HeadsUp

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November is always a busy month for School ‘happenings’. Last week we had the new Dean’s visit, the New Stage 1 course workshop, the year’s last staff meeting and Nick Lewis’ Professorial Inaugural. Next up we have the Ako-sponsored ‘The Teaching Year’s Over’ and Research Showcase events on Tuesday and Thursday this week The list goes on. These opportunities remind us that we are a School that values a sense of community, celebrating success, and the importance of reconnecting after busy weeks and months. While there are always opportunities to be elsewhere on such occasions, please take advantage of coming along to these events.

The results of this year’s Marsden Fund awards offer another reason to celebrate. In the first instance, the PIs deserve fulsome congratulation. Yet rarely is there a grant for which any one person can take sole credit. Instead, just like the saying that it takes a village to raise a child so too it takes a constellation of contributors to get a grant over the line: research collaborators, in-School research programme coordinators and partners /families who perhaps sustain less attention than usual as the final push to grant submission approaches. Hence very big congratulations to our colleagues Karin Bryan and Michael Rowe for leading successful full bids and to recent PhD graduate Leanne Makey on her award of a Fast-Start.

To state the obvious, Marsden grants are big wins – not just for the investigators’ careers but also for the School as a whole. They add to our collective mana and, ultimately, our funding. They give Faculty confidence to invest in us. I look forward to toasting these just-released successes at our forthcoming gatherings. And for those who missed out or are developing ideas for next year’s call for EoIs, please make the most of the ‘Marsden Club’ opportunity to workshop ideas offered by Rangahau.

Robin Kearns      

Head of School

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Announcements

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Digital Capability Coaching

The university (Eleanor and Gill) are offering UoA staff the opportunity to improve their digital capability and confidence. To learn more about their service please see the images/slides below. If you would like assistance using digital tools (eg TEAMS, Excel, Word, or any of the MS 365 applications) please get in touch!

1. Book a session 
2. Or to enquire about a group session, email digitalcoach@auckland.ac.nz           

Ngā mihi,

Gill Hotter (she/her) and Eleanor Almeida (she/her)

Digital Capability Coaches

 

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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

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Whakawhanaungatanga – Communities 

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On behalf of the Rangahau Committee and the School of Environment, we would like to invite you to this year’s Postgraduate research showcase and Rangahau awards on 14th November!

This is a chance to celebrate all the amazing work that staff and students across the School of Environment! Kicking off at 10am, we have our Postgraduate Research Showcase where PhD and Masters students will present their research, highlighting their contributions to the world of knowledge.

We have seven oral presentations and 13 posters that will cover a broad range of research topics currently being undertaken in the School. Here is your chance to find out about, and celebrate, the exciting research our postgraduate students are engaged in.  (Room details will be provided nearer to the event).

After a break for lunch, you’re invited to join us in 303-G16 for the Rangahau awards to celebrate all of the incredible work done in the School of Environment. We will be presenting school-wide awards to outstanding members of our school, followed by a summary of the publication, funding and communication successes for 2024. We will also have presentations from staff and students showcasing their work. 

Please RSVP to the calendar invite for the research awards, as attendee numbers are limited.

 

Seminar: Prof Bryan Brooks:  TUESDAY 19 November, 2 PM, 303-G01

Prof. Bryan Brook is a Distinguished Professor of Environmental Science and Public Health at Baylor University (USA) and Editor In Chief for Environmental Science & Technology Letters. His research interests include water quality, environmental chemistry/toxicology, urbanisation, one health among others. He is part of a Catalyst Leader project and is interested in exploring options to orientate the sustainable management of chemicals and waste toward indigenous knowledge.  

https://environmentalscience.artsandsciences.baylor.edu/person/bryan-w-brooks-phd

https://pubs-acs-org.ezproxy.auckland.ac.nz/doi/full/10.1021/acs.est.3c04600

This is a co-organised seminar with SCS, so there will be molecules, but not only! I asked Bryan to tailor a talk for our diverse audience. I hope to see many of you on  TUESDAY 19 November, 2 PM, 303-G01

Please contact Melanie if you would like to meet up with Bryan before/after the seminar.

Would a Q&A session on publishing for research students and ECR be of interest? (use of AI to write manuscripts? how to make a story attractive and impactful?). I will organise if there is sufficient interest. Please get in touch! melanie.kah@auckland.ac.nz

Cheers,

Melanie

 

 

Coastal and Marine Geoscience Group Meeting/Seminar       

The next Coastal-Marine Geoscience Group seminar will be held on Wednesday 20th of November at 12:00pm to 1:00 pm in the Ontology Lab (302-551).  

News will be shared and a talk given from Emma Ryan, “Can we measure mm-scale coral reef growth using photogrammetry?’ and Emma Bruder, “Fine-scale Physical Characterization of the Seascape and Impacts on Spatial Distribution and Connectivity of Marine Populations: A Comparative Approach Between Port-Cros (Mediterranean Sea) and Hauraki Gulf (South Pacific) Marine Reserves“.

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. 

 

 

 

 

 

Sustainability Teaching Network November seminar

Seminar Details:

Date: Friday 15 November 2024

Time: 1pm-2pm

Location: Online via Zoom

Join Zoom Meeting https://auckland.zoom.us/j/93440020521?pwd=bWZFekdDV2pVRmdlTlpNcWorMHlkdz09

Meeting ID: 934 4002 0521

Passcode: 547112

Given the timing of the meeting, you are welcome to eat lunch while you listen to the presentations.

Speaker blurbs and bios:

Gigi Lim: Fostering Collaboration and Transdisciplinary Skills: The Key to Sustainable Solutions

In an era where sustainable solutions are essential to address complex socio-ecological and geopolitical challenges, fostering collaboration and transdisciplinary skills is key. This presentation, Fostering Collaboration and Transdisciplinary Skills: The Key to Sustainable Solutions, explores how Higher Education can utilize networked knowledge systems to prepare future leaders to engage with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and navigate a rapidly changing world. Using a case study assessment on collaborative learning, this presentation illustrates how collaborative learning not only equips students with the skills necessary for problem-solving across disciplines but also cultivates attitudes of cooperation, shared responsibility, and systems thinking. These competencies are critical for effective sustainability practices, as they enable students to approach global issues with a mindset geared toward collective action, innovation, and ethical stewardship. By integrating these principles into contemporary programs, Higher Education can produce graduates equipped to address the challenges of sustainable development with both technical proficiency and a collaborative spirit.

Bio: Gigi Lim, Senior Lecturer at the School of Nursing, is a registered nurse in New Zealand with over 30 years of experience, including international work in the USA and the Philippines. Committed to equity and sustainability, she began her career leading community health initiatives on maternal and child nutrition, empowering mothers to tackle malnutrition with locally sourced foods. Her Master’s research under Professor John Raeburn focused on skill-building for the unemployed, while her PhD examined prescribing competencies. Currently, Gigi teaches interprofessional collaboration and sustainable healthcare practices to prepare nurse prescribers for complex challenges in collaborative prescribing, aiming to improve patient outcomes.

Trudi Aspden: Reducing the Environmental Harm of Our BPharm Pharmaceutical Compounding Classes: Making a Start by Trudi Aspden, Ellen Zhao, Amy Wei, Lynn Gregory, Susan Liu and Stella Dawkins

Pharmacists are dedicated to optimising health outcomes through the effective use of medicines.  One example of this is compounding, where pharmacists prepare formulations tailored to individual patients, using tools like a mortar and pestle or an ointment slab. This practice has been a part of pharmacy for centuries and still occurs today. Compounding remains an essential skill to teach pharmacy students but, like all areas of healthcare, we must consider and reduce the environmental impact of this practice while ensuring that neither the learning experience nor patient outcomes are compromised.

This short talk will describe how the School of Pharmacy compounding teaching team, primarily comprising pharmacy technicians, has successfully reduced the environmental impact of teaching BPharm students how to extemporaneously compound medicinal products.

Bio: Trudi Aspden is a senior lecturer in pharmacy practice in the School of Pharmacy, FMHS. She primarily teaches in the early years of the BPharm programme, with a focus on supporting students to develop the foundational skills essential for pharmacists.  In recent years, along with colleague Dr Sara Hanning, she has introduced aspects of environmental sustainability into her teaching. This has involved making changes to both teaching content and delivery.

 

IEEE Explore Database Training

IEEE Explore is offering an upcoming Zoom workshop  for the University of Auckland on The Literature Review Process on Tuesday, November 12, 3-4pm NZ Daylight Savings Time.

This workshop will help you hone your research skills and feel more confident when using this database to further your research.

Access the link below on the day to attend the workshop.

Zoom Link: https://ieee.zoom.us/j/92606478460?pwd=UIaf2HctCLoAbZxFbaT843Cc5XCA6U.1 This session showcases the literature review process using IEEE Xplore Digital Library’s 6+ million publications, and demonstrates how students and researchers would leverage on the platform’s features to filter and locate the most relevant and impactful references for their coursework and research. Topics covered include: Introduction to IEEE and IEEE Xplore Digital Library IEEE Xplore Digital Library: Content &Feature Highlights Literature Review with IEEE Xplore (Live Demo) Advanced searching in IEEE Xplore Personal account with IEEE Xplore: reference management, etc. Discussion, Q&A

Tuesday Nov 12, 2024 ⋅ 3pm – 4pm (New Zealand Daylight Savings Time)

 

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.

 

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.  

 

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.

 

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Funding

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Funding Calls

Spencer Foundation –  Research Grants on Education: Large
This fund aims to support education research projects that will contribute to the improvement of education. The research concept is “field-initiated” with the grant designed to support rigorous, intellectually ambitious and technically sound research that is relevant to the most pressing questions and compelling opportunities in education.
Value/Duration:	Deadline:
·         Value: between USD125,000 and USD500,000 (circa NZD205,000 -NZD821,000), depending on the funding tier selected. ·         Duration: up to a maximum duration of 60 months	·         External Deadline for Intent to Apply: 5pm, Thursday, 30 January 2025 ·         Internal Deadline for Full Stage: 5pm, Tuesday,14 January 2025
Further Information (funding call, guidelines, website): ·         Funding Call ·         Website ·         Guidelines If you are interested, please also get in touch with your FIRST.

 

Spencer Foundation – Small Research Grants on Education
This fund is intended to support education research projects that will contribute to the improvement of education.  The research concept is “field-initiated” with the grant designed to support rigorous, intellectually ambitious and technically sound research that is relevant to the most pressing questions and compelling opportunities in education.
Value/Duration:	Internal Deadline
·         Value: up to USD50,000 (circa NZD80,000 ·         Duration: up to a maximum duration of 60 months	12pm, Thursday, 28 November 2024
Further Information (funding call, guidelines website): ·         Funding Call ·         Website ·         Guidelines If you are interested, please also get in touch with your FIRST.

 

Near-miss funding round 2024
This fund aims to provide support to PIs, for applications from the University of Auckland, Faculty of Science for major grants (≥ $100,000), who successfully progressed to the second stage of a major external funding round but missed out at the final stage. The faculty envisage being able to fund up to 5 applications in the 2024 round.
Value/Duration:	Deadline:
Grants up to $10,000 for research activity	Applications are due by 5pm, Monday 25th Nov 2024
Further Information: ·        Full details including guidelines and the application form are available on the research page of the staff intranet If you are interested, please also get in touch with your FIRST (Kelly or Sophie)

 

Faculty of Science Commercial Seed Funding
This fund aims to support early-stage work that will make a difference to the tech development pathway. A range of commercial R&D or skill development activities could be supported, including experiments to determine whether a particular idea is commercially feasible, development of initial proof-of-concept results for commercial funding applications, IP and Freedom to Operate searches, or market research. Researchers may also apply for this funding to support their personal development.
Value/Duration:	Deadline:
Grants up to $10,000 for research activity (The total budget for this round is ~$25k)	Applications are due by 5pm, Monday 25th Nov 2024
Further Information: ·        Guidelines & Applications *Applicants should submit a proposal via email to FoS-researchadmin@auckland.ac.nz If you are interested, please also get in touch with your FIRST (Kelly or Sophie)

 

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.

   

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 

RSNZ Marsden Support Sessions 2025

Support for the 2025 RSNZ Marsden round is currently underway.  The Domestic Portfolio in the Research Funding team will be hosting a 1-hour session with past Marsden winners (Standard and Fast-Start) and previous Marsden panellists, to answer any questions and provide insights regarding the development and assessments of Marsden expressions of interests and proposals. They can also offer advice in preparing the application, novelty/scholarly impact, and Vision Mātauranga Key Information Dates: Wednesday 20th of Novermber Time: 1:00 pm – 2:00pm Location: Online via Zoom Link Audience: Open to UoA research staff applying for the 2025 Marsden round. Registration: please register “Here” Please reach out to submissions@auckland.ac.nz  if you have any questions and/or concerns.

 

Funding Application Process Changes for UoA Researchers

The UoA will be launching new research security processes.  These are aimed at complying with NZ’s Export Control legislation as well as preventing espionage and foreign interference in our research activities within a shifting domestic and international security environment. Researchers will be expected to participate in the new screening process when submitting research proposals to funders and conduct associated risk management assessments post-award. These changes take effect from 01 January 2025. The information sessions are open to all Faculties/LSRIs and will be held on multiple dates (To RSVP for sessions use this link).  A recording of the information session will be made available online for those unable to attend in person.  1. Click on the link.  You should see this image pop up: 2. Download the file then open it. 3. Accept the meeting and it should update in your calendar. If your teams have questions or concerns, please contact Ben Turley (researchrisk@auckland.ac.nz).

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Health, Safety and Wellbeing 

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Updates from HSW

Summer is just around the corner, and you can do some of the following to help you through this time of the year:

• Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, including water and flavoured water. You can also eat foods with a high-water content, like watermelon and cucumber. 

 

• Protect your skin: Wear sunscreen and sunglasses, remember to check the Sunscreens | Buying guide – Consumer NZ to better use the sunscreen. Also,    Sunscreen test results | Know the issue – Consumer NZ to help you decide what brands to purchase.

 

• Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose-fitting clothing. 

 

• Keep your home cool: Use an air conditioner, weather-strip doors and windows, and cover windows with drapes or shades. You can also use a dehumidifier to keep indoor humidity levels between 40% and 50%. 

 

• Prepare your car: Check your oil, coolant, and tire levels, and top up your screen wash. 

 

• Prepare a grab bag: Keep a bag with basic supplies like bottled water, medicines, a torch, radio, batteries, copies of important documents, and a change of clothes. 

 

• Prepare your closet: Go through your closet, get rid of or donate what you don’t want, and buy any new clothing you need. 

