Division of Environmental and Life Sciences

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

CBMS reports from the Chifley College Science Open Day

Opportunities
- Call for Abstracts: International Conference of Education, Research & Innovation
- Research Assistant Wanted at USyd School of Public Health

Events
- LGSA Hosts Public Meeting on Proposed Changes to NSW Planning Laws
- Genes to Geosciences Seminar on Peak Oil this Wednesday
- Sydney Observatory Turns 150 with events to celebrate all this week...
- Green Point Observatory Talk: "The Effects of Light Pollution"
- ELS Seminar Series

News from the Dean

Dear Colleagues

First this week I would like to congratulate Bill Griffin, Sue O'Reilly and Norm Pearson for their success in the latest Linkage Projects Funding Round. It has just been announced that their project on "Composition, structure and evolution of the lithospheric mantle beneath southern Africa : improving area selection criteria for diamond exploration" has been awarded $355,000 over the period 2008-2011. Well done Bill, Sue and Norm.

Some opportunities for staff ...

The Australian Academy of Science is inviting applications from professional scientists to visit Europe, North America ( Canada , USA and Mexico ) and North East Asia ( China , Japan , Korea and Taiwan ) between 1 January and 31 December 2009 to collaborate with researchers in those countries. Proposals in any field of natural science, basic and applied, including mathematics and engineering science, will be considered. Applicants must propose a collaborative research project, or a specific activity, which has been developed in consultation with host scientists. Under this scheme applicants can request travel support to access international leading-edge small to medium research facilities and equipment. Support will not be provided for costs associated with the use of these facilities or when the purpose of the visit is to attend a conference. The duration of the visits must be between 14 and 40 days. This project is supported by the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research's International Science Linkages - Science Academies Programme. Information, deadlines and application forms are available on the web site: http://www.science.org.au/internat/programs.htm.

The Carrick Institute for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education - Awards for Australian University Teaching. These awards give recognition to teachers (individuals and teams) renowned for the excellence of their teaching, who have outstanding presentation skills and who have made a broad and deep contribution to enhancing the quality of learning and teaching in higher education. The closing date is 11 July 2008 and further details are available at http://www.altc.edu.au .
For all the microbiologists, the Australian Society for Microbiology has two awards which close on 30 June:- the ASM Distinguished Service Award and Honorary Life Membership. Further details are available at http://www.theasm.com.au/awards .

And finally, the end of semester, and consequently the exam period, is fast approaching. Please note the Division Exam meeting will be held on Wednesday 2 July at 2:00 pm in E6A room 102.

Best wishes to all for the marking season!

Till next week
Kevin

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Event Report: the Chifley College Senior Science Day

Members of the Indigenous Science Education Program and the Department of Computing, ICS, jointly coordinated activities for the Chifley College Senior Science Day on Thursday May 29th.  This is an annual activity run by Chifley College with the assistance of the CSIRO and NSW universities to promote science as a study option for students moving into years 11 and 12.

Around 50 high achieving year 10 students from the various campuses of Chifley College, located in western Sydney, attended the event.  The activities run by Macquarie included:

Long Legged Freaks - an entomology practical involving exercises in classification of various groups of insects, arachnids and other invertebrates.  This included live and preserved specimens as well as displays of various insect groups.

ICS Graphics Practical - an exercise in simple programming involving a graphical interface on Macquarie laptops.

The Magic of Chemistry - a hands-on session on making polymers, identifying household acids and bases using natural pH indicators and determining who is a smelling genius.

There were also presentations about science-based career options available and an information session by Brian Hurd, Scholarship and Prizes Manager, about scholarships and admissions options at Macquarie .

We would like to especially thank Mr David Harrington for overall coordination of the event and running the long-legged freaks activity; A/Prof Joanne Jamie and Unnikrishnan for coordinating the Magic of Chemistry event; and A/Prof Deborah Richards (Department of Computing) and her ICS team for coordinating and running the ICS Graphical Practical.  We would also like to thank all of our additional volunteers who assisted in the setting up and running of the chemistry and biology activities.  This includes Jitendra Gaikwad, Meyanungsang, Jo Packer, Teresa Malewski, Varun Khanna, Diana Tsoulos, Moa Ek, Louise Allen and Lyall Grieve.  Finally, we are very grateful to the wonderful assistance received from Chifley College and especially the year 10 and 11 student volunteers (pictured below) who helped set up and acted as demonstrators for the chemistry and biology events.

Year 10 and 11 student volunteers

Thanks to Joanne Jamie from CBMS for this report.

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Opportunities

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Call for Abstracts: International Conference of Education, Research & Innovation

17-19 November 2008
Madrid, (SPAIN)
www.iated.org/iceri2008
Deadline for abstract submission: 15th July 2008.

The general objective of the conference is to promote international collaboration in the fields of Education, Research and Innovation in all educational fields and disciplines.

ICERI 2008 will be an International Forum for those who wish to present and discuss their innovations, projects on research and the latest innovations and results in the field of Education. Two ISBN publications will be produced with all accepted abstracts and papers. There are 3 presentation modalities: Oral, Poster or Virtual.

We strongly encourage you to submit your abstracts and to attend in order to share your achievements in the fields of education and international collaboration. The deadline for submitting abstracts is July 15th, 2008.

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Research Assistant - Surgical Outcomes Resource Centre

University of Sydney - School of Public Health | NSW

The Surgical Outcomes Research Centre has an outstanding opportunity available for an enthusiastic and proactive Research Assistant to join the program. This is a challenging and rewarding role that will see you assist with the coordination of  recruitment and follow up of patients enrolled in a large, state-wide randomised trial.

