Issue 64 – Monday 13th September 2021
Contents
HeadsUp
Kia ora koutou. It’s Te Wiki o te Reo Māori (Māori language week). Polling last December revealed that over 80% of New Zealanders see te reo as part of their national identity and something to be proud of. We have come a long way as a nation since the Māori Language Ac of 1987.
My track record with language-acquisition is not great. A degree better than numeracy, but only just. I passed 5th Form School Certificate French by 51%, barely enough many years later to get by in a market in Menton in the south of France. Who knows whether the vendors knew the significance of their town to New Zealand (it was where Katherine Mansfield relocated and wrote). But once I said, in ‘Frenglish’ “Les All Blacks”, the transactions were achieved with a smile. Now, years later, I’m finding more enthusiasm for Te Reo given its close-to-homeness and its sheer depth and beauty.
By happy coincidence, as I practice vocabulary, I’ve been joined by another in my bubble; a large kererū has taken up residence in the kōwhai tree off my deck. S/he hangs out there rain or shine either watching me or munching away on the leaves. While the kākā come and go (just love the collective noun – a hoon of kākā!) the kererū flops about in the tree awaiting spring’s more emphatic arrival.
With my bubble-mate in mind, this whakataukī (proverb) stood out as I reopened Hinemoa Elder’s book Aroha “E koekoe te tūī e ketekete te kākā e kuku te kererū ” (The tūī squawks, the kākā chatters, the kererū coos). This saying celebrates and endorses diversity. So many languages in the world, so many bird calls in the bush.
As I’ve undertaken ADPR interviews with many of you over recent weeks, I’ve been reminded of the diversity in our midst. Is there a School in our Faculty as diverse? Metaphorically speaking we’re surely as diverse as the birds of the NZ bush. And better off for it. When I hear of the deep-seated enmities embedded in some university departments and schools, maybe it’s in part because there’s too little diversity; too much descent into the claustrophobic rabbit-holes of mutually familiar intellectual territory.
While a decade ag we were still ‘sussing each other out’ as a newly formed school, the forthcoming Review and the 3 Year Plan I’ve been working on remind me how far we’ve come. While we might not all speak the same disciplinary language there’s more mutual understanding than ever. Like birds in the bush, as a variety of disciplinary subspecies we increasingly and maybe unconsciously recognise that our mixed ecology has an importance larger than individual interests.
And maybe Te Wiki o te Reo Māori can offer us something on this count. In English, it would feel odd, if not ridiculous, to speak of ‘love’ for the School. In Te Reo, however, the word ‘aroha’ offers deeper and more malleable connotations: “aro” is to give something attention or focus towards, and “ha” – is life force, breath, energy.
As I’ve moved from one ADPR to another and more recently been considering promotion applications, I’ve been struck by the degree of aroha so many of you direct towards your teaching, research and serving the School. I love that.
What’s happening
- All best to all of you re-engaging with teaching again after the break. As we settle into the decision to stay remote, my thanks to you all for your attempts to connect with students and affirm their efforts in these challenging times.
- Congratulation and welcome (same place, new and exciting rolel!) to Gina Swanney who has been appointed to th position of Assistant Technologist – Environment.
- If you haven’t already, please remember to sign up for an opportunity to join a discussion about our School with the External Review panel on the afternoon of Wednesday 6th October: https://forms.office.com/r/GqUcJgDThj
- While there have been unfortunate disappointments, congratulations to Lorna for her part in an Endeavour titled ‘Assessing silent tsunami risk in the Tasman Sea/Te Tai-o-Rēhua’
- With the anticipation of a to return to at least Level 3 comes pre-emptive requests for building and, in particular, lab access. Please read the email to all from Linda Thompson prior to approaching Blair and /or myself (in particular, read Please read the current Covid-19 Alert Level 3 University plan – The University of Auckland). There are some very important operational expectations in this updated plan. We have no alternative but to be patient, adaptable and compliant in these times. This last week I spoke to a colleague in Canada who was back on campus for the first time in 18 months. A reminder that we’re doing pretty well, relatively speaking.
- Finally, Gary (who recently now adds Opa to his distinctions! – well done) sent this account of nurturing doctoral talent: https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/study/international-students/meet-our-international-students/phd-student-stories/meiqin-han.html
Whakawhanaungatanga – Communities
Upcoming Events
IT Committee
Please request software for teaching in 2022 by 30 September.
See message from Sean Davidson: For the last few years images used for teaching have been produced for the entire UoA by the Digital Workplace Platform team (DWP).
