Issue 44 – Tuesday 27 October 2020
Contents
HeadSup
Mālō ni
It’s Tokelau language week and the theme is ‘Apoapo tau foe, i nā tāfea i te galutau. Ke mau mai, ke mau mai’ which in English translates to, ‘Never give up hope, even amidst chaos and much uncertainty. Stay united, stay strong’.
We are into the last week of teaching for 2020 – wow, what a year! Our ENV Tutors have done us proud, going above and beyond their role to help make courses work. Thank you very much. We have a celebration lunch on Tuesday, 3rd November to acknowledge your work (see notice below).
I’m also looking forward to our ENV Staff Teaching celebration this Wednesday (see notice below) and JC’s inugural Professorial lecture tonight (what is it? 5th attempt). Can’t wait!
Other exciting news: Ingrid Ukstins has landed and is now in quarantine for 2 weeks before she joins on the ground. Ingrid has been working with us since mid-year but has had a frustrating wait for a VISA to get here from the USA. Welcome Ingrid!
Lastly, Graduation is coming up next week and we have a fantastic crowd planning to turn up for our ENV celebration. Feel free to wear a mask and remember the elbow shake. This should be a terrific event but unfortunately the rescheduled date coincided with an obligation I cannot break. I am pleased to advise that Robin will be standing in for me for this occasion.
I hope you all find things to enjoy in this last week of teaching, and good luck to all students for exams and final dissertation preparations.
Ngā mihi nui
JR
Whakawhanaungatanga-Communities
New Zealand Geographical Society
Geoscience Society of New Zealand Conference
Geoscience Society of New Zealand Conference Christchurch 22nd-25th November – Early Bird Registration 21st October
The Geoscience Society of New Zealand annual conference (https://confer.eventsair.com/gsnz2020/) is still planning to go ahead face to face in Christchurch 22-25th November. Early bird registration https://confer.eventsair.com/gsnz2020/registration has been extended to 21st October and if you missed the abstract submission deadline last month in the Covid chaos there is a rapidly closing window for Aucklander’s to informally slide a late submission into the (poster) programme – please contact Alex Nichols alex.nichols@canterbury.ac.nz and ‘Claudette van der Westhuizen’ Claudette@confer.co.nz asap to see what your options are.
Taranaki Reconnaissance Trip
A short article on Building a new Earthscience Stage 3 core paper focussed on Taranaki.
In late September, Lorna Strachan, Jennifer Eccles and James Muirhead, visited Taranaki for a reconnaissance trip to identify key locations that will form the backbone of Earthscience 320. Taranaki makes for an incredible natural laboratory for studying Earthscience processes from the dynamic coastline, where myriad rivers meet the vigorous Tasman, to the world famous >12 million year old deep marine sedimentary rocks, and the ever present peak of Mount Taranaki. Please click Taranaki Recconiassance trip summary for full article.
Thanks!
To those who attended the Postgraduate welcome back nibbles on Wednesday 14th October supported by Student Experience Committee.
It was very well attended – as Michaela (2020) stated “there is nothing like food to get people out and about”.
Tonya’s Blurb
Kia ora koutou,
My name is Tonya Wyatt and during semester 1 2021, I will be undertaking the Royal Society Science Teacher Leadership Program (STLP).
I completed my Bachelor of Science in geography, biological and environmental science in 2000 and have been teaching at an intermediate level since 2003. Last year I completed my Masters in Education at the University of Waikato focusing on science education and climate change education.
Presently, I am a specialist science teacher at Blockhouse Bay Intermediate, which has a roll of approx. 850 students. My focus as a primary science educator is to expose students to a wide range of science experiences, and develop their science skills and capabilities. During year 8 we undertake a citizen science project and investigate if our local stream, Wai Tahurangi, supports life.
During my STLP I will be primarily working with Kathleen Campbell in Earth Sciences. I have a wide range of interests in environmental science and am looking to engage with topics within this area. I am really looking forward to spending time back at Auckland Uni and increasing my science knowledge, while exploring how I can transfer environmental science research to the primary classroom setting.
