BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES DEPARTMENT MATTERS | September 25, 2015

Grant

General News and Announcements

  Don’t miss Biology Spring Safety Fair 

Tuesday 29th September 11-2pm in the Biology courtyard.

Congratulations to Mel Bishop

Mel’s flipped classroom approach for teaching MAR202 was brilliantly showcased at the Annual Macquarie University Conference in the Macquarie Theatre on the 24th September. Biology received glowing compliments from the PVC for Learning and Teaching, Sherman Young, for pioneering innovative teaching approaches.

A Reply to Andy’s Conversation

A few weeks ago Andrew Beattie published (with Mike Calver) a blog in The Conversation entitled: ‘Our obsession with metrics is corrupting science’. They had a very strong positive response from many parts of the world including an email from Bob May which Andy wanted to share with the whole department.  Bob writes: .

Dear Mike and Andrew,

The MAHB forwarded me your blog.  I agree with you 200% with respect to the stupidity of the growing practice of using “metrics” to judge people’s performance and other such things.  It is an exceptionally pernicious practice, and quite apart from anything else it is making it virtually impossible to manage the “elite” journals.  Science, Nature, and PNAS are simply swamped with submitted manuscripts.

Any academic who thinks it is a good idea to use “metrics” instead of understanding exactly what is going on should not be allowed to have anything to do with departmental business much less academic promotions.

Best regards,

Bob

Public Forum on Research Training

There’s a national review of researcher training underway (including PhD programs). I’m sure we all have plenty of ideas about what could be done better. Submissions have unfortunately closed, but there’s a public forum in Sydney on 24 November. Register, block it out in your diary, and go along to make sure your voice is heard!

October SCB Sydney Conservation Cafe

This October, Sydney SCB will host an external Conservation Café in conjunction with the University of Wollongong to accommodate our members who cannot make it to Sydney for the cafés. The overall theme for this café is to discuss Citizen Conservation that is, as a member of the community not necessarily working in the field, how every day actions or decisions can contribute to conservation. The following two guests will talk about their work:

Megan Rowlatt –Megan will be discussing initiatives such as youth conservation leadership programmes and Illawarra Intrepid Landcare to engage the youth community in conservation activities. Landcare Illawarra regurlarly run workshops and bush regeneration around the Illawarra.

Adam Woods – Adam will be discussing how community based groups such as Beach Cleanups go about daily conservation actions. Beach Cleanups volunteer along the northern Illawarra and Wollongong coastlines in an effort to clean up our coasts. Beach Clean Ups Illawarra has attracted members from all walks of life young and old who care about the condition of our beaches and the marine environment for our wildlife.

October 11, 11:00am
Stuart Park, Wollongong

For more information see the flyer here.

Gym Pass 2.0

Laura McMillan encourages people interested in a gym membership check out Bodypass.

Upcoming unit reviews

Sessions working report

A report from sessions working party is attached here. The FSE response to the 6 x 6 week session idea is also attached here. I encourage you to read about the different models for the academic year and provide feedback (Oct 9; good and bad). The first is a change of dates and the remaining three present significant impacts to how we teach and workloads. We will also look at the at next dept meeting.

Video killed the radio star

Do you want to become a L&T videostar? Here’s how….PUPS Pop up studio sessions that cover camera training and preparation, and help with making short videos. See attached flyer here.

Plant of the Week: Pinus patula – Mexican Weeping Pine – Pino triste

New Publications

In the Media

Recent Completions