HeadsUp

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To say we live in challenging times is both an understatement and a truism. By way of one example, Saturday’s NZ Herald ran a story whose headline referred to the new Waipapa Taumata Rau Stage 1 offering as “University of Auckland’s Treaty of Waitangi course”.

That sort of inflammatory reductionism is seriously unhelpful. Did the journalist even see the course outline? I doubt it. Or if they did, there’s a selective amplification at work. At a recent presentation to Heads on the course pilot reminded me, the investment in development has been considerable, the course has been deeply thought-through and some of the university’s best educators are involved. And the level of over-simplification in that headline is akin to saying Geog 104 ‘Cities and Urbanism’ is “the university’s gentrification course”:  a picking out of one topic and universalising it.

I suspect this is the sort of course that many if not most students will appreciate: small studio classes that allow getting to know others and cohort-building ; exposure to a range of ways of thinking and scientific approaches; and an understanding of the nature of the place where we find ourselves: Tāmaki Makaurau. Auckland as a place cannot be understood without knowledge of both the geological substrates and the socio-cultural underpinnings of Māori/Tauiwi relations. Hence Te Tiriti’s inevitable and irrevocable place in a course about being at this university in this place and time.

When I went to McMaster University in Ontario in the early 1980s, this is exactly the sort of course I yearned for. Instead I had to seek out knowledge of the place and its history myself, piecing together the jig-saw of First Nations and settler history in that setting of the Great Lakes and Niagara Escarpment. I eventually found my way to an Iroquois Longhouse and met Ojibwe artists whose work depicted the ultimate interconnectedness of all beings (rock and water bodies included). But of necessity that was my extracurricular journey as an international student.

Now, 40 years later, our university is piloting a course that introduces critically aware thinking and 21^st century ways of embracing diverse knowledges. And that our School,  Te Kura Mātai Taiao, is a major ‘shareholder’ in both its pedagogic architecture and its EFTS-generating delivery is a point of pride as Head of School. I hope for many of you too. And so when the course (and its emergent sibling iterations in other Faculties) gets dismissed as “the Treaty course”, it’s simply a travesty and shallow journalism.

Let the students who take this course be the judge of its quality and may politics focus on the critical issues of life and livelihood (for people and the natural environment) at this time.

Other matters

A big thanks to everyone who was eligible for an ADPR. I’m finally turning to completing my own having had the last of 62 ADPR conversations on Friday. Mine will be with the new Dean, Sarah Young.

Speaking of which, Sarah has requested a short tour of our School’s premises and facilities on 4^th November, so I may stop by with her to say hello if your office door is open.

Occasionally we (myself included, often) need to invoke policy in our administrative undertakings. I’ve been reminded that at times, outdated policies are being cited.  Before proceeding with any policy-relevant communication, please consult the Policy Hub on the Staff Intranet and find the current version there.

Occasionally, too, you may wish to invite a colleague or postgrad student from elsewhere to be a visitor in our School. Increasingly these visitations seem to be increasing in duration. We have limited capacity to host more guests at present, so please contact me to discuss before extending any invitations.

In case they are not already in your diary, we have two more important events for early November: On Wednesday 6^th, at 945 am there will be the second of the year’s showcases for our new Stage 1 courses. Please be there as well as on the next evening, Thurs 7^th when we have another inaugural lecture: this time its new professor, Nick Lewis.

 Finally, last Monday was Dean Sarah Young’s first day and last Wednesday the University Council deliberated on, among other matters, the CFT and optimisation process. In both cases, we need to exercise some patience until policy directions in the Faculty and University become apparent. We do have clarity, however, that the WTR courses as a first-year requirement are firmly on track, opening for enrolment on November 1^st. While optimisation might have been a driver for some of our recent course changes, it was not the only one. Any over-hasty reversal of decisions and recommendations run the risk of a back-to-the-drawing board situation and ultimately more work for all. As the late Prime Minister David Lange memorably said, there are times we need to pause and, metaphorically, “have a cup of tea”.  Now is such a time and the pause need not be extended. Simply long enough we can ensure we are moving in an acceptable direction.