Note: Tonya will be housed in the School for semester 1, 2021, as a science teacher in the Royal Society’s Science Teachers’ Leadership Programme. She is very keen to attend key lectures, go on field trips and engage with research being undertaken at all levels in the School, especially in Environmental Science. Please contact me at ka.campbell@auckland.ac.nz if you or one of your research students would be able to engage with Tonya – as an observer or with her helping with projects – during her time with us.
Thank you!
Kathleen Campbell
Meetings, Seminars and Events
2020 ENV Staff End-of-year Wrap-up
Dear Staff,
The End-of-year Wrap-up will be held on Tuesday 17 November from 12:30 – 18:00pm in the Old Government House. Please click here to register by Friday 6 November for catering purpose. Please advise Samantha if you are an apology.
Below is the tentative agenda. More details are coming.
12:30 – 13:30 Lunch VC’s Suite
13:30 – 16:00 Staff Presentations Federations Room
16:00 – 18:00 Drinks & Nibbles Members’ Lounge
Science PG Poster Competition
You are warmly invited to participate in the 2020 Faculty of Science Postgraduate Poster Competition. Showcase your expertise and passion for research! $2000 in prizes
Please see the Science postgraduate-research-showcase-website for more information and how to register.
Important dates
10th November, 4pm: Registration and poster submission deadline
16th – 20th November – Poster Exhibition, Science Foyer.
19th November | Prize giving function
The top-ranked posters (10) from this competition will be automatically entered into the School of Graduate Studies Research Showcase and will be eligible to win further prizes.
There are two other ways you can get involved: submit a research-related image or submit a creative item. All Science Students are welcome to participate. Application for those categories are directly with SGS. More details here.
School of Environment Graduation Lunch – 2020 Spring Graduation
Dear staff and graduands,
The School of Environment Graduation Lunch has been rescheduled to Monday 2 November. Please register here by Tuesday 20 October for catering purpose.
For queries, please contact Samantha Huang
2020 Honours presentations
The Honours students will be presenting their research projects on Tuesday 3 November (Geography) and Wednesday 4 November (Earth Science, Environmental Science, Geophysics) in the Ontology Laboratory, 302-551. This is an important part of the research experience, so please do come and hear them speak.
Please click here for the provisional schedule. It will be posted on the noticeboard outside Ontology as well.
Thanks,
Ako – Teaching and Learning
The Taiao Tutor Community of Practice
“The Taiao Tutor Community of Practice (TTCOP), a recent AKO Innovation Committee initiative, is a biweekly gathering of tutors from across the School of Environment. It represents an official space for tutors to discuss topics related to tutoring with the goal of achieving best practice for tutoring.
TTCOP alternates between two types of meetings: general tutor discussions and symposia of speakers to upskill and improve the tutoring capacities of the School’s tutors! All students with an interest in teaching (including tutors!) are encouraged to come. We also welcome staff to the symposia about upskilling.
In the last symposium, we had Andrew Patterson, a Professional Teaching Fellow from the University of Auckland Business School who came in to speak about student team building in a university context. You can view the recording of his presentation here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HNfP1YvUYZyS-rt3iCeX0NDp2LmIVj75/view?usp=sharing
TTCOP has many more exciting meetings planned, so stay tuned!”
For enquiries, please contact Martin Joe
Inaugural Lecture – JC Gaillard
JC Gaillard is Professor of Geography at The University of Auckland. He is trained as a geographer with particular interest in disaster risk reduction (DRR) in Asia and the Pacific. His work focuses on inclusion and power in DRR. It includes developing participatory tools for engaging minority groups in disaster risk reduction with an emphasis on ethnic and gender minorities, prisoners, children and homeless people. JC collaborates in participatory DRR trainings with local governments, NGOs and other civil society organisations.
Physics Lecture Theatre 1, Building 303
303-G20, 38 Princes Street – Auckland , 1010
Refreshments will be served in the basement foyer of building 303 (303-B00L2) from 5:30pm, prior to the lecture.
