Issue 78 – Tuesday 7th June 2022
Contents
HeadsUp
I’m always grateful when someone alerts me to an interesting angle on what we are doing or could be doing differently.
This week, Mark Dickson sent me an extract from a commentary in The Listener. It spoke of the resignation of young people to a world whose contours are changed, possibly irrevocably, by influences such as Covid-19, the climate crisis and housing affordability. As Mark speculated in his email “I wonder if young people would enrol in what they perceive to be a positive programme that offers solutions, but may not enrol in something that they perceive as just offering more bad news”. Food for thought.
Do we risk our courses – whether dealing with covid, climate, housing or whatever to be a scholarly version of ‘doom-scrolling’? Do we perhaps have a duty to find ways to present and discuss windows of well-grounded hope – both for the sake of enrolments and sowing seeds of hope in the world?
Students are, on balance, of an age they will live with the ramifications of the times we are in longer than we will. Maybe they hunger for more positivity than we sometimes offer.
I’m sure we offer hope in various parts of our teaching programme. Environment people are mostly outward looking and problem-solvers. But the message of the snippet Mark sent was that young people want solutions not soliloquies to the past or more detail on how dire situations have become. They want to know there is hope and to learn of ways to become agents of change.
This reminds me of a geographer colleague, Bob Huish, in Nova Scotia who runs a well-received course on activism. It also leads me to reflect on a paper another Canadian colleague, Gavin Andrews, published on geographies of hope. And I’m also led to recall a recent moment when a visitor saw a book at my house called ‘Covid-19 and similar futures’ in which I’d published a chapter. Their reaction? “I’m not sure I want to read that book”.
How can we teach in a more hope-full register? Can we be more hopeful educators? Worth pondering…..
Robin Kearns
On a more immediate note..
We continue to workaround forthcoming RSL absences and I am happy to report that
- Jon Tunnicliffe has kindly agreed to temporarily be GISci advisor for Semester 2.
- James Muirhead has kindly agreed to assume the PG Advisor in EarthSci role from Michel Rowe (who will be Head of EarthSci from July 1)
Please remember the great Pūatatangi learning opportunities in Te Reo being offered by Kimoro Taiepa at present. Contact him if you want the details…
And although they can be frustrating appendages, please remember to wear a mask in our buildings unless you are alone in your office.
Travel:
Please note: Travel Insurance for accompanying family members/partner/spouse
As outlined on the staff intranet International travel insurance – The University of Auckland. Please note the UoA Allianz Premier Corporate Travel Insurance Policy does not cover accompanying family members. Accompanying Spouse/Partner must purchase their own travel insurance.
An exception to this is;
Dependent child and children are automatically covered under the travel insurance policy of the UoA parent travelling if they fit within the following criteria:
Dependent child and children
An insured person’s and their partner’s natural and legally adopted children under 16 years of age or under 25 years of age while they are full time students at an accredited institution of higher learning who are primarily dependent on the insured person for financial maintenance and support.
For staff who wish to purchase the same travel insurance to ensure continuity of cover for accompanying family members or pure leisure travel please contact the Risk Office for further advice riskoffice@auckland.ac.nz
For staff travelling on University business where their personal days exceed the number of days covered by the University Insurance policy it is recommended that you purchase the additional policy from the University’s insurance provider to ensure continuity of cover. Please contact the Risk Office for further advice riskoffice@auckland.ac.nz
General Announcements
Metrotest will be undertaking the test and tag in early to mid-June weeks, electric testing is there to keep us safe please give them access to your offices when required. We’ll provide more details closer to the date.
Reminder – Field plans are required and need to be approved before undertaking any fieldwork
Field activity is any work carried out for the purpose of teaching, research or representing the University off-site, including site visits and reconnaissance trips. A field activity plan is required where facility for health and safety is not managed by another institution.
Any time you wish to undertake field work or a site visit you need to complete a Field Activity Plan and have it signed off by the appropriate people; Blair or Andres can do the final signoff.
The use of private vehicles for University work is only approved in exceptional circumstances, and must have full/comprehensive insurance. Please discuss this ahead of time. Generally private vehicles are not approved for field activity outside of Auckland.