Robin Kearns

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Announcements

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ITRAX Core Scanner works !!!

ITRAX Core Scanner at University of Auckland combines high-quality optical images from an RGB line camera with crossed polarising filters, X-ray radiography images, and scanning XRF. This instrument truly excels when it comes of speed and data quality, particularly in scanning at the millimetre level and in sub-millimetre increments. There is variation in the scanning step size within the 10-0.2 (0.1) milli-metre range. This adaptability enables both comprehensive high-resolution scans and rapid overview scans.

Features

1. Sample types include wet, split sediment cores in liners, slabs, drill cores, and other flat samples.
2. Measurements of magnetic susceptibility.
3. Sample length is up to 185 centimetres.
4. The integrated x-ray radiography is a helpful addition to the XRF because it provides a picture of the frequently subtle chemical and density fluctuations throughout the sample, making layered structures visible.
5. The crossed polarising filter on the RGB camera reduces surface effects from things like water on the sample surface.
6. The sample surface is not touched during the non-destructive measurements.
7. From Mg to U are the elements that are detectable. The selection of anode element for an X-ray tube affects the detection limits.
8. Following the analysis, all other data, including the concentrations, are available immediately; no calibration is required.

Please contact me (Dr. Harpreet Singh Kainth) (harpreet.singh.kainth@auckland.ac.nz) for more information about the brief details of the XRF instrument.

 

Have you borrowed a USB transcription pedal or audio recorder from the School?

We are hoping to track down any audio recorders or USB transcription foot pedals that may have been borrowed from the School in recent years. If you have one in your possession, or know where some might be hiding, please get in contact with Thomas (thomas.mules@auckland.ac.nz)

Requests for software purchase or renewal in 2025

We are now seeking requests for software purchase or renewal in 2025. If there are software titles that you require for teaching or research purposes, please let us know using this form.

Please submit all titles that will require a contribution from the School’s software budget next year – regardless of whether they are new, existing or upgrades. If we do not receive a request for a particular title, we will assume that it is no longer required and reallocate the budget accordingly. Any questions please contact Blair Sowman.

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Outreach

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Outreach opportunities for staff and students: 

Highlighting your research

Have you recently published a blog piece/ generated any film footage/ given an interview/ written something for mainstream media, about your research? Could we give it a little mention on our School of Environment socials? See some recent examples here. 

Please send your news to Emma  el.sharp@auckland.ac.nz so we can share it more widely! Please also send a useful image (of yourself/ the thing being studied) and complete the following prompts:

[Researcher name/s] from the School of Environment investigated [the problem] and found [this finding]. This helps us know [what?] and is relevant to [recent event/ issue/context]. Read more here/ see photo of [x]: [link]

Note: Academic articles are interesting but get less takeup from social media so if you have something in a ‘predigested’ form (e.g. a news link to the debate or problem, that’s helpful, and the article would have to be open access).

Graduates out in the world

For staff: If you have students who have completed their degree and moved onto new pursuits, and they might like to do a ’10 minutes with [name]’ written interview that we might post on social media to show what our graduates get up to, then put them in touch with Emma el.sharp@auckland.ac.nz

 

Graduates out in the world

If you have completed students who you are in contact with who have moved onto new pursuits and they’d like to do a ’10 minutes with [name]’ written interview that we might post on social media to show what our graduates get up to, then put them in touch with Emma el.sharp@auckland.ac.nz

 

Earthfest 

GSNZ is planning Earthfest – a national Earth and Space Science Hui in Dunedin on November 23 and 24 (weekend prior to the GSNZ conference). It’s for high school teachers and university geoscientists to get together, develop relationships, and workshop getting more students into geoscience. Mila Adams and Giovanni Coco will be attending and it would be great to have others there too. Sponsorship from Industry and NZGeolS.