 

• Plan trips: Plan trips and consider visiting a new city or going hiking. 

 

• Maintain a bedtime routine: Maintain a consistent bedtime routine for parents and children to get enough quality sleep. 

 

• Be aware of others: Look out for others in your community, especially older people, young children, babies, and those with health risks

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Publications | Articles

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• Mueller A, Simmons L, Brook MS (2024) Engineering geomorphology of coastal landslides at Limestone Downs, North Island, New Zealand. Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology 57(4): qjegh2024-046.

HeadsUp

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Hearing Masters/ Hons presentations, DCOs appearing in my email inbox, being consulted on catering for the end of year party…all signs that year’s end is fast approaching.  Even the supermarkets have starting stocking Christmas fare. And in the last announcement of spring, the pipiwharauroa, (shining cuckoo) has returned from the tropics and started calling in the bush.

Labour Weekend offered a taster of summer holidays to come.  Like most public holidays the meaning is sadly lost over time. In this case an extra day to sleep in or go to the beach is actually a commemoration of the struggle for an eight-hour working day (NZ workers were among the world’s first to claim this right).  Although this was gained in in 1840, Labour Day wasn’t celebrated in New Zealand until 28 October 1890. While many of us work a longer day than eight hours at times, its surely good to know we don’t have to. So we should be grateful for more than a day off.

There have been other hard-won rights. In the US annual leave (AL) is only 2 weeks. Here we have five. Think of the uproar if the university proposed to cut back from five weeks to just a fortnight a year. Yet, as most of you know only too well, I have to persuade some colleagues to book AL. With summer approaching, it is seriously time to book time off or it may, with consultation, be booked for you. We owe it to ourselves and those close to us to take what time we are eligible for. I know most of us love our jobs, but surely not so much that we forego booking leave…

This is a time many of us ‘go to ground’ with exam marking, conferences and fieldwork.  Next week we have a triumvirate of School events: on Monday a visit from Sarah Young, the new Dean; and on Wednesday, an all-staff showcase for the new stage 1 offerings followed by our last staff meeting of the year. The latter two have been scheduled back-to-back to ease scheduling. I look forward to seeing most of you at those occasions next week.

Till then, enjoy planning and booking AL. And listen out for the pipiwharauroa singing as it searches for other birds’ nests to lay in.

Robin Kearns

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Announcements

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Digital Capability Coaching

The university (Elanor and Gill) are offering UoA staff the opportunity to improve their digital capability and confidence. To learn more about their service please see the images/slides below. If you would like assistance using digital tools (eg TEAMS, Excel, Word, or any of the MS 365 applications) please get in touch!

1. Book a session 
2. Or to enquire about a group session, email digitalcoach@auckland.ac.nz           

Ngā mihi,

Gill Hotter (she/her) and Eleanor Almeida (she/her)

Digital Capability Coaches

 

Short-Term Job Opportunity – Collections Assistance Needed!

We have an exciting opportunity for two students to join us in preparing for a significant move in 2025. As part of this process, we need some help bagging up our school collections located at an offsite warehouse.

What the role involves:
You’ll be working with us to carefully pack and organise collections, making sure everything is ready for transport. The role is expected to last around 2–3 months and can be offered on either a fixed-term or casual basis, depending on what works best for us.

Interested?
If this sounds like something you’d like to be part of, please get in touch! We’d love to chat further and provide more details on the job, as well as discuss the next steps.

Feel free to contact me directly:

Blair Sowman
Technical Manager, School of Environment
Phone: (09) 373 7599 Ext. 84128

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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

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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IEEE Explore Database Training

IEEE Explore is offering an upcoming Zoom workshop  for the University of Auckland on The Literature Review Process on Tuesday, November 12, 3-4pm NZ Daylight Savings Time.

This workshop will help you hone your research skills and feel more confident when using this database to further your research.

Access the link below on the day to attend the workshop.

Zoom Link: https://ieee.zoom.us/j/92606478460?pwd=UIaf2HctCLoAbZxFbaT843Cc5XCA6U.1 This session showcases the literature review process using IEEE Xplore Digital Library’s 6+ million publications, and demonstrates how students and researchers would leverage on the platform’s features to filter and locate the most relevant and impactful references for their coursework and research. Topics covered include: Introduction to IEEE and IEEE Xplore Digital Library IEEE Xplore Digital Library: Content &Feature Highlights Literature Review with IEEE Xplore (Live Demo) Advanced searching in IEEE Xplore Personal account with IEEE Xplore: reference management, etc. Discussion, Q&A

Tuesday Nov 12, 2024 ⋅ 3pm – 4pm (New Zealand Daylight Savings Time)

 

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)

 

Coastal and Marine Geoscience Group Meeting/Seminar               

The next Coastal-Marine Geoscience Group seminar will be held on Wednesday 6th of November at 1:00pm to 2:00 pm in the Ontology Lab (302-551).  

News will be shared and a talk given from Yiming Wu, “Impacts of exotic saltmarsh removal and native saltmarsh restoration on bed level change and surficial sediment distribution in an estuary wetland”

and Maurizio D’Anna, “Reshaping the understanding of beach response to Sea Level Rise for equilibrium shoreline models“.

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. 

 

NZSA Space Scholarships – NASA internships – applications for 2025 close 3 November

Applications are currently open for the New Zealand Space Scholarship. It is aimed at students who will be studying at a post-grad level in 2025 and who are interested in working on NASA projects in the U.S. next year. Applications close 3 November 2024. 

Successfully applicants will have the opportunity to work on space-related projects at either NASA’s Ames Research Center or the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. While there, they’ll be guided by NASA mentors, gaining hands-on experience in their fields of study and access to advanced research facilities.

The New Zealand Space Scholarship covers return airfares to the United States and accommodation costs, plus an allowance for living expenses.

More information, including eligibility criteria is available online: https://www.mbie.govt.nz/science-and-technology/space/nasa-internships

And interested students can apply online: https://jobs.mbie.govt.nz/job-invite/15694/

 

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.

 

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.  

 

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

Near-miss funding round 2024
This fund aims to provide support to PIs, for applications from the University of Auckland, Faculty of Science for major grants (≥ $100,000), who successfully progressed to the second stage of a major external funding round but missed out at the final stage. The faculty envisage being able to fund up to 5 applications in the 2024 round.
Value/Duration:	Deadline:
Grants up to $10,000 for research activity	Applications are due by 5pm, Monday 25th Nov 2024
Further Information: ·        Full details including guidelines and the application form are available on the research page of the staff intranet If you are interested, please also get in touch with your FIRST (Kelly or Sophie)

 

Faculty of Science Commercial Seed Funding
This fund aims to support early-stage work that will make a difference to the tech development pathway. A range of commercial R&D or skill development activities could be supported, including experiments to determine whether a particular idea is commercially feasible, development of initial proof-of-concept results for commercial funding applications, IP and Freedom to Operate searches, or market research. Researchers may also apply for this funding to support their personal development.
Value/Duration:	Deadline:
Grants up to $10,000 for research activity (The total budget for this round is ~$25k)	Applications are due by 5pm, Monday 25th Nov 2024
Further Information: ·        Guidelines & Applications *Applicants should submit a proposal via email to FoS-researchadmin@auckland.ac.nz If you are interested, please also get in touch with your FIRST (Kelly or Sophie)

 

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.

   

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

With Spring well under way outdoors activities are around us. However, a reminder that work and recreational activities require adequate gear to avoid unnecessary injuries.

If you have allergies, refrain from taking unprescribed medicines. Ask your physician for the right type of antihistamines for you, some cause drowsiness and it’s use can cause fatal accidents or can reduce your productivity dramatically.

 

Managing Spring Allergies Safely

Spring is a beautiful season, but for many, it brings the challenge of allergies. Here are some tips to help you manage your symptoms safely and effectively:

Safe Use of Antihistamines

Antihistamines are a common remedy for allergy symptoms like sneezing, itching, and runny nose. Here are some guidelines for their safe use:

• Consult a Healthcare Provider: Before starting any medication, it’s important to talk to your doctor, especially if you have other health conditions or are taking other medications.
• Follow Dosage Instructions: Always adhere to the recommended dosage on the package or as prescribed by your doctor. Overuse can lead to unwanted side effects.
• Be Aware of Side Effects: Some antihistamines can cause drowsiness. If you’re taking a new medication, see how it affects you before driving or operating heavy machinery.
• Non-Drowsy Options: If drowsiness is a concern, look for non-drowsy antihistamines, which are less likely to affect your daily activities.

Monitoring the Pollen Index

Keeping an eye on the pollen, use Metservice,  index can help you manage your exposure to allergens:

• Check Daily Reports: Many weather websites and apps provide daily pollen counts. High pollen days might be a good time to stay indoors or take extra precautions.
• Plan Outdoor Activities: Try to schedule outdoor activities when pollen levels are lower, typically after rain or in the late afternoon.
• Keep Windows Closed: On high pollen days, keep windows and doors closed to prevent pollen from entering your home.

Additional Tips

• Shower and Change Clothes: After spending time outside, shower and change your clothes to remove pollen.
• Use Air Purifiers: Consider using air purifiers with HEPA filters to reduce indoor allergens.
• Stay Hydrated: Drinking plenty of water can help thin mucus and keep you hydrated.

By following these tips and staying informed, you can enjoy the beauty of spring while keeping your allergies under control. 🌸

Deliberate actions to increase optimism will boost your mood.

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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)

HeadsUp

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I am constantly delighted by the readiness of members of the Environment team to pick up a paddle and help move the waka forward. This last week has been a good example as I have drafted the Annual Report and 2025 Plan required by the Faculty.  A Head can never have a detailed understanding of all parts of a complex School’s operation so I am grateful to those in Steering Group and across the School who contributed ideas and bits of text for potential inclusion.

With October upon us Spring is emphatically here and the end of the teaching year draws into sight. It’s the season of SET assessments of many courses soon so, as they are a key way we can monitor student receptivity to our efforts, please encourage participation and offer reminders.

Speaking of reminders, as travel requests pick up with the end of semester, please be reminded (so I don’t need to remind you!) that any travel or part of an itinerary not being booked via Orbit requires you to send the itinerary details to the Risk Office at riskoffice@auckland.ac.nz so details can be manually added into the university’s traveller tracking system (This happens automatically when travel arrangements are booked by Orbit and ensures the university can meet its duty of care and provide assistance in the event of an untoward situation arising).

Also I look forward to seeing many of you at another celebratory Professorial Inaugural Lecture this week. Karen Fisher’s occasion will be this Thursday  3^rd of October 530pm in 303-G20 PLT1 (we are asked to register here: https://KarenFisher.eventbrite.co.nz).

Finally a big thanks and a congratulations.

Our wonderful RPC, Franca Peverelle, is moving on later this month to take up a senior RPC position in FMHS (School of Population Health). Thank you for all your efficient assistance, Franca!

And congratulations to two more writers of commentaries in the media. These are high impact opportunities to reach different and wider  audiences than peer-reviewed articles and chapters. They help put you and our School ‘on the map’. Do try it; Margot White and Paul Pankhurst in the Faculty comms team are always ready to assist. Well done Marie McEntee and PhD student Nargiss Taleb:

https://theconversation.com/nzs-government-plans-to-lift-a-ban-on-gene-tech-outside-the-lab-heres-what-people-think-239707

https://newsroom.co.nz/2024/09/26/mission-compostable/

Happy tenth month.

Robin Kearns, Head of School

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ENV-stories

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When I compare my upbringing to my children’s, the contrast is striking. Our family of four lived in a 90 m² apartment, which by our country’s standards was relatively luxurious. Still, in a city of 3 million people we lived next to ranchos—poorly self-built houses—with roosters waking us up. From my window, I could see the growing divide between rich and poor. Sports were not a central part of children’s upbringing and were often inaccessible, with many sports being limited to country clubs. Despite this, I joined my school’s low-key basketball team, where my height gave me an advantage, especially in Venezuela. But the outdoors were calling. In my teens I started hiking the majestic Avila National Park and wondering how it came to be. I also spent time building a batch with my parents, swimming in the Caribbean, and hanging out with friends at Maccas after school. My mother ran the only “doll hospital” in Venezuela, and I made pocket money by helping to repair people’s beloved items.

My love for geophysics began in high school when I had amazing earth science and physics teachers (yes, they taught a full year of earth science!). I was lucky to survive a bullet that passed just 30 cm from my head during the failed 1992 coup led by Chavez from prison. The political turmoil from coups and raids, along with widespread corruption and crime, was rampant in Venezuela during the 1980s and 1990s. It became clear that these deep societal issues couldn’t be fixed by force, and governments kept flipping with no real change, a situation that persists to this day. I was mugged a few times, but others we knew were killed. I realized I couldn’t change the country and raise my family in such an environment. So, I set my sight on the US and studied hard to earn postgraduate scholarships. During my undergraduate studies, we had to give a talk about a geological event, and I chose the 1995-1996 Mt. Ruapehu eruptions as I found them fascinating. I searched for images and was struck by the combination of bikinis, geology, and skiing! (image below) I first touched snow (and learned to ski!) in Colorado. I loved my MSc research and pursued my doctoral studies at the Center for Rock Abuse (a rock physics experimental lab), where my life skills truly came together. My experience in doll repairing, building, geophysics, and love of the outdoors all proved invaluable. Fast forward to 2013, and life came full circle when I climbed Mt. Ruapehu. With quite a bit of luck and thanks to my incredible teachers/advisors, parents and husband Kasper I ended up here, all while studying and teaching the fascinating geology of NZ and raising our kids in this amazing place, Aotearoa!

Ludmila Adam

Photo Source: https://teara.govt.nz/

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Announcements

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Hono | Human Connections

Unfortunately, the implementation of Hono | Human Connections has been delayed. This delay is due to challenges with payroll accuracy during testing which have introduced an unacceptable risk to launching in 2024.

As the most significant enterprise technology change we’ve experienced at the University in some time and with so much at stake, it is critical we get this right and mitigate as much risk prior to going live as possible.

Both the Programme Steering Committee and the project team remain fully committed to delivering a high-quality system for the University. A revised go-live date in early 2025 is being considered and will be announced as soon as possible after consultation with the business.

Next steps

• Continue clean-up activities in preparation for a system transition in early 2025. Check for details on System shutdown and business process impacts.
• Training sessions will continue to run throughout October and November, with refresher sessions offered before the new go live date. See training dates here

While Hono’s launch is postponed, the work we have all done to date to prepare for the change will serve us well once the new date is confirmed.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to email the programme team.