Please register on Eventbrite: https://jcgaillard.eventbrite.co.nz
Meetings, Seminars and Events
School of Environment Staff Teaching Celebration and Ako Awards
Wednesday 28th October, 11.30-1 pm, 302-551 (Ontology)
Please book your calendar to attend the School of Environment Teaching Celebration. 2020 has been a challenging year for staff, where we have had to rapidly adapt and transform our teaching as a result of COVID-19. We have had to shift rapidly to online teaching, dual delivery, blended learning etc. This event is to acknowledge your tremendous efforts in the face of these challenges and celebrate the end of a quite extraordinary teaching year!
The event will include the awarding of the annual Ako Awards which recognise teaching excellence within the School.
The event will include lunch!
ENV 2020 “Celebrating our tutors” Lunch
Tuesday 3rd November, 11.30-1 pm, 302-551 (Ontology)
A message for all postgraduates, postdocs and staff. The School is running a lunch as a thank you to all GTAs and TAs in ENV. 2020 has been a tumultuous year for the University and the tremendous work of our tutors has dramatically improved our teaching programmes. We could not do it without you!
This event is to acknowledge your fantastic efforts in the face of these challenges and celebrate the end of a quite extraordinary teaching year.
Rangahau – Research
Te Tumu Herenga | Libraries and Learning Services
Bespoke Data requests from Statistics NZ
University staff and students can access Stats NZ information and data exclusively available to universities made possible through an agreement between the Council of New Zealand University Librarians (CONZUL) and Stats NZ. You can request customised data sets for your research, including data that is not openly made available via the stats.govt.nz website.
Customised data
Universities each have a set allocation of hours for customised data that is available to individuals for specific research purposes. This applies to all datasets produced by Stats NZ for which customised tables can be prepared.
Our current balance is 94 hours. Most requests average between 2-4 hours of work.
Examples of requests
- Figures on the number of Māori that have migrated from Auckland to Northland from 1980 to 2000.
- Occupation fields and cross tab against age, ethnicity and sex, and a breakdown of Auckland, rest of NZ and total NZ, for both 2013 and 2018 census figures.
- Finding data on the number of Pacific academics in higher education in NZ, broken down by institution (i.e. universities, polytechnics, wanaga). What percentage of the academic workforce they comprise.
- Type 1 diabetes incidence data on the Auckland region from 1976-1996 broken down by age (0-4, 5-9 and 10-14), sex and prioritised Level 1 ethnicity.
- Numbers of tertiary students using public transport to travel to university in Auckland
To make requests for research data contact Dr Donna MacColl from Research Services at donna.maccoll@auckland.ac.nz
Research and Funding Opportunities
Postgraduate scholarship programme
DOC offers postgraduate research scholarships for conservation related research in natural and social sciences. These help achieve New Zealand’s conservation goals.
Applications close 1 December 2020.
https://www.doc.govt.nz/our-work/research-and-development/postgraduate-scholarship-programme/
LINZ Tertiary GIS Scholarships
Please find details of this scholarship here
MBIE Endeavour Fund – 2021 Investment Round
MBIE Endeavour Fund has 2 investment mechanisms:
Smart Ideas – smaller investments intended to catalyse and rapidly test promising, innovative research ideas with high potential for benefit to New Zealand, to enable refresh and diversity in the science portfolio.
Research Programmes – larger investments intended to support ambitious, excellent, and well-defined research ideas which, collectively, have credible and high potential to positively transform New Zealand’s future in areas of future value, growth or critical need. Applications can be made under two research impact categories: 1) Protect and Add Value or 2) Transform.
Applications for either stream must:
- be designed so that the majority of benefits occur outside of the Research Organisation;
- be for research, science or technology, or related activities, the majority of which are to be undertaken in New Zealand;
- not be for research with the primary objective of health, defence or expanding knowledge outcomes
| Smart Ideas | Research Programs | |
| Funding Available | $0.4 – $1.0 million over the term of the contract | $0.5 million or more per year |
| Contract Term | 2 or 3 years | 3, 4 or 5 years |
| Registration Deadline* | 12 noon, Tues 27 Oct 2020 | 12 noon, Mon 30 Nov 2020 |
| Concept Proposal | 12 noon, Mon 16 Nov 2020 | |
| Full Proposal | 12 noon, Mon 10 May 2021
(by invitation) |
Mon 22 Feb 2021
|
* Registration is via the IMS portal, and requires a significant amount of information. Please get in touch with your RPC asap if you intend on submitting a proposal.