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Events

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COMMUNITY, ENVIRONMENT, COUNCILS UNITE
PUBLIC MEETING OPPOSING PLANNING LAWS

Tuesday 3 June, 6pm, Sydney Masonic Centre, 66 Goulburn Street Sydney.

The National Trust (NSW) and the Local Government Association of NSW will hold a public meeting next Tuesday to oppose changes to the planning laws currently before State Parliament.

The organisations are just two of many demanding a Parliamentary Public Inquiry into the laws. Speakers at the meeting will include President of the Local Government Association, Cr Genia McCaffery, the Conservation Director of the National Trust Graham Quint, the Director of the Total Environment Centre Jeff Angel, lawyer and planning expert John Mant, Activist Jack Mundy and the Mayor of Ku-ring-gai Council, Cr Nick Ebbeck.

Graham Quint says this is the last chance to SAY NO to the proposed laws that will severely undermine heritage protection in NSW and greatly reduce the rights of residents and local communities to protect their properties.

“People will be shocked by the damage that will occur to local heritage if this legislation is passed,” Mr Quint said.

“Any heritage buildings that are not heritage listed will be at risk of demolition without any community consultation.

“At the current rate of progress it would take another 420 years for all State Significant properties to be listed and protected.”

Cr Genia McCaffery said the public meeting was being held in response to a wave of concern in local communities across the state.

“Thousands of residents have been calling and emailing their local MPs and their councils raising concerns about the laws,” Cr McCaffery said.

“The changes will significantly impact on local services, the rights of residents, and the look and feel of our neighbourhoods, so the outrage is understandable.

“A full and open parliamentary public inquiry is required so that the impact of the changes on communities and the environment can be properly assessed.”

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Genes to Geosciences Seminar this Wednesday

“Peak Oil: crude oil production is peaking 2005-2010”

by Matt Mushalik, MIEAust, CPEng
Peak Oil Adviser and author of “The End of Freeways - The tipping points of Peak Oil and Global Warming”

Wednesday 4th June, 1-2 pm in E8A 290 (Biology tea room).

· Interested why petrol costs so much?
· Are you hoping the price may go down, but unsure when?
· Have you though about how dependent our civilisation is on cheap oil?

This talk by Matt Mushalik addresses:
1. Personal experience: images of Peak Oil and Global Warming threats
2. Oil reserves and annual oil flows
3. Peaking of crude oil production
4. Australian oil production and imports
5. Interdependencies peak oil and global warming
6. Timetable; 10 point program; solutions

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Sydney Observatory Turns 150!!

Next week Sydney Observatory celebrates its 150th anniversary - Government Astronomer Reverend William Scott first dropped the Observatory's time ball at 12 noon on 5 June 1858. The Observatory is one of the few establishments of that age in Sydney carrying out its original function - astronomy. And from the days of Rev Scott onwards there was an interest in communicating astronomy and science to the public.

There will be a whole series of events to celebrate, including....

- Monday 2 June at 6:30 pm - A talk on the history of Sydney Observatory by Nick Lomb - "Rise, fall and rise again: the tale of Sydney Observatory"

- Thursday 5 June - media preview of the new Observing the weather exhibition, the reinstalled giant flagmast and the renovated Fort Phillip Signal Station

- Saturday 7 June, Sunday 8 June & Monday 9 June Open weekend with the anniversary speeches, the anniversary dropping of the time ball and the ceremonial raising of the flags on the Saturday morning

- Friday 13 June 6:30 pm - A talk by Fred Watson - "Why is Uranus upside down?" - followed by telescope viewing

- Saturday 14 June - seminar on the history of Australian meteorology - Target Theatre, Powerhouse Museum

- Sunday 15 June - seminar on the history of Australian astronomy - Target Theatre, Powerhouse Museum

- Friday 4 July and Saturday 5 July from 6 pm - the annual "Festival of the stars"

More information at http://www.sydneyobservatory.com.au/events/whatson.asp.

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Talk at the Green Point Observatory: The Effect of Light Pollution

John August, Committee Member of the Sydney Outdoor Lighting Improvement Society discusses the decline in our night sky - including the fading Southern Cross - and also the effect of light pollution on our health.

Time: 8:00pm-9:00pm Jun 05 Cost: Free
Venue: Green Point Observatiory, Crnr. Green Point Rd and Caravan Head Rd, Oyster Bay
Enquiries: John August 0419 683 353

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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

Home ownership less likely after divorce
Losing a partner tends to decrease the chances of owning a home, and it is women who most often cease to own homes after divorce, according to research.

Men with prostate cancer risk fractures
Men with prostate cancer have a fifty per cent higher risk of bone fracture than other men, and an even higher risk if it is treated, according to research.

Bees, spiders bite more than snakes
A report has found that nearly two thirds of all hospital emissions for a venomous bite or sting are caused by bees or spiders, who seem to prefer males.

Ecstasy more deadly in hot clubs
New research has found that ecstasy is more dangerous when taken in warm environments, as users blame their high body temperature on their surroundings.

Tiny crystals to cut cost of solar power
Australian scientists have produced unique tiny crystals that could revolutionise the way we harvest the sun's energy and provide affordable solar power.

GPs left out of pandemic plan
Health researchers examining Australia's flu pandemic plans have found that general practitioners were mostly overlooked, despite evidence they would be useful.

Recycled water gains acceptance
Despite initial concerns, a community using recycled water in South Australia has become happy with the situation, according to a recent survey.

Nurses, police feel undervalued
Research has revealed that many police officers, nurses and teachers working in Western Australia believe they're making a difference, but feel undervalued.

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