Issue 60 – Monday 19th July 2021
Contents
HeadsUp
I’m reminded of my islandnes here on Waiheke as I write these words while a storm rages outside and ferries are cancelled. It was 1624 that John Donne wrote the lines “No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main”. And it was about 1974 I had to memorise that poem in English class at high school. The implications of those lines have resonated down the years into times of more inclusive expression. We’re all part of something larger. We’re certainly on islands – larger as well as smaller – but can’t afford to be islands.
This connectedness to something larger has been more evident to me than ever as I have occupied JR’s office and been Acting Head of School. One cannot afford to maintain an insular vantage point. But it’s not just on the dizzy heights of the 6th Floor. We all need to be citizens of the School, Faculty and University.
This imperative was reinforced in the last week when the Associate Dean Academic, through JR as Acting Deputy Dean, requested use of the Multi-use Lab (MUL) for the remainder of 2021. No one likes giving up space. Threats to the occupation and use of space underly everything from door keys to border walls in this world. But manaakitanga is an important countervailing imperative for our times. In the case of the request to use the MUL it’s been a time of seeking the temporary use of other groups’ labs for those individuals and groups already booked in. A time of patience, negotiation, deliberation and, I’m optimistic, resolution.
One way to see it is that it’s an honour to host the FoS Curriculum Taskforce group. The first time I passed by that corridor in 302 since they moved in, the door was wide open, so I stopped in for a yarn. Please do the same. Make them welcome. Of course, our own Murray Ford is part of the group so he can broker introductions. I’m an optimist, so I’d like to think we’ll be enriched by their time in our midst.
It’s like the ‘Russian doll’ set a relative in Poland sent when my kids were very young; where one painted wooden doll opens to reveal another, and then another, and so on. We may primarily see ourselves as coastal experts, urban geographers, volcanologists or some other speciality, but we are more than that. We cannot be islands. We are members disciplinary/subject area groupings, who are also members of the School, all the while belonging to the Faculty of Science and, all those affiliations are nested within the University at large.
We’re all, in John Donne’s words, “a piece of the continent, a part of the main”. These are not times to be isolated islands, even if we live on them.
Turning to specific matters
- In a last stage of completing our School Review document, we are asked to revise our CVs according to the circulated templates, ensuring some brief narrative indicating impact etc. Please respond and return updated CVs to Anna simcock@auckland.ac.nz by Friday 23rd.
- In examining the School’s budget and accounts it appears the professional development fund available to academic staff ($4500 over three years) is not receiving much attention. Please remember this is available for reasonable and relevant opportunities to enhance your skills (e.g., I am drawing on modest amount to enrol in a te reo course)
- In a similar vein, it seems fewer than usual claims have been made on the allowance available for Honours and Masters students. If you are supervising students, be sure you facilitate them getting reimbursed for appropriate research expenses within the allocated budget.
- Our new appointee Dr Georgia Piggot will be with us this week, having completed her two weeks of MIQ. Welcome!
- With the new semester upon us, may all your teaching engagements be enjoyable…and, just think, by the time the semester ends we’ll be in summer daylight saving again 😊
Kind Regards,
Robin Kearns
Whakawhanugatanga – Communities
Office relocation draw
A couple of offices will soon be available in building 302. The School Steering Committee has agreed to organise a draw to attribute these two offices to whoever is interested in relocating from building 301. Therefore, please reach out to Michael Groom and JC Gaillard before the 23rd of July to express your interest. We should proceed with the draw at the subsequent Whakawhanaungatanga Platform meeting on the 29th of July. Thank you very much!
Pasifika Internship Opportunities @ Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research
Our land, our future – this is the essence of why Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research exists. At Manaaki Whenua we undertake research that focuses on preserving New Zealand’s rich biodiversity, improving biosecurity, and protecting the health of the land, fresh water and soil resources we need for a prosperous future. We recognize the importance of partnerships, the special role of Māori, and the need to ensure that all New Zealanders have the knowledge, understanding, and tools to truly live-in harmony with our precious environment. We are recognised nationally and internationally for the quality of our research and work with a wide range of organizations within New Zealand and globally.
Manaaki Whenua has two Pasifika internships available this summer, over the ten-week period starting early December – through to the end of February with 2 weeks off for Christmas. One of these positions has been earmarked for our herbarium located in Lincoln. Our herbarium has species from all around the world but specialises in indigenous and exotic plants of the New Zealand region and the South Pacific. Our second opportunity will most likely be in Auckland.
The internships are full time (37.5 hours per week) and the pay rate is $22.75 per hour, so a net pay potential of just over $6,000 for the summer.
