BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES DEPARTMENT MATTERS | October  20, 2017

Dear all,

If you want to find out all about the new biological sciences building about to be built adjacent to W19F then come along to Wednesday’s department morning tea on the Hill and join in the Q&A session with representatives from MQ Property!

cheers,

Michelle

Save the Date

This coming week 23rd – 27th October

Tue 24th: Absence on Duty – Workshop for New Release; 11.30am – 12.30pm; E8A-280 (Biology Tea Room).

Tue 24th: HDR Supervision Workshop: Diversity – Background and Community Practice; 1pm – 2pm; E8A-280 (Biology Tea Room) with lunch provided at 12.30pm.

Tue 24th: REP workshop: Making your science matter: Linking science with action to improve the world; 2pm – 4pm; E6B-149 (booking essential).

Wed 25th: Department Morning Tea with information session on the new building construction; 10:30am – 11:30am; The Hill.

Wed 25th: Departmental Seminar – Associate Professor Carla Sgro, Monash University; 1pm – 2pm; E8A-280 (Biology Tea Room).

Wed 25th: Advanced Biology Student Conference; 2 – 4pm; E8A-280 (Biology Tea Room).

Thu 26th: Unisuper Information Session; 10am – 11am; E8A-280 (Biology Tea Room).

Thu 26th: Writing Workshop; 2:30-4:30pm, E8C-212.

Following week 30th October – 3rd November

Wed 1st: Department Morning Tea; 10:30am – 11:30am; E8A-280 (Biology Tea Room).

Wed 1st: Departmental Seminar – Dr Marc Seid, University of Scranton, USA; 1pm – 2pm; E8A-280 (Biology Tea Room).

Wed 1st: MQ Excellence in Research and Teaching Awards; 3 – 5.30pm; E7B Indoor Courtyard.

Thu 2nd: REP Workshop: Leadership: Defining Your Values; 2pm – 4pm; Manly Room (C5C – bookings essential)

Thu 2nd: Writing Workshop; 2:30-4:30pm, E8C-212.

Fri 3rd: HDR Mentor’s Pot Luck Dinner; 6 – 8pm; E7B Indoor Courtyard.

Coming up

Every Thursday for the next few months: Writing Workshop; 2:30-4:00pm; E8C-212

Nov 13-14: Department Retreat for Academic Staff; venue Kooindah Waters Central Coast.

Nov 23rd: Todd Philips – Embedding Indigenous content into the Biology curriculum; 4pm – 5pm; E8A-280 (Biology Tea Room).

Dec 5th: Formal Department Meeting for Grading, followed by the Christmas Party.

Department seminar schedule
November 8th: Associate Professor Bob Wong, Monash University
November 15th: Professor Dan Blumstein, UCLA
November 22nd: Associate Professor Nathan Lo, The University of Sydney

General News and Announcements

Weekly Seminar

Day/Date/Time/Place: Wednesday, 25th October, 1:00pm – 2:00pm, E8A-280 (Tea Room).

Speaker: Associate Professor Carla Sgro, Monash University.

Title: Responding to environmental change: plasticity or evolution?

Abstract: Climate change threatens biodiversity, with many animals thought to be at risk of extinction. Global change will also alter the distribution and abundance of species of direct concern to human health and food security, such as disease vectors and agricultural pests. The extent to which evolution and phenotypic plasticity might mediate specie responses to climate change remains largely unknown. We have used a combination of experimental evolution and environmental manipulations to address this gap in our understanding.  In particular, I will discuss how we have used intra- and inter-specific studies of invertebrates to understand the physiological and evolutionary processes that limit, and enable, adaptive responses to rapid environmental change.

Info Session on Fauna Park Construction

The team from Property will join us for morning tea in the Fauna Park next week (Wednesday 25th Oct) from 10.45am to provide a briefing on the project and advise what is expected within the next couple of weeks. Come along for a cup of tea with colleagues before the info session starts.

Unisuper information session – E8A 280 tearoom – Thursday, 26 Oct at 10am

If you would like to learn more about your superannuation and the options available to you, Andrew Syarief, Unisuper’s on campus Consultant, and Jade Khao, financial advisor from Unisuper Advice, will be hosting an informal morning tea for the department.