There are two field activity plans, please choose the one appropriate to your activity. These are located in the tech section of p-cubed.
Risk assessment information can be found here https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/health-safety-wellbeing/health-safety-topics/risk-assessments.html
Postgraduate Research administration after the reforms (sounds like a Human Geography PhD title)
We have entered the new post-Liana realm of post-graduate research administration. It’s a lesson in just how much work is required in making systems work … and just how good Liana was at that job. Short of somehow stealing her back as the go to person for all queries, here’s a PG research specific guide to complement the more general post-reform guide to administrative roles produced in an earlier issue of P-Cubed:
- Postgraduate student administrative queries – first step is to consult https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/science/current-students/postgraduate-students.html. In practice, that site will direct you to direct most queries to sciencepg@auckland.ac.nz. Academic programme advisors, supervisors, and the relevant postgraduate advisors listed below are also points of contact for academic, pastoral and other queries.
- Staff administrative queries
- Matters to do with Honours and all sub-90 point masters theses – Gretel is normally the first port of call
- Matters to do with 90 and 120 masters theses – Phil Shane is first port of call
- PhD matters – Wahapū is the formal interface with the University for most students now and Jennifer Eccles is your contact in the School. For any students still on the old system please liaise with Jennifer.
- Anything that asks for an HoD (or nominee) signature – Nick Lewis is your first port of call
- Fire-fighting
- Masters’ supervisors will be receiving AS512 forms from sciencepg@auckland.ac.nz. Please complete Part A of the forms as quickly as possible and email to Phil Shane (ie recommend examiners and fill in any fields that are incomplete in terms of co-supervisors, student name and ID number, thesis title etc). DO NOT send AS512 forms to Robin. Phil will initiate the process of HoD nominee sign-off.
- More to come I’m sure….
- New processes are being developed centrally to administer Masters programmes, and we can expect to see something akin to Wahapū – especially given the changes to postgraduate programmes being signalled from Curriculum Transformation initiatives
Nick
Associate Professor, School of Environment
Whakawhanaungatanga – Communities
Faculty and School/Department Research Centres
A call for proposals is about to open for Faculty and School/Department Research Centres. This Faculty process follows on from the University-level process initiated last year to support the establishment and development of flagship University Research Centres.
There will be a two-stage process. Applicants should complete the EOI Form and submit to FoS-researchadmin@auckland.ac.nz by 5.00 pm on 1st July 2022. Full proposals will be due on Wednesday 31st August. See the RFP for a more comprehensive process timeline.
For questions, please contact Wendy on FoS-researchadmin@auckland.ac.nz.
Honours Research Projects and sub-90 points Masters dissertations
Dear colleagues,
Thank you to everyone who supervised and/or examined Honours Research projects and sub-90-point Masters projects/dissertations in 2021. Your time and effort in supervising students and/or examining projects in what was a disrupted year, protracted by deadline extensions, is greatly appreciated. The 2021 cohort should now be all finished and moving onto new things.
In 2022, we have students completing Honours and MENVSCI 30-point research projects, and Bachelor of Advanced Science 60-point dissertations, with submissions in Semester 1 (Monday 27 June) and Semester 2 (Monday 14 November).
For your diary:
- S1 Honours and MENVSCI Oral presentations– Wednesday 8 June. Time and venue to be confirmed.
- S2 Honours, MENVSCI and BAdvSci Oral Presentations – Wednesday 26 October. Time and venue to be confirmed.
These are on the same day as Masters presentations and every effort will be made to avoid clashes.
Finally, if you are supervising Honours/MENVSCI/BAdvSci students this year, please ensure their project is achievable within the one- or two-semester timeframe and that it can be completed under pandemic conditions. Please encourage your student(s) to meet the end-of-semester submission date too, even if Covid-19 extensions are again offered by the Faculty; it is helpful to the students, for getting grades back in time to go on to further study or work, and to those involved in the examination process if we can all stick to the schedule.
Kind regards
Gretel Boswijk
(Honours coordinator)
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 |
Kia Ora Disaster Researchers!
