Issue 144 – Tuesday 29 April 2025

April 29, 2025 • asim086

HeadsUp

So soon after the Easter/Anzac/Mid-semester break, it’s a case of heads-down rather than heads-up as we move into the business-half of the semester. I hope you all were able to take at least part of the break as a bona fide break.

Some rough weather may have modified leave plans, however. And when you lead field courses, being nimble in choppy weather is the key. So all credit to George and Kevin whose PG class of 30 students had two days more on Aotea/Great Barrier than was planned for….

When I asked DHoS Tom if there were any issues I should mention but had forgotten, his reply was “no news is good news”. Indeed after a year of too much turbulence, would it be jixing things to say we are generally moving along quietly, confidently and happily? That’s certainly the impression I get as I talk to people in the corridors, at Wednesday morning tea and in ADPR conversations. Long may it last.

Its not all quiet though. At the Faculty level, Sarah Young our new Dean is working with us Heads and other senior leaders to craft a new organisational structure, with leadership and portfolios better aligned with the pou of Taumata Teitei. Those at the recent Faculty meeting would have had a foretaste of this change. Stay tuned for more.

School Initiative – The Manaaki Project Kaupapa

Sonia, Nick R and Rachel have developed a succinct statement outlining the kaupapa of the Manaaki Project. I paste it in below to underline (well, italicise!) its importance as a School-based initiative and ensure it is recognised and understood.

“The Manaaki Project (TMP) is a programme of support in the School of Environment that enables course coordinators to work with Tuākana coordinators and tutors to ensure the best outcomes for Māori and Pacific students.

TMP works to triage situations and find the best solutions so that students do not have to share their personal situations to multiple staff, and can instead focus on their coursework in a manner that suits their context. The overall aim is to support students to do their best, while recognising that some students have complex lives, and need flexibility in their assessments’ due dates, timelines, and participation on occasion.

By choosing to participate in TMP course coordinators agree to trust the process of student support which includes various check points with the Tuākana discipline coordinators, and if necessary, the Tuākana coordinator, Head of School/Deputy Academic or AD Teaching and Learning.

For the most part, this means that details of the students’ situations will not be shared with course coordinators. Therefore, it is imperative that TMP functions as a high-trust model with the student’s success as the central taumata.

This ensures our students can maintain their privacy and dignity with respect to their personal circumstances.

In practice, TMP may result in a Tuākana discipline coordinator contacting a course coordinator to ask for flexibility with respect to assessment and/or participation for a student. Ideally, the course coordinator will work with the Tuakana discipline coordinator to find a solution or outcome that supports the student’s success in the course, within the bounds of UoA assessment policy.

————–

To close, some congratulations and an opportunities

Congratulations to Nick Lewis who has been invited to speak among a line up of other prominent thinkers in the Cook Islands next week. This aligns with his career-long commitment to the relations between education, knowledge, and nation. He sees this as “a chance to take part in an important conversation among old friends…and make a small repayment on the many benefits I’ve derived from my relationships with the Cooks”.
Congrats too to Karen Fisher for recently being invited to join a very large and well-funded Canadian-based project titled “Transforming Chemical Risk Management with Indigenous Expertise”, which seeks to address the urgent need to reduce emissions of climate-changing gases and pollutants through innovative approaches to chemical risk management. Karen will contribute the application of Indigenous research methods to this challenge “to profoundly transform chemical risk management in Indigenous community-based practice, university labs and classes, regulatory practices, and policy development”.

Opportunities

In case Easter treats were a bit lean this year, on Wed 14^th May we have Round 1 of the Chocolate competition for 2025 sponsored by our new combined Institute of Marine Science and the School of Environment equity committee!
As communicated in an email to all staff on 23/4/25 and on the University intranet, Te Tumu Herenga | Libraries and Learning Services is conducting an in-depth review of our electronic collections. The focus is on maintaining access to high-use and high-value resources, ensuring that the most critical materials for teaching and research remain available. Please consider providing feedback.
Many staff have already participated in and appreciated the free staff Te Akoranga Kairangi (TAK) programme, an introduction to Māori language, culture and the Treaty. Details about the programme appear later in this addition of p-cubed. The programme runs over 8 weeks, 2 hours per weekly session, on Tuesdays or Thursdays. Fourteen 8-week cohorts are offered throughout the year, including an on-line option. [We increase and deepen our collective capacity to encounter our own place and people with integrity through engaging in opportunities like this so if you have yet to take this course, please consider doing so].
Finally, a reminder that our colleague Phil Shane’s inaugural professorial lecture is coming up on Monday 19^th I recently went to one of these occasions in FMHS for a geography colleague in that Faculty. I was amazed at the immense turnout and festive atmosphere. Let’s match that at our inaugurals this year.

