Issue 5 – Monday 1st April 2019
Contents
HeadSup
Kia ora koutou
People are continuing to come and go on Level 6. Hayley who did a terrific job setting up P-cubed has headed off to Australia for a new adventure and shortly Chris will be leaving his role as Academic Services Coordinator to take up a new opportunity in timetabling. Thank you and we wish you both well. Happily, Alex has arrived as Simrin’s replacement – welcome.
I’m delighted to highlight the inaugural ENV Careers Expo, an initiative that developed because one of our PG students saw a gap that needed filling and had the energy and perseverance to make something happen. Good job Michaela! It would be great to see lots of students pass through the Expo; please give it a big plug in classes and encourage research students along.
In the last budget we were awarded three new positions for the School (PTF environmental science/Pacific; S/SL Earth Sciences: Prof Environmental Management). Some of you may be wondering where we are up to in the appointments process. All advertisements are now closed. Currently we are interviewing for the PTF position and hope to have an outcome in the next few weeks. For the Earth Sciences position we have selected an initial short-list and are arranging skype interviews so that we can narrow the field to 2 or 3 people who will be invited for face-to-face interviews and presentations. The Professorial position is in the short-listing phase.
Lastly, it is super exciting to see Shane’s efforts to secure a new top-end microprobe pay off. Together with our LA-ICPMS, XRF and ITRAX, this piece of kit cements our first-class geochemical analytical capability. We expect to start commissioning mid-year with full operation anticipated September. Now is your chance to improve the School’s research and teaching infrastructure and assets: the 2020 CapEx round is open!
For your Diary
| Graduation | 1 May: Faculty Celebration Breakfast 7.30-8.45am
Environment Celebration Afternoon Tea 4.00pm |
Level 6 Common Space Building 302 |
| Faculty research induction day | 15 April, 1-6 pm (with 5-6 pm for refreshments & networking) | 303-G15 |
| ENV Annual Retreat – all staff | Wednesday 12 June, 9.00-17.00 | |
| ENV Careers Expo | 3 April, 1.30-3.00pm | 302-140 |
| 2020 CapEx Round | Submit applications to Blair Sowman by April 19 |
Faculty research induction day
The Faculty Research Support team is planning a Research Induction Afternoon for new staff, and staff who feel they would like to have a refresher on research support.
This will take place on 15 April 2019, 1.00 pm – 6.00 pm (with 5.00 pm – 6.00 pm for refreshments and networking); Location: 303-G15
This session will cover a range of topics including where to go for research support, what funds are available and how to apply for them, and the importance of impact and Vision Mātauranga in grant proposals. If you have specific topics you would like covered please let us know. For more information, please contact Wendy Rhodes or Kathryn Howard.
This has been advertised in the faculty; please encourage any new staff to attend. RSVP to Brittany Bennenbroek by 8 April 2019.
Funding success
International Central Network and Partnership Grant – Sila has been awarded funding to establish links with the Australasian Spatial Information Education and Research Association (ASIERA) – we look forward to hearing more about this association.
Welcome to the school!
Your new Group Services Administrator (Simrin’s replacement)
A very warm welcome to Alexandra Soudlenkova who is the newest member of the Group Services team and joined the School on 20th March as Group Services Administrator.
Alex brings with her excellent organisational and administrative skills having spent the last 10 years as a Pharmacist. Her attention to detail and excellent interpersonal skills give us every confidence she will do a great job supporting the School of Environment.
Alex is based on Level 6 (Environment Reception), so please feel free to introduc yourself to Alex when you pass by and welcome her to the School.
“Hello the Enviro world,
My name is Alexandra Soudlenkova, and as I’m sure you know, I’m the new Group Services Administrator for the School of Environment. Please, don’t hesitate to reach out with anything you need, I’m happy to help!