 

 

Research Support Update

Franca Peverelle has accepted a Senior Research Programme Coordinator position in FMHS, so will sadly be leaving Environment.  This is a great opportunity for Franca to progress her career in research management – congratulations!  Her last day in Environment will be 17 October. 

For those researchers that Franca supported, Sophie Yu and I will be your new contact points – please don’t hesitate to email either of us with any queries.

-Kelly Kilpin

 

The Health, Safety and Wellbeing team is recruiting for a new permanent part time role, Hazardous Substances Advisor. The Hazardous Substances Advisor will work alongside our Chemical Risk Advisor, Emily Boyd joining our Hazard and Containment team. 

We are seeking someone with a positive can-do attitude and strong customer service focus. The key to your success will be your attitude, coupled with outstanding stakeholder management capability, excellent communication and problem-solving skills, and your ability to thrive in a busy and dynamic environment.

You will ideally have a good understanding of chemistry and biology including terminology and experience working in a laboratory environment.  You will also have a good understanding of Dangerous Goods, Hazardous Substances and UN classifications, Globally Harmonised System of Classification and labelling of chemicals. We use SciTrack software so a working knowledge would be highly beneficial.

You can find more information at the link below. If you have questions about the role you can contact Francesca at francesca.casu@auckland.ac.nz or at +64 27 551 5145. 

Feel free to share internally or externally if you know someone might be interested. Thank you!

https://jobs.smartrecruiters.com/TheUniversityOfAuckland/744000016778875-hazardous-substances-advisor

Regards,

Blair 

Technical Manager, School of Environment

 

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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

 

Seminars at Auckland Rotary Clubs

The Rotary Clubs of Auckland have expressed a strong interest in organizing seminars in collaboration with our department. They are eager to engage with our academic staff and would welcome your expertise. We will be compiling a list of topics to pass on to the presidents of the clubs. This is a great opportunity to share your research, connect with the community, and contribute to public discourse on important issues. Please email Giovanni (g.coco@auckland.ac.nz) if you would like to be involved.

 

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 9th of October at 12:00 to 1:00 pm in the Ontology Lab (302-551).
News will be shared and a talk given from Amirmahdi Gohari,
“A data-driven approach to predict shoreline position : using SPADS model”
and Zhanchao Shao,
“Mapping carbon sequestration changes in response to sea level rise in a large semi-tropical mesotidal estuary”.
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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

Environment Marsden Club 2025

Are you thinking of applying for a Marsden Grant this year?  The School of Environment Marsden Club will be running again this year.  This is open to all potential applicants (standard and fast-start) to the Marsden 2025 round, and will be an opportunity to hear advice and tips from previous applicants, share useful resources and outline support/peer-review arrangements to develop a successful application.   Any questions/queries to Sila or Kelly.

Kick-off event:

Monday 14^th October, 2pm.

Venue: TBC

 

 

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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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.

 

MBIE: Vision Mātauranga Capability Fund
This fund aims to invest in the development of skilled people and organisations that plan to undertake, or are undertaking, research that supports the themes and outcomes of the Vision Mātauranga policy. Funding is available through two schemes: (i)       The Connect Scheme seeks to build new connections between Māori organisations and the science and innovation system. (ii)     The Placement Scheme seeks to enhance the development of an individual(s) through placement in a partner organisation.
Value/Duration:	Internal Deadline
Value: ·         $150,000 (ex GST) – max funding per proposal for projects up to 1 year ·         $250,000 (ex GST) – max funding per proposal between 1-2 years Duration: up to 2 years	12 noon, Monday, 7 October 2024
*MBIE will also host a 1-hour webinar to talk through the application process and answer any questions at 10am, Wednesday 18 September 2024. If interested, please register for the webinar 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.

 

Catalyst: Seeding (Round3)
Catalyst seeding facilitates new small and medium pre-research strategic partnerships that cannot be supported through other means, and with a view to developing full collaborations that could be supported through Catalyst: Strategic over time. Funding is for research exchanges, research activities, and expenses related to hosting workshops for new strategic research partnerships with international collaborators
Value/Duration:	Internal Deadline
Seeding General: up to $80,000  (excl. GST) in total for up to two years ·         NZ – Japan Joint Research Projects: up to $30,000 (excl. GST) per annum for up to two years	12pm, Tuesday 08 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.

 

Catalyst: Leaders (Round3)
HOPE Meetings are held for excellent graduate students and young researchers selected from countries/areas around the Asia-Pacific and Africa region. These meetings give an opportunity for the participants to engage in interdisciplinary discussions with Nobel Laureates and other distinguished scientists pioneering the frontiers of knowledge.
Value/Duration:	Internal Deadline
Supports excellent PhD students and/or young researchers to attend the HOPE meetings with Nobel Laureates for 5 days including flights, accommodation, and meeting registration.	12pm, Tuesday 08 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.

 

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 

MBIE Endeavour Support Sessions 2025

Support for the 2025 MBIE Endeavour round is currently underway.  ·         MBIE 2024 Endeavour Fund Roadshows: The funder will be holding virtual endeavour fund roadshows on 2, 3 and 7 October. If you are interested, please complete the register form by following the links below. (1)    Roadshow – Wednesday 2 October 2024: 9:30 am to 11:30 am (2)    Roadshow – Thursday 3 October 2024: 9:00 am to 11:00 am (3)    Roadshow – Monday 7 October 2024: 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm ·         Endeavour Registration Webinar: will help you understand what information is required at the Registration stage, and how to use the registration process to effectively position your application. This webinar will be an hour, including Q&A time at the end Key Information Date: Wednesday, 9 October, 2024 Time: 10:00am – 11:00am. Location: Online via Zoom Link Audience: Open to UoA research staff applying for the 2025 Endeavour round. Registration: To register for this event, please complete the registration form Please reach out if you have any questions:  submissions@auckland.ac.nz

 

Webinar: Building your Knowledge in Responsiveness to Māori within your Research

The webinars will provide a general overview of the Treaty of Waitangi as it relates to research. The content focuses on why it was written, what it says, what went wrong, where we are today, and how it applies to research. (i)      Workshop 1/2 – Making Sense of the Treaty in a Research Context: will provide a brief overview of the Treaty of Waitangi as it relates to research. (ii)    Workshop 2/2 – Putting the Treaty into Practice in a Research Context: Christine, founding member of Auckland Project Waitangi, explores application of the main Treaty concepts to the major stages of research. Date & Time Registration (Session 1)   (i)                  Making Sense of the Treaty in a Research Context (Part 1/2): 30th July 2024, 9:30am – 12:30 pm Here (ii)                Putting the Treaty into Practice in a Research Context (Part 2/2): 6th August 2024, 9:30am – 12:30pm Here (Session 2) (i)                  Making Sense of the Treaty in a Research Context (Part 1/2): 26th September 2024, 9:30am – 12:30 pm Here (ii)                Putting the Treaty into Practice in a Research Context (Part 2/2):  3rd October 2024, 9:30am – 12:30pm Here If you have any questions, please email: researcherdevelopment@auckland.ac.nz

 

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Health, Safety and Wellbeing 

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Updates from HSW

If you missed the Email from the Acting Dean on Wednesday explaining the changes to charging rechargeable items on campus, here is the copy:

 

Kia ora e te whānau mahi | Good morning colleagues

After the spontaneous fire in Building 301 10 days ago (Friday 13^th), and the one in the level 4 lift of the Carlaw Park Student Village exactly one week later, I thought I’d send out a brief reminder on fire safety good practice ahead of this coming Friday, lest we have three in a row.

Charging stuff:

• Please do not charge e-batteries for scooters, bikes etc., in offices, plant rooms, or in fact anywhere within buildings.
• Lithium batteries should always be charged in designated areas (such as inside the bike cages in The Business School 260 Sir Owen Glenn building P1 carpark, B507 Basement Carpark Grafton, B907 bike cage Newmarket: for more information of respective locations please liaise with B409 security).
• Non-tested and/or non-commercial equipment should not be charged on the Faculty of Science premises.

If you’re not sure if your charging practise is acceptable, please check with Andrew Colgan a.colgan@auckland.ac.nz, our Facilities and Services manager for the Faculty of Science.

Thanks everyone,  I hope the rest of the week is enjoyable and flame-free.

Ngā mihi

JR

PROFESSOR JR (JULIE) ROWLAND

Manukura Pūtaiao | Acting Dean

Ko te whare Pūtaiao | Faculty of Science

Waipapa Taumata Rau | University of Auckland

 

Immunisations:

 

Visit Vaccines given in Aotearoa (info.health.nz) for further information about immunisations available in New Zealand.

 

From Tuesday Free RAT tests are no longer available

 

Covid-19 RATs no longer free from 1 October | RNZ News

 

To close the Mental Health foundation week, we are inviting you to visit Workplaces | Mental Health Foundation for more information about mental health at the workplace.

 

Last but not least

 

Emergency notification test

Wednesday 24 September 2024

On Thursday 3 October at 1 pm, the University will be testing its emergency notification system via the Kāhu and UoA Alert app.

Haven’t downloaded the app yet?

• Staff, download the UoA alert app
• Students, download Kāhu

In addition to ensuring you receive immediate alerts in the case of a real emergency, Kāhu is designed to make student life easier by providing access to everyday student tools and information in one place.

More information about the UoA alert app is also available on the staff intranet.

 

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Publications | Articles

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• Pizer Charlotte, Jamie D. Howarth, Kate J. Clark, Alan R. Orpin, Stephanie E. Tickle, Lorna J. Strachan, Philip Barnes, Sian Camp, Monique Mckeown and Emily Twort (2024) Integrated onshore–offshore paleoseismic records show multiple slip styles on the plate-interface, central Hikurangi subduction margin, New Zealand. Quaternary Science Reviews 344, 108942.
• Laura S. McDonald, Lorna J. Strachan, Katherine Holt, Adam D. McArthur, Philip M. Barnes, Katherine L. Maier, Alan R. Orpin, Mark Horrocks, Aratrika Ganguly, Jenni L. Hopkins, and Helen C. Bostock (2024) Using pollen in turbidites for vegetation Reconstructions. Journal of Quaternary Science, 1-11, ISSN 0267-8179. DOI: 10.1002/jqs.3653

HeadsUp

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Happy Te Wiki o te Reo Māori!

Spring is here. There’s startlingly white puawānanga (NZ clematis) blossom in the bush and kowhai trees dropping their gold petals. The kuaka (bar-tailed godwits) have returned from Alaska and soon the plaintive call of the pīpīwharauroa (shining cuckoo), returning from the Solomon Islands will be heard.

I for one feel uplifted by all this, though the to-do list remains unrelentingly long. Somehow the cyclic return of flowerings and long-distance avian commuters feels reassuring in an otherwise uncertain world.

Campus-based events cycle into the horizon too. Spring Graduation is this Friday 20^th, returning to the grandeur and proximity of the Town Hall. I look forward to sharing the stage with many of you in excellent academic plumage. Busy as we are, let’s make an occasion of it, the reception beforehand as well.

Congratulations

Spring brings good research news for the School with the following UoA-led MBIE successes:

Shane Cronin – Research Program:  “Anticipating threats to Aotearoa shores and data cables from Southwest Pacific volcanoes”

Joa Paredes – Smart Idea: “Hyper-explosive Eruptions: Why can small eruptions go hyper?”

And, led from elsewhere,

Ludmila Adam/Michael Rowe – Research Programme (Canterbury): “Derisking Carbon Dioxide Removal at Megatonne Scale in Aotearoa”

Shane Cronin – Research Programme (Massey): “Te Awe Mapara, towards a National Volcano Hazard Model under climatic changes”

A very big well done!

Congratulations too to PhD completer Jack Barrett who has gained a lectureship in the AUT Business School, starting January 2025…

Curating our reputation

The way we are regarded by those beyond the University of Auckland is critical for all sorts of reasons. Call it reputation management perhaps. Two ways we can enhance this is through engaging with potential international university partners and ensuring we are positioned well when international rankings are assessed. The first of these opportunities will be enhanced with an upcoming workshop on articulation agreements (date, tbc). Second, Giovanni Coco has kindly agreed to be our QS rankings champion. All ten units in the Faculty are asked to nominate a well-connected colleague to help mobilise our best positioning for the QS ranking score which is heavily influenced by academic reputation and employer reputation. More on that soon too.

For now, look out for the kowhai and clematis brightening spring and be in awe of our long-distant frequent flyers, the kuaka and pīpīwharauroa returning home for summer.  

Robin

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Announcements

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ENV Technical Services Survey 2024

The School Technical Team is again running our annual survey of experiences working in our laboratories. This year we’ve expanded the survey to include a section on fieldwork.

Invitations were sent on 2 September to postgraduate students and academic staff. Please check your email for further instructions on how to complete the survey.

 

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

 

Seminars at Auckland Rotary Clubs

The Rotary Clubs of Auckland have expressed a strong interest in organizing seminars in collaboration with our department. They are eager to engage with our academic staff and would welcome your expertise. We will be compiling a list of topics to pass on to the presidents of the clubs. This is a great opportunity to share your research, connect with the community, and contribute to public discourse on important issues. Please email Giovanni (g.coco@auckland.ac.nz) if you would like to be involved.

 

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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School of Environment Research Awards 2024

The Rangahau Committee are calling for nominations for the annual School of Environment Research Awards in November (date TBC)!

Research Awards nominations are open now and close at the end of the day on 30 September 2024. Please take a quick moment to think about nominating any of your fantastic students or colleagues for one (or more) of the below awards.

Nominations must be made using this form: https://forms.gle/cmJPYbTjrE74Ck5GA (you must sign in using your UoA email)

The five school-wide awards are:

1. Hiroki Ogawa School Citizenship Award (Awarded to a postgraduate research student who has shown aptitude for independent research and who, through their continuous engagement in the School activities, has greatly inspired or helped their fellow students and staff within the school (in other words, has been an excellent school citizen)
2. Research Communication Award (Awarded to a staff member (Research Fellows included), student or research team who has been particularly active and successful in communicating and engaging with the public)
3. Early Carer Research Award (Awarded to a staff member (Research Fellows included) within 7 years of PhD graduation).
4. Engagement with Indigenous Values and Knowledge Award  (Awarded to a staff member (Research Fellows included), student, or research team who has actively and successfully engaged with indigenous values and knowledge in their research.)
5. Transdisciplinary Award (Awarded to a staff member (Research Fellows included), student or research team whose research has crossed boundaries, collaborating with researchers from different disciplines, and working jointly to move beyond discipline-specific approaches and address a common problem.)

We will be very pleased to receive your nominations and will be waiting for you to celebrate our Researchers!