 

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Whakawhanaungatanga – Communities 

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Coastal and Marine Geoscience Group Meeting/Seminar               

The next Coastal-Marine Geoscience Group seminar will be held on Wednesday 23rd of October at 12:00 to 1:00 pm in the Ontology Lab (302-551).  

News will be shared and a talk given from Nancy Luca, “Cross-Slope exchange processes and AABW production in the Ross Sea” and Clare Gorman, “Reconstructing ocean-climate history on the Chilean margin”. All welcome to attend – please email Edouard Basquin at ebas390@aucklanduni.ac.nz if you wish to attend and don’t have the calendar invite already. 

 

 

 

 This Wednesday we are holding our final Launch Event of 2024! We are so excited to bring you Volume 4 Edition 4, and all the fascinating science articles featured this quarter.

Last chance to pick up a printed copy of our magazine and chat with the team before the end of semester – and the year. So we hope you swing by!

 

We would like to request your nominations for the School of Environment Equity Awards for 2024.

These awards are an ongoing effort to acknowledge, recognise, and reward the amazing work in equity that people are doing in our school – whether they are academic staff, professional staff or post-graduate students. The awards will be held at an end of year Equity event on Wednesday 13th November.

Details: 

We have four School Equity Award categories.

• Equity in Service Award
• Equity in Teaching Award
• Equity in Research Award
• Equity in the School of Environment Award 

Please make your nominations using this Google Form:

Deadline for nominations: End of day Friday 8^th November.

Thank you for helping recognise the equity efforts in our School. We look forward to reading the nominations.

Ngā mihi nui,

Heather (on behalf of the Env Equity Committee)

 

You liked our Whose lecture is it anyway? event last year… you’ll like this 3-minute research competition this year…’ We’ll add more details in the future.

 

Speaker: Professor Kenneth Gould, Department of Sociology and the Urban Sustainability Program, Brooklyn College, City University of New York

Title of Talk: The consequences of public investments following coastal climate disasters

Date: Tuesday October 15

Time: 17:00 to 18:00, with a reception held afterwards

Location: Room B15, Library Building (building 109) 

RSVP for lecture and reception: https://perverse-adaptation-public-lecture.eventbrite.co.nz

Presentation Description: 

Governments provide the leading and largest responses to climate-change-related coastal disasters. They decide whether to reinvest and rebuild, to what degree, and in what ways. Public post-disaster investment shapes the future of post-disaster locales. In this presentation I problematize public investment in vulnerable ecological zones and connect states’ choices to the long-term climate adaptation trajectories of urban coastal zones. States use four strategies: a “do nothing” approach, managed retreat, accommodation with limited structural mitigation, and massive coastal reconstruction. Based on an analysis of the New York City area following Superstorm Sandy, I outline the consequences of each strategy and their implications for coastal resilience in climate vulnerable locales around the globe. States’ climate disaster responses can lead to “perverse adaptation,” which increases population densities in climate vulnerable locations. Post-disaster public investment for massive coastal reconstruction commits the state to further investments over time, requiring larger shares of total public resources. The conclusions raise questions regarding the use of public funds and the necessary conditions to make sound climate adaptation investments.

 

UoA Scientific Review: 2025 Executive Applications Now Open!!

💫 We are recruiting exec members for 2025 💫

UoA Scientific has several positions open for 2025! Are you a people person who likes making connections? A visual person with great aesthetic taste? A logical person with an eye for detail? Any skills or experiences can fit one of the roles on offer. We recruit executives in all stages of study, from first-year to postgraduate. Come join a vibrant, rewarding team that engages with all corners of Science at the University of Auckland.

To learn more about how the club runs and apply for an interview, visit the link below:

https://forms.gle/RfhmcyBor71xqBm39

 

Doctoral Development Offerings

An overview of the many UoA Doctoral Development offerings that candidates and supervisors may want to consider has been compiled here.

 

Co-funded University of Auckland Doctoral Scholarships

Guidelines have now been drafted for the University of Auckland Doctoral Scholarship scheme to co-fund scholarships with industry or philanthropic partners to seed new collaborations. If you are making connections where some money to support a student may be possible please come and chat to Jennifer Eccles asap about whether this could be an option.  