Ideally, we are seeking Pasifika students who are studying Science, we are open to which year of study etc. In the event we have more than two relevant expressions of interest we would look to offer an addition internship/s where possible. EOI to be emailed to: Temo Talie taliet@landcareresearch.co.nz
Environment Equity Committee
We would like to make sure that students (and staff) are aware of the ENV Equity committee. To assist us with this are you able to show this slide in your first lecture and put up on your Canvas page so any students (or staff) who might like to connect around equity issues know where to go. If you have any questions about how to speak to this slide, really happy to have a chat, Sonia (Chair – ENV EC)
Seminars & Events
Protection and inclusion? A feminist legal geographic approach to disaster law and regulation
Why Disaster Law and what is it? Disaster law consists of a portfolio of legal rules for dealing with catastrophic risks. The term usually includes the numerous hard and soft-law instruments devoted to addressing the legal and institutional issues relevant in disaster. The complex coexisting definitions/meanings of ‘risk’, ‘vulnerability’ and ‘disasters’ within the disaster field induces debates on the ‘specificity’ of disaster law and on its miscibility with other branches of international or domestic law. This thesis will stand at the heart of this debate. Building on the large body of radical and feminist literature on the social construction of disasters and using a feminist legal geographic approach, it will explore the pertinence of the specific, technocratic, and hazard-focused way many legal practitioners and researchers keep addressing disaster law.
Zoom link: https://auckland.zoom.us/j/96616318877?pwd=eVNXd0JZNzRzV1lod1BMR0tyekh6QT09
The Faculty Of Science Pacific Research Symposium
The Faculty of Science is home to a growing number of Pacific researchers and Pacific-related research. This includes research with Pacific communities, environments, technologies, plants, animals, oceans, lands, skies, and more. Furthermore, this research is being produced amidst wider conversations about what Pacific research is, highlighting the dynamic nature of this interdisciplinary field. We aim to contribute to this wider conversation with a symposium highlighting the research of our Pacific postgraduate students and staff, and that of our non-Pacific peers conducting research relevant to the Pacific. This symposium will be a first for the Faculty of Science, and a unique opportunity to highlight the research capabilities of our Pacific colleagues and the dynamic research happening within the Pacific region.
We invite all Pacific postgraduate students and staff, and non-Pacific colleagues doing Pacific- relevant research within the Faculty of Science to submit an abstract (200 words max) to speak at the upcoming pacific research symposium.
Prizes for best student talks!!
Abstracts and registration for the event can be sent in via the QR code or the following link: https://forms.gle/6R6S5nFd5d6FVz6H9
Deadline for abstract submissions is 6 August 2021 5pm. We encourage graduate researchers to speak at this upcoming event.
School of Environment Ball
The annual School of Environment Ball is happening again on Saturday 7th August 7.30pm onwards at Phoenix Cabaret. Online ticket sales (https://forms.gle/esnCQrBaMEt4X6se6) have just started and the event is open to all undergraduates (r18+), postgraduates, staff and partners from SoE.
Prices:
School of Environment Students Ticket = $45pp
School of Environment Staff = $55 pp
Non SoE Ticket for friends and/or partners @ $55pp. (Limited availability)
Please see the event page on Facebook for further information or contact us via Email
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Geologize Practical Geocommunication online training course for staff and students
Following some leading UK and Australian universities, we have recently purchased a site-license allowing all UoA staff and students FREE access to Geologize’s critically acclaimed and widely accredited course, ‘Practical Geocommunication’. You also have FREE access to Geoscience Outreach in Schools mini-course (by Out There Learning Ltd) as part of the package. All together this is worth $720 NZD per person, so please take advantage of this.
The training helps geoscientists become more effective and powerful public ambassadors for our field, something the geosciences urgently need. It will also look great on your CV, so there is nothing to lose and everything to gain from this opportunity. And as Warren Buffet, the famous American investor said “The one easy way to become worth at least 50 percent more than you are now, is to hone your communication skills”.
How to enroll on the course
Uoa’s unique access code is: auck-pggz-2122
1) Head over to https://training.geologize.org/courses/auckland
2) Click on ‘UNIVERSITY ACCESS’
3) Register (Free. This MUST be your university address)
4) Click on the link ‘Have a coupon?’
5) Enter the code above. This will apply the discount.
6) Start learning!
The number of times this coupon can be used is limited to the those at UoA, so please do not share this code to those outside our institution. If you attempt to enrol with a non-UoA e-mail you will be unenrolled.
Learners follow the course at their own pace and you will have lessons, quizzes, assignments and the opportunity to interact directly Dr Haydon Mort, the course teacher through the forums. A certificate is provided at the end of the course, with the seals of the many international organizations who endorse this course.