 

Workshop – Writing for non-academic audiences: October 1, 10am-12pm, Ontology Lab

How can we better highlight the range of interesting and societally relevant research that we conduct at the School of Environment? Come and listen to our panel of experts on non-academic writing: Paul Pankhurst (UoA Media), Margo White (Newsroom) and Finlay Macdonald (The Conversation) visiting us in the School to chat about how to make your research digestible for non-academics. This will be followed by comments from some of our School’s media-savvy writers (at different career stages) giving their thoughts about their experiences of writing for this ‘genre’.

Where and When? October 1, 10am-12pm in the Ontology Lab 302-551

We’ll have some light refreshments in the second hour, which will also give you time to chat with our presenters and perhaps give a 3-minute pitch on your work, to test it out with them. 

Please respond to the Outlook Calendar invite to give us an idea of catering requirements. 

 

Environment Marsden Club 2025

Are you thinking of applying for a Marsden Grant this year?  The School of Environment Marsden Club will be running again this year.  This is open to all potential applicants (standard and fast-start) to the Marsden 2025 round, and will be an opportunity to hear advice and tips from previous applicants, share useful resources and outline support/peer-review arrangements to develop a successful application.   Any questions/queries to Sila or Kelly.

Kick-off event:

Monday 14^th October, 2pm.

Venue: TBC

 

 

 

 

 

RTEA is hosting the annual Careers Evening on Thursday 26 September at 303-101! The event will start at 6:30 pm where panelists will be introduced, and mingling (with catering provided!) will start at 7 pm. Whilst this event is geared more towards undergrad students, we would love to see postgrad students there who may be looking at non-academic career options, and also to talk to students about their experiences completing postgraduate studies as well. We hope to see you there!  

 

 

 

 

 

Coastal and Marine Geoscience Group Meeting/Seminar   

The next Coastal-Marine Geoscience Group seminar will be held on Wednesday 25th September at 12:00 to 1:00 pm in the Ontology Lab (302-551).

News will be shared and a talk given from Dr Megan Tuck – “Unveiling New Zealand’s Coastal Patterns: Insights from an 80-year Analysis of Coastal Change”
and Dr Tom Dowling – “SAR4SAR project : Investigating synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites to aid with search and research (SAR) operations”

 

 

 

 Collecting and managing research data for SoE researchers

Centre for eResearch and Rangahau are inviting you (staff and MSc/PhD students) to participate in a very interesting and relevant seminar.

Join us for an overview and for an opportunity to ask about:

• University policies impacting research data management
• Best practises for managing data, including Data Management Planning for sensitive data
• Selecting appropriate and approved data collection and transcription tools and storage options
• Finding guidance, services, and support from across the University
• Summary of compute services available to researchers

Date: Wednesday 25^th  of September 12-1pm – 302-G20

 

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

 

David Barrell from GNS Dunedin is the 2024 Geoscience Society of New Zealand Hochstetter Lecturer.

He will be giving his main lecture “THE SEA VERSUS THE LAND – WILL THERE BE A WINNER? “ at 6.30 pm on Tuesday 17^th September at the Auditorium at the Auckland War Memorial Museum. Flyer attached. Please reserve your spot at https://myaccount.aucklandmuseum.com/176312?premove=Y&promo=GEOSCIENCE24. If you are able to donate anything to help contribute to the costs incurred by the museum to host this it would be appreciated but do not feel obliged. Free parking is available in the domain.

Abstract: Aotearoa New Zealand is the largest emergent part of the mainly submerged Zealandia continent. Plate-boundary tectonic deformation is responsible for Aotearoa’s ongoing emergence, and its margins are constantly under attack by waves in the vast surrounding ocean. Aotearoa’s landscape reflects an interplay between the rock foundations, the climate which gives precipitation to drive erosion and the river transport of sediment, and wave energy in the coastal zone which distributes the sediment once it reaches the sea. Perspectives of ‘whole system’ processes and mass/energy budgets, coupled with eustatic ebb and flow of the sea across the continental shelf through glacial/interglacial climate cycles, provide an integrated approach for explaining the form of Aotearoa’s landscape and behaviour of its river systems. This talk will explore the battle between sea and land, from the deep geological past through to modern times, and interpret the richly varied form of our coastline, from the long sweeping cliffs of some places, and indented bays and estuaries of others. Whole-system perspectives will be used to discuss likely coastal changes in coming decades to centuries under changing climate.

There will also be a more technical supporting/complementary lecture given on the 17^th September at 1 pm on campus at the Owen G Glenn Building, University of Auckland (12 Grafton Road) in Rm 260-005 (Case room 1 in the basement).

 

Tūpuna Maunga Authority announces annual research scholarship opportunity

The Tūpuna Maunga Authority is excited to announce the opening of applications for its annual Tūpuna Maunga research scholarship from 1 August 2024. This scholarship, established as part of the education strategy, offers up to $10,000 to support students conducting research on the Tūpuna Maunga.

The education strategy was developed from the Authority’s founding document, the Integrated Management Plan (IMP). “The key driver for this scholarship is to encourage students from all areas of study and empower them to increase their learning about Tūpuna Maunga o Tāmaki Makaurau,” says Paul Majurey, Authority Chair.

The scholarship is open to research that aligns with the Tūpuna Maunga values, focusing on enhancing and protecting the mauri (life force) and wairua (spiritual essence) of the Tūpuna Maunga (ancestral mountains). Detailed information about the scholarship, including an overview of the Tūpuna Maunga Values, is available on the Authority website www.maunga.nz/research/.

Majurey emphasizes the broader impact of the scholarship, stating, “We believe that this scholarship will not only benefit the students but also the wider community. Innovative research projects have the potential to bring new ideas and solutions that can significantly enhance the sustainability and preservation of the Tūpuna Maunga.”

Applicants have until 10pm, 25 September 2024 to apply via SmartyGrants, with funding to successful candidates as early as December 2024 (based on processing requirements). As part of the selection process, the $10,000 may be split across different applicants.

 

AINSE Postgraduate Orientation Week – Expressions of Interest now received from future scholarship applicants (applications close 30 September 2024) (flyer available online)

Coinciding with the international celebrations of Nuclear Science Week in the third week of October, the annual AINSE Postgraduate Orientation Week welcomes new postgraduate scholars in the AINSE PGRA, RSS, and Pathway scholarships, and provides all postgraduate students with the opportunity to establish enduring networks with like-minded colleagues across Australia and New Zealand. This year’s O’Week event will run from Monday 21^st – Friday 25^th October 2024 as an online event via Zoom, commencing with a full-day program on Monday 21^st, followed by afternoon and early evening sessions from Tuesday 22^nd – Friday 25^th.

Alongside our new scholarship recipients, AINSE are now accepting Expressions of Interest directly from interested students from AINSE-member institutions who are looking to apply for an AINSE postgraduate award in 2025.

These interested students can learn about the broad range of research supported by ANSTO’s landmark facilities, engage in a virtual tour of ANSTO, and participate in social activities as part of the worldwide Nuclear Science Week celebrations. The program will be differentiated, with these interested students able to attend a specialised workshop focused on the application process for 2025 AINSE scholarships.

Expressions of Interest close 11.59 pm AEST Monday 30^th September 2024.

For more information, and a link to the online application portal, please see our Postgraduate O’Week website.

 

8^th AINSE Women in STEM and Entrepreneurship (WISE) School – Expressions of Interest now received
(applications close 30 September 2024). (flyer available online)

AINSE is now accepting Expressions of Interest directly from students for the 8^th AINSE Women in STEM and Entrepreneurship (WISE) School, to be held Monday 2^nd to Friday 6^th December 2024.

Expressions of Interest close Monday 30^th September 2024.

This school is targeted at female students who are about to complete their first year of full-time undergraduate study (or part-time equivalent).

A key component of the WISE School is an ongoing mentorship program in which students are allocated mentors from across site at ANSTO. AINSE will be coordinating mentor and student meetings in 2025 to provide additional networking and educational opportunities for the students.

The 2024 WISE School will run as a 5 day hybrid event, with the possibility of a small number of students being invited to ANSTO’s Lucas Heights campus for the final 2 days of the program (Thursday 5th – Friday 6th December) if circumstances permit.

For more information, and a link to the online application portal, please see our WISE website.

 

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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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

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.

 

MBIE: Vision Mātauranga Capability Fund
This fund aims to invest in the development of skilled people and organisations that plan to undertake, or are undertaking, research that supports the themes and outcomes of the Vision Mātauranga policy. Funding is available through two schemes: (i)       The Connect Scheme seeks to build new connections between Māori organisations and the science and innovation system. (ii)     The Placement Scheme seeks to enhance the development of an individual(s) through placement in a partner organisation.
Value/Duration:	Internal Deadline
Value: ·         $150,000 (ex GST) – max funding per proposal for projects up to 1 year ·         $250,000 (ex GST) – max funding per proposal between 1-2 years Duration: up to 2 years	12 noon, Monday, 7 October 2024
*MBIE will also host a 1-hour webinar to talk through the application process and answer any questions at 10am, Wednesday 18 September 2024. If interested, please register for the webinar here.
Further Information (funding call, guidelines, registration info): ·         Funding Call ·         Guidelines ·         Website  If you are interested, please also get in touch with your FIRST.

 

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 * The funder will be holding virtual endeavour fund roadshows on 2, 3 and 7 October 2024. It is highly recommended to attend to at least one of the sessions and you can do it by following the links. Roadshow #1 – Wednesday 2 October 2024: 9:30 am to 11:30 am Roadshow #2 – Thursday 3 October 2024: 9:00 am to 11:00 am ·         Roadshow #3 – Monday 7 October 2024: 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm 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

 

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.

 

2024 MBIE Catalyst: Strategic – New Zealand-Japan Joint Research Programme
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) is calling for proposals for joint research collaborations between New Zealand and Japan. MBIE will fund up to three joint New Zealand-Japan research projects in the field of disaster mitigation, response and recovery.
Value/Duration:	Internal Deadline
·         Value: NZ$300,000 (excluding GST) ·         Duration: 3 years	12 noon, Monday 23 September 2024.
Further Information (funding call, guidelines, registration info): ·         Funding Call ·         Guidelines ·         Website  If you are interested, please also get in touch with your FIRST.

 

Global Research Engagement Fund (GREF)
This fund aims to support applicants working towards a pre-identified collaboration or funding opportunity to develop new and emerging research partnerships with international collaborators.
Value/Duration:	Internal Deadline
·         Networking & Engagement Grants: up to $10,000 ·         Project Planning Grants: Up to $12,000	27 September 2024
Further Information: ·         Full details including guidelines and the application form are available on Research Hub ·         For enquiries, please contact international.research@auckland.ac.nz 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.

 

Catalyst: Seeding (Round3)
Catalyst seeding facilitates new small and medium pre-research strategic partnerships that cannot be supported through other means, and with a view to developing full collaborations that could be supported through Catalyst: Strategic over time. Funding is for research exchanges, research activities, and expenses related to hosting workshops for new strategic research partnerships with international collaborators
Value/Duration:	Internal Deadline
Seeding General: up to $80,000  (excl. GST) in total for up to two years ·         NZ – Japan Joint Research Projects: up to $30,000 (excl. GST) per annum for up to two years	12pm, Tuesday 08 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.

 

Catalyst: Leaders (Round3)
HOPE Meetings are held for excellent graduate students and young researchers selected from countries/areas around the Asia-Pacific and Africa region. These meetings give an opportunity for the participants to engage in interdisciplinary discussions with Nobel Laureates and other distinguished scientists pioneering the frontiers of knowledge.
Value/Duration:	Internal Deadline
Supports excellent PhD students and/or young researchers to attend the HOPE meetings with Nobel Laureates for 5 days including flights, accommodation, and meeting registration.	12pm, Tuesday 08 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 Prime Minister’s Science Prizes
The New Zealand Government introduced The Prime Minister’s Science Prizes in 2009 as a way of raising the profile and prestige of science among New Zealanders, in Aotearoa and internationally. ·         Te Puiaki Pūtaiao Matua a Te Pirimia: is for a transformative scientific advance, which has had a significant economic, health, social, political, cultural and/or environmental impact on New Zealand or internationally ·         Te Puiaki Kaipūtaiao Maea: will be awarded to an outstanding emerging scientist who has had their PhD conferred within the past eight (8) years. ·         Te Puiaki Whakapā Pūtaiao: will be awarded to either a practising scientist who can demonstrate an interest, passion and aptitude for science communication and public engagement, or to a person who has developed expertise in public engagement or communication of complex scientific or technological information to the public.
Value:	Deadline:
There are five prizes in total with a combined value of $975,000 NZ Dollars.	Applications open 13 May 2024 and close 1pm,  30 September 2024
Further Information: ·         Form, Guidelines and FAQs can be accessed via the Research Hub ·         For enquiries, please contact pmscienceprizes@royalsociety.org.nz 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 

PENN STATE-AUCKLAND VIRTUAL WORKSHOP 2024

There will be a virtual workshop in November 2024 (dates tbc). This workshop will provide an opportunity to engage with prospective collaborators following which Penn State University has kindly proposed an in-person workshop on their campus in the first quarter of 2025. If you are an early career researcher or a PhD student and interested in engaging with the Penn State counterparts in your field of interest, please fill out the survey form. Please note the last date for submitting the survey is Monday, 16th of September. For any questions, please contact Deepa Chaturvedi in International office (dt.chaturvedi@auckland.ac.nz).

 

MBIE Endeavour Support Sessions 2025

Support for the 2025 MBIE Endeavour round is currently underway.  ·         Research Impact Workshop: Research Impact Manager, Dr Cherie Lacey, will be hosting a practical workshop to walk you through the process of planning your MBIE Endeavour application to achieve maximum impact. Key Information Date: 26th September 2024 Time: 1:30 – 4pm. Location: 11 Symonds Street, Building 315, Room 420 (Kate Edger) Audience: Open to UoA research staff applying for the 2025 Endeavour round. Requirements: Attendees will be required to have watched the Impact Webinar, and to prepare and bring a summary of their impact goal. This can just be a few sentences detailing what their project hopes to achieve. Registration: To register for this event, please email submissions@auckland.ac.nz. Please reach out if you have any questions:  submissions@auckland.ac.nz

 

Webinar: Building your Knowledge in Responsiveness to Māori within your Research

The webinars will provide a general overview of the Treaty of Waitangi as it relates to research. The content focuses on why it was written, what it says, what went wrong, where we are today, and how it applies to research. (i)      Workshop 1/2 – Making Sense of the Treaty in a Research Context: will provide a brief overview of the Treaty of Waitangi as it relates to research. (ii)    Workshop 2/2 – Putting the Treaty into Practice in a Research Context: Christine, founding member of Auckland Project Waitangi, explores application of the main Treaty concepts to the major stages of research. Date & Time Registration (Session 1)   (i)                  Making Sense of the Treaty in a Research Context (Part 1/2): 30th July 2024, 9:30am – 12:30 pm Here (ii)                Putting the Treaty into Practice in a Research Context (Part 2/2): 6th August 2024, 9:30am – 12:30pm Here (Session 2) (i)                  Making Sense of the Treaty in a Research Context (Part 1/2): 26th September 2024, 9:30am – 12:30 pm Here (ii)                Putting the Treaty into Practice in a Research Context (Part 2/2):  3rd October 2024, 9:30am – 12:30pm Here If you have any questions, please email: researcherdevelopment@auckland.ac.nz

 

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Health, Safety and Wellbeing 

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Updates from HSW

Home | Mental Health Foundation

 

 The fire event on Friday is a timely reminder of fire safety, university is bringing a raft of changes around fire prevention, and this includes charging personal items.