 

An introductory R Workshop is being run on Thursday 24^th and Friday 25^th of October 2024. The course will be run by the Statistical Consulting Centre (SCC) in the Department of Statistics.

What’s covered in the workshop?

Introduction

Getting familiar with R

Using R Studio and loading projects/scripts

Basic functions using R

Reading in Data Files (.csv, .xls/.xlsx)

Introduction to R Objects. How R thinks (vectors, matrices, basic data formats)

Working with data(sets)

Cleaning and subsetting

Merging datasets and reformatting

Grouping variables and summarising

R graphics

Starting with plots in R (boxplots, histograms, bar graphs)

Graphics in R with ggplot2 (customising plots)

Data analysis

Introduction to performing t-tests, chi-square tests, ANOVA, and general linear models

The cost is $400 for UoA students and staff.

You can pay using your PRESS account, research grant, or other UoA account.

You can also opt to use a debit/credit card (however we will have to also add GST for this type of payment – please contact Joei Mudaliar j.mudaliar@auckland.ac.nz for further instructions).

The payment authorisation form for UoA participants paying from a UoA account is attached.

The cost for non-UoA attendees is $650 + GST. Please contact Joei Mudaliar (j.mudaliar@auckland.ac.nz) for payment instructions.

We will be sending out a pre-workshop information email the week prior to the course, however here are some of the details:

Location

We will be in room 302.160. Building 302 is on the corner of Symonds St and Wellesley St. The room we will be using is on level 1, room 160.

Time and schedule

The approximate schedule for both days is attached (since this is the schedule from our previous course, it may yet be altered very slightly).

We will start at 9am and finish at 5pm.

Morning and afternoon tea will be provided, and there are cafes nearby for lunch. 

Computers

We will be using a Faculty of Science computer lab.

You are also welcome to use your own laptop. However, please make sure that you have downloaded R and RStudio onto your machine before the workshop (they are free to download).

We will also include some instructions on how to do this in our pre-workshop information email.

Access to computers and the internet

We will arrange access to the lab computers for all non-UoA participants.

We will also have a guest wireless password for non-UoA participants who are bringing their own laptops.

UoA staff and students will be able to access the FoS computers using their normal UoA upi and password.

I hope you can make it on the 24^th and 25^th October 2024, and we look forward to seeing you there.

Ngā mihi (Kind regards),

Joei Mudaliar | Kairuruku Ratonga ā-Rōpū (Group Services Coordinator)

Department of Statistics | Faculty of Science

The University of Auckland | Waipapa Taumata Rau

 

FUNDS FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH HAPORI MAORI

School of Environment has a small budget for enabling engagement with Maori, particularly through koha or contributions that may be needed to initiate research relationships. In disbursing that putea, priority is given to academic staff working on behalf of groups of staff or students, pre/consultation activities for ethics approval and collaborations that are not readily funded through other mechanisms. As it is desirable to utilise the budget before the end of the academic year, however, all well-reasoned proposals will be considered. If interested, email a brief, one paragraph description of a proposed activity and a budget for how funds will be utilised to Brad (b.coombes@auckland.ac.nz). Although there are no prescribed maxima or minima for these grants, the limited scope of the overall budget will likely preclude grants in excess of $1000. Applicants should also be mindful of UoA guidelines or policies for gifting and koha.

 

Post Graduate Wellbeing … where to go

If you are currently coordinating a PG course, could you please post the inforgraphic slide to your Canvas course page so students will know the resources that are available throughout the University. 

 

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Rangahau – Research

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“Efficiency & Effectiveness Workshop”, organized by the Rangahau Committee:

We would like to invite you to the following workshop that have been organized for the Research fellows at the School of Environment, and funded by the Rangahau Committee. 