Welcome to the Disastrous Doctorates 2022 has a new date! The DD2022 symposium is rescheduled for 11-13 July. It will be hosted by The University of Auckland in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. At this time, this conference is moving forward with in-person attendance.
Please follow us on Twitter and Facebook for the most up-to-date information.
Disastrous Doctorates is an annual multi-day symposium for PhD students enrolled at a New Zealand university who are directly studying disaster-related topics. It is organized by PhD students for PhD students. The symposium provides a forum for students to network and learn from each other and subject experts, share best practices and learn helpful tips on managing a PhD career and beyond. We welcome students from across the full range of disciplines, including social sciences, engineering, geology, geography, and law.
Please register on the link below;
Official Registration Form – Disastrous Doctorates (wordpress.com)
SouthSci and WeSTEM – STEM Partner Role Description
Participatory science platforms (PSP) connect STEM experts with school and community groups, to explore a research or design question and engage youth in STEM. Please see for more information: SouthSci WeSTEM STEM partner role – 2022.
Dustsafe Aotearoa: our new community programme
Are you interested to know the concentration of metals in your home dust and/or, would you like to support colleagues (Emma and Melanie) and PG student (Declan) in mapping metals in home dust across Aotearoa NZ?
It is a free and easy! You just need to complete a short survey online and bring your dust to reception Level 6 (we are happy to get your whole vacuum bag if that’s easier).
Feel free to share this opportunity with your family, friends and broader community. It is a time-limited programme, so we hope to receive your sample soon!
Check out the details on our website at http://dustsafe.auckland.ac.nz.
Funding
Scholarships for students to undertake research at the SoE
The Rangahau Committee coordinates the distribution of three new scholarships to support students in undertaking research in our School. If you know potential applicants or if you are a potential applicant, make sure you contact the people below. There is no strict deadline at this stage, but the earlier we hear from you, the better. Note that these scholarships are also advertised via other channels.
- Moana PG Research Scholarship: NZ$500-1000 (5-10 awards available) to support Pacific students to do research at the SoE at the post-grad level (Master or Hons). Contact Sonia Fonua s.fonua@auckland.ac.nz
- Māori PG Research Scholarship: NZ$500-1000 (5-10 awards available) to support Māori students to do research at the SoE at the post-grad level (Master or Hons). Contact Kimoro Taiepa kimoro.taiepa@auckland.ac.nz
- Undergrad Research Experience: NZ$800 (up to 10 awards available) for undergraduate students to shadow a researcher (Master/PhD student, research fellow etc.) for a period equivalent to 2 weeks (as a block or spread over a longer period that suits the research). Contact Melanie Kah melanie.kah@auckland.ac.nz
Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research – Greener Cattle Initiative
The Greener Cattle Initiative (GCI), facilitated by the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR), invites applications for cutting edge research projects that facilitate transformative strategies and innovation to benefit farmers, consumers and the environment through the sustainable decrease in enteric methane emissions from cattle.
Grant Value and Duration:
- Up to USD4.67M (circa NZD7.3M) is available under this call for projects.
- Applicants can request up to that amount or a portion of the funds available.
- Project duration is 36 months or less.
Internal Deadline: 5pm, Tuesday 14 June 2022
To register to apply, please:
- Email your title, full name, email address, faculty/department and the funder/scheme to the Funds Advisor Team via submissions@auckland.ac.nz to receive the application template
- You will need to create your own proposal on the funder portal.
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
Waka Kotahi Innovation Fund
Waka Kotahi Innovation Fund has been set up by Waka Kotahi (NZTA) to support the private sector to develop and accelerate innovative solutions that will help to solve some of New Zealand’s biggest transport challenges. Hoe ki angitū is only open to the private sector which includes: Start-ups, Iwi, Domestic and international companies, Community groups, Research institutions, and University groups. The funding available for round one of Hoe ki angitū is $3.5 million.
Internal Deadline for application: 5pm Wednesday 22 June 2022. Email your title, full name, email address, faculty/department and the funder/scheme to the Funds Advisor Team via submissions@auckland.ac.nz to receive the application template.
The inaugural 2022 round for Waipapa Taumata Rau | the University of Auckland Research Impact Award is now open.