Advanced Biology Student Conference

Wednesday 25th October, 2-4 pm; Biology Tea Room (E8A 280).

Come along and hear what our third-year Advanced Biology students have been doing during their PACE placements in research groups across the Department. All welcome.

HDR students: 2018 WHS Committee Rep needed!

The Department’s WHS (Work Health & Safety) Committee is seeking a new HDR representative for 2018. If interested, please email Maria Vozzo <maria.vozzo@students.mq.edu.au> by 31 October stating your interest.

HDR Supervision Workshop: Diversity – Background and Community Practice

Day/Date/Time/Location: Tuesday, 24th October, 1:00pm-2:00pm, with lunch provided from 12:30, E8A-280 (Tea Room).

Coordinators: Ren Yi (HDRO) & Mariella Herberstein

Background: The diversity of our HDR students is ever increasing. Particularly our international students come from diverse cultural and experiential backgrounds. In order to provide excellent supervisory support and safe working environments, MQ supervisors need training and reflection on the range of diversity of HDR students they are likely to encounter.

Aim: To raise awareness of the range of student diversity (cultural, language, religious, sexuality, gender) and thereby improve our support of student needs.

Activity 1 (40 min): Presentation by Ren Yi on the HDR landscape, cultural origins of our students and their academic background.
Activity 2 (20 min): Open discussion on supervisor experience and common issues with students from non-Australian background and from a gender and sexual diversity perspective.

Outcomes: broader understanding of the diversity of our students and how we can better support their needs.

RSVP: please accept the Outlook Calendar invitation by Monday 23rd October, so we get numbers for catering.

MQ Excellence in Research and Teaching Awards

We have a number of people and teams short-listed for the awards so please come along to support them – Register now to celebrate the many great achievements of Macquarie’s academic community.

Wednesday Nov 1st, 3-5.30pm; E7B Indoor Courtyard.

New Adjunct Fellow

The Department is pleased to welcome Dr Rod Seppelt to the Department, who is joining us as an Adjunct Fellow. A brief biography is below:

In Dr Rod Seppelt’s 40 years with Australian Antarctic Division, he has made a remarkable contribution to cryptogamic studies not only on mainland Australia and in Tasmania, but also in Antarctica and its subantarctic islands.  Rod’s Antarctic and subantarctic research included some 42 field trips to these regions, including Australian bases at Casey, Mawson and Davis; New Zealand bases in Northern and Southern Victoria Land as well as subantarctic Macquarie Island, New Zealand’s Campbell and Auckland Islands, and ten summer seasons spent in Alaska. Rod has authored 215 publications including 155 bryological publications, 4 books, 14 book chapters, 4 book reviews and 132 papers in refereed journals, encompassing bryophyte taxonomy, ecophysiology, biogeography, biochemistry, palaeo-biodiversity, climate change and whole ecosystem studies. Rod retired as Principal Research Scientist in the Australian Antarctic Division in 2102, continuing his bryological studies at the Tasmanian Herbarium (HO). Most of Rod’s 35,000 collections of vascular plants, bryophytes, lichens, fungi and algae were transferred from the Antarctic Division to the Tasmanian Herbarium.

Rod’s publications are complemented by his scientific illustrations; exquisite, beautifully drawn and scientifically accurate.  Rod is passionate about communicating science to the wider community, and for 12 years has contributed two weeks every year as part of the Scientists in Schools program in Queensland. At the International Botanical Congress in Shenzhen, China, in July this year, Rod was awarded the Hedwig Medal by the International Association of Bryologists for his outstanding contributions to world bryology. At Macquarie, Rod plans to continue his taxonomic studies of various moss taxa for the Flora of Australia. Ongoing studies with Helen Ramsay and Alison Downing at Macquarie include the taxonomy of the Australian endemic moss Mesochaete, and the moss family Bruchiaceae. Other studies with Professor Ryszard Ochyra, Polish Academy of Sciences, include a compilation of the hepatic floras of the subantarctic Islands, and description of several new species of mosses from Tasmania.