The workshop will focus on “Efficiency & Effectiveness”, and it is organized as  virtual Weekly mini workshops:

60–90 minute workshops will cover the subtopics spread out over four weeks. The first workshop will be 90 minutes, while the other three are planned for 60 minutes each. However, all sessions are scheduled for 90 minutes to allow extra time for questions and follow-up discussions if participants wish to stay longer.

Efficiency covers:

• Work organisation – how to better store, and therefore find the information you need, in order to work more efficiently
• Finding Flow – how to optimise your work in order to find more time in a ‘flow state’
• Strategies to minimise work habits – including those for handling of information, distractions, interruptions & procrastination

Effectiveness covers:

• Importance of progress individually and as a team
• Prioritising & time management – what work to do when & in what size chunks
• Planning – strategies to plan projects and/or plan your work day & workload

There are also elements of wellbeing that are woven into these discussions, physiological factors & burnout prevention.

Dates: 

1. Friday 25 Oct
2. Friday 01 Nov
3. Friday 08 Nov
4. Friday 15 Nov

Time (to be decided between the following options)

• Option 01: 9:30 to 11:00 am
• Option 02: 12:00 to 1:30 pm

This workshop is intended for Research Fellows, final-year PhD students, and staff.

If you’re interested in attending, please send an email to joa.paredes.marino@auckland.ac.nz with a brief paragraph explaining your motivation to participate. Please indicate as well the time that suits you better. Spots are limited.

Cheers,

Joali on behalf of the Rangahau Committee.

 

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 katarzyna.sila-nowicka@auckalnd.ac.nz

 

Funding for Research Retreats

The Rangahau Committee has a small amount of funding set aside to sponsor Research retreats (e.g grant writing workshops, paper writing).  This can be up to 2k per team, with a minimum 2 SoE participants.

If you have an idea that you would like considered, please submit a short paragraph explaining the intention and benefits of the retreat to katarzyna.sila-nowicka@auckland.ac.nz.

 

Proposal development support

The Rangahau Committee has a small fund set aside to help with proposal development  (e.g. writing support, support to scope proposals etc).  If you have an idea that fits within this scope please get in touch with Kelly Kilpin to discuss further.

 

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Funding

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Funding Calls

MBIE 2025 Endeavour Fund (Research Programmes)
This fund aims to support ambitious, excellent and well-defined research ideas which have credible and high potential to positively transform New Zealand’s future in areas of future value, growth, or critical need. For the 2024 investment round, the Science Board will aim to fund at least 17 Research Programmes.
Value/Duration:	Internal Deadline
·         Total funding pool: $38 million ·         Value: $0.5 million or more per year ·         Duration: 3, 4 or 5 years	·         Registration: 12 noon, Monday 25 November 2024. ·         Full Proposal: 12 noon, Monday 24 February 2025.
Further Information (funding call, guidelines, registration info, templates): ·         Funding Call ·         Guidelines ·         Website ·         Registration Template ·         Full Proposal Template If you are interested, please notify your FIRST (research support) of your intent to apply for this scheme to receive important information and updates in relation to this fund

 

The George Mason Centre for Natural Environment
This fund aims to support projects that enhance the aims of the George Mason Centre and focus on environmental solutions. The Expert Advisory Panel will be looking to foster connections between projects that lead to thematic research and to expanded funding opportunities for research and application.
Value/Duration:	Deadline
·         Value: up to $10,000 ·         Duration: 1 year	12 Noon, 5 November 2024
Further Information (funding call, guidelines, registration info, templates): ·        Application Form  ·        Guidelines If you are interested, please also get in touch with your FIRST.

 

Ember Innovations – Research Grants
Ember Innovations proudly presents two distinct research grant opportunities for University of Auckland research projects that align with our commitment to innovation, mental health, and honouring lived experiences (B) (B). Lived Experience Research Grant: For research in any discipline/category led by a researcher with personal experience of mental distress or substance, or non-substance harm
Value/Duration:	External Deadline
·         Value: $50,000 (ex GST) ·         Duration: up to 3 years	5pm, Tuesday 31 October
Information Workshop will be held at The University of Auckland on 23rd September 2024 at 1pm – 2:30pm with light refreshments and networking until 3pm, at University of Auckland Campus 49 Symonds St – link to workshop registration is here.
Further Information (funding call, guidelines, registration info): ·         Funding Call ·         Guidelines ·         Website  If you are interested, please also get in touch with your FIRST.