CitiSci – citizen science workshop day
The School of Environment is collaborating with the Auckland Council and the Auckland Museum Institute (Auckland branch of the RSNZ) to produce the event CitiSci on 11th September: This is forum where citizen scientists interested in conservation can learn about emerging new tools, resources, and innovative techniques and where developers can interact with users.
CitiSci ran last year as part of the 2020 Auckland Council Pestival weekend.
Workshops are short 1.5 hour sessions. Free registration will be via the AC website (link will be circulated in the next P-cubed).
If you would like to present or suggest a session or have any questions, please email Rosemary Barraclough: rk.barraclough@auckland.ac.nz
2021 sessions penciled-in thus far are:
AI in conservation:
Using artificial intelligence to accelerate wildlife conservation, e.g. Spyfish Aotearoa. Session presented by Victor Anton, PhD from Wildlife.AI.
Armchair/remote conservation:
Participating in conservation via Zooniverse and other platforms presented by Monica Peters, PhD.
CatchIT V2 Version two of this online conservation resource will be released just prior to CitiSci: CatchIT tracks and protects rat trap, bird nesting and other restoration data, as well as providing graphics outputs e.g. heat maps and graphs. Presented by Prof Rachel Fewster, Dept of Statistics, UoA.
eDNA: (session to be confirmed) Environmental DNA monitoring, presented by Theirry Lints, FMHS, UoA.
AC Innovation: The Auckland Council’s ‘Conservation Information and Tools group’ led by Viv Cole will present re their most recent innovative field and digital tool development work.
iNaturalist: This free platform is the largest citizen bio-science platform in the country, with New Zealanders having made >1.12 million observations of 19 000 plant, animal, and fungal species over the past 14 years. Led by Colin Meurk, Landcare, and team.
Rangahau – Research
MBIE – Unlocking Curious Minds
NOTE TIGHT DEADLINE FOR REGISTRATION – Contact your RPC for details on how to register in the MBIE IMS portal
The Fund aims to encourage quality projects that reach and inspire a broad base of New Zealanders through initiatives that bring science and technology to audiences that have less opportunity to learn about and to engage with science and technology
The fund will support projects that:
- take place in 1 or more New Zealand regions
- reach audiences in more than 1 location across a region(s)
- provide 1 or more new science and technology engagement activities.
Grant Value: The available funding per project is between $50,000 (minimum) and $150,000 (maximum).
Duration: Projects will run for up to 11 months between 1 Feb 2022 and 31 Dec 2022.
Internal Deadline:
- Registration (compulsory): 12 noon, Monday 26 July 2021.
- Full Proposal:12 noon, Friday 20 August 2021.
Further information, including guidelines and other essential documents can be found on the MBIE website.
OECD – Co-operative Research Programme (Sustainable Agricultural and Food Systems) Fellowships and Conference Sponsorship
Fellowship: Applications are invited from research scientists working in agriculture, forestry or fisheries and who would like to conduct research projects abroad, in another member country of the Co-operative Research Programme. The aim of the Research Fellowships is to strengthen the international exchange of ideas and increase international mobility and co-operation among scientists working in these areas.
Value: Fellowships may be from 6 to 26 weeks, with travel costs, weekly subsistence allowance and airport terminal charges allowed.
Guidelines and further information available on the funders website.
Conference Sponsorship: Applications are invited from research scientists working in agriculture, forestry or fisheries for funding towards a conference (or workshop, symposium, etc) to take place in a member country of the Co-operative Research Programme. The aim of the Conference Sponsorship scheme is to inform policy makers, industry and academia of current and future research, scientific developments and opportunities in these areas.
Value: Travel Lump sum for Keynote Speakers, or a contribution made towards the costs of hosting a digital event. A contribution of EUR 3,050 (circa NZD 5,128) towards the publication costs of the proceedings of the Conference. This contribution is paid directly to the publishers of the proceedings
Guidelines and further information available on the funders website
Internal Deadline: 5pm Thursday 2 September 2021
Publications
Tim Baice, Sonia M. Fonua, Ben Levy, Jean M. Allen & Tepora Wright (2021) How do you (demonstrate) care in an institution that does not define ‘care’?, Pastoral Care in Education, DOI: 10.1080/02643944.2021.1951339
Neuwelt, P.M. and Kearns, R. A. 2021 Playing the Game: Interactively exploring journeys into primary care. Wellbeing, Space & Society. Published online 8 July, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wss.2021.100045
More 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
https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/about-us/about-the-university/identity-and-access-management/two-factor-authentication/download-authy-for-desktops.html
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 P-cubed-content for next edition of P-cubed by Friday