Student Reps

We are recruiting two student reps to the HSW committee-. This is a great opportunity to gain deep insights into the HSW world and a great skill to have on your CV. The knowledge and experience you gain will help you future proofing your professional life and will allow you to transition between different industries.

There is a possibility of free training as a Health and Safety Rep for the right candidates.

Please get in touch with Andres Arcila-Rivera (a.arcila@auckland.ac.nz)

Fieldwork plans update

There has been an increase on reported rolled ankles at the school, which may possibly reflect the return to full field activities after Covid.

Please think carefully about appropriate footwear for these sorts of activities. Not all shoes are born equal and not all are suitable. We encourage to wear shoes with good ankle support even in the easiest terrain.  That extra support will help lessen the severity of rolled ankles.

Field activity leaders should liaise with all participants and ensure they have adequate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to participate in the activities. To elicit your thoughts about what is appropriate, we are no longer accepting expressions such as: appropriate footwear or weather proof gear.

We will be asking for something specific that reflects whether the shoes are fit for the terrain/task (the grip of the sole, the level of support, for walking on/off track and toe protection for people handling/carrying weight out in the field). The same will apply for weather protection.

Waterproof	Water Resistant
Suitable for heavier rainfall	Suitable for light showers/drizzle
Indicates high water protection	Indicates low water protection
Taped seams	No taped seams
The fabric has been treated with DWR (durable water repellent)	The fabric has been treated with DWR (durable water repellent)
Features a waterproof fabric membrane	Does not feature a waterproof fabric membrane

Carrying a waterproof jacket always is encouraged.  A wise person carries a raincoat on a fine day in the field, only a fool does in the rain.

We are welcoming questions for a FAQ section about fieldwork.  Please submit your questions to a.arcila@auckland.ac.nz.

 

Minutes of the last Health, Safety and Wellbeing Committee Meeting 

 

From HSW Central

Chemical Risk Management

New guidance has been added to the Chemical Risk Management Protocol website, including:

• New Chemical Lab Users’ Quick Reference Guide
• Updated Safe Methods of Use (SMOU), after being reviewed by experts around the University
• New SMOUs for Time-Sensitive Chemicals, Reactions in Sealed Pressure Vessels, and Dry Ice

With the introduction of centralised guidance for dry ice, we recognise the need to update some transport and storage practices. Specifically, dry ice must not be stored in sealed freezers and must not be accompanied during lift transport without a risk assessment to determine a safe quantity. To help with this, we’ve provided a carbon dioxide production calculator and a sample risk assessment on the website. If you have any questions, please reach out to Emily Boyd.

Radiation Risk Management

Radioactive materials and irradiating equipment are important tools in education and research within the University. The radiation standard has been updated and can be accessed here: https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/health-safety-wellbeing/health-safety-topics/laboratory-safety/radiation-risk/risk-management-standard.html

For radiation safety operational details please refer to the radiation safety plan and waste disposal guidelines here: https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/health-safety-wellbeing/health-safety-topics/laboratory-safety/radiation-risk/ionising-radiation-guidelines.html

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Publications | Articles

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• Wardlow Friesen. 2024. Obituary: R.J. Warwick Neville (1933-2024).  New Zealand Geographer  80(2):166-167.
• Shin, Hyesop, Eric Silverman, Yue Li, Ye Tian, and Qunshan Zhao (2024). “Did the Implementation of Low Emission Zone in Glasgow Change the Traffic Flow and Air Quality?” Findings. https://doi.org/10.32866/001c.123382.

HeadsUp

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Two Saturdays ago I witnessed a number of ‘under-sung’ heroes of our School in action. Over the course of a very full day of thousands of visitors to campus, I observed those who staffed Environment’s stand at Open Day engaging with prospective students and their parents with focus, enthusiasm and conviviality.

In the first instance I want to thank the ‘white shirt brigade’ – Joe, Nick, Anthony and Salene. They were such passionate promoters of all we have to offer, with Nick and Anthony giving wonderfully wide-ranging and unscripted talks to full lecture theatres.

 Second, I want to thank all the student helpers:   Inka Pleiss, Aven Zhuang, Adele Gao,  Aimee Harsant, Martin Joe, Tyler Flanagan, Madalen Guibert-Soehadi, Dhvani Mistry,  Samantha Street, Jock McCallum, Nargiss Taleb, Tejas Lamb, Maike Gatzlaff, Jacon Ingold and Said Al Sulaimi. As a parent of a prospective student remarked to me that day, our student ambassadors were welcoming, motivated and knowledgeable. 

Third, I want to acknowledge those who contributed behind the scenes as well as Professional Staff who directed traffic. Here I’m at serious risk of not mentioning key contributors, so forgive me if you are not named. But I need to acknowledge Tom Dowling who assisted with organising the thermal imagery activity, Emma Sharp who organised the Soil Safe activity and Brendan Hall who offered all-round technical support.

Lastly I want to offer gratitude to Thomas Mules who came up with a genius idea. As a clue, it reminded me of the Paul Kelly song ‘From Little Things Big Things Grow’. This celebrates the Gurindji people’s claim to their traditional lands which sparked the Indigenous land rights movement in Australia. I’m referring to the idea of having give-away packets of wildflower seeds, stamped with our School name. They went like proverbial hotcakes, and no wonder with Spring planting upon us. Significantly perhaps I offered the last packet to my colleague Allen Rodrigo, Head of Biological Sciences, who was particularly impressed with our marketing effort. Apparently a large bag of seed is currently being decanted into more tiny packets for the next outreach event and Thomas and Rachael of the Outreach Committee  are looking for helpers for the production line.  

Why am I so impressed over and above the eye-catching videos and hand-on displays on the day?  I’m impressed because the idea is novel, it speaks to the environments that concern us, it’s something that brings beauty to the world, it’s 100% sustainable and biodegradable, it’s thought provoking, and it offers a follow-up to the day’s events (watching plants grow).  

Most importantly, this initiative mimics the essence of events like Open Day.  Little things, as in Kelly’s song, can activate. Small conversations can mobilise into high school students choosing us over tertiary education opportunities elsewhere. Big things can grow from the affirmative smiles and encouraging words of our representatives. And, at a metaphorical level, who knows what enrolments in our new stage one courses this collective effort sowing of seeds of possibility might bring. That is why all those who engaged with Open Day effort are heroes in my view.

Robin Kearns, Head of School

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Announcements

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ENV Technical Services Survey 2024

The School Technical Team is again running our annual survey of experiences working in the our laboratories. This year we’ve expanded the survey to include a section on fieldwork.

Invitations will be sent this week to postgraduate students and academic staff. Please check your email for further instructions on how to complete the survey.

 

International recruitment of PhD students

The Faculty is encouraging a more coordinated approach to international recruitment of PhD students, particularly through externally-funded doctoral scholarships offered by countries like China, Indonesia, and various Latin American nations. These scholarships provide at least 130 opportunities each year for students to study at the University of Auckland (UoA). However, the Faculty of Science is often underrepresented in these scholarship schemes.

To increase the success rate in securing scholarships, the Faculty is advising research groups to collaborate and propose broad research themes. These themes will be made available to potential students, making it easier for international recruitment teams to promote them effectively. If you are part of a research group and have ideas for a research theme, you are encouraged to share them with Sila and Larry. They can assist in creating a summary that will support UoA’s international recruitment efforts.

We will be mentioning it during the all-staff meeting and then asking individual groups for contributions.

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Outreach

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Outreach opportunities for staff and students: 

Highlighting your research

Have you recently published an article in an academic journal or done an interview/ written something for mainstream media? Could we give it a little mention on our School of Environment socials? See some recent examples here from Salene and Melissa. It’s not arduous (just ask them) 🙂 Please send your news to Emma  el.sharp@auckland.ac.nz so we can share it more widely! We’ll edit them a bit more, but if you could also send a useful image (of yourself/ the thing being studied) and complete the following prompts that would be helpful:

[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: [link]

 

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

 

Seminars at Auckland Rotary Clubs

The Rotary Clubs of Auckland have expressed a strong interest in organizing seminars in collaboration with our department. They are eager to engage with our academic staff and would welcome your expertise. We will be compiling a list of topics to pass on to the presidents of the clubs. This is a great opportunity to share your research, connect with the community, and contribute to public discourse on important issues. Please email Giovanni (g.coco@auckland.ac.nz) if you would like to be involved.

 

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 11th September at 12:00 to 1:00 pm in the Ontology Lab (302-551).

News will be shared and a talk given from Anne-Fleur van Leeuwen – “Kaipara Moana Blues: uncovering the mysteries of eth estuary’s muddy water”
and Edouard Basquin – “Understanding the impact of changing sea level on estuarine morpho-dynamics using an equilibrium model’

All welcome to attend – please email Megan Tuck at megan.tuck@auckland.ac.nz if you wish to attend and don’t have the calendar invite already. 

 

 

 

 

 

Collecting and managing research data for SoE researchers

Centre for eResearch and Rangahau are inviting you (staff and MSc/PhD students) to participate in a very interesting and relevant seminar.

Join us for an overview and for an opportunity to ask about:

• University policies impacting research data management
• Best practises for managing data, including Data Management Planning for sensitive data
• Selecting appropriate and approved data collection and transcription tools and storage options
• Finding guidance, services, and support from across the University
• Summary of compute services available to researchers

Date: Wednesday 25^th  of September 12-1pm – 302-G20

 

Workshop – Writing for non-academic audiences: October 1, 10am-12pm, Ontology Lab

How can we better highlight the range of interesting and societally relevant research that we conduct at the School of Environment? Please join our team of panellists as we discuss strategies for how you can get your research into the public eye, and hear recent experiences from our staff publishing in non-academic publications (e.g., The Conversation).

Where and When? October 1, 10am-12pm in the Ontology Lab 302-551

 

Seminar by Visiting Researcher Dr Holly East

Please join us to hear Holly talk about her research activities on the topic “Can Seagrass Save the Maldives?”

When: 9 September 12 – 1 pm in the Ontology Lab

RSVP to Emma Ryan if you plan to come along

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

ENVIRONMENT – CHEMISTRY – COMPUTER SCIENCE  Research Networking Event

Tuesday 10 September, 2.00 – 5.00 pm, Level 6 Breakout space

This is an opportunity for academics from the Schools of Environment, Chemistry, and Computer Science to network around their research interests and/or plans.

The event will be informal, after a short introduction, exchange of ideas will take place in small groups in a “Speed dating” format.  This will be followed by an informal mixing session (catering provided).

For catering purposes, please RSVP to Kelly Kilpin.  Any questions, please reach out to either me or Sila.

Organised by Rangahau, and our sister committees in Chemical Sciences and Computer Sciences

 

David Barrell from GNS Dunedin is the 2024 Geoscience Society of New Zealand Hochstetter Lecturer.

He will be giving his main lecture “THE SEA VERSUS THE LAND – WILL THERE BE A WINNER? “ at 6.30 pm on Tuesday 17^th September at the Auditorium at the Auckland War Memorial Museum. Flyer attached. Please reserve your spot at https://myaccount.aucklandmuseum.com/176312?premove=Y&promo=GEOSCIENCE24. If you are able to donate anything to help contribute to the costs incurred by the museum to host this it would be appreciated but do not feel obliged. Free parking is available in the domain.

Abstract: Aotearoa New Zealand is the largest emergent part of the mainly submerged Zealandia continent. Plate-boundary tectonic deformation is responsible for Aotearoa’s ongoing emergence, and its margins are constantly under attack by waves in the vast surrounding ocean. Aotearoa’s landscape reflects an interplay between the rock foundations, the climate which gives precipitation to drive erosion and the river transport of sediment, and wave energy in the coastal zone which distributes the sediment once it reaches the sea. Perspectives of ‘whole system’ processes and mass/energy budgets, coupled with eustatic ebb and flow of the sea across the continental shelf through glacial/interglacial climate cycles, provide an integrated approach for explaining the form of Aotearoa’s landscape and behaviour of its river systems. This talk will explore the battle between sea and land, from the deep geological past through to modern times, and interpret the richly varied form of our coastline, from the long sweeping cliffs of some places, and indented bays and estuaries of others. Whole-system perspectives will be used to discuss likely coastal changes in coming decades to centuries under changing climate.

There will also be a more technical supporting/complementary lecture given on the 17^th September at 1 pm on campus at the Owen G Glenn Building, University of Auckland (12 Grafton Road) in Rm 260-005 (Case room 1 in the basement).

 

Tūpuna Maunga Authority announces annual research scholarship opportunity

The Tūpuna Maunga Authority is excited to announce the opening of applications for its annual Tūpuna Maunga research scholarship from 1 August 2024. This scholarship, established as part of the education strategy, offers up to $10,000 to support students conducting research on the Tūpuna Maunga.

The education strategy was developed from the Authority’s founding document, the Integrated Management Plan (IMP). “The key driver for this scholarship is to encourage students from all areas of study and empower them to increase their learning about Tūpuna Maunga o Tāmaki Makaurau,” says Paul Majurey, Authority Chair.

The scholarship is open to research that aligns with the Tūpuna Maunga values, focusing on enhancing and protecting the mauri (life force) and wairua (spiritual essence) of the Tūpuna Maunga (ancestral mountains). Detailed information about the scholarship, including an overview of the Tūpuna Maunga Values, is available on the Authority website www.maunga.nz/research/.

Majurey emphasizes the broader impact of the scholarship, stating, “We believe that this scholarship will not only benefit the students but also the wider community. Innovative research projects have the potential to bring new ideas and solutions that can significantly enhance the sustainability and preservation of the Tūpuna Maunga.”

