Issue 72 – Monday 14th March, 2022
Contents
HeadsUp
Some of us feel like we’ve been here a while and have seen a fair few changes. This dinosaur was an undergraduate student here when geographic data analysis was taught using punch cards and a mainframe computer. Then when I returned as a postdoc, every purchase was signed off in triplicate with carbon paper between layers and lecturing was aided by 35mm slides and overhead projectors.
But universities reach back well before such primitive technologies. Our own was established in 1883 as a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. If that seems a while ago, consider the University of Bologna which was founded in 1088 and has never been out of operation in the thousand years since.
The one value that has tracked through the history of universities is that of collegiality. An easy online definition is “companionship and cooperation between colleagues who share responsibility”. That implies we do things for each other out of a sense of a collective mission and with a sense of enjoyment even.
As we’ve needed to fill gaps with departures and secondments, I’ve been struck by the collegiality ethic at work. I’ve been heartened by people who say yes and worry about the consequences later. People in our team who give priority to the collective. People who step up rather than step aside. I’ve been most grateful.
We can, however, too easily expect postgraduates and recent graduates to do the same. The difference is we have ongoing salaries and are making time for more tasks; postgrads or recent graduates are, at times, yet to be contracted to do any work. And the eagerness to assist and be part of ‘Team Environment’ can lead to people beginning work before their employment is formalised. This can seem all the more an imperative to both parties (us and them) if a new semester looms and a course needs to be ready.
But my plea is that absolutely no work be encouraged or undertaken prior to a contract being signed. It is simply illegal in the eyes of employment law.
Despite us all standing on the shoulders of hundreds of years of universities and the academic ethic of mutual trust and collegiality, our contemporary university an employer and bound by the same rules as other corporate workplaces.
So, as the contemporary corporate meets the long-standing collegial community, let us maintain relationships in which active contracts for any work done protect everyone’s interest – even if a delayed completion of a contract results in late delivery on a work obligation.
Three cheers
Congratulations to Emma Sharp whose nomination for a UoA Early Career Research Excellence Award has progressed from the Faculty to the University stage.
Congratulations too to Rachael Boswell who last week successfully defended her PhD on ‘Play, politics and the production of space: DIY urbanism in post-earthquake Christchurch” and received an acceptance with no revisions or corrections.
Congratulations to Finn Lee who has progressed from the School to be one of five FoS nominations for the VCs Best Doctoral Thesis Prize to be considered at the University level.
An urging
Please get along (virtually speaking) to the brief by-zoom seminars by shortlisted candidates for the EnvSci lectureship. Patricia has sent out details
A reminder
If you are planning on applying for RSL for a semester or shorter period beginning end of this academic year, applications need to come to me for approval before the end of March
And
Enjoy this great autumn weather and the last weeks of summer daylight time..!
Robin Kearns
Whakawhanaungatanga – Communities
Seminar on the Proper Role of Science in Liberal Democracy
The University of Auckland – Critical Theory Network is hosting a seminar with Prof. Klemens Kappel (University of Copenhagen), who will speak on “THE PROPER ROLE OF SCIENCE IN LIBERAL DEMOCRACY.” The seminar is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday 6 April 2022 and will be held over zoom via the link
https://auckland.zoom.us/j/98045023756
Link to pdf for more information: On the Proper Role of Science
Masters Research Seminars 8 June 2022 — Rm 302-G20
Students who started in S2, 2021 will present their preliminary results. These are 10 minute oral talks followed by 5 minutes of questions. They are designed to assist students with the direction that their project is going in. Supervisors should support their students and all staff should support the research culture in our school.. This is an on-campus seminar series. However, we may revert to Zoom if campus access is not possible. Below is a preliminary schedule.
Cheers,
Phil Shane (coordinator)
| Time | Name | Topic | |
| 9.00 | KoKo | Lat | rock mass quality from seismic refraction surveying |
| 9.15 | Adi | Levy | Engineering Geological and Liquefaction Assessment |
| 9.30 | James | Wilson | Rock Characteristics on foreshore morphology |
| 9.45 | Amber | Peek | Environmental Education and Data Generation |
| 10.00 | Kenzi | Yee | Insects as food (for who?) |
| 10.15 | Elliot | Stevens | ‘Voice of the River’ in catchment management |
| 10.30 | Jaynie | Yang | Root production and root exudations in kauri forests |
Student Support
If students are struggling support is available:
Te Papa Manaaki | Campus Care https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/student-support/te-papa-manaaki-campus-care.html
Financial Support https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/study/fees-and-money-matters/financial-support.html
Covid will have likely have impacted progress for many so there are Postgraduate Extensions and Fee Waivers programmes. Note International students will need to consider visas!
Honours and Masters (as you know who will have been impacted please don’t wait for the last few days before the submission deadline to apply!)
Doctoral
If any doctoral students are ‘twiddling their thumbs’ because they can’t get into labs or do fieldwork it may be a good time for them to generally upskill:
Note to supervisors: Domestic PhD Admissions of those eligible for the guaranteed University of Auckland Doctoral Scholarships are up so it has become even more competitive for international applicants. Please manage expectations around this as you communicate with international enquiries.