  

Spencer Foundation – Research-Practice Partnerships: Collaborative research for educational change
This fund aims to support education research projects that engage in collaborative and participatory partnerships
Value/Duration:	Internal Deadline:
·         Value: up to USD400,000 (circa NZD 660,000 ·         Duration: up to 3 years	·         Intent to apply: 5pm, Friday, 13 September 2024 ·         Full proposal:  12pm, Monday, 21 October 2024
Further Information (funding call, guidelines, registration info): ·         Funding Call ·         Guidelines ·         Website If you are interested, please also get in touch with your FIRST.

 

The Transdisciplinary Ideation Fund (TIF)
The Waipapa Taumata Rau (TIF) is a fund that encourages research staff from across the University to develop cross-faculty research partnerships, aspiring toward high-quality Transdisciplinary research outputs, research learning initiatives, and successful applications to external research funders.
Value/Duration:	Deadline
·         Grants of $20,000. Up to 15 projects will be funded.	5pm, Thursday 31 October 2024
TIF workshop: encourages new cross-disciplinary research collaborations and is designed for academic staff who are intending to pursue transdisciplinary research. (Please register bid via registration link provided) Date and Time: Friday 13 September 2024, 9am to 12pm (morning tea provided) Location: B201-342, 10 Symonds Street
Further Information: ·         Funding Call ·         Full details including guidelines and the application form are available on Research Hub If you are interested, please also get in touch with your FIRST.

 

New Horizon Europe Calls

In mid-April, the European Commission announced a new selection of funding calls covering the remainder of 2024. The funding call details here Horizon Europe Funding Call List on the Horizon Europe Support Materials page on ResearchHub. New Zealand can participate in these calls on equal terms as our European counterparts. However, the targeted nature of most of these calls means that it is highly likely that it will be more appropriate for us to partner on these projects, joining European-led bids as a collaborator rather than developing a proposal as a lead. Anybody exploring these opportunities should contact International.Research@Auckland.ac.nz to arrange a discussion and explore additional support available.

 

Announcements 

Research Impact Survey

The Research & Innovation Office and Research Services are collaborating on a project to design a resource for researchers around capturing and evidencing research impact. We are hopeful that we can design a tool or module that will become an important part of the research impact toolkit for researchers, helping them to feel better equipped to plan and communicate their potential impact effectively. ·         The survey link is: https://forms.office.com/r/VyM2tpnzpe

 

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Health, Safety and Wellbeing 

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Updates from HSW

 

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Publications | Articles

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• Murray Hamilton, M.L., Dopheide, A., Leonard, J. Padamsee, M., Schwendenmann, L (2024). Phyllosphere of Agathis australis Leaves and the Impact of the Soil-Borne Pathogen Phytophthora agathidicida. Microbial Ecology 87, 125 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-024-02441-9
• Sharp EL, Kah M, Tsang S, Martin A, Turnbull R. (2024) Committing to Diversity in Participants, Participation and Knowledge Production: Place-based Insights from the Community Science of Soilsafe Aotearoa. Humanities & Social Sciences Communications
• Fan, W., Gualtieri, A.F., Dirks, K.N., Young, P.G., Salmond, J.A. (2024) ‘Investigating deposition of fibrous zeolite particles on leaf surfaces: A novel approach for detecting airborne hazards’. (Journal of Hazardous Materials. Sep 26:480:135982. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.135982)
• Patel, H., Davy, P., Tollemache, C., Talbot, N., Salmond, J., Williams, D.E., (2024) ‘Evaluating the efficacy of targeted traffic management interventions: A novel methodology for determining the composition of particulate matter in urban air pollution hotspots’. (Science of the Total Environment, 951; 175414 Nov 2024)