New Visiting Scholar

Visiting Scholar, Shaley Valentine, has recently joined the Department, and is working with Elizabeth Madin on a project about predicting extinction risk in animals. More information is below:

Many biological factors including body size and life history characteristics are associated with species’ extinction risks. Trophic level is anecdotally linked to extinction risk where carnivores are said to have higher extinction risk, however this statement has not been quantified at a large scale. My research looks at quantifying the patterns of extinction risk across trophic levels and diet specializations for all mammals, birds, and reptiles assessed by the IUCN. In addition, I am looking at how these patterns vary spatially based on political regions and habitats. Using this information we can look at potential ecosystem consequences as trophic level is directly associated with a species’ ecological function.

Absence on Duty – Workshop for New Release

Day/Date/Time/Place: Tuesday, 24th October, 11:30am – 12:30pm, E8A-280 (Tea Room).

Relevant to: ALL travellers within the Faculty of Science & Engineering

A new version of the ask.mq Absence on Duty form is about to be released, so admin is holding this workshop to train staff and students. The new form incorporates a requirement from MQ Risk & Assurance – risk assessments for overseas travel to potentially dangerous countries and regions. It will also explain other compulsory uploads, a change to international travel bookings (now we can get quote for you), and some smaller changes. This workshop will show how to complete the form and associated paperwork, the supervisor approval process, and allow Q&A.

Please note that ALL travel within the Faculty will be using this new form, so it will save time for everyone if you are able to come. Admin may run another session if needed. A training document will be disseminated after the workshop.

Save the Date: HDR Mentors Pot Luck Dinner!

HDR Mentors is a platform created for HDR candidates to provide peer-to-peer support and to build a sense of community among HDR students across the University. Our main goal is to build a stronger HDR network in which we can exchange academic, social and cultural ideas. To do this, we organise a range of social and academic events.

We are excited to announce our third annual ‘Pot Luck Dinner’!

You, and your family are warmly invited to join us at this upcoming event. Our ‘Pot Luck Dinner’ is an opportunity to share culture and food, and to get to know each other better. As research students, we can often feel isolated and exhausted on our research journeys. What better way to combat this, than to join a community of fellow HDR candidates over dinner?

Date: Friday 3rd November 2017
Location: Graduation Hall located in E7B (ground floor)
Time: 6-8pm

What do you need to bring?
Compulsory: One item of food enough for 4-5 people (please bring your own plate and cutlery)
Non-compulsory (but highly appreciated): come in your traditional dress, or bring something that represents your culture to share with us.

Please RSVP here by 30 October 2017.

A New Method for Submitting to Department Matters

Department Matters submissions now have their own email address.  Please send all future submissions to 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.

1. Please write in third person. The information is coming from the Newsletter, not directly from you.
2. 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.
3. 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.

Keeping to these guidelines will streamline your article’s addition to the newsletter. Thank you.

Plant of the Week

This week, Melaleuca linariifolia ‘Claret Tops’. This attractive shrub with red-tipped leaves is a variety of Snow in Summer, the white flowered, narrow-leafed Melaleuca that flowers in abundance at this time of year.

Upcycle Competition – Register Now!

See attached poster for more information.

Closing date for entries 3rd November!

Display and judging: Monday 6th – Wednesday 8th November, with the award announcement morning tea: Thursday 9th November.

We will also be holding a SWAP PARTY with the display. More details to come.

Upcycle Comp Poster

Smart Phone and Tablet Collection

Drop off your device at the Department front desk before 4 November

To reduce e-waste and the need to extract new minerals, the Jane Goodall Institute Australia (JGIA) recycles mobile phones and tablets in any condition as well as their chargers.

All phones are data-wiped and factory reset before reuse. Before donating, use the factory reset option to delete all of your data (it is device specific but the product webpage will have instructions) and remove the devices from their iCloud accounts (in the case of iPhones). (Ipad: http://support.apple.com/en-us/ht5661 ; Iphone: http://support.apple.com/en-us/ts4515).