I’m really looking forward to getting up to speed in this new position – I know I have some big shoes to fill! If you have any quick tips for success in this role, don’t hold back 😊
Happy to be part of the team,
Alexandra – And, yes, Alex will do just fine 😊”
New Intern with Dr Lorna
A very warm welcome to Joshua Malone, a 3rd year Geology major from Augustana College, USA, who is completing an 8 week internship with Dr Lorna Strachan. Joshua will be working on the deep marine deposit that was triggered by the Kaikoura 2016 earthquake and deposited for at least 600 km along the deep marine Hikurangi Channel.
New PhD with Dr Jennifer
Welcome to the school, new PhD student Pablo Aguilera who has joined the School of Environment and is currently developing a project relating to geothermal systems in his home country of Columbia
2020 CapEx Applications
We are now accepting applications for the 2020 CapEx round.
You should have received the application form in your email this morning. Please return these to Blair by the end of April 19th.
If you have already submitted an application then you don’t need to do it again.
ENV fundraiser for Christchurch
The horrific white supremacist terrorist attack in Christchurch on Friday 15th March which left 50 dead and many more injured, saddened and appalled us all.
The School of Environment held a fundraising morning tea and bake sale to raise funds to support the victims and their families. The morning tea saw us coming together as a community, by bringing a plate in the spirit of whanaungatanga and manaakitanga. As we remembered the victims, we also celebrated our diverse origins in the School of Environment by bringing food we associated with home. With the help of ENV student volunteers we also held a bake sale in the foyer of Building 302.
Thanks to the generous donations made during the morning tea and the bake sale, we raised $2394 which was donated to Christchurch Shooting Victims’ Fund.
Learn how to take Environment photos for website and publications
You should have all received JR’s email invitation to join the University’s senior designer, Ashley Marshall, for a special presentation on the guidelines we need to keep in mind for our images to be considered for use on University webpages and in publications.
This is your chance to find out how students give their permission for their image to be used; what orientation and size images need to be; specific branding requirements and other hints and tips for University images.
Please make every effort to attend this presentation as we would love to see more of our own photos used.
Please RVSP your attendance to Samantha Huang using our handy google form and save this date in your calendar or diary: 9 April 2019 | 11am – 11.30am | Room 302-140
Available Scholarships
Please follow the links to the University website for more information
Market Economics Geography Masters Research Scholarship
R J Mowat Scholarship in Geology
School of Environment Maori Masters Thesis Scholarship
Flu Season is upon us!
Flu vaccinations begin next week, staff see more information about getting yours here~
School of Environment Careers Expo
When/Where? 3rd April 1.30-3.00 pm
Room 302-140 (Science building)
Do you study Earth Science, Physical Geography, Environmental Science and/or Human Geography and want a job?
Some of the Companies attending:
- ENGEO
- BECA
- Auckland Council Emergency Management
- Morphum
- Aurecom
- Auckland Council RIMU
- Tonkin + Taylor
The School of Environment Student Experience Committee
The Student Experience Committee has been established to support and enhance student learning while fostering positive experiences for all students within the School. As part of this initiative the Committee has a small pot of money available to support activities that encourage student retention. We are also keen to develop a student mentoring programme, so if you have specific students in your undergraduate classes that might benefit from a little assistance then please get in touch. For more information please contact Joe j.fagan@auckland.ac.nz
VGP research group meeting
The volcanology, geochemistry, and petrology (VGP) research group will be meeting on 11 April in 302-140 from 11 to 12. During this meeting, Sophia Tsang and Mike Rowe will be giving talks.
Geosciences group meeting
Next Marine Geosciences group meeting moved to Thu 11 April, 1-2 pm (from Mon 8 April)
School of Environment Facebook page
- The School facebook page is constantly seeking content. We have a large (~1400) and diverse group of followers who are very engaged in School happenings.
- Content that works well includes: field trip photos, staff/students in the media, photos generate a lot more engagement than text, staff successes (if there’s a photo and plain English text to accompany), student successes (i.e. a photo of a PhD student submitting their thesis tends to work well).