Applicants have until 10pm, 25 September 2024 to apply via SmartyGrants, with funding to successful candidates as early as December 2024 (based on processing requirements). As part of the selection process, the $10,000 may be split across different applicants.

 

AINSE Postgraduate Orientation Week – Expressions of Interest now received from future scholarship applicants (applications close 30 September 2024) (flyer available online)

Coinciding with the international celebrations of Nuclear Science Week in the third week of October, the annual AINSE Postgraduate Orientation Week welcomes new postgraduate scholars in the AINSE PGRA, RSS, and Pathway scholarships, and provides all postgraduate students with the opportunity to establish enduring networks with like-minded colleagues across Australia and New Zealand. This year’s O’Week event will run from Monday 21^st – Friday 25^th October 2024 as an online event via Zoom, commencing with a full-day program on Monday 21^st, followed by afternoon and early evening sessions from Tuesday 22^nd – Friday 25^th.

Alongside our new scholarship recipients, AINSE are now accepting Expressions of Interest directly from interested students from AINSE-member institutions who are looking to apply for an AINSE postgraduate award in 2025.

These interested students can learn about the broad range of research supported by ANSTO’s landmark facilities, engage in a virtual tour of ANSTO, and participate in social activities as part of the worldwide Nuclear Science Week celebrations. The program will be differentiated, with these interested students able to attend a specialised workshop focused on the application process for 2025 AINSE scholarships.

Expressions of Interest close 11.59 pm AEST Monday 30^th September 2024.

For more information, and a link to the online application portal, please see our Postgraduate O’Week website.

 

8^th AINSE Women in STEM and Entrepreneurship (WISE) School – Expressions of Interest now received
(applications close 30 September 2024). (flyer available online)

AINSE is now accepting Expressions of Interest directly from students for the 8^th AINSE Women in STEM and Entrepreneurship (WISE) School, to be held Monday 2^nd to Friday 6^th December 2024.

Expressions of Interest close Monday 30^th September 2024.

This school is targeted at female students who are about to complete their first year of full-time undergraduate study (or part-time equivalent).

A key component of the WISE School is an ongoing mentorship program in which students are allocated mentors from across site at ANSTO. AINSE will be coordinating mentor and student meetings in 2025 to provide additional networking and educational opportunities for the students.

The 2024 WISE School will run as a 5 day hybrid event, with the possibility of a small number of students being invited to ANSTO’s Lucas Heights campus for the final 2 days of the program (Thursday 5th – Friday 6th December) if circumstances permit.

For more information, and a link to the online application portal, please see our WISE website.

 

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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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: Vision Mātauranga Capability Fund
This fund aims to invest in the development of skilled people and organisations that plan to undertake, or are undertaking, research that supports the themes and outcomes of the Vision Mātauranga policy. Funding is available through two schemes: (i)       The Connect Scheme seeks to build new connections between Māori organisations and the science and innovation system. (ii)     The Placement Scheme seeks to enhance the development of an individual(s) through placement in a partner organisation.
Value/Duration:	Internal Deadline
Value: ·         $150,000 (ex GST) – max funding per proposal for projects up to 1 year ·         $250,000 (ex GST) – max funding per proposal between 1-2 years Duration: up to 2 years	12 noon, Monday, 7 October 2024
*MBIE will also host a 1-hour webinar to talk through the application process and answer any questions at 10am, Wednesday 18 September 2024. If interested, please register for the webinar here.
Further Information (funding call, guidelines, registration info): ·         Funding Call ·         Guidelines ·         Website  If you are interested, please also get in touch with your FIRST.

 

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 * The funder will be holding virtual endeavour fund roadshows on 2, 3 and 7 October 2024. It is highly recommended to attend to at least one of the sessions and you can do it by following the links. Roadshow #1 – Wednesday 2 October 2024: 9:30 am to 11:30 am Roadshow #2 – Thursday 3 October 2024: 9:00 am to 11:00 am ·         Roadshow #3 – Monday 7 October 2024: 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm 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

 

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.

 

2024 MBIE Catalyst: Strategic – New Zealand-Japan Joint Research Programme
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) is calling for proposals for joint research collaborations between New Zealand and Japan. MBIE will fund up to three joint New Zealand-Japan research projects in the field of disaster mitigation, response and recovery.
Value/Duration:	Internal Deadline
·         Value: NZ$300,000 (excluding GST) ·         Duration: 3 years	12 noon, Monday 23 September 2024.
Further Information (funding call, guidelines, registration info): ·         Funding Call ·         Guidelines ·         Website  If you are interested, please also get in touch with your FIRST.

 

Global Research Engagement Fund (GREF)
This fund aims to support applicants working towards a pre-identified collaboration or funding opportunity to develop new and emerging research partnerships with international collaborators.
Value/Duration:	Internal Deadline
·         Networking & Engagement Grants: up to $10,000 ·         Project Planning Grants: Up to $12,000	27 September 2024
Further Information: ·         Full details including guidelines and the application form are available on Research Hub ·         For enquiries, please contact international.research@auckland.ac.nz 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.

 

Catalyst: Seeding (Round3)
Catalyst seeding facilitates new small and medium pre-research strategic partnerships that cannot be supported through other means, and with a view to developing full collaborations that could be supported through Catalyst: Strategic over time. Funding is for research exchanges, research activities, and expenses related to hosting workshops for new strategic research partnerships with international collaborators
Value/Duration:	Internal Deadline
Seeding General: up to $80,000  (excl. GST) in total for up to two years ·         NZ – Japan Joint Research Projects: up to $30,000 (excl. GST) per annum for up to two years	12pm, Tuesday 08 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.

 

Catalyst: Leaders (Round3)
HOPE Meetings are held for excellent graduate students and young researchers selected from countries/areas around the Asia-Pacific and Africa region. These meetings give an opportunity for the participants to engage in interdisciplinary discussions with Nobel Laureates and other distinguished scientists pioneering the frontiers of knowledge.
Value/Duration:	Internal Deadline
Supports excellent PhD students and/or young researchers to attend the HOPE meetings with Nobel Laureates for 5 days including flights, accommodation, and meeting registration.	12pm, Tuesday 08 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 Prime Minister’s Science Prizes
The New Zealand Government introduced The Prime Minister’s Science Prizes in 2009 as a way of raising the profile and prestige of science among New Zealanders, in Aotearoa and internationally. ·         Te Puiaki Pūtaiao Matua a Te Pirimia: is for a transformative scientific advance, which has had a significant economic, health, social, political, cultural and/or environmental impact on New Zealand or internationally ·         Te Puiaki Kaipūtaiao Maea: will be awarded to an outstanding emerging scientist who has had their PhD conferred within the past eight (8) years. ·         Te Puiaki Whakapā Pūtaiao: will be awarded to either a practising scientist who can demonstrate an interest, passion and aptitude for science communication and public engagement, or to a person who has developed expertise in public engagement or communication of complex scientific or technological information to the public.
Value:	Deadline:
There are five prizes in total with a combined value of $975,000 NZ Dollars.	Applications open 13 May 2024 and close 1pm,  30 September 2024
Further Information: ·         Form, Guidelines and FAQs can be accessed via the Research Hub ·         For enquiries, please contact pmscienceprizes@royalsociety.org.nz 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 

MBIE Endeavour Support Sessions 2025

Support for the 2025 MBIE Endeavour round is currently underway.  ·         Research Impact Workshop: Research Impact Manager, Dr Cherie Lacey, will be hosting a practical workshop to walk you through the process of planning your MBIE Endeavour application to achieve maximum impact. Key Information Date: 26th September 2024 Time: 1:30 – 4pm. Location: 11 Symonds Street, Building 315, Room 420 (Kate Edger) Audience: Open to UoA research staff applying for the 2025 Endeavour round. Requirements: Attendees will be required to have watched the Impact Webinar, and to prepare and bring a summary of their impact goal. This can just be a few sentences detailing what their project hopes to achieve. Registration: To register for this event, please email submissions@auckland.ac.nz. Please reach out if you have any questions:  submissions@auckland.ac.nz

 

Webinar: Building your Knowledge in Responsiveness to Māori within your Research

The webinars will provide a general overview of the Treaty of Waitangi as it relates to research. The content focuses on why it was written, what it says, what went wrong, where we are today, and how it applies to research. (i)      Workshop 1/2 – Making Sense of the Treaty in a Research Context: will provide a brief overview of the Treaty of Waitangi as it relates to research. (ii)    Workshop 2/2 – Putting the Treaty into Practice in a Research Context: Christine, founding member of Auckland Project Waitangi, explores application of the main Treaty concepts to the major stages of research. Date & Time Registration (Session 1)   (i)                  Making Sense of the Treaty in a Research Context (Part 1/2): 30th July 2024, 9:30am – 12:30 pm Here (ii)                Putting the Treaty into Practice in a Research Context (Part 2/2): 6th August 2024, 9:30am – 12:30pm Here (Session 2) (i)                  Making Sense of the Treaty in a Research Context (Part 1/2): 26th September 2024, 9:30am – 12:30 pm Here (ii)                Putting the Treaty into Practice in a Research Context (Part 2/2):  3rd October 2024, 9:30am – 12:30pm Here If you have any questions, please email: researcherdevelopment@auckland.ac.nz

 

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Health, Safety and Wellbeing 

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Updates from HSW

Few changes are being considered to make working in the Labs easier for visitors.

Remember Covid and Flu vaccines are free at Unichem Pharmacy.

Spring brings a wider possibility of fresh veggies and fruits at affordable prices. Check what is in season.

 

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Publications | Articles

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• Chen, Z and Bowen, M. (2024). The episodic dynamics of salt transport in the Waitematā Estuary, a well-mixed estuary in New Zealand. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 108924. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2024.108924

HeadsUp

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Like the weather of late, it’s a turbulent time. A waiting until things are clearer, perhaps. We await the release of the University Advisory Group on the future of NZ universities. We await a new Dean’s tenure and understanding of her priorities for the Faculty. Meantime we are into the third week of the Course and Programme Optimisation Process.

Over the last fortnight, we have made considerable progress towards meeting the goals presented to us, notwithstanding my preference for more time for discussion and consideration. In one of James K Baxter’s poems written in Jerusalem on the Whanganui River he wrote “the creek needs to run muddy/ before it runs clear”, a fluvial metaphor that has always brought me some consolation in times like these. My gratitude to everyone for your forbearance as meetings have been called at short notice and some – at least interim – decisions have been made in the absence of the usual level of engagement in our School. ‘Needs must’, as the saying goes.

The not-quite-here spring soon brings two events to our School, Faculty and University’s calendar:  Mānawa Mai Open Day this Saturday 24^th August and Graduation  on 20^th  September.   I look forward to seeing a good number of you at each event. As the refreshed academic standards direct us, these times are less about occupying service roles and more about expressing academic citizenship. To be a citizen is to belong and to belong is to participate.   

On other matters…

• Congratulations to Marie McEntee who is a co-recipient of a 2024 University of Auckland Research Impact Award for the Mobilising for Action theme of the Biological Heritage National Science Challenge.
• A more general well-done on the first aid training stakes. We have had a three-fold increase of credentialed people this year. We are still a little short of all those who do field work or lead field trips but getting there fast. Thanks to those who have gone out of their way to take course this year.
• Finally, a thought about comms. Do we too easily think of outreach activity as only school visits and staffing Open Day desks? What about writing a few paragraphs on about a recent research finding and sending it to Newsroom or The Conversation? The PEP (Politics Economy and Place) group in ENV has been on a roll of late with, on last count, five such publications in recent months. I’m most familiar with the genesis and trajectory of the most recent example, being a coauthor: https://newsroom.co.nz/2024/08/17/tourists-push-locals-out-of-waiheke-island/ The editor was in touch yesterday saying within 36 hours there had been > 20,000 views. In the academic literature we can get excited by a few dozen citations that might take a year to become evident.  Perhaps it’s time to more vigorously complement our scholarly writing efforts with outreach that conveys our findings to the public at large. There’s always the chance that will help us to be more clearly seen as a centre for of excellence in understanding our environments.     

 

Robin Kearns

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ENV-stories

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My life as a series of contradictions. How many can you spot?

I was born out of the fashionably resistant Paris of the 1970s. This might explain a penchant for pastis in the moment and a bourgeois affliction to live for the future.

I was weaned on the sun, sand, sea and surf of San Diego. I absorbed the peace of the zen revolution and a growing sense of fear, captured at the time in Spielberg’s Jaws.

I was schooled in London as a Libertarian Marxist. I sang adapted slave songs with my family on Greenham Common. I spent hours alone coding computer viruses in my Nikes.

I approached teenage nihilism with seriousness. I found a new community in anarchism and protested capitalism. I marketed AmEx to pay the rent.

The adventurer in me chose to study Geology with the promise to explore the Sahara. I was mentored by the Wolf of Northampton in hydrology.

When I graduated I was offered jobs in oil, gas and mining. Not my gig. Water was my uncooperative commodity and I surfaced in 2002 with a PhD in environmental engineering, which combined coding, chemistry and capitalism.

I worked as a consultant in Cambridge but have never thought much of commodity labour. My idea of fun is much more experiential.

As a post-doc I won a 6-year transdisciplinary grant that grounded me in NZ. I hired an anthropologist, economist, planner, engineer, architect, kairangahau maori, ecologist, GIScientist, political theorist and soil scientist. We learnt each other’s languages while researching sustainable cities.

I joined the School of Environment in 2009 which coincided with the birth of my first child. I spent nearly a decade focussed on family reading Marxist-feminist literature.

In 2016 I found a contribution in wastewater analysis that combined coding, chemistry, and cities. In 2020 that work went nuts. In 2024 the circus left town.

So here I stand as I sit and write ‘my life as a series of contradictions’. Finding freedom in academic service. Bliss in ignorance.

Sam Trowsdale

 

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Announcements

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International recruitment of PhD students

The Faculty is encouraging a more coordinated approach to international recruitment of PhD students, particularly through externally-funded doctoral scholarships offered by countries like China, Indonesia, and various Latin American nations. These scholarships provide at least 130 opportunities each year for students to study at the University of Auckland (UoA). However, the Faculty of Science is often underrepresented in these scholarship schemes.

To increase the success rate in securing scholarships, the Faculty is advising research groups to collaborate and propose broad research themes. These themes will be made available to potential students, making it easier for international recruitment teams to promote them effectively. If you are part of a research group and have ideas for a research theme, you are encouraged to share them with Sila and Larry. They can assist in creating a summary that will support UoA’s international recruitment efforts.

We will be mentioning it during the all-staff meeting and then asking individual groups for contributions.

 

Celebrating Our GREEN Status with My Green Lab Certification!