Want to learn more about conservation projects with JGIA? Then visit the Roots and Shoots website to see how you can become involved. http://rootsandshoots.org.au/

If you have any questions about JGIA or Roots and Shoots, please contact Dr K-lynn Smith at <NSW@janegoodall.org.au> or <klynn.smith@mq.edu.au>.

Your Biology Photos Needed

Do you have photos taken from 2016 or this year while doing cool things for Biological Sciences? We are collecting photos that are likely to be used in the annual report, on the Biological Sciences web pages or on the social media pages (facebook and twitter).

We are especially interested in images taken with you doing things, group/team activities and any interesting flora or fauna. Please provide the following information:

• What/who is in the image
• Location is was taken (if off campus)
• Who took the photos
• Year it was taken

Please follow the drop box file request link to submit your images.

Do you have a twitter account with photo you’d like to share with biological sciences? We require your permission to use those images, so please email <sci.bio-adm@mq.edu.au> advising of this.

Biological Sciences Administrative Requests

Please email any admin requests you have to <sci.bio-adm@mq.edu.au>. The email is monitored by the whole Admin Team, so your request won’t sit unanswered in a single person’s inbox should they be away or on leave. If you need to contact the individual admin staff member directly, you will find their contact details in this document.

STEM Speakers in Schools

What is it?

The Speakers in Schools program places Macquarie University academics in schools to connect students and teachers with researchers who inspire, inform and challenge students to question their thinking. Presentations discuss hot topics, global issues affecting society, have inspirational and significant impact for students.

How does it work?

We request that interested schools give us 4 weeks’ notice with some suggested dates, Alison Willard (FSE Future Students) will then liaise with you to see if any of those dates suit your schedule. The FSE Future Students Team provides transport for you (either someone will accompanying and drive you, or you can get a cab charge voucher).

Are you interested?

Please express your interest here:

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=wRTFghenh0C-BtQNIHCtUvfrfYNGdG1CuRL70EGWeRNUQ1dEWFdVWUVFOUVGOFZLVUFXTFdYV0hSMi4u

Did You Participate in an Outreach Activity Recently for the Department?
Don’t forget to fill in the super-quick form here – – ACCESS OUTREACH FORM HERE

Get Paid for Outreach Lesson Plans!

REP Workshop: Making Your Science Matter: Linking Science with Action to Improve the World

Two-hour workshop running on Tuesday, October 24th (2-4 pm)

Instructors:
Dr. Elizabeth Madin, Macquarie University
Dr. Emily Darling, Wildlife Conservation Society
Dr. Marah Hardt, Future of Fish
Prof. Lesley Hughes, Macquarie University

Co-badged with MQU Marine Research Centre

We all want to feel like our research matters…but it is sometimes hard to know how to make it relevant to people and institutions beyond academia. How can we best make our science understood, appreciated, and perhaps even acted upon by policy-makers? These are the kinds of questions we will delve into. Inspired by the book “Escape from the Ivory Tower” by Nancy Baron, this short course will help you improve your ability to design and communicate your science to benefit the world at large.

Participant numbers will be capped (first-in secures a place).

Click here to register for ‘Making your science matter: Linking science with action to improve the world.’

REP workshop: Leadership: Defining Your Values

Half-day workshop, running on Thursday 2nd Nov (2-4pm).

Organised by Mauricio Marone (FBE) and Mariella Herberstein (FSE).

Whether we know it or not, we all engage in leadership at some stage – be it as a tutor organising a group of students, leading a research group or organising a social event. In this workshop we explore the idea that ‘leadership’ begins with you. It is about understanding what you value and how you bring those authentic values to your leadership activities. Working in small groups we will explore how you approach a situation where leadership is required, help you identify your core values as well as explore how your personal values align with those of an employer. By increasing your awareness of the role of values in leadership, we hope this workshop will set you on a trajectory of ever increasing leadership activities.

Click here to register for ‘Leadership: defining your values’

New Publications

In the Media

Recent Completions

Ingrid Stein Errington submitted her PhD thesis entitled “Soil invertebrate response to petroleum contaminants in subantarctic soils, and implications for remediation efforts.”

Supervised by Associate Professor Grant Hose

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