Division of Environmental and Life Sciences

News From the Dean
The weekly update from the Dean of Division, A/Prof Kevin McCracken

ELS Congratulates Physical Geography PhD Student
Shayne McGregor has been selected to attend an exclusive summar school on ENSO

Opportunities
- Successful science writing and editing course
- Invitation from the Library

Events
- Hazel Popp talk: "The Philosophy of the Environment"
- Dr Gillian Cowlishaw talk "The Aboriginal Question: Race, Anthropology & Things That Endure"
- Australian Museum Talk on "the secret lives of Orchids"
- Australian Plants and Animals - An Interactive Forum
- ELS Seminar Series

News from the Dean

Dear Colleagues

The very welcome mid-semester break has arrived - I could hear the collective sigh of relief go round the Division on Friday afternoon. I hope those that don't have on-campus sessions and field trips arranged can all enjoy the short break from teaching.

Congratulations to PhD student Unnikrishnan KP, supervised by Joanne Jamie, Subra Vemulpad and Jim Kohen for his recent award of a poster prize at the International Congress on Complementary Medicine Research for his work on anticancer agents in Siddha medicinal plants.

The Vice-Chancellor, Prof Steven Schwarz and the Provost, Prof Judyth Sachs, will be visiting the Division on Friday 9th May at 10.30am in the Biology Tea Room. This visit will be to provide the Division with an update on major initiatives and changes. All staff are welcome.

Macquarie University welcomed visitors from the European Commission (EC) and Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) this Wednesday. Mr Bodo Richter from the EC was here to meet up with students and staff involved with two major EU/AU student exchange programs managed by Humanities and Environmental and Life Sciences. Mr Richter presented a seminar on the changes to higher education in Europe brought about through the Lisbon Strategy and the Bologna Process. He also highlighted opportunities for our staff and students that Erasmus Mundus and the Jean Monnet programmes currently offer.

As mentioned a couple of weeks ago, ELS are supporting the Oxfam CLOSETHEGAP campaign by holding a morning tea in the Biology garden on Friday, 18 April at 10:30 am . Please bring a plate of goodies to share with your colleagues, and your mug. Tea and coffee will be provided. We will be asking for signatures on a pledge to be presented to the Government on National Close the Gap Day, Tuesday 22 April. This gives people the opportunity to show their support for a long-term commitment and action from all governments to end the health and social crisis facing Indigenous communities. Further information is available at www.oxfam.org.au/closethegap .

Finally, a reminder to all members of academic staff intending to apply for promotion in this year's round, please inform your Head of Department and me of that intention as soon as possible. All copies of draft applications are to be in the Dean's office by Friday 18 April in order that I can have time to write my Dean's reports.

Till next time
Kevin

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Physical Geography student selected for exclusive international
summerschool on ENSO

Department of Physical Geography Phd student, Shayne McGregor has been selected to participate in an exclusive World Climate Research Programme (WCRP-CLIVAR) summerschool on "El Nino-Southern Oscillation: Dynamics and Predictability" to take place on 14-23 June 2008 in Puna, Big Island Hawai'i, USA. This school aims at training the next generation of scientists that will continue to do ENSO-relevant research, improve our understanding of ENSO and develop better seasonal and long-term forecasting techniques. Participation in the summerschool is highly competitive and limited to a maximum of 14 students from around the world. Shayne's research is on the physical mechanisms forcing the decadal variability of El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) amplitude and frequency. His attendance to the summerschool is supported by the Australian Research Council Research Network for Earth System Science (ARCNESS).

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Opportunities

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Successful science writing and editing course

Biotext will run this popular training course in three locations in 2008. The one-day course is aimed at anyone who writes or edits material dealing with science and technology, for any audience. It covers:

* writing text that is easy to read and understand
* communicating complex information clearly, accurately and effectively
* using editing skills to improve publications
* assessing your own and others' work to provide constructive feedback.

Locations and venues

* Sydney: Wednesday 11 June, Hotel Mercure
* Brisbane: Thursday 19 June and Wednesday 15 October, Stamford Plaza
* Melbourne: Thursday 11 September, 60L Building

See 'Services offered' at www.biotext.com.au for a link to a detailed outline of the course, or contact Vesna Ratajkoska (admin@biotext.com.au) if you have any questions about Biotext training courses.