So, lots actually happening, beneath the overall relief of “no news is good news” !

Robin Kearns, Head of School

Announcements, Seminars & Events

Disaster Prevention and Management Seminar Series

When: Friday 2 May, 2pm | Where: Ontology Lab 302.551

Phil Shane Inaugural Lecture

When: Monday 19 May

5pm Refreshments: Building 303, Ground Floor PLT1 Hallway, 36 Princes Street | 5:30pm Lecture: Physics Lecture Theatre 1 PLT1/303-G20, Science Centre, 38 Princes Street

ENV Research Seminar Series

You are cordially invited to attend the next round of the School of Environment Seminar Series presentations, which will include presentations by:

Dr Itxaso Ruiz – Does land management affect grapevine water resources?

Dr Maurizio D’Anna – Reshaping the understanding of beach response to sea-level rise for shoreline models

When: Tuesday 20 May, 12-1pm | Where: 302.140 | Please RSVP for catering

COMPASS Morning Tea

COMPASS PG is dedicated to creating a vibrant and supportive community for postgraduate students at all levels in the School of Environment. We host regular events designed to foster collaboration, networking, and a sense of community.

All staff and postgrad students are invited to come along, to participate or just to enjoy some home baked goods!

The Great SoE Bake Off

When: 13 – 16 May, 10am everyday | Where: 5th Floor Kitchen

Te Akoranga Kairangi

The free staff programme, Te Akoranga Kairangi (TAK) is an introduction to Māori language, culture and the treaty. Details about the programme are appended. The programme runs over 8 weeks, 2 hours per weekly session, on Tuesdays or Thursdays. Fourteen 8-week cohorts are offered throughout the year, including an on-line option. Details about the schedule are appended and ALSO on Hono Learning (see instructions below).

Here are links to the details of the programme: TAK Programme and 2025 TAK times available

In addition, a free 2.5 hour Colonial History Walk around the university area is led by Assoc Prof Avril Bell. This is a unique opportunity for all staff keen to learn more about the role of central Auckland in the history of colonisation.

To enrol in TAK or the Colonial History Walk:

EITHER by emailing (we can enrol you directly)

Assoc Prof Avril Bell a.bell@auckland.ac.nz (Tuesday classes) or Prof Alison Jones a.jones@auckland.ac.nz (Thursdays classes)

OR by going to University of Auckland staff intranet webpage, search for Hono Learning. On the Hono page, type Te Akoranga Kairangi into the search bar at the top. Then click on the Te Akoranga Kairangi or Colonial History Walk link. Then click on Select Offering. There you should see a list of cohort dates for the year’s classes or walks. Select the cohort dates that suit you. Then click on Submit. You should then get an email to confirm your enrolment.

Feel free to contact Alison or Avril with any questions! 😊

Ngā mihi, thanks a lot

Alison and Avril

Hono Help

For any Hono issues, please contact Michael Groom

Rangahau

Undergraduate–Postgraduate Pairing Scholarship

This $800 scholarship supports undergraduate students to gain hands-on research experience by shadowing a postgraduate student. Undergraduates will assist with tasks like literature reviews, data analysis, and mapping, while learning valuable research skills and contributing to real projects.

Applications should include a copy of the undergraduate student’s academic transcript and a short paragraph justifying the proposed project and pairing. This is a great opportunity for collaboration, skill-building, and mentoring across levels of study.

Please email Sila (katarzyna.sila-nowicka@auckland.ac.nz) for details or with ready applications.

Health Safety & Wellbeing

As we head into winter, it is important to prepare to deal with the winter blues

Preparing yourself mentally for winter is like gently setting the stage for a slower, more inward season. It’s less about fighting the cold and more about embracing the quiet. Here’s a soulful guide to ease into it:

❄️ 1. Shift Your Expectations

Understand that it’s okay to slow down.
You don’t need to be at peak productivity—winter is nature’s rest season too.

🧣 2. Make Peace with Darkness

Reframe the longer nights as time for rest, reflection, and coziness.
Create evening rituals: reading, journaling, or listening to soft music.

🌲 3. Nourish Your Space

Make your home feel like a sanctuary—warm lighting, calming scents, soft textures.
Surround yourself with things that bring peace and comfort.

🫖 4. Lean into Simple Joys

Enjoy quiet pleasures: hot drinks, winter walks, baking, old movies.
Keep a small list of winter things you genuinely like—revisit it when days feel heavy.

🤍 5. Tend to Your Mind

Stay aware of your emotional landscape. It’s normal to feel more introspective or low.
Practice self-kindness. You don’t need to “fix” your mood—just care for it.