- DWP have advised that they are in process of collecting requirements for 2022. Due date for submissions has been set to end of September 2021
- DWP request that submissions be made using this form https://tinyurl.com/Teaching-Lab-Software-2022
- To edit this form you need to sign into google using your <UPI>@aucklanduni.ac.nz account
- Once this window closes DWP will begin to produce the base image which will be used in the Infomation commons. Each faculties requirements will then in turn be applied on top of this base with intent to make a test image available early next year
Rangahau – Research
AINSE Scholar Gold Medal (nominations received until 4 October 2021)
The AINSE Scholar Gold Medal is awarded for impact and excellence in research on the basis of publications that acknowledge AINSE support. At the presentation of the medals, the newly-awarded Gold Medallists are invited to deliver an address on their research.
To nominate an early career researcher or postgraduate student for a Scholar Gold Medal, please complete the attached nomination form (also available online at this link) and return via email to enquiries@ainse.edu.au prior to the close of nominations at 11:59 pm AEDT Monday 4th October 2021.
For more information please visit the AINSE Scholar Gold Medal page or contact AINSE.
5th AINSE Women in STEM and Entrepreneurship (WISE) School (30 November – 2 December 2021) – Applications open (expressions of interest received until 24 October 2021)
(flyer attached and available online)
The Australian Institute of Nuclear Science and Engineering (AINSE), with support from the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), are providing a fifth intensive residential workshop for first-year undergraduate Women in STEM.
Expressions of interest are now being received for the 5th AINSE Women in STEM and Entrepreneurship (WISE) School, to be held as an entirely-online event from Tuesday 30th November to Thursday 2nd December 2021.
Expressions of Interest from students will be received by AINSE until Sunday 24th October 2021.
The AINSE Women in STEM and Entrepreneurship (WISE) School is targeted at student women in STEM who are about to complete their first year of studies at University. The school places an emphasis on women in STEM and their career opportunities in nuclear science and engineering.
The AINSE WISE School will include:
- Virtual tours of ANSTO research facilities
- High-profile guest speakers
- Networking opportunities with other Australian and New Zealand students and ANSTO researchers
- Access to an ongoing mentorship program throughout 2022; and
- An extensive online social program.
A key component of the WISE School is access to an ongoing mentorship program in which students are allocated mentors from across site at ANSTO. AINSE will be coordinating mentor and student meetings in 2022 to provide additional networking and educational opportunities for the participating students.
For further information, and to apply, please visit the WISE Website.
ANSTO Australian Synchrotron Stephen Wilkins Thesis Medal – applications are open (applications close 1 October 2021).
ANSTO is seeking nominations for the ANSTO Australian Synchrotron Stephen Wilkins Thesis Medal.
This medal is awarded annually to the PhD student at an Australian or New Zealand University who is judged to have completed the most outstanding thesis of the past two years whose work was undertaken at and acknowledges the Australian Synchrotron, or the Australian National Beamline Facility (ANBF), or whose work acknowledges and was undertaken under the auspices of the International Synchrotron Access Program (ISAP) or the Australian Synchrotron Research Program (ASRP).
Nominations are invited for the 2021 ANSTO Australian Synchrotron Stephen Wilkins Medal, which will be awarded to the candidate producing the most outstanding thesis and whose degree was awarded, but not necessarily conferred, after the 1st July 2019. The awardee will receive a monetary prize of $3,000 funded by a bequest from the Wilkins family and by ANSTO to support career development.
Application deadline – Close of Business Friday 1 October 2021
For more information, please visit the ANSTO website.
IAEA Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship Programme (MSCFP) – applications are open (applications close 30 September 2021).
The IAEA is pleased to inform you that the application process is open for students interested in applying for a scholarship from the IAEA Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship Programme (MSCFP) for the academic years 2021/2022 and 2022/2023.
The IAEA Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship Programme (MSCFP) aims to help increase the number of women in the nuclear field, supporting an inclusive workforce of both men and women who contribute to and drive global scientific and technological innovation. The Programme aims to inspire and encourage young women to pursue a career in the nuclear field, by providing highly motivated female students with scholarships for Master’s programmes and an opportunity to pursue an internship facilitated by the IAEA.
Scholarships are awarded annually, with up to 100 female students selected per year depending on the availability of funds. Consideration is given to geographic, field of study, and linguistic diversity. The selected students are awarded up to €20,000 for tuition costs and up to €20,000 for living costs for the duration of their Master’s programme.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: 30 September 2021
For more information on the MSCFP, including instructions on how to apply, application requirements, and well as testimonials from current MSCFP recipients, please visit: www.iaea.org/MSCFP
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