19 June 2013 - MQ Staff - Macquarie University

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Jun 19, 2013 - rank Macquarie with the best. New research area .... Swapping business cards with staff from ... Ryde Bus
Green Paper

19 June 2013

The first major document from the Our University: A Framing of Futures project – the Green Paper – was launched recently, and staff have been providing their feedback ahead of consultation sessions to be held later this month. This week, the project website has been updated with more information about the project, designed to help staff understand how far we have come, and what will happen next. On the updated site you will find: • a downloadable version of the Green Paper • an animated video explaining the key themes and priorities • an interactive timeline of the project • an archive of project documentation. To date, 850 staff members have contributed to the consultation process, with many more taking part via the Your Say survey. If you haven’t yet been involved, it’s not too late! You can join the Vice-Chancellor and the project team at one of the cross-campus consultations and have your say on where the University is going. The consultations run from 12:30pm till 2pm on: • 25 June 2013 at Macquarie University Sport and Aquatic Centre • 26 June 2013 at Macquarie University Art Gallery, E11A.

To RSVP, email [email protected] with your preferred time. The project team will confirm your place by calendar invitation.

New research area

Spotlight on our winners

Top of their game

Macquarie makes its mark on Motor Neurone Disease.

Find out who our 2013 Innovation and Scholarship Program Grant winners are.

The Unijobs Lecturer of the Year Awards rank Macquarie with the best.

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TOP

of their game The Unijobs Lecturer of the Year Awards 2012 were announced recently and we’re delighted that Macquarie’s own Michael Gillings came in at number three! The Australia-wide competition attracted more than 65,000 votes, cast for over 4,000 nominees from across the country.

[L-R] Andreas Hellmann, Lisa Wynn, Trevor Case, Kevin Brooks, Sham Nair and John Scannell.

Macquarie’s Top 10 1. Michael Gillings, Biological Sciences 2. Paul Mason, Anthropology 3. Sham Nair, Biological Sciences 4. John Scannell, Media, Music, Communication and Cultural Studies 5. Anthony Lambert, Media, Music, Communication and Cultural Studies 6. Lisa Wynn, Anthropology 7. Kevin Brooks, Psychology 8. Andreas Hellmann, Accounting and Corporate Governance 9. Marie Herberstein, Biological Sciences and 10. Trevor Case, Psychology.

Paul Mason

Michael Gillings

Michael, a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, is no stranger to these awards, placing as Macquarie’s highest ranked lecturer for the last four years. He entered the list in 2009 when he placed twelfth. From there, he quickly climbed the rungs to the top, coming third in 2010, fourth in 2011 and third again in the most recent awards.

Created in 2007, the awards are an annual national initiative by unijobs.com.au (an Australia-wide University jobs website) that aims to acknowledge and promote university teaching and recognise staff that have gone above and beyond in the pursuit of the best possible learning experience for their students.

“I am still surprised every year, especially as there are some awesome lecturers here,” he says. “However, I’m pretty happy that lecturers from Biology have dominated the top 10 at Macquarie over the last few years.”

As well as a list of the top 15 lecturers nationwide, the top 10 favourite lecturers are identified for each participating institution, based on the number of votes received from students and staff.

Although Michael humbly attributes his success to having a large first-year class, some of his colleagues disagree.

Macquarie’s second highest entry, Paul Mason, placed twelfth on the national list and is a newcomer to the Awards. A PhD graduate from Macquarie in 2011, Paul has been lecturing here casually for the last couple of years across a number of departments, primarily Anthropology. Paul, who was aware of the awards and had successfully campaigned for some of his Anthropology colleagues in previous years, says his own place in the 2012 list came as a surprise.

