BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES DEPARTMENT MATTERS | September 16, 2016

Dear all,

We had a great lunchtime Safety in September lunch and Treasure Hunt on Thursday. Congratulations to the winners (see below!) and thanks to Marita for her excellent organisation.

Next week the inaugural Early Career Researcher (ECR) showcase will be held on Monday afternoon, followed by a social gathering around drinks and pizza. This is a great innovation from our ECR team that will hopefully become a fixture on our biology calendar. All academic staff, researchers and HDR students should come along to hear from some of our best and brightest young researchers!

Speaking of things social…plans are afoot for department BBQs and drinks in October (did I hear Octoberfest anyone?) and November to celebrate nearly the end of the year, and also for our Christmas Party (date and venue to be decided – suggestions welcome!). Watch this space for updates.

Good luck to all staff teaching external sessions over the break, especially the brave field trippers – have fun!

Enjoy the spring weather this weekend!

Michelle

Save the Date

This coming week 19th – 23rd September

Mon 19th: ECR research showcase; 1-5pm followed by drinks and pizza. E8A-280 (Biology Tea Room).

Tue 20th: Graduation for Biological Sciences, 2.30-4pm. Register for the academic procession here.

Wed 21st: Morning Tea; 10:30am – 11:00am; The Hill.

Wed 21st: No talk (mid-semester break). 🙁

Thu 22nd: MRes Seminar Day (final and introductory seminars); all day, E8A-280 (Biology Tea Room).

Following week 26th – 30th September

Wed 28th: Morning Tea; 10:30am – 11:00am;  E8A-280 (Biology Tea Room).

Wed 28th: No talk either (mid-semester break) 🙁

Thu 29th: Supplementary HDR Conference.

Coming up

Oct 26th; Faculty Safety day

Oct 26th; Advanced Biology Conference; 12 – 2pm; E8A-280 (Biology Tea Room).

Oct 31st: Applications for domestic (APA) PhD scholarships due.

Nov 8th: Biology programs information session for students. 1 – 2pm; E8A-280 (Biology Tea Room).

November tentatively 2 days within the week of 14-18th Nov for a department research and L&T retreat – TBA

Dec 7th: Department formal exam meeting

Dec 9th: Faculty of Science & Engineering Xmas BBQ

General News and Announcements

This week the Department Safety Treasure Hunters gathered in the tearoom for a feast while they carefully guarded the treasure they had looted and plundered.

1^st place went to the combined forces of our fabulous administrators and the Parasitology lab forming the coalition of the Safetymins who will be enjoying massages in the very near future,  The Safety Hunters were a close second, followed by the EMMA Lab.

No one went away empty handed and Tim from the EMMA lab team won  “The worst-case Scenario Survival handbook” for being the most active participant.

Great Fun was had by all!

Advanced Biology Conference – save the date and confirm attendance

The third year Advanced Biology students will be presenting seminars on their research internships October 26, 12-2pm in the Biology tearoom. We would like the Department to demonstrate support for our advanced bio students by attending the session and joining them for lunch. We encourage all staff and students (MRes and PhD) to attend. For catering purposes we need you to confirm your attendance by Oct 19 via this doodle poll link http://doodle.com/poll/vgqyvumhv8a7vrag

!End of Financial Year Dates Coming!

Watch this space, next week, for dates about end of year spending cut-offs.

Things to think about for end of year spending:

• Project/account end date
• Funds in the project/account
• Travel/Expenses over the December/January period
• Approval of casual timesheets if you are taking leave
• Concur
• Casual re-appointments for 2017

Important Boating Fieldwork Message

Between the 14th of October and the 12th December, there will not be any manager approving boating activities in the department. Diving, snorkeling and other marine non-boating activities will be approved by the University Dive Officer. If you are already aware of boating activities undertaken during this period, please get them approved as soon as possible, or definitely before the 14th October.

Website staff and student portals development update

The university is moving ahead with the development of the staff and student portals of the website, which are due for launch in February 2017. There was an information session this week and the slides can be found here. The web project blog has the latest project information such as the portal designs. Access it through the link or Google Macquarie Web Project.

Plant of the Week – Acacia cognata

The latest in landscaping fashion – Acacia cognata and its many varieties.

Missing Harvest Hub Bags

Did you borrow the nice brown and blue hessian bags with the words Harvest Hub on the side? If you have them, could you please return them to the Biology Tearoom. They may still have Letitia Poile’s name tag on them as they belong to her. If you’ve seen them around somewhere please contact Samantha Newton <samantha.newton@mq.edu.au> so she can retrieve them.

Biology Garden Update

Work will commence on the pathways in the Biology garden annexe next week. The work should take 2 weeks to complete. Once the work is complete and the garden is tidy, we’ll celebrate with a garden party. The garden will then be available for teaching.

Target: Better Futures

At the September Department meeting we had a presentation from Leanne Denby, Sustainability, about Target: Better Futures. This is a program to further embed sustainability concepts and practice within Departments. Biology is already well ahead of the game. We aren’t starting from scratch, we’re building on our basic practice, and the work we did during 2014 of the Department Sustainability Challenge.

We’re now going for accreditation. Building on our early adopter status we will start for Bronze and see if we can achieve Silver in the first year. The process for Bronze should only take a few hours, but we need people for all parts of the department (academic, admin, technical, post doc, student etc). If you’re keen to learn more about what we’re already doing, and how we can improve  sustainability within the department, please contact Samantha Newton <samantha.newton@mq.edu.au>  to be art of the accreditation process.

Here is the link to more information about the Target: Better Futures program.

http://www.mq.edu.au/about/about-the-university/strategy-and-initiatives/strategic-initiatives/sustainability/staff-and-students/partnerships-and-engagement/target-sustainability/bronze-level

2017 Science and Innovation Awards for Young People in Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
If you’re 18-35, this is your chance to apply for a grant of up to $22,000 to fund your project on an innovative or emerging scientific issue that will benefit Australia’s primary industries. Visit http://www.agriculture.gov.au/scienceawards for more information. Applications close Friday 14 October 2016.

Myer Innovation Awards – applications close 25 September 2016
The Myer Innovation Fellowships aim to support breakthrough solutions to Australia’s most pressing social and environmental challenges and bring new talent to the social sector. Don’t miss out.

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