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Invitation from the Library

The Library has traditionally hosted a Start of Year Staff Party in February each year. This year we are going to have a party with a difference by using this event as an opportunity to update the University community on the plans for the new Library. The party is being held in the U@MQ Atrium on Tuesday 6th May from 4-7 pm.

The Party will be the formal launch of the consultation process with University staff and students. It will be themed as a “Robot Party” so that we can showcase the automated storage and retrieval system (ASRS) within the context of a sustainable building design – and allay your fears about “robots in the Library”. We will have presentations of the plans from the architects (fjmt) and on the ASRS and all of the consultants involved in the project will be invited.

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Events

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Tuesday 15 April 2008
Hazel Popp on the Philosophy of the Environment

Environmental Philosophy is a relatively new branch of philosophy arising from the ecological movement of the late 1960s. Hazel asks whether, in light of the major environmental issues facing the world, particularly global warming, environmental philosophy can make a valid contribution? Hazel is a founding member of Philo Agora, Philosophy Cafe.

Time: 7:30pm-9:00pm Apr 15 Cost: $6 incl. coffee or tea
Venue: Fair Trade Coffee House, 33 Glebe Point Rd,, Glebe
Enquiries: Philo Agora (Philosophy Cafe) www.philoagora.wordpress.com (02) 9797 6459

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Wednesday 16 April 2008
Dr Gillian Cowlishaw: The Aboriginal Question: Race, Anthropology & Things That Endure

ARC Professorial Fellow at UTS, Dr Gillian Cowlishaw and Dr Diane Austin-Broos, Prof. Anthropology at Sydney University explore some central themes of 19th & 20th century Australian anthropology. In conjunction with the Macleay Museum exhibition People, Power, Politics: The first generation of anthropologists at the University of Sydney.

Time: 6:00pm-8:00pm Apr 16 Cost: Free
Venue: Macleay Museum, Macleay Building, Gosper Lane, off Science Rd, University of Sydney
Enquiries: Sydney University Museums www.usyd.edu.au/museums (02) 9036 5253
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Thursday 17 April 2008
The secret lives of Orchids

Orchids are among the world's most interesting plants but scientists are still unravelling their many secrets. Of the world's 35,000 species, more than 1200 are found in Australia as Mark Clements from the CSIRO reveals.

Time: 6:30pm-8:15pm Apr 17 Cost: $20/$15 Members
Venue: Australian Museum, William Street entrance, 6 College Street, Sydney
Enquiries: Australian Museum www.australianmuseum.net.au/members 02 9320 6225

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Saturday 19 April 2008
Australian Plants and Animals - An Interactive Forum

A forum on Australia's biodiversity, and how we can protect and nurture native plants, birds and animals in our own backyards. Supported by Sydney Metropolitan Catchment Management Authority.

Time: 11:00am-1:00pm Apr 19 Cost: Free
Venue: Al-Ghazzali Centre Academy, 1021A Canterbury Rd, (Cnr. Willeroo St), Roselands
Enquiries: al-Ghazzali Centre for Islamic Sciences & Human De alghazzali.org (02) 9708 1539

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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

Cancer gene changes shape
A gene associated with breast cancer alters its shape according to whether it is switched on or off and whether it is in a cancerous cell, research has found.

Social campaigns struggle to be edgy
Not-for-profit organisations find it difficult to remain ethical while being edgy enough to use 'viral marketing', such as email forwards, according to experts.

Windows could soon power the home
Australian scientists have developed transparent solar cells that could be used to create windows, or even 'glass' houses that generate and store their own energy.

Sydney's seaweed: dirtiest on Earth
Sydney hosts some of the world's most contaminated seaweed, with metal levels so high that small animals that feed on the plants are at risk, research has revealed.

Immunotherapy could prevent AIDS
Immunotherapy can prime the body to attack HIV more strongly, keeping the immune system in better shape to fight off AIDS, according to new research.

Durable, healthy chocolate developed
A type of chocolate with a high melting point, added vitamins, and a long shelf life has been developed specifically for soldiers' rations.

DNA hints warming killed mammoths
DNA of ancient megafauna, such as mammoths and sabre-tooth cats, suggests that climate change, not hunting, was the main cause of their extinctions.

Tools may reveal Australia's past
A computer program that analyses ancient tools from different countries may help researchers to trace and date the first human migration to Australia.

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