Essential documents can be found on the MBIE Endeavour Fund website.
Spaces are still available to attend the upcoming online Endeavour Fund Roadshows on 12, 13 and 19 October 2020. Register here.
The Research Gateway on the University of Auckland Staff Intranet has a dedicated MBIE Endeavour Fund which contains exemplars of successful Smart Ideas and Research Programmes, videos and other useful information
There are also support offerings around impact, VM, budget development – please touch base with your RPC to discuss what your needs are.
New Zealand History Research Trust (the History Awards)
The New Zealand History Research Trust Fund (the History Awards) supports historians, researchers and writers working on non-fiction projects that will significantly enhance our understanding of New Zealand’s past.
Value: $12,000
Deadline: 15 October 2020
For guidelines and the application form, please visit the funders website.
Amelia Earhart Fellowship
2021 Te Pūnaha Hihiko: Vision Mātauranga Capability Fund
Fund Purpose:
- Strengthen capability, capacity, skills and networks between Māori and the science and innovation system, and
- Increase understanding of how research can contribute to the aspirations of Māori organisations and deliver benefit for Aotearoa.
Key Features:
- Proposal must be co-developed with a Māori organisation
- Proposal must include co-funding at a minimum of 10% of requested amount
- Research must support the themes and outcomes of MBIE’s Vision Mātauranga policy
- Fund includes 2 schemes: ‘connect’ and placement’ – Connect Scheme: Build new connections between Māori organisations and the science and innovation system; Placement scheme: Enhance the development of an individual(s) through placement in a Partner organisation
Grant Value:
The work programme term for both Connect and Placement schemes is up to two years.
- $150,000 (ex GST) – max funding per proposal for projects up to 1 year in length
- $250,000 (ex GST) – max funding per proposal between 1-2 years in length
Internal Deadline: 12 noon Monday 2 November 2020
For further information, including details on eligibility, please visit the MBIE website or contact your RPC
New Publications
- Fleetwood B, Brook MS, Brink G, Richards N, Adam L, Black PM. (2020). Characterization of a highly heterogeneous flysch deposit and excavation implications: case study from Auckland, New Zealand. Bulletin of Engineering Geology & the Environment 79: 4565-4578.
ENV IT Committee Updates
Update as of IT Committee – Software expenses in 2021
Our IT budget for 2021 will be tight. If you are planning to request any software, limited hardware, or (new:) data, funded by ENV’s School IT budget in 2021, please send the following information to Ingo, i.pecher@auckland.ac.nz, by Fri 13 Nov.:
– Requestor
– Names of staff supporting request
– Name of software/hardware/data package
– Cost (good approximation in NZD is sufficient at this stage)
– Amount of co-funding from research projects
– Classes for which software is requested
– Justification, including what would happen if you did not get the software/hardware/data
Please also do so if you request renewal of software used in 2020. We will not automatically roll over license expenses.
A few additional points:
– This only affects funding from the School budget (not research projects) with focus on teaching.
– Contribution from research budgets is expected, if funded research projects are using the requested software/hardware/data.
– Most of our software expenses are annual renewals. If we fund your request for 2021, do not automatically expect continuation in 2022.
– Hardware is very limited and falls under Capex and IT purchasing rules (computers e.g., cannot be purchased). Just submit your requests though; we will have a look.
– Data requests are new – let’s see how this goes.
Update as of 12 August (8 PM):
Back in lockdown…. We have managed before! Please watch this space. We will do our best to provide you with up to date information. Please keep Ingo Pecher (i.pecher@auckland.ac.nz) and Michael Martin (michael.martin@auckland.ac.nz) on cc for ENV-IT related questions.
IT are doing a tremendous job enabling us to work remotely and deliver our classes online. We here compile what we think is the latest and most accurate information. Any information from Connect (University IT) overrides what is in these pages.