We’re excited to share that all laboratories and workshops in the School of Environment have achieved GREEN status under the My Green Lab Certification. This is a fantastic milestone that highlights our strong commitment to sustainable practices.

Our Commitment to Sustainability

Aligned with Taumata Teitei, Priority 5, and the University of Auckland’s goal of achieving Net-Zero carbon status, the Faculty of Science is driving sustainability forward through the My Green Lab initiative. Our aim isn’t just to raise awareness but to create a platform where sustainability projects are discussed, shared, and implemented across the School. This will enable collaboration among researchers, teaching staff, and operational units.

For researchers, My Green Lab certification is more than a badge of honour; it’s a valuable asset. Being able to say your work is conducted in a My Green Lab-certified environment can strengthen grant applications by showing adherence to the highest standards in sustainable lab practices.

Making Sustainability a Daily Practice

Sustainability in our labs isn’t about extra work; it’s about weaving sustainable practices into everything we do, from lab inductions to purchasing decisions.   Laboratories are resource-intensive, using ten times more energy and water than office spaces, and they generate significant plastic waste. Sustainability is a shared responsibility across the School, not just for the technical team. Together, we can innovate and create learning spaces where future professionals prioritize and practice sustainability.

Get Involved!

We encourage everyone to participate in our sustainability initiatives, such as the Faculty of Science Student Sustainability Research Awards. The “sustainability” umbrella covers diverse topics from green computing to environmental services. If you know a student working on a related project, please encourage them to apply.

Explore our sustainability efforts further through these resources:

– Sustainability in Science

– Sustainable Campus and Operations

– My Green Lab

Let’s keep leading the way in sustainability at the School of Environment!

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Outreach

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Recent outreach

Thanks Kevin, Melissa and Nadia for running a stall at Incredible Science last month (primary schools across Auckland)! Soilsafe Aotearoa ran a stall at the recent Auckland Zoo Science Careers Expo (13 secondary schools). Thank you to our researchers who continue to write for/ speak to media/ our communities – see below a call out for your stories to highlight your research!

 

Outreach opportunities for staff and students: 

Highlighting your research

Have you recently published an article in an academic journal or done an interview/ written something for mainstream media? Could we give it a little mention on our School of Environment socials? See some recent examples here from Salene and Melissa. It’s not arduous (just ask them) 🙂 Please send your news to Emma el.sharp@auckland.ac.nz so we can share it more widely! We’ll edit them a bit more, but if you could also send a useful image (of yourself/ the thing being studied) and complete the following prompts that would be helpful:

[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: [link]

 

Open Day help

If you are able to help on Open Day (Mānawa Mai) on the 24th August please email both Nick Richards (n.richards@auckland.ac.nz) and Joe Fagan (j.fagan@auckland.ac.nz) to offer your services! 

 

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

 

Seminars at Auckland Rotary Clubs

The Rotary Clubs of Auckland have expressed a strong interest in organizing seminars in collaboration with our department. They are eager to engage with our academic staff and would welcome your expertise. We will be compiling a list of topics to pass on to the presidents of the clubs. This is a great opportunity to share your research, connect with the community, and contribute to public discourse on important issues. Please email Giovanni (g.coco@auckland.ac.nz) if you would like to be involved.

 

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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A PhD research project to build a low-cost, open-source water clarity sensor for iwi, community groups and citizen science has been accepted as a finalist for the Designers Institute of NZ Best Awards in the student social good category

https://bestawards.co.nz/social-good-award/student-social-good/ed-clayton/water-clarity-sensor/

It is often said that knowledge is power. Yet environmental monitoring (and by association, the knowledge of river ecosystems, contaminants and health) is often prohibitive to access for most people. Equipment is expensive and proprietary, data storage is complex and requires training, and calibrations often require laboratory access. Improving access to technology is key to providing good environmental data.

Commercial sensors are black-boxes. How a measurement is performed is not examinable, and while sensors can be calibrated, no investigation of the underlying calculations from measurement to reported value is possible. The design of this PhD sensor is rooted in altruism. How can a white-box sensor function? A common criticism of low-cost sensors is that cheap components mean poor measurement accuracy. Yet measurement accuracy does not correspond to measurement certainty. Is it worth 5 significant figures of measurement precision if we don’t know how the measurement is arrived at? An altruistic approach changes this. If a sensor is completely “open”, with shared code, materials, build instructions and design files, we fundamentally understand the entire process from construction through to measurement and then to reported environmental observations.

The design has been tested against measured sediment masses and laboratory grade beam attenuation reference sensors, demonstrating good correlation.

 

 

 

School of Environment Research Awards 2024

The Rangahau Committee are calling for nominations for the annual School of Environment Research Awards in November (date TBC)!

Research Awards nominations are open now and close at the end of the day on 30 September 2024. Please take a quick moment to think about nominating any of your fantastic students or colleagues for one (or more) of the below awards.

Nominations must be made using this form: https://forms.gle/cmJPYbTjrE74Ck5GA (you must sign in using your UoA email)

The five school-wide awards are:

1. Hiroki Ogawa School Citizenship Award (Awarded to a postgraduate research student who has shown aptitude for independent research and who, through their continuous engagement in the School activities, has greatly inspired or helped their fellow students and staff within the school (in other words, has been an excellent school citizen)
2. Research Communication Award (Awarded to a staff member (Research Fellows included), student or research team who has been particularly active and successful in communicating and engaging with the public)
3. Early Carer Research Award (Awarded to a staff member (Research Fellows included) within 7 years of PhD graduation).
4. Engagement with Indigenous Values and Knowledge Award  (Awarded to a staff member (Research Fellows included), student, or research team who has actively and successfully engaged with indigenous values and knowledge in their research.)
5. Transdisciplinary Award (Awarded to a staff member (Research Fellows included), student or research team whose research has crossed boundaries, collaborating with researchers from different disciplines, and working jointly to move beyond discipline-specific approaches and address a common problem.)

 

We will be very pleased to receive your nominations and will be waiting for you to celebrate our Researchers!

 

 

Waikato Regional Council summer studentships

This summer the Waikato Regional Council welcome aspiring environmental scientists to join our environmental monitoring and research kaupapa to collect information to better understand our environment at a regional scale. Get your hands dirty in the field collecting samples and data while exploring the Waikato Region (and getting paid!). Learn how to sample freshwater and marine invertebrates, wrangle our unique fish species, measure the health of our precious awa, comb the coastlines of our bathing beaches, and determine land biodiversity from our expert scientists.

We have opportunities in:

1. Freshwater ecology
2. Freshwater fish monitoring
3. Freshwater fish passage
4. Coastal ecology
5. Water quality
6. Terrestrial biodiversity
7. Catchment riparian monitoring

If you like adventure and working outdoors, thrive in a team environment, are passionate about our taiao, and keen to kickstart a career in environmental science- Nau mai, haere mai!

Applications close 25 August. Apply now at https://waikatoregion.govt.nz/council/careers/summer-students/em-summer-students/  

 

ENVIRONMENT – CHEMISTRY – COMPUTER SCIENCE  Research Networking Event

Tuesday 10 September, 2.00 – 5.00 pm, Level 6 Breakout space

This is an opportunity for academics from the Schools of Environment, Chemistry, and Computer Science to network around their research interests and/or plans.

The event will be informal, after a short introduction, exchange of ideas will take place in small groups in a “Speed dating” format.  This will be followed by an informal mixing session (catering provided).

For catering purposes, please RSVP to Kelly Kilpin.  Any questions, please reach out to either me or Sila.

Organised by Rangahau, and our sister committees in Chemical Sciences and Computer Sciences

 

David Barrell from GNS Dunedin is the 2024 Geoscience Society of New Zealand Hochstetter Lecturer.

He will be giving his main lecture “THE SEA VERSUS THE LAND – WILL THERE BE A WINNER? “ at 6.30 pm on Tuesday 17^th September at the Auditorium at the Auckland War Memorial Museum. Flyer attached. Please reserve your spot at https://myaccount.aucklandmuseum.com/176312?premove=Y&promo=GEOSCIENCE24. If you are able to donate anything to help contribute to the costs incurred by the museum to host this it would be appreciated but do not feel obliged. Free parking is available in the domain.

Abstract: Aotearoa New Zealand is the largest emergent part of the mainly submerged Zealandia continent. Plate-boundary tectonic deformation is responsible for Aotearoa’s ongoing emergence, and its margins are constantly under attack by waves in the vast surrounding ocean. Aotearoa’s landscape reflects an interplay between the rock foundations, the climate which gives precipitation to drive erosion and the river transport of sediment, and wave energy in the coastal zone which distributes the sediment once it reaches the sea. Perspectives of ‘whole system’ processes and mass/energy budgets, coupled with eustatic ebb and flow of the sea across the continental shelf through glacial/interglacial climate cycles, provide an integrated approach for explaining the form of Aotearoa’s landscape and behaviour of its river systems. This talk will explore the battle between sea and land, from the deep geological past through to modern times, and interpret the richly varied form of our coastline, from the long sweeping cliffs of some places, and indented bays and estuaries of others. Whole-system perspectives will be used to discuss likely coastal changes in coming decades to centuries under changing climate.

There will also be a more technical supporting/complementary lecture given on the 17^th September at 1 pm on campus at the Owen G Glenn Building, University of Auckland (12 Grafton Road) in Rm 260-005 (Case room 1 in the basement).

 

THE ZEALANDIA SWITCH – HYPOTHESISING THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE IN THE DRIVING SEAT OF GLOBAL CLIMATE

Abstract: Rhythmic alignment of Quaternary-age glacial cycles and Earth’s orbital variation pattern points to orbital control of climate, but the linking operational mechanisms are less clear cut. Vast bodies of terrestrial and marine proxy paleoclimate data demonstrate global synchrony of glacial cycle climate shifts, despite opposing orbital forcing parameters in the Northern and Southern hemispheres. The Milankovitch model invokes orbitally-controlled extents of Northern Hemisphere continental ice sheets via summer solar radiation intensity, and synchronous globalization of the climatic signature through oceanic/atmospheric processes. An alternative view emphasizes orbital controls affecting the highly energetic atmospheric and oceanic circulation systems of the Southern Hemisphere. The Zealandia Switch hypothesis posits that the Zealandia continental massif was a key factor in the interplay of exchange between tropical and polar water masses, linked to latitudinal positions of the austral westerly winds (Denton et al. 2021).

An often-overlooked observation is that ice-age millennial-scale climate patterns had global uniformity ~50% of the time, interspersed with climatic episodes apparently anti-phased between the hemispheres and described as a bipolar seesaw. Denton et al. (2022) hypothesize that the apparently anti-phased episodes occurred under globally synchronous climatic conditions, with each episode initiated by an interhemispheric shift to warmer-than-usual summers. Dubbed ‘Heinrich’ summers, enhanced seasonal melt of northern continental ice sheets formed meltwater floods into the North Atlantic Ocean, resulting in unusually extensive winter sea ice that created an extreme seasonality in adjacent regions, with mild summers but ultra-cold winters. A southern driver is suggested for orbital-scale as well as millennial-scale ice-age climate shifts.

Denton GH, Putnam AE, Russell JL, Barrell DJA, Schaefer JM, Kaplan MR, Strand PD. 2021. The Zealandia Switch: Ice age climate shifts viewed from Southern Hemisphere moraines. Quaternary Science Reviews 257, 106771. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2020.106771

Denton GH, Toucanne S, Putnam AE, Barrell DJA, Russell JL. 2022. Heinrich summers. Quaternary Science Reviews 295, 107750. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2022.107750

 

Tūpuna Maunga Authority announces annual research scholarship opportunity

The Tūpuna Maunga Authority is excited to announce the opening of applications for its annual Tūpuna Maunga research scholarship from 1 August 2024. This scholarship, established as part of the education strategy, offers up to $10,000 to support students conducting research on the Tūpuna Maunga.

The education strategy was developed from the Authority’s founding document, the Integrated Management Plan (IMP). “The key driver for this scholarship is to encourage students from all areas of study and empower them to increase their learning about Tūpuna Maunga o Tāmaki Makaurau,” says Paul Majurey, Authority Chair.

The scholarship is open to research that aligns with the Tūpuna Maunga values, focusing on enhancing and protecting the mauri (life force) and wairua (spiritual essence) of the Tūpuna Maunga (ancestral mountains). Detailed information about the scholarship, including an overview of the Tūpuna Maunga Values, is available on the Authority website www.maunga.nz/research/.

Majurey emphasizes the broader impact of the scholarship, stating, “We believe that this scholarship will not only benefit the students but also the wider community. Innovative research projects have the potential to bring new ideas and solutions that can significantly enhance the sustainability and preservation of the Tūpuna Maunga.”

Applicants have until 10pm, 25 September 2024 to apply via SmartyGrants, with funding to successful candidates as early as December 2024 (based on processing requirements). As part of the selection process, the $10,000 may be split across different applicants.

 

Postgraduate Research Showcase 2024

We are thrilled to announce that the Science Research Showcase is back for 2024.

Registration opened on Monday 8 July and will close on Friday 23 August at 4 pm. More information, including the registration form, judging criteria and valuable resources, please visit the Science Research Showcase webpage.

Please feel free to contact Yue Zhang (yue.zhang@auckland.ac.nz) if you’d like to know more about the Science Research Showcase. We look forward to celebrating postgraduate research with students from the School of Environment!

 

 

AINSE Postgraduate Orientation Week – Expressions of Interest now received from future scholarship applicants (applications close 30 September 2024) (flyer available online)

Coinciding with the international celebrations of Nuclear Science Week in the third week of October, the annual AINSE Postgraduate Orientation Week welcomes new postgraduate scholars in the AINSE PGRA, RSS, and Pathway scholarships, and provides all postgraduate students with the opportunity to establish enduring networks with like-minded colleagues across Australia and New Zealand. This year’s O’Week event will run from Monday 21^st – Friday 25^th October 2024 as an online event via Zoom, commencing with a full-day program on Monday 21^st, followed by afternoon and early evening sessions from Tuesday 22^nd – Friday 25^th.

Alongside our new scholarship recipients, AINSE are now accepting Expressions of Interest directly from interested students from AINSE-member institutions who are looking to apply for an AINSE postgraduate award in 2025.

These interested students can learn about the broad range of research supported by ANSTO’s landmark facilities, engage in a virtual tour of ANSTO, and participate in social activities as part of the worldwide Nuclear Science Week celebrations. The program will be differentiated, with these interested students able to attend a specialised workshop focused on the application process for 2025 AINSE scholarships.

Expressions of Interest close 11.59 pm AEST Monday 30^th September 2024.