🧘 6. Anchor with Routine

A gentle daily rhythm brings a sense of steadiness when the season feels still.
Start and end your days with intention, even if it’s just lighting a candle or stretching.

🤝 7. Stay Connected

Reach out, even when you feel like withdrawing. A little human warmth goes a long way.
Make winter traditions with friends or family—even simple ones.

We would like to acknowledge the following dates:

April 28 – World Day of Safety and Health at Work
May 1-31 – World Smokefree May
May 2 – World Asthma Day
May 5 – World Hand Hygiene Day
May 6-12 – New Zealand Sign Language Week
May 8 – World Ovarian Cancer Day

Funding Calls

Hono data integration are impacting research projects

Do you have research grants? Do you, or a member of your research team, use EIP dashboards to monitor your research funds or Research Development Account (RDA)? If so, please read on.

Recent challenges with Hono data integration are impacting research projects. As a result, EIP dashboards are not correctly reflecting actual salary costs from 20 February, casual staff payments, or future-dated salary commitments. All other actual transactions are correct, however, the left-to-spend balances may not be correct.

What does this mean?

EIP reports should not be used to confirm a project’s financial status until further notice, as salary details in EIP reports for pay runs after 20 Feb 2025 are not yet available.
Research Development Account (RDA) balances may not be correct, particularly if fixed-term or casual staff are being paid from the RDA account.
Surpluses or deficits on research grants cannot be resolved until the balances can be confirmed, so projects ending after 20 Feb 2025 cannot be closed.
Surpluses or deficits will not be distributed to, or recovered from, RDA accounts (or returned to funders) for projects ending after 20 Feb 2025 until accurate balances can be confirmed.

Resolutions and Timeframes

A Solution Oversight Co-ordination (SOC) Team has been formed and includes a range of experts who understand the issues and the impacts. Members have been drawn from Research Services, OneFinance, HR, Integration Specialists, Vendors, the Risk Team, and the Planning and Information Office to find solutions to the identified issues. Alongside the SOC Team, several continuity groups (including a research continuity group) are working on specific outcomes, the teams meet daily and report to SOC. The Solution Oversight Coordination Team are in the process of identifying and quantifying the risks around these and implementing mitigation strategies.

Please be assured we’ll be providing regular progress updates to the Faculties and Institutes. In the meantime, if you have an urgent query related to your project financials, please contact your Faculty or Institute Research Services Team in the first instance.

ECR Career Exploration Workshops

We are excited to open applications for Early Career Researchers (ECR) to join ECR Career Exploration Workshops, a dedicated space for early career researchers (including final year PhD candidates) to reimagine their career paths and explore opportunities within and beyond academia.

This two-part workshop is designed to help you reflect on your values, strengths, and career possibilities while providing practical guidance on researching and navigating diverse career paths.

Workshop Details:

Dates: Tuesday, May 6 & Tuesday, May 13 (participants must attend both sessions) | Location: Building 201- Room 317 (Arts and Education, City Campus) 
Two Cohort Options:

Morning Group: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Afternoon Group: 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM

Pre-Workshop Commitment:

Participants will receive a digital pre-workshop workbook, requiring approximately four hours to complete. While not mandatory, this prework is highly recommended as it will help you reflect on your skills, aspirations, and career context before the sessions.

How to Apply:

To ensure a meaningful and engaged group, we ask applicants to submit the following via this link https://forms.office.com/r/0bGLSECf6P before the 28th of April.

A short paragraph explaining what you hope to gain from this workshop
A link to your up-to-date LinkedIn profile or Discovery page

Spaces are limited, so we encourage you to apply early. Please direct any questions to researcherdevelopment@auckland.ac.nz

Faculty of Science Commercial Seed Funding – Call for Applications

The Faculty of Science announces our next funding round for development of commercially-focused research and capability. Projects of up to $10k may be funded, and must be completed during 2025.

The aim is 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 (commercial and entrepreneurial skills).

The application should be well thought-out and indicate why the project is promising, but:

Very early-stage projects can be funded;
Emerging researchers are particularly encouraged to apply; and
There is low administrative overhead, with the application limited to 2 pages in length.

Projects which involve collaborative research with industry, rather than development of in-house IP, should instead consider the new NZ Product Accelerator Industry Collaboration funding, which accepts applications on an ongoing basis.

Application process and deadline: Applicants should submit a proposal via email to FoS-researchadmin@auckland.ac.nz. The application deadline is Friday, 9th May 2025, at 12 noon. The application (max. 2 pages including references) should address the topics on the application form (downloaded from the webpage below).

Webpage: Commercialisation Seed Funding – The University of Auckland

2025 Tāwhia te Mana Research Fellowships Support