The Research Impact Award celebrates the transformative impacts of research and engagement. Individuals or small teams who have had an impact beyond academia in the last five years are welcome to apply.
This is a University of Auckland Research Committee (UARC) award, and there are up to five awards annually. Awards can be up to $10,000 in value and will support future impact and engagement activities.
Applications are to be submitted to your faculty contact (see application form for details) by the deadline of 30th June 2022.
The 2022 guidelines and application form are available from the ResearchHub page. Any questions related to the award can be directed to internalawards@auckland.ac.nz.
FoS New Staff Grant
Eligible new staff will be able to apply for a New Staff grant of $20k.As we are transitioning to a new internal funding process, all new staff who have joined the Faculty since 1 January 2020 will be eligible to apply in 2022. Applications are now open and the closing date for submission is 30th June 2022. Full details, guidelines and the application form are available on the Faculty of Science Staff Intranet – New Staff Research Grant page.
Call for Applications: New Zealand-German Academic Exchange Programme
Education New Zealand supports early-career researchers from New Zealand to collaborate on research projects in Germany. The call for the Programmes for Project-Related Personal Exchange (PPP) opened on 6 April 2022 (CET). You can find more information about the programme, application requirements, and the link to the application portal on the Education New Zealand Scholarships and Grants site.
Applications will close on 30 June at 11:59 PM NZT.
For any questions, please contact Jina Kim, International Networks Coordinator on jina.kim@auckland.ac.nz
Background information:
New Zealand-German Academic Partnership Event recording of the event.
For more information on the PPP mobility scheme, including requirements for applicants, please follow: https://www.daad.org/en/ppp/
2023 MBIE Endeavour Fund Support Sessions
Details on the support for MBIE Endeavour Fund 2023 is available on the Research Hub. There are a number of other events and workshops on offer, details of which can be found on the Research Hub.
The Research Committee Funding available
This is for activities to benefit Postdocs and RFs and allow them to connect.
To all those who fall into the following categories:
– Postdocs/Research Fellows;
– People conducting research on non-permanent contracts at the post-doctoral level,
We invite you to contact the new RF rep in the Rangahau/Research committee Joa Paredes-Mariño (for RFs/postdocs) joa.paredes.marino@auckland.ac.nz, for further information
3k writing grant available for students
Funds are available to support students writing up their thesis as publication(s). Each grant is worth $3000 (120 hours at 25$ all included). There is no deadline to apply. Applications are evaluated as they come by members of Rangahau (2 weeks turn over max.), until we use all the funds available.
Do you have a good candidate in mind? Please complete this form and submit to melanie.kah@auckland.ac.nz.
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).
Health, Safety and Wellbeing
HSW minutes outline (meeting on 25/5/2022):
- Masks in lab spaces.
It is the expectation (in line with University guidance for shared indoor spaces; Mask use on campus – The University of Auckland) for mask-wearing within the ENV laboratories. Although there may be exceptions within certain lab spaces, please consult the laboratory technician of the space if unsure, masks are expected to be worn properly so that they cover both the mouth and nose. It is always important to consider mask wearing given that anyone could be immunocompromised. Please note that while masks are expected, there are those who cannot wear masks for specific reasons/medical conditions.
- Reporting Incidents
Please report any incidences to the technician/academic in charge of the space immediately.
To report an injury please follow the guidelines here: https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/health-safety-wellbeing/report-concerns-hazards.html
- General wellbeing
The universities Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a 24-hour confidential service that can help through personal or work problems. Services offered but are not limited to stress, support (financial advice or otherwise), personal development, trauma, and legal advice. Visit the link (Employee assistance programme – The University of Auckland) to know more.
- Safety during field work
New objectives are being added to the committees overall aims: Mental health in the field and Cultural safety within the field. The details of each topic are under review, more information as the projects form.
Publications
Wild, A. J., Bebbington, M. S., & Lindsay, J. M. (2022). Short-term eruption forecasting for crisis decision-support in the Auckland Volcanic Field, New Zealand. Frontiers in Earth Science, 874.
Please email content to Anna-Marie Simcock for next edition of P-cubed by Friday