For more information, and a link to the online application portal, please see our Postgraduate O’Week website.

 

8^th AINSE Women in STEM and Entrepreneurship (WISE) School – Expressions of Interest now received
(applications close 30 September 2024). (flyer available online)

AINSE is now accepting Expressions of Interest directly from students for the 8^th AINSE Women in STEM and Entrepreneurship (WISE) School, to be held Monday 2^nd to Friday 6^th December 2024.

Expressions of Interest close Monday 30^th September 2024.

This school is targeted at female students who are about to complete their first year of full-time undergraduate study (or part-time equivalent).

A key component of the WISE School is an ongoing mentorship program in which students are allocated mentors from across site at ANSTO. AINSE will be coordinating mentor and student meetings in 2025 to provide additional networking and educational opportunities for the students.

The 2024 WISE School will run as a 5 day hybrid event, with the possibility of a small number of students being invited to ANSTO’s Lucas Heights campus for the final 2 days of the program (Thursday 5th – Friday 6th December) if circumstances permit.

For more information, and a link to the online application portal, please see our WISE website.

 

AINSE Scholar Gold Medals (nominations received until 31 August 2024).

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 nomination form (available online at this link) and return via email to applications@ainse.edu.au prior to the close of nominations at 11:59 pm AEST Saturday 31^st August 2024.

For more information, please visit the AINSE Scholar Gold Medal page or contact AINSE (enquiries@ainse.edu.au).

 

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. 

 

These are currently on hold.  Rangahau will reopen this fund for requests later in the year, please keep an eye on P-cubed for more details.

 

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Rangahau – Research

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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

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.

 

2024 MBIE Catalyst: Strategic – New Zealand-Japan Joint Research Programme
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) is calling for proposals for joint research collaborations between New Zealand and Japan. MBIE will fund up to three joint New Zealand-Japan research projects in the field of disaster mitigation, response and recovery.
Value/Duration:	Internal Deadline
·         Value: NZ$300,000 (excluding GST) ·         Duration: 3 years	12 noon, Monday 23 September 2024.
Further Information (funding call, guidelines, registration info): ·         Funding Call ·         Guidelines ·         Website  If you are interested, please also get in touch with your FIRST.

 

Global Research Engagement Fund (GREF)
This fund aims to support applicants working towards a pre-identified collaboration or funding opportunity to develop new and emerging research partnerships with international collaborators.
Value/Duration:	Internal Deadline
·         Networking & Engagement Grants: up to $10,000 ·         Project Planning Grants: Up to $12,000	27 September 2024
Further Information: ·         Full details including guidelines and the application form are available on Research Hub ·         For enquiries, please contact international.research@auckland.ac.nz 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:	Internal Deadline
·         Grants of $20,000. Up to 15 projects will be funded.	5pm, Thursday 7 November 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.

 

Catalyst: Seeding (Round3)
Catalyst seeding facilitates new small and medium pre-research strategic partnerships that cannot be supported through other means, and with a view to developing full collaborations that could be supported through Catalyst: Strategic over time. Funding is for research exchanges, research activities, and expenses related to hosting workshops for new strategic research partnerships with international collaborators
Value/Duration:	Internal Deadline
Seeding General: up to $80,000  (excl. GST) in total for up to two years ·         NZ – Japan Joint Research Projects: up to $30,000 (excl. GST) per annum for up to two years	12pm, Tuesday 08 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.

 

Catalyst: Leaders (Round3)
HOPE Meetings are held for excellent graduate students and young researchers selected from countries/areas around the Asia-Pacific and Africa region. These meetings give an opportunity for the participants to engage in interdisciplinary discussions with Nobel Laureates and other distinguished scientists pioneering the frontiers of knowledge.
Value/Duration:	Internal Deadline
Supports excellent PhD students and/or young researchers to attend the HOPE meetings with Nobel Laureates for 5 days including flights, accommodation, and meeting registration.	12pm, Tuesday 08 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.

 

2024 Research Development Fund (RDF)

The total amount to be allocated in the 2024 contestable round is approximately $1 million with spending split across 2025,2026, and 2027. This will be distributed amongst the different award types listed below based on the excellence and justifications of submitted applications.

Value/Duration Award type Duration Minimum and maximum funding available per application ~ Number of Awards Research Fellowship Award Up to 3 years $100,000 – $200,000 4 Staff Research Award Up to 2 years  $10,000 – $40,000 9 Aronui Pūtaiao Award Up to 2 years $10,000 – $40,000 2 Applications are due by 5.00pm on Monday, 2 September 2024 ·        Full details including guidelines and the application form are available on the research page of the staff intranet ·        For an overview of the Research Development Fund, visit the Research Hub RDF page If interested, please inform your FIRST team.

 

UoA approach to organisational cap for MBIE Endeavour Smart Ideas 2025

The University’s response to the organisational cap (23 for the University of Auckland) is to implement a two-stage (Faculty and Central) triage process to determine which applications to support for submission. The steps are summarised as following: Wednesday,17 July Training zoom session on how to fill out the Lean Canvas Wednesday, 24 July Deadline for submitting your RoI for Smart Ideas 2025 through this link Monday, 29 July Drop-In session, Level 10 Dean’s Board Room Monday, 5 August Submit the Lean Canvas for Faculty-level assessment to:  FoS-researchadmin@auckland.ac.nz 14 – 15 August Faculty Assessment Panel meetings Thursday, 22 August Feedback from the assessment panels will be made available Tuesday, 27 August Applicants submit final Lean Canvas for final FoS check FoS-researchadmin@auckland.ac.nz Friday, 30 August FiRST team submits FoS Lean Canvases for Central triage process Mid-to-late Sept. Central panel will meet to determine 23 proposals for submission Late September Successful applicants will be notified before Smart Ideas registration

 

Researcher Skills and Development (RSD) Fund
This fund aims to help enhance and expand researcher development offerings across the University to supplement existing funding sources for the design, development, and delivery of researcher development offerings.
Value:	Deadline:
There is no minimum or maximum amount of funding that can be sought per request. The total amount of the fund available is $500k for 2025.	End of the day Friday August 30th
Further Information: ·         Form, Guidelines and FAQs can be accessed via the Research Hub ·         For enquiries, please contact victoria.hewitt@auckland.ac.nz   If you are interested, please also get in touch with your FIRST.

 

Spencer Foundation: Small Research Grants on Education
This fund is intended to support education research projects that will contribute to the improvement of education.  The research concept is “field-initiated” with the grant designed to support rigorous, intellectually ambitious and technically sound research that is relevant to the most pressing questions and compelling opportunities in education.
Value/Duration:	Internal Deadline
·         Value: up to USD50,000 (circa NZD80,000 ·         Duration: up to a maximum duration of 60 months	12pm, Monday 2 September 2024
Further Information (funding call, guidelines website): ·         Funding Call ·         Website ·         Guidelines If you are interested, please also get in touch with your FIRST.

 

The Prime Minister’s Science Prizes
The New Zealand Government introduced The Prime Minister’s Science Prizes in 2009 as a way of raising the profile and prestige of science among New Zealanders, in Aotearoa and internationally. ·         Te Puiaki Pūtaiao Matua a Te Pirimia: is for a transformative scientific advance, which has had a significant economic, health, social, political, cultural and/or environmental impact on New Zealand or internationally ·         Te Puiaki Kaipūtaiao Maea: will be awarded to an outstanding emerging scientist who has had their PhD conferred within the past eight (8) years. ·         Te Puiaki Whakapā Pūtaiao: will be awarded to either a practising scientist who can demonstrate an interest, passion and aptitude for science communication and public engagement, or to a person who has developed expertise in public engagement or communication of complex scientific or technological information to the public.
Value:	Deadline:
There are five prizes in total with a combined value of $975,000 NZ Dollars.	Applications open 13 May 2024 and close 1pm,  30 September 2024
Further Information: ·         Form, Guidelines and FAQs can be accessed via the Research Hub ·         For enquiries, please contact pmscienceprizes@royalsociety.org.nz 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.

 

MBIE 2025 Endeavour Support

MBIE have released details regarding the 2025 Endeavour Round including:

• 2025 Gazette Notice
• Investment Plan 2025 – 2027, which includes the new Investment Signals
• Changes to Smart Ideas for 2025

Links and details can be found on the MBIE Endeavour Website

Because of the changes to the Smart Ideas round this year, the process at UoA will different than in previous years.  If you intend to apply for a Smart Idea this year, please let your RPC (Sophie/Kelly/Franca) know asap so we can pass on any details as soon as they become available. 

Support Sessions organised by UOA:

• Research Impact Webinar (24th July 2024 10:00am-11:00am) – Research Impact Manager, Dr Cherie Lacey, will be hosting a webinar to give you practical advice on how to plan your MBIE Endeavour funding application to achieve maximum impact. 

Register here

UoA approach to organisational cap for MBIE Endeavour Smart Ideas 2025

 

Announcements 

Webinar: Building your Knowledge in Responsiveness to Māori within your Research

The webinars will provide a general overview of the Treaty of Waitangi as it relates to research. The content focuses on why it was written, what it says, what went wrong, where we are today, and how it applies to research. (i)      Workshop 1/2 – Making Sense of the Treaty in a Research Context: will provide a brief overview of the Treaty of Waitangi as it relates to research. (ii)    Workshop 2/2 – Putting the Treaty into Practice in a Research Context: Christine, founding member of Auckland Project Waitangi, explores application of the main Treaty concepts to the major stages of research. Date & Time Registration (Session 1)   (i)                  Making Sense of the Treaty in a Research Context (Part 1/2): 30th July 2024, 9:30am – 12:30 pm Here (ii)                Putting the Treaty into Practice in a Research Context (Part 2/2): 6th August 2024, 9:30am – 12:30pm Here (Session 2) (i)                  Making Sense of the Treaty in a Research Context (Part 1/2): 26th September 2024, 9:30am – 12:30 pm Here (ii)                Putting the Treaty into Practice in a Research Context (Part 2/2):  3rd October 2024, 9:30am – 12:30pm Here If you have any questions, please email: researcherdevelopment@auckland.ac.nz

 

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Health, Safety and Wellbeing 

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Updates from HSW

We are recruiting two student reps to the HSW committee-. This is a great opportunity to gain deep insights into the HSW world and a great skill to have on your CV. The knowledge and experience you gain will help you future proofing your professional life and will allow you to transition between different industries.

There is a possibility of free training as a Health and Safety Rep for the right candidates.

Please get in touch with Andres Arcila-Rivera (a.arcila@auckland.ac.nz)

 

Fieldwork plans update

There has been an increase on reported rolled ankles at the school, which may possibly reflect the return to full field activities after Covid.

Please think carefully about appropriate footwear for these sorts of activities. Not all shoes are born equal and not all are suitable. We encourage to wear shoes with good ankle support even in the easiest terrain.  That extra support will help lessen the severity of rolled ankles.

Field activity leaders should liaise with all participants and ensure they have adequate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to participate in the activities. To elicit your thoughts about what is appropriate, we are no longer accepting expressions such as: appropriate footwear or weather proof gear.

We will be asking for something specific that reflects whether the shoes are fit for the terrain/task (the grip of the sole, the level of support, for walking on/off track and toe protection for people handling/carrying weight out in the field). The same will apply for weather protection.

 

Waterproof	Water Resistant
Suitable for heavier rainfall	Suitable for light showers/drizzle
Indicates high water protection	Indicates low water protection
Taped seams	No taped seams
The fabric has been treated with DWR (durable water repellent)	The fabric has been treated with DWR (durable water repellent)
Features a waterproof fabric membrane	Does not feature a waterproof fabric membrane

 

Carrying a waterproof jacket always is encouraged.  A wise person carries a raincoat on a fine day in the field, only a fool does in the rain.

We are welcoming questions for a FAQ section about fieldwork.  Please submit your questions to a.arcila@auckland.ac.nz.

 

From HSW Central

Chemical Risk Management

New guidance has been added to the Chemical Risk Management Protocol website, including:

• New Chemical Lab Users’ Quick Reference Guide
• Updated Safe Methods of Use (SMOU), after being reviewed by experts around the University
• New SMOUs for Time-Sensitive Chemicals, Reactions in Sealed Pressure Vessels, and Dry Ice

With the introduction of centralised guidance for dry ice, we recognise the need to update some transport and storage practices. Specifically, dry ice must not be stored in sealed freezers, and must not be accompanied during lift transport without a risk assessment to determine a safe quantity. To help with this, we’ve provided a carbon dioxide production calculator and a sample risk assessment on the website. If you have any questions, please reach out to Emily Boyd.

 

Radiation Risk Management

Radioactive materials and irradiating equipment are important tools in education and research within the University. The radiation standard has been updated and can be accessed here: https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/health-safety-wellbeing/health-safety-topics/laboratory-safety/radiation-risk/risk-management-standard.html

 

For radiation safety operational details please refer to the radiation safety plan and waste disposal guidelines here: https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/health-safety-wellbeing/health-safety-topics/laboratory-safety/radiation-risk/ionising-radiation-guidelines.html

 

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Publications | Articles

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• Dowell, A., CrowdStrike or cloud strife? Why cloud monopolies are a risk to society, Newsroom, 9 August, 2024. https://newsroom.co.nz/2024/08/09/crowdstrike-or-cloud-strife-why-cloud-monopolies-are-a-risk-to-society/ 
• Schloffel-Armstrong, S., A slippery slope towards the privatisation of our pools? The Spinoff, 1 August, 2024. https://thespinoff.co.nz/society/01-08-2024/a-slippery-slope-towards-the-privatisation-of-our-pools 
• Brook, M. (Op- Ed) If you’re going to protest, at least walk the talk. https://newsroom.co.nz/2024/08/05/if-youre-going-to-protest-critical-minerals-mining-at-least-walk-the-talk/
• Nguyen, H., Bellingham, P.J., Fergus, A.J. McCarthy J.K., Padamsee, M., Schwendenmann, L (2024). Comparing forest carbon fluxes at locations with different land-use histories and restoration strategies. Plant Soil (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-024-06844-y
• D’Ath, M.K., Sila-Nowicka, K., Schwendenmann, L. (2024).  Spatial variability of soil carbon across a hillslope restoration planting in New Zealand. Soil Research 62, SR24012. https://doi.org/10.1071/SR24012
• Murray Ford, Mark Dickson, Emma Ryan and Megan Tuck: Publication of national coastal change dataset: https://coastalchange.nz/ featured in https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/eroding-nz-new-maps-reveal-where-our-coasts-are-crumbling-fastest/OMWZHTQFQZHHPGDDWBBZPICCCE/