Division of Environmental and Life Sciences

News From the Deane
The weekly update from the Dean of Division, Prof Liz Deane

Anna Lyth Acknowledged by the IUCN
For her work on climate change

Opportunities
- MGSM General Staff Scholarships
- PhD Scholarship in Neuroscience

Events
- Alumni Lecture - Pilbara to Mars, are we alone?
- Australian Museum Seminar Series: "From Fins to Feet"
- Physical Geography Seminar: Urban Climate Air Quality
- Sydney Uni Seminar - "Beyond Light Sabres: Lasers and their applications"
- ELS Seminar Series

News from the Dean

Dear Colleagues,

I hope the Easter holiday provided you with the opportunity to have a break.

Thank you to everyone who has provided their details for the trial RQF exercise being conducted by the Division. We are hoping to send these to external reviewers within the next week so if you are still to provide information, please send it in as soon as possible.

A couple of opportunities:-
1. The annual three-day "Science at the Shine Dome is in Canberra from 2-4 May. As part of this there is a special program for early-career research. Further details are available at www.science.org.au/sats2007/ecr.htm . If, as an early-career researcher you are interested in attending, please discuss this with your Head of Department.

2. The Australian Spinal Research Foundation has called for expressions of interest for research to support research initiatives. Priorities include Basic Research and Clinical Research. Further information is available at www.spinalresearch.com.au .

The Research Office has a link at:- http://www.research.mq.edu.au/researchers/funding/external_schemes .
EOIs are to be submitted to the RO by 13 April.

Finally a seminar that may be of interest - APAF and Bio-Rad invite you to attend a seminar entitled "Multiplexed Assays on the Bio-Plex Multiple Suspension Array System (Luminex Technology)" presented by Nasreen Yaghoutyfam (APAF) on Thursday 12 April in F7B 422 from 10:15 am (morning tea provided by Bio-Rad).

Till next week,
Liz

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IUCN's Acknowledgement for Women working in Climate Change

The World Conservation Union (IUCN) launched an initiative to acknowledge the work of women that have been working in climate change and Anna Lyth from the Graduate School of the Environment was recognised by the IUCN on International Women’s Day for her climate change work.

Anna has a long history of interest and activity working on climate change issues in urban areas. Her PhD in the early 1990s was all about opportunities for urban and transport planning to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Since then she has worked on a variety of issues relating to sustainable urban development. With a surge of global interest on climate change her work is now focused on building the capacity of the built environment professionals for responding to, and preparing for, climate change through adaptation planning. Current research projects include: integrated assessment of climatic impacts for urban regions, and capacity building for sustainable climate change adaptation. She is currently a project Leader with the Australian Research Institute in Education for Sustainability (ARIES) for the project, "Shifting towards sustainability: An action inquiry into the professional development of engineers, architects and planners in climate change adaptation" – see http://www.aries.mq.edu.au for more information.

Anna is a Mother of two young boys and her work is dedicated to their future.

The IUCN strongly believes in the role women play in the efforts being made to find adaptation measures to future climate change impacts. The inclusion of the gender equity approach, from local initiatives to international discussions, does make a difference regarding the effectiveness of these efforts.

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The Power of Science

Mark Taylor in Physical Geography Recieves Unprecedented Publicity for his work in Mt Isa

Sometimes science reveals what private industry and governments would rather hide and when this happens, the media has a field day.

Mark Taylor in Physical Geography has recently enjoyed if not endured some controversial media coverage on his research into heavy metal pollution in the waterways surrounding the mine-dependent township of Mt Isa in northern Queensland. Dr Taylor's work has revealed higher than normal concentrations of various heavy metals (including lead) in the waterways as well as established links between these elevated levels and the operations of the mining industry on which the community has become reliant.

As well as coverage on ABC's regional networks throughout Australia and ABC 702 in Sydney, Dr Taylor's recent media coverage includes:

Heavy metal legacy
Australian, 20/03/07, General News, Page 11

Mine keeps lead test results under wraps
Australian, 20/03/07, General News, Page 6

Lead levels high
Sunshine Coast Daily, 20/03/07, General News, Page 4

Lead level too high in Isa kids
Townsville Bulletin, 20/03/07, General News, Page 3

Mt Isa kids under the microscope
Cairns Post, 20/03/07, General News, Page 9

High blood lead levels link to Mt isa children
Bendigo Advertiser, 20/03/07, General News, Page 6

Watch this space for more information on the research behind the media mayhem....

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Opportunities

MGSM Scholarship for General Staff

The Macquarie Graduate School of Management is making available to general staff of Macquarie University two scholarships to undertake the Postgraduate Certificate in Management program. The winners of the scholarships will commence study in June 2007.

This Scheme, which the MGSM has generously supported for several years now, provides members of general staff with access to a valuable professional development activity. The MGSM's Postgraduate Certificate in Management covers the core management areas of:

- organisational behaviour
- marketing management
- accounting for management.

It provides an excellent qualification for general staff in, or aspiring to, management and leadership positions within the University. The scholarships will be awarded through a competitive process, and cover the cost of all tuition fees.

Copies of the guidelines for the Scheme and application forms are available from the CPD.

Enquiries and an application pack: Rebecca Taylor, x9734, rebecca.taylor@mq.edu.au

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PhD scholarship investigating Motor Neuron Disease

The scholarship is valued at $25,000 p.a. and is being provided by the ARHRF and the Rotary Club of Bendigo South, Victoria.