A few key points, for now:
- Please prepare for a prolonged period of on-line only access starting today (Wed) at noon.
- From JR’s message from last night: “For teaching staff and GTA/TAs: as before, if you require your computer and can access it before midday please do so. Please complete the online form for taking kit off campus when practical.”
- Any IT equipment you take home: complete the Off-Campus IT Asset Registration Form (or search for Off-Campus IT Asset Registration Form).
- Make sure you have installed FortiClient (VPN), VMWare for FlexIT, and 2-step authentication.
- FlexIT has evolved tremendously in the past couple of months. Check it out, also for teaching purposes.
- We just had a meeting re. software requirements for a possible future (…) lockdown. In particular, we have decided to get a license for SketchFab e.g., for virtual field trips. More soon.
- Remote working issues: Please refer to the remote working page. If you do not find the answers to your questions, please log a call on the IT Portal for any IT-related issues or contact the Staff Service Centre for other queries. Please minimize personal requests – IT will be extremely busy.
Other information
Need to store and share research data? Request Research storage or UoA Dropbox for research
Queries about virtual machines? Virtual machine consult or Nectar Research Cloud?
ResearchHub: connects people, resources, and services -research-hub.auckland.ac.nz
Remote working issues: Please refer to the remote working page. If you do not find the answers to your questions, please log a call on the IT Portal for any IT-related issues or contact the Staff Service Centre for other queries.
Two-factor authentication: Authy
YubiKeys work but of course require a USB port.
VPN: Instructions on how to install
VPN, Linux: FortiClient is running fine on Linux. Check the VPN link listed above.
VPN, Mac desktops: (information from April, may be outdated). Students may need IT to make their machines mobile and install FortiClient directly from the website. They will also need to set-up two-factor authentication by downloading an app like “Authy” on their phones and then setting up their University of Auckland account. I suggest people do this part before IT gets to them to make the process faster. To do that, they can use the instructions on this page:
To get a mobile account set up, log a service request or go to one of the service kiosks. It is unclear how this is being done remotely but I am sure this can be done. Please let me Ingo (i.pecher@auckland.ac.nz) know if you have managed to install FortiClient on their macs remotely.
FlexIT and Remote Access
FlexIT is straight-forward for remote access to computing power and programs. Alternatively, check if your project/group or so has a virtual machine. Remote desktop access to specific machines can be set up by IT but may note be reliable. Check the Staff Service Center https://uoaprod.service-now.com/sp.
Remote access is possible to some workstations in the geocomputational lab for research, and on a needs basis. This may be a viable solution for specialized data analysis. Please look into alternatives: It is unclear however, if/how on-site desktops can be maintained, if needed..
FlexIT access and requests: Use the FlexIT form in the IT Portal to request access as a staff member, to ask for an application be added, or to report any issues or faults.
FlexIT, Linux: Please check FlexIT link: https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/my-tools/flex-it.html. It does not have any information on Linux but should be useful for “translation”.
Depending on your browser (in particular, Firefox), you also need to do the following, from https://communities.vmware.com/thread/595554.
“…tested with the Horizon 4.8.x and 4.10.x clients and Firefox v64.0. Both are 64bit versions, running on Ubuntu 18.04.1
- Download the client from the VMWare Horizon Client for 64-bit Linux
- In Firefox, open about:config and click through the warning.
- Add a new boolean entry called network.protocol-handler.expose.vmware-view and set the value to false
- Create a file called `test.html` somewhere on your computer and put the following in it:
test - Open the file in Firefox and click on the link, which should prompt you for a path to open the link.
- Select /usr/bin/vmware-view and it should work for future uses! “
(1) was provided by UoA but I think it works with generic software from VMWare as well.
Check with Ingo (i.pecher@auckland.ac.nz) if you run into problems.
Software licenses: Software vendors have relaxed their licensing to allow students to install software at home, rather than relying on Flex IT. There is a running list here https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/my-tools/flex-it/install-software.html
Please email content to Bizza for next edition of P-cubed by Friday 6th November