Division of Environmental and Life Sciences

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

GSE hosts Innovative and Productive International Union for Conservation of Nature Workshop
Wendy Goldstein reports following a successful and productive two day meeting.

Nominees Announced for 2008 New Scientist Eureka Prize for Science Photography
Two nominees are from the Department of Biological Sciences...check their amazing images out below

Opportunities
- How to Start Up A Green Business: Greenbiz Cafe Seminar (Tonight!!)

Events
- Biological Sciences Seminar this Wednesday!
- Free public talk – The Aurora: Nature's Lightshow in the Sky
- Grand Challenges in Health & Medicine. Public Lecture Series 2008
- ELS Seminar Series

News from the Dean

Dear Colleagues,

A slow news period this last week.

Senate met on Friday morning to discuss Semester 1 results and all our units went through without any trouble. So, thank you again to everyone, teaching and all other staff, who did sterling work on the teaching front over the past four and a half months.

One thing worth a reminder about is the ERA draft journal rankings file. Make sure you have a look through the file and give any feedback that you feel is warranted. My attention has been drawn to a number of significant journals missing from the file and to some "strange" rankings. Some of you may have seen a couple of articles in Wednesday's issue of The Australian that critically discussed the draft rankings. The ARC has extended the deadline for submissions by three weeks .  Submissions will now close on July 31 st . See http://www.arc.gov.au/era/submissions_ranking.htm .

Despite my opening line, it hasn't been a slow week for everyone. News came in that Sandie Suchet-Pearson (Human Geography) had a baby boy (Cadan) on Monday morning. Congratulations Sandie to you and your family. That's great news. All the best from all of us. By my count we will hopefully be enrolling Cadan in GEOS111, BIOL114, CBMS101, etc. in about 2025 or 2026.

Finally, I look forward to seeing a lot of you at the Science Conference on Tuesday. It looks like being a really interesting day.

Till then.

Kevin

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GSE hosts Innovative and Productive International Union for Conservation of Nature Workshop

Last week Prof Peter Nelson of the Graduate School of the Environment (GSE) hosted twenty five Deans and Heads of Environment Departments from various Australian universities plus representatives of GSE at an International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) workshop. The aim of the workshop was primarily to discuss forming a "Council of Environmental Deans and Directors - Australia" however the results extended beyond this primary objective.

The multi-tasked workshop was a resounding success, producing various very tangible results including:

1. The establishment of a Council of Environmental Deans and Directors.
This group is working to set up a Council meeting for next February 2009 hosted at the University of Tasmania which will agree on its Charter and program. Assoc. Prof Elaine Stratford Elaine (UTas) and Prof Peter Nelson (GSE Mq) are part of the working group to take this initiative forward.

2. A Climate Change adaptation education workshop.
An interactive and results focused workshop is proposed end Sept/ early October for program coordinators of climate change adaptation education. Participants will include universities and professional associations who won small grants under the "Climate Change Adaptation Skills for Professionals Program - Australian government" (see http://www.climatechange.gov.au/impacts/skills.html for more info) as well as other universities developing learning on this issue. Macquarie was recently awarded a grant under this scheme and will be an active participant. The workshop will be to exchange ideas and approaches, plan further actions, explore links to NCCARF initiatives and write a paper for publication. Again highlighting Macquarie's active and driving role in the process is that the workshop itself will be coordinated by Wendy Goldstein and Peter Nelson.

3. A new Postgraduate Certificate in Sustainability jointly coordinated by the IUCN Institute and United Nations University.
The IUCN is working to formalise a MOU with the United Nations University with the aim of establishing an international "post graduate certificate of sustainability". The award would be conferred by UNU however the units offered will come from existing e-learning units from universities in Australia as well as from universities around the world - enabling students to pick according to their needs for ongoing learning in conservation. It is hoped to formalise this unique agreement at the IUCN Congress in Barcelona October 2008.

In addition, and as a result of the workshop, a group is setting up a data base of e-learning programs/courses plus a data base of units that could feed into this initiative as it unfolds. Professor Chris Austin from Charles Darwin University is leading this activity.