Further information: www.arhrf.org.au

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Events

Alumni Lecture - Pilbara to Mars: Are we alone?

Would you like to fly across Olympus Mons on Mars? Would you like to see the earliest evidence of life on Earth? Would you like to know about Australia's role in the search for life in the universe? Take the journey with NASA and Macquarie University. Carol Oliver, Assistant Director, Management and Outreach, The Australian Centre for Astrobiology, will be our pilot for the evening.

Date: Wednesday 11 April
Time: 6.30pm
Venue: Seminar Function Room 2, Almgren Centre, Dunmore Lang College, 130-134 Herring Road, North Ryde.
Parking: On-site parking, street parking and E1 parking area at the University. Further information on parking and public transport visit
http://www.dunmorelangcollege.nsw.edu.au/pages/contact_location.asp
Speaker: Carol Oliver, Assistant Director, Management and Outreach, The Australian Centre for Astrobiology (ACA)
RSVP: Wednesday 4 April, please contact the alumni office at www.mq.edu.au/alumni

Attendees will receive a free DVD of the NASA Macquarie Pilbara project to be launched in March 2007.

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FROM FINS TO FEET

'DEVONIAN CLIMATE CHANGE, BREATHING AND THE ORIGIN OF THE TETRAPOD STEM GROUP'

Professor Jenny Clack, Museum of Zoology, University of Cambridge

Australian Museum, Theatrette

Wednesday 4 th April 2007, 12.30-1.30 pm

Prof. Clack will discuss recent discoveries of members of the tetrapod stem group and some of their features interpreted as adaptations to aid air-breathing, in the context of recent models of the climatic and environmental conditions in the Middle and Late Devonian.

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BEYOND LIGHT SABRES - MODERN LASERS AND THEIR APPLICATIONS

Professor Harald Giessen
University of Sydney Denison Distinguished Visitor
Professor, University of Stuttgart, Germany

THURSDAY 5th APRIL
12 - 1 pm (light refreshments from 11:40 am)
Slade Lecture Theatre, Physics Building A28
The University of Sydney

RSVP: Monday 2nd April 9351 3472, or  emilyh@physics.usyd.edu.au

Lasers are around us every day, in laser pointers, DVD players and our doctors surgeries, but more amazing applications are appearing every day.

In this fully illustrated public lecture, Dr Harald Giessen will explore the next generation of lasers. They are smaller, more powerful, and make fact out of science fiction; creating x-rays, sending secure quan- tum signals and trapping individual atoms for us to experiment with.

Professor Giessen will also describe how we may soon have lasers better than light sabres. They will be able to cut through metal and make precision measurements, effectively doing away with traditional lathes and mills and opening the way for entirely light-based factories.

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Physical Geography Seminar

Investigating the urban climate-air quality-human response system in two US cities: Portland, Oregon and Houston, Texas.

Date: WEDNESDAY 11th April

Location & Time: E5A 143, 1pm

Abstract:
This talk will present an overview of the US National Science Foundation funded FUSE project (Feedbacks between Urban Systems and the Environment). The goal of the FUSE project is to develop a comprehensive modelling framework for the urban climate - air quality - human response system that takes into account the complexities of system feedback mechanisms, by linking models of meteorology, air quality, energy consumption and human response. In this talk two components of the FUSE research will be presented: a phone survey tool used to assess human responses to heat, air quality and public advisories, and an investigation into the causality of spatial differences in the urban heat island.

Biography:
Melissa Hart is a former Macquarie University undergrad and postgrad student. She completed her PhD in 2006 under the supervision of Richard de Dear and Robert Hyde. Her PhD research investigated the meteorological influences on summertime pollution episodes in Sydney. Melissa is currently employed as a postdoc at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon, USA working on the US National Science Foundation funded FUSE project (Feedbacks between Urban Systems and the Environment).

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ELS Seminar Series

Departments in ELS host seminars covering a wide range of topics associated with ongoing research projects and other areas of interest. The seminars are delivered by academics, research staff, and students from within the Division, as well as guest speakers from other institutions and industry. Details of times, dates, locations and topics of seminars to be held over the next few weeks are listed here.

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Snippets

Microscopic algae vital to estuaries
A field survey completed by Geoscience Australia has confirmed that microscopic algae can play a critical role in maintaining the health of Australia's estuaries.

Asbestos disease has been underestimated
Current predictions of the future incidence of asbestos-related disease have been substantially underestimated, according to new modelling presented by Dr Mark Clements from The Australian National University.

Agriculture polluting NZ rivers
New Zealand's rivers are showing the benefits of efforts to clean up point-source pollution, but the effects of diffuse run-off from intensified agriculture are becoming increasingly apparent.

WA dry linked to greenhouse
About half of the long-term rainfall decline experienced in south-west Western Australia since the 1960s can now be linked to increases in greenhouse gases, according to two CSIRO scientists.

Cancer breakthrough: enzyme identified
Research into cancer, anticancer treatments, and ageing has been advanced through the identification of the composition of human telomerase - an enzyme integral to 85% of all cancers.

Small bird with jumbo jet range
As the last bar-tailed godwits leave New Zealand estuaries on their northern migration to Alaska this week, Massey scientists will trace their journey via satellite-tagged individuals.

Fencing in salinity
Fencing off salt-affected land is a low risk strategy to reduce the amount of salt entering our rivers and streams, according to the research findings from the Gumble region in central NSW.

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