Employment Opportunities
The following position has just been advertised at The University of Melbourne (details at https://jobs.unimelb.edu.au/caw/en/job/908285/professor-in-geography-earth-science-or-atmospheric-science-women-only )
This position is open to ANY discipline in Geography, Earth Sciences or Atmospheric Sciences.
Professor in Geography, Earth Science or Atmospheric Science (Women Only)
Salary: Level E, Professor – $204,320 p.a (Pro Rata for part time)
Superannuation: Employer Contribution of 17%
Working Hours: Full time 1.0 FTE
Basis of Employment: Continuing
Opportunity
The newly formed School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences wishes to appoint a Professor in Geography, Earth Science or Atmospheric Science. The appointee will contribute to teaching excellence at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels in one of the School’s disciplines and/or across the disciplines. They will also make major contributions to research, academic leadership and professional development including mentoring, and contribute to the School’s governance (e.g., committees, strategic planning, etc.).
The Professor will engage in high impact research collaborations and maintain a significant international profile through publications, presentations and other outputs. They will raise funding for their research and lead major projects as appropriate and engage with external communities and stakeholders.
About You
You will be an outstanding academic woman with expertise in Geography, Earth Science, or Atmospheric Science or a multidisciplinary area that encompasses those disciplines or any of its sub-disciplines
You will possess;
- A PhD in any area of geography, earth science, atmospheric science or a closely related discipline.
- An established research career of international standing in geography, earth sciences, atmospheric sciences, or multidisciplinary research that encompasses those disciplines, ideally complementing our existing strengths.
- Demonstrated leadership and strategic perspective in research and scholarship within their discipline area.
- Strong track record of collaboration with other researchers and relevant stakeholders.
The Faculty of Science is deeply committed to creating a diverse, inclusive and equitable environment that welcomes and values all people. We firmly believe that diversity, including in senior leadership, is essential to our Faculty’s continued success. https://science.unimelb.edu.au/
Funding
2023 CapEx applications now open
https://auckland.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9Rew1VYtLrpvkGO
Applications will close 5pm Friday April 29th.
Any questions can be directed to Blair Sowman.
Funding for class meet and greets
The Student Experience Committee has limited funding available for class related activities. If you want to run a class event, online or otherwise (challenging given the current restrictions), and would benefit from some funds, please contact Joe (j.fagan@auckland.ac.nz). The Committee would prefer to fund several small events rather than one big one (but we are open to suggestions).
Rutherford Discovery Fellowships
Rutherford Discovery Fellowships (RDF) are to support the development of future research leaders, and to assist with the retention and repatriation of New Zealand’s talented early-to mid-career researchers. 10 Fellowships, up to $160,000 p.a. each for 5 years in length will be awarded in 2022. Internal Deadline: 9am Wednesday 20 April 2022. Applications are to be submitted on the RDF Portal by the deadline. Email the following information to the Funds Advisor Team via submissions@auckland.ac.nz for RDF portal access: title (e.g. Dr, A/P, Professor), full name, email address, faculty, department and years post PhD Experience. Further information is available on guidelines and the RDF Roadshow.
Covid-19 Hardship Fund
Applications due 31 March 2022
The University has launched the University C19 Hardship Fund to support externally funded research projects critically impacted by Covid-19 during Q3 and Q4 2021 and which incurred ongoing expenses and are now experiencing a shortfall. Applicants must be a Principal Investigator of an externally funded research project ending before 31 Dec 2022, with a recorded COVID-19 Impact of Amber or Red. Please contact your RPC if your project has been impacted by Covid-19 to ensure its been assessed correctly. Please see the COVID-19 Hardship Fund Guidelines for more information and to determine what costs you can apply. Please contact your RPC if you wish to apply and to obtain the financial transaction details for the Q3 – Q4 period for your project. Please review the information that is sent to you and when you’re ready – apply online.
Plastics Innovation Fund
***Application Deadline 20 June 2022***
The purpose of the Plastics Innovation Fund is to support projects that will minimise plastic waste and its harm on the environment. The fund is seeking to fund projects that find ways to use less plastic and make what we do use reusable or recyclable. It is targeted at projects that: minimise plastic waste; support circular solutions; protect the environment from harm; support the reduction of imported plastic; and improve the behaviour of people and businesses (up the waste hierarchy). For further information visit the funder website or refer the Funder guidelines. You can also view a One-hour webinar about the fund
Publications
Jaco H. Baas, Megan L. Baker, Patricia Buffon, Lorna J. Strachan, Helen C.Bostock, David Hodgson, Joris T. Eggenhuisen, Yvonne T. Spychala (2022) Blood, lead and spheres: a hindered settling equation for sedimentologists based on metadata analysis. The Depositional Record, 00, 1– 13. https://doi.org/10.1002/dep2.176
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 Jignasha Kumar for next edition of P-cubed by Friday