“Michael has the perfect personality for being a lecturer,” says Sham Nair, a lecturer in the Department of Biological Sciences, who also made Macquarie’s top 10 list for 2012. “He is very approachable and engages the students.” Whilst not everyone agrees with Michael about which area dominates the list, there is a strong consensus of what sets a lecturer apart: student engagement. Andreas Hellmann, a lecturer from the Department of Accounting and Corporate Governance, was more surprised than most to make the list, but it seems his teaching methods inspired his students to vote him into Macquarie’s top 10. “I try to teach the broader concepts, not just the technical aspects of accounting,” says Andreas. “I try to give the students something extra that they are not going to get from the textbook.” “It always helps if you can find interesting ways to teach and present the course information,” says Lisa Wynn, Senior Lecturer from the Department of Anthropology, another of Macquarie’s top 10 regulars. Senior Lecturer from the Department of Media, Music, Communication and Cultural Studies, Anthony Lambert agrees, “I think it’s the personality of the lecturer; the ability to empathise and to communicate on a fundamental and engaging level. This is not easy for everyone to achieve.”

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“Students congratulated me in class; I had no idea that people were even voting for me,” he says. When it comes down to why Paul thinks he made the list, his views reflect those of his top 10 colleagues, attributing it to student engagement. “First impressions with students make a good semester; you only have a very small window to grab their attention and engage with them,” he says. “If you’re passionate about a topic, you have to share that passion with students.” Nominations for Lecturer of the Year 2013 are now open, and staff are eligible to vote, as well as students. If you think one of your academic colleagues is doing a great job, get voting! You could even start your own campaign with staff and students and, who knows, perhaps Macquarie will take the top spot for 2013.

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Spotlight on our 2013 Innovation and Scholarship Program Grant Winners

Photos courtesy of Mike Catabay. Taken during last week’s celebration event.

Dr David Nipperess

Oliver Coady with Dr Monique Crane

Dr Matt Bower

Dr Lorna Barrow

Dr Matt Bower

The delivery and problems associated with innovative learning to the prison student population: Working towards a better outcome

Augmenting our Reality at Macquarie: Exploration, Showcase, and Professional Learning

Prof John Cartmill

Prof David Christian

From Bedside to Bench: using clinical approaches to optimise safety in the laboratory

Making it Real: The Cosmic Background Radiation Explorer App

A/Prof Greg Downey

Mr Oliver Coady

Innovations in Hands-On Anthropology: 3D Printed bone fragments

Collaborative driven learning: innovative practice of collaborative editing

Ryde Business

Forum Macquarie University has recently rejoined Ryde Business Forum, and Julie Doherty, Vicki George, and Lena Corzo Neisser, from the University’s Careers and Employment Service attended a networking event in Top Ryde.

Olga Kozar with Dr Juliet Lum

Dr Brigitte Jandey & Dr Marika Kalyuga

Dr Juliet Lum

From universal to culture-specific concepts: a cognitive linguistic approach to teaching different languages (applications to French and Russian)

Synchronous Computer-Mediated Writing Groups for HDR Candidates

Prof Catharine Lumby

Prof John Magnussen

Learning and Teaching Social Media

Digitisation, 3D modelling, analysis, preservation and replication of small objects of antiquity

A/Prof Annabelle McIver Reflection and relevance in computer science - representing, sharing and reviewing computing solutions

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Dr David Nipperess A/Prof Helen Carter, A/Prof Robyn Dowling and Dr Anne-Louise Semple.

Exploring New Worlds: using a simulated environment to discover the rules of nature

Mr Robert Parker

A/Prof Peter Petocz

The Reading Game - encouraging learners to become question-makers rather than question-takers by getting feedback, making friends and having fun

Exploring a model for peer learning in Statistics

Dr Kimiko Tsukada

Dr Sarah White

Mobile Language Lab (MLL) for enhancing students’ learning experience and communicative efficiency in Italian and Japanese

Simulation versus practice: using authentic communication data to enhance simulation training

Julie, Vicki and Lena went along with the aim of promoting the range of talent amongst our students to local employers so that they would consider Macquarie University students and graduates as potential employees. Swapping business cards with staff from Aussie Home Loans, Harvey World Travel, local solicitors, training agencies and retailers, the trio worked the room to put the Univeristy at the forefront of local business managers’ minds. “With the rapid expansion of the Ryde area it is important that local employers see Macquarie students as employees of choice,” says Julie. Ryde Business Forum announced in their press release that they were “delighted to welcome back one of our Foundation Members”, and advocated not only the benefits of our degrees and short courses for staff development, but also the value of our participation and community engagement programs, encouraging members to consider student interns in the future. Despite the sterling work done for the University, the three said that their highlight of the evening was winning a worm farm in the business card draw. They have kindly donated their prize to the student group-led Community Garden.

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your diary June

Open now until 24 July (10am - 5pm)

Location: Australian Hearing Hub, Level One, Building S2.6.

Stalled, an insight into the differences between seven artists’ work. A juxtaposition of artworks set within a common space, the works play off each other like old friends in a pub. An array of works that set a tone that will strike a chord, an emotion, a conversation. Artists - Kyle Ford, Rocket Mattler, Tim Moore, Raytheon Buna, Danny Morse, Will French, and Mark Gowing.

Tickets: Free, but registration is essential by 20 June. Can’t make it? A video of the Colloquium will be available to view from the Alumni website early July.

for

Art gallery exhibition: stalled

Unlike many other skills (e.g., learning to read), learning to talk (or sign) occurs automatically, as a normal part of development, at least for typically developing children. Our research aims to better understand the mechanisms of language learning by exploring what aspects of language are easy and hard. This may involve looking at how different languages are learned, examining the processes of bilingual language development, or exploring the challenges faced by children with language delay or hearing loss. Professor Demuth will present the various methods used to better understand the nature of the language learning process, where it goes astray in cases of language learning problems, and the possible implications for intervention.

Sport Holiday Program

Tickets: Free Location: Macquarie University Art Gallery (E11A)

Macquarie University Sport offers many sport and activity options in which your children can participate during these school holidays.

Music on Winter Sundays: NSW Police Band Sunday 23 June (2.30pm - 5pm)

Tickets: Free, but registration is essential. Location: Macquarie Theatre.

Official farewell: Retirement of Professor Jim Piper Wednesday 26 June (3pm - 5pm) At the end of June, Professor Jim Piper will retire as Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research). Professor Piper’s contribution to the University over the past 37 years is nothing short of remarkable, and a range of public and private events are being held during his final week to mark the occasion and reflect on his incredible legacy. All staff are invited to join Professor Piper in the Atrium to celebrate his contribution to the University and wish him well on his retirement. Location: The Atrium (C10A). Tickets: Free, but registration is required.

Colloquium event: Children’s Language Acquisition Thursday 27 June (6pm - 8pm) Presented by Professor Katherine Demuth. Watching a child learn language is an amazing experience.

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FOR FULL PROGRAM DETAILS REFER TO CAMPUSLIFE.MQ.EDU.AU/SCHOOLSPORT This is an invitation to contribute to Macquarie’s annual celebration of learning and teaching which will be held from Monday 16 - Friday 20 September, 2013. This year there will be a General Program which will run from Monday 16 September to Wednesday 18 September, followed by the Annual Macquarie University 3 Minute Thesis Finals (on Thursday 19 September) and the Second Australasian Conference of Undergraduate Research (ACUR) (on Thursday 19 September and Friday 20 September). We are seeking interesting, exciting practice-based contributions for nano-presentations, demonstrations and poster sessions, as well as papers based on research and scholarship. Proposals for workshops, roundtable discussions and symposia are also welcome.

More newsletters around campus

As the General Program covers only three days, there are limited places available for presentations. All abstracts will go through a blind peer review process against set criteria. More information is available on the website below. We are also asking for expressions of interest from those who would be interested in reviewing abstracts.

In the first issue of this monthly newsletter, you will find:

If you wish to submit an abstract for review, or you wish to become involved with the review process, please visit the Learning and Teaching website.

· details about “Butt out at work” day.

Contact: Theresa at [email protected].

New Health and Safety newsletter launched The first edition of the new Health & Safety newsletter – SafetyTalk – is now available online or via email. · A welcome from the Vice Chancellor · Biological Sciences goes MAD · information on flu shots · getting involved in health & safety To subscribe to SafetyTalk, visit the Health & Safety website and enter your email address in the box on the right-hand side, or send an email to Michael Carley.

congratulations

Enliven and enrich your Sunday afternoon with fellow Macquarie friends, alumni and students, for an afternoon of music. The NSW Police Band is the longest standing concert band in Australia, established in 1895. The band is a full-time unit of the NSW Police and has performed for many Royal occasions, two Papal visits, Presidents of America and China as well as Heads of State and dignitaries from virtually every nation of the world. The band performs a wide variety of music and has released five highly acclaimed musical CDs.

Whether your children are looking to learn a new sport or pursue a new favourite activity in a fun, friendly and safe environment, then we have something for them!

Deidre Anderson

Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Students and Registrar) on her recent appointment as the new President of Australian University Sport during their 2013 annual general meeting. Her first official task was to sign off on the Brighton Declaration on Women and Sport which is an agreement that aims to develop a sporting culture that enables and values the full involvement of females in every aspect of sport.

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Making a mark on

Motor Neurone Disease MND is a rapidly progressive, terminal neurological disease, with no known cure. An estimated 1400 people have MND in Australia and thousands more carers and families live with its effects. Macquarie has a major involvement in the clinical care of MND with Professor Dominic Rowe treating some 10% of all MND patients in Australia. This has led to a new MND research centre being established within the Australian School of Advanced Medicine to use our modern facilities, including the Macquarie University Hospital, to make significant advances in both the diagnosis and treatment of MND in the near future.

Launch of the Deb Bailey Motor Neurone Disease Research Centre – an Australian first. The Deb Bailey Motor Neurone Disease Research Centre was officially opened in the Australian School of Advanced Medicine by Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir, AC CVO, Administrator of the Government of the Commonwealth of Australia on Thursday 6 June. The Centre carries the name of the late Deb Bailey, a former editor of the Australian Women’s Weekly, who died in 2001 aged 48 from MND. However, it is dedicated to the memory of all Australians touched by the debilitating disease.. Photos courtesy of Paul Wright Photography.

Academics in “One Million Metres for MND” Fundraising Ride ASAM MND researchers also joined on the last leg of an epic fundraising bike ride from Brisbane to Sydney, led by recentlydiagnosed MND advocates Dr Ian Davis and Scott Sullivan. Individually, both Davis and Sullivan are unable to ride a bike. However, a specially designed tandem bicycle enabled Ian to peddle and steer with his arms while Scott peddled with his legs. Fundraising for several MND related groups, including the new research program at Macquarie, Davis and Sullivan set out from Brisbane on May 3rd and arrived at the Manly finish line with the ASAM team on Saturday May 18th. Professor Gilles Guillemin said “the courage shown by these guys is incredible, and we were very pleased to ride alongside Ian and Scott in the last leg of their amazing ride. They’re great guys with inspirational stories and what they have achieved is just totally amazing.” The ASAM riders completed the 61 km ride from Avoca Beach to Manly and were met by an enthusiastic and supportive public on hand to cheer Ian and Scott.

Macquarie’s investment and focus on this disease has intensified over recent months, with three key initiatives and a dedicated team of researchers arriving on campus to start work.

Launch of MND research appeal

Ian and Scott leading the way on their specially designed tandem cycle.

The University is also reaching out to our broader community and alumni to share awareness of research into the disease. “Support from the community, in concert with the University’s own contribution, will give the researchers an enormous kick start. We look forward to a decade of achievement,” says Professor Simon Foote. Further information on the new research program, centre and appeal can be found on the Motor Neurone Disease Research website.

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Meet our Motor Neurone Disease research team leaders Professor Roger Chung, Leader of cell-to-cell team. Professor Gilles Guillemin, Leader of the inflammation team. Associate Professor Ian Blair, Leader of the genetic causes team. Associate Professor Julie Atkin, Leader of protein abnormalities. Dr Nicholas Cole, Leader of zebrafish models for MND.

The ASAM team with Ian and Scott. [L-R] Dr Ed Lim, Dr Ben Heng, Dr Andrew Badrock, Scott Sullivan, Dr David Lovejoy, Prof Gilles Guillemin, Dr Ian Davis, Dr Nick Cole and A/Prof Ian Blair.

Photos courtesy of Agatha Albano.

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bulletin b ard Vice-Chancellor’s Awards

gives you credit for one core unit in the Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (EDCN871 – Learning & Teaching in Higher Education). University-sponsored • For Macquarie staff enrolling in the program, the University sponsors tuition charges for the three core units of the Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education. Ongoing financial rewards for your Department

Applications are now open for Vice-Chancellor’s Awards, closing on 9 August 2013. The categories for Vice-Chancellor’s Awards are:

• The Macquarie University Teaching Index (TI) financially rewards Departments on an ongoing basis, for staff who complete qualifications in Higher Education, including the Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education.

* Vice-Chancellor’s Citations for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning ($2,000)

Experienced teaching staff

* Vice-Chancellor’s Awards for Programs that Enhance Learning ($5,000) * Vice-Chancellor’s Awards for Teaching Excellence ($10,000) * Vice-Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence in Higher Degree Research Supervision ($1500 for faculty award and $4000 for university award) Faculties should schedule their own awards process. The names of faculty award winners must reach the Dean, HDR by Friday, 2 August, 2013. Guidelines and Application forms can be found on the Learning and Teaching website. Please be aware that this is the University closing date. Different Department and Faculty closing dates may apply. Please liaise with your Department and Faculty well ahead of this closing date to ensure that an endorsement and signatures on the application are obtained before the University closing date. Signed and scanned copies of applications are to be sent to Ms Katherine Cui (Office of the Provost).

Keen to improve your formal teaching skills while studying a flexible, University-sponsored program? Macquarie’s Postgraduate Program in Higher Education is designed for academic or professional staff working in a higher education environment. Participants can improve their knowledge and skills in the core areas of: • Learning and Teaching in Higher Education • Leadership and Management in Higher Education Programs are fully articulated so that students can progress from Postgraduate Certificate, to Postgraduate Diploma and Masters levels within their chosen specialisation, with scope to progress to PhD studies. See more information on program structure on the LTC website.

Benefits of studying Higher Education at Macquarie Flexibility • External availability of units. • Flexible learning environments with online discussion tools and virtual classrooms. Credit for Completion of Foundations in Learning & Teaching (FILT) Program • Completion of your Foundations in Learning & Teaching (FILT) program, combined with completion of supplementary tasks,

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• All staff who teach core units have extensive experience in Higher Education. Applications to commence in Session 2, 2013 are open until 28 June 2013. Contact: Alison at [email protected] or call ext. 7598.

Call for Papers: Second Australasian Conference of Undergraduate Research The Second Australasian Conference of Undergraduate Research will be held on 19-20 September 2013. This year it is a two-day conference that will include poster presentations and spoken papers by undergraduate students, Master of Research students (1st year) and graduated 2012 Honours students from all disciplines and from across Australasia. This is a great opportunity for students to meet peers from other universities and share their work. All research is welcomed at this conference, from any discipline. We ask staff to encourage their students to get involved and present at this event. All staff are invited to come and see the work their students are doing.

All submissions are due by 1 July 2013. Presentations judged to be the best will be published in a special issue of MQ Matrix. UG and MRes students can win prizes of $1000 for the Best Presentation and Paper or $500 for the best presentation in Computer Science or Electrical Engineering. For more details please visit the LTC Undergraduate Research website www.undergraduateresearchaustralia.com.

For all enquiries please contact the Communications team by calling ext. 6766. For more information about how to submit content, please visit staffnews.mq.edu.au. Contributors Golda Mitchell Joanna Wheatley Amanda Leverett Editor Paul Wild Designer / Editor Peter McDonald