Why does Macquarie have such a strong the association with IUCN Commission on Education and Communication? The answer is in the GSE's own Wendy Goldstein. Wendy is the Regional Chair for Australia/NZ of the Commission. Through her association with the Commission she has become aware of the Council of Environmental Deans and Directors USA; Canadian Universities for Environmental Science; and a university environmental network in the UK. IUCN draws on networks of educators for the environment in its global work and is interested to provide a platform to network networks. Hence the interest in creating a forum to share roles and functions of such networks.

For further information or to become involved in the exciting initiatives listed above, feel free to contact Wendy at wendy.goldstein@mq.edu.au.

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The 2008 New Scientist Eureka Prize for Science Photography

Of the many thousand photographs submitted, the 25 top entries have been chosen. They will be displayed first (from 4 August) in the Australian Museum, and then in venues around Australia over the next 12 months. Two of those 25 selected come from the Department of Biological Sciences.

Wade Tozer's (directly below) entry is a polarisation photomicrograph of a Podalobium scandens leaf section, being an unusual and beautifully coloured display of the epidermis with its stomates and the underlying venation.

Ron Oldfield's entry is a macrograph of the moss Ceratodon with its brilliant red stalks and green capsules.

The prize-winning photographs are yet to be announced.

Congratulations Wade and Ron, thank you for allowing us to reproduce your amazing images and good luck!

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Opportunities

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Greenbiz Cafe Talk Tonight!! How to Start Up A Green Business

Monday 14 July 2008

What's involved in starting and growing a green or renewable business? Join Alistair Duncan, Eco Living Centre, Don Pyke, Ecolimo Australia and Mary Hendriks, Aussie Renewables as they offer their insights followed by an informal discussion.

Time: 6:00pm-8:00pm Jul 14 Cost: $5 (inc refreshments)
Venue: The Fair Trade Cafe, 33 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe
Enquiries: GreenBizCafe www.greenbizcafe.com.au 02 9660 3303

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Events

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Biological Sciences Seminar this Wednesday!

“USING THE PAST TO CONSTRAIN THE FUTURE: EVALUATING MULTI-MODEL AND PERTURBED-PHYSICS ENSEMBLES USING PALAEODATA”

by Dr. Sandy Harrison

Wednesday 16th July, 1:00pm, Building E8A room 290 (Biology tearoom)

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Free public talk – The Aurora: Nature's Lightshow in the Sky

Professor Craig Kletzing
University of Sydney International Visiting Research Fellow,
And Professor of Physics and Astronomy,
University of Iowa, USA

The aurora has been a source of wonder for humanity since the earliest times. This natural phenomenon of dancing patterns of light and color continues to intrigue space scientists the world over. The fundamental power source for the Aurora is the sun's solar wind, which interacts with the Earth's magnetic field beyond the atmosphere to energise particles and create the light that we see.

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Grand Challenges in Health & Medicine. Public Lecture Series 2008

Topic: The fifty-year revolution in global public health . Presented by Prof.Sir Gustav Nossal, AC CBE Professor Emeritus, Department of Pathology, University of Melbourne.

Time: 5:30pm-7:00pm Wednesday Jul 30 Cost: Free
Venue: Eastern Avenue Complex, Eastern Avenue, The University of Sydney, Camperdown
Enquiries: School of Public Health, University of Sydney www.health.usyd.edu.au (02) 9036 7552

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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

Baby's smile helps mother
Researchers have found that when a mother looks at a photo of her own baby smiling, reward areas in her brain are activated - suggesting a 'natural high'.

Key to malaria's stickiness discovered
Researchers have found the key elements that allow malaria to bind to blood vessel walls, providing hope that disrupting their expression could kill the parasite.

Women's HIV prevention better for men
Anti-HIV microbicides created for women could in fact be more effective at preventing men from contracting the virus, new mathematical research has found.

Immunity relies on single growth factor
Research has found that our body's immune system hinges on a single growth factor, which could be used to boost vaccinations or natural defences.

Oceans more acid than expected
New coral evidence has suggested that ocean acidification is occurring faster than scientists expected, which could mean time is running out for many marine species.

Back pain recovery is slow
New research has found that lower back pain takes longer to heal than previously thought, especially if you're suffering from an injury that requires compensation.

Weight increases breast cancer risk
Women who are overweight or show signs of insulin resistance have a much greater risk of being diagnosed with an advanced breast cancer, researchers have found.

Australia's droughts will worsen
A report has found that droughts may soon occur twice as often and will be more widespread, putting further pressure on Australia's agriculture industry.

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