carotenoids in plants. Venue: 4WW 322 Seminar room.
Shut Up and Write Sessions – every Wednesday 11am. It’s pretty simple, we shut up… and we write. Using the pomodoro technique we’ll meet at 11am to write, stop 25 minutes in for a 10 min break, then settle down again for another 25 minutes of writing. You’ll be amazed how productive you can be. More details on the concept here: https://thesiswhisperer.com/shut-up-and-write/
Room will be either 6WW(E8C)-212 or 14EAR(E8A)-360A, email <lizzy.lowe@mq.edu.au> to confirm or with any questions.
All welcome!
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 next event will be Tuesday 12th November, 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 12th November; Tues 10th December.
Venture Café – Want to know more about innovation, and how to achieve it? Come along to the Venture Cafe, Thursday, 3pm – 8pm, (map). Find out what is on each week here – https://venturecafesydney.org/
This week: 3.00pm: Hardware for Humans; 4.30pm: Mini-Hack: How to make your home cosier, smarter and more fun? – An IoT Challenge with Schneider Electric; 5.00pm: Office Hours: Anand Tamboli; 5.00pm: Info-Session: Sydney Hardware Incubator; 5.30pm: Workshop: Designing Hardware For Human Factor Elements; 6.15pm: Panel: Igniting Moonshot Thinking.
Wildlife at the Watering Hole – 3rd Tuesday of each month, 6:30pm @ Botany View Hotel, King St Newtown!
HDR NEWS AND OPPORTUNITIES
Research Enrichment Program (REP) Workshop Series – The Department now has a fully fledged research enrichment program for 2019 – you can find out about upcoming workshops here (click on this PDF). All HDR students are encouraged to attend several of these workshops each year to develop their skills and track record for the post-PhD world. Supervisors please encourage your students!
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 <wenjing.wang@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
The Department’s Annual Report 2018 is now published and available here. It is packed full of news and events and showcases our people and achievements for the year. A cracker of a read! It will be available on the website very soon, so please pass on to your networks, colleagues and friends.
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
Seen in Jyväskylä, Finland – Rick was invited to Jyväskylä as opponent to a thesis defence (doing a magnificent job) and Mariella was stalking him.
ps- find the moose rock painting ~ 4000 years old
Do You Want a Volunteer? Juana David Santa Beancur is an international Biology student from the University of Caldas, Colombia and is interested in volunteering with us in the areas of Marine Biology and Biodiversity. If you would be interested in hosting him, or would like more information please contact Calli Miller: <calli.miller@mq.edu.au>.
Call for Cystic Fibrosis Christmas Markets Volunteers! Cystic Fibrosis Australia is in need of Volunteers for their Christmas markets on December 5th and 6th at Martin place. Volunteers are needed to sell Raffle tickets/Merchandise and all funds received support Cystic Fibrosis research and advocacy. All Fixed term and continuing staff are eligible to two days community volunteering leave. Such fund raising events are also great for team building. Please email queries or expressions of interest to Prasanth Subramani <prasanth.subramani@mq.edu.au>.
Volunteers CFA_Markets_Flyer CM_20191
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
Highly diverse fungal communities in carbon-rich aquifers of two contrasting lakes in Northeast Germany
By: Perkins, Anita K., Lars Ganzert, Keilor Rojas-Jimenez, Jeremy Fonvielle, Grant C. Hose, and Hans-Peter Grossart. Fungal Ecology 41 (2019): 116-125. | Find with Google Scholar »Chestnut-crowned babbler calls are composed of meaningless shared building blocks
By: Engesser, Sabrina, Jennifer L. Holub, Louis G. O’Neill, Andrew F. Russell, and Simon W. Townsend. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 116, no. 39 (2019): 19579-19584. | Find with Google Scholar »Evaluating presence-only species distribution models with discrimination accuracy is uninformative for many applications
By: Warren, Dan L., Nicholas J. Matzke, and Teresa L. Iglesias. Journal of Biogeography (2019). | Find with Google Scholar »In the Media
Julianna Kadar was featured in the Sydney Morning Herald
Julianna Kadar from the Department of Biological Sciences was featured in the Sydney Morning Herald regarding a school experiment to understand how sharks behave in the wild.
Georgia Ward-Fear was featured on Channel 9 News
Dr Georgia Ward-Fear from the Department of Biological Sciences was featured on Channel 9 News nationally regarding a project using aversion therapy to protect native wildlife from cane toads.
Simon Clulow published an article in The Conversation
Dr Simon Clulow from the Department of Biological Sciences published an article in The Conversation on how Water Rats have learned how to safely eat Cane Toads.
Vanessa Pirotta was interviewed on ABC Radio Sydney Drive
Dr Vanessa Pirotta from the Department of Biological Sciences was interviewed on ABC Radio Sydney Drive about ambergris or whale vomit which is used for making perfume.
Robert Harcourt was mentioned on ABC News
Professor Robert Harcourt from the Department of Biological Sciences was mentioned on ABC News regarding an open letter sent to Iran’s Supreme Leader advocating for 10 academics detained in Iran.
Rick Shine was featured in The Atlantic
Professor Rick Shine from the Department of Biological Sciences was featured in The Atlantic regarding methods of training animals not to eat cane toads.