- Content that does not work well includes: lengthy posts (3-4 sentence max is usually best), routine admin type announcements (seminars etc.), links to academic papers and anything that appears to be too much like a sales pitch.
- Send photos/text to m.ford@auckland.ac.nz and he will post.
Outreach event needs volunteers!
The DEVORA (Determining Volcanic Risk in Auckland), QuakeCore, AUGA (Auckland University Geoscience Association) outreach group is taking our natural hazards lab to MOTAT (Museum of Transport and Technology). The annual science street fair draws 2000 visitors, and we have fun telling them about volcanoes, earthquakes, rocks, and earthquake engineering. This year we need help!
The event runs 10 am – 4 pm on Sunday 7 April.
Please get in touch if you have a couple of hours to play. No experience required! We will teach you all you need to know.
Here is the description for visitors:
Have you ever seen an erupting volcano? Felt an earthquake? Would you like to learn more about why volcanoes erupt and earthquakes shake? Build a house to see if it would stand up in an earthquake? Come to the natural hazards lab to do some fun volcano-related experiments and see examples of explosive and oozing eruption styles. Learn about earthquakes and why and how they rock and roll. Talk to volcanologists, seismologists, and earthquake engineers from The University of Auckland. All ages of kids and kids-at-heart are welcome!
Kaitoke Dunes at Claris on Great Barrier Island
Recent Hood fellow Monica Turner is a landscape ecologist whose foundational work in the field centred on the massive Yellowstone fires of 1988. To round out a productive and enlightening visit to Auckland, she was treated to a visit to one of the sites of New Zealand’s most recent and destructive fires – the Kaitoke Dunes at Claris on Great Barrier Island. As a regular site for teaching and research for George Perry, and the subject of Riki Taylor’s MSc thesis, they were able to show off many of the ecological highs and the lows of the island. These features range from endemic plants and recovering native bird populations, to the much-maligned (and usually overlooked by visitors) Kaitoke fire site.
Caption: L-R: Monica Turner, Riki Taylor, George Perry and James Brock amongst post-fire regrowth at the Kaitoke dunes.
Coastal Seminar Galore
When: Wednesday April 3rd 11.00-13.00
Where: Coastal Lab (4th Floor)
Eli Lazarus (University of Southampton): “Before the excavators arrive: dynamics of flood deposition in built environments”
Ana Rueda (University of Cantabria): “Deep learning in coastal waters”
Edwin Bayes (University of Auckland): something experimental (he has done some of the coolest lab experiments i have seen)
Karin Bryan (University of Waikato): something on mangroves and their effect on hydro- and morphodynamics (Karin needs no introduction. she does super cool research)
Each talk will be 20 minutes with 5-10 minutes for discussion. It’s all reasonably disorganized so please contact Giovanni for more details.
Eli Lazarus (University of Southampton) is visiting UoA to work on coastal hazards. He has worked on river morphodynamics and human interactions. He is based in Giovanni’s office. Give him a call if you wanted to meet him.
Funding call for the RSNZ – James Cook Research Fellowship 2019
The James Cook Research Fellowships are awarded to researchers who have achieved national and international recognition in their area of scientific research.
Click here to read further information
NZARB
Invite you to submit an abstract to present at our upcoming conference in Napier on the 14th and 15th November 2019
click here to read further information
Perspectives on the origin, nature, and limits of life
When/Where? 9th April, The Great Hall (105-101) 22 Princes St
Click here for more information and RSVP details
The Auckland branch of NZGS promotes the activities of geographers and the development of the discipline in the Auckland region. It has proven an effective platform for hosting and sponsoring public seminars and workshops, and talks by prominent local and international geographers
Classified Ads
Plan cabinet surplus to requirements. 5-drawers, mdf. Contact Louise Cotterall lm.cotterall@auckland.ac.nz if interested. They will fit into a station wagon if there’s no room in your office!
A surplus pinboard is available outside Mel Wall’s office (301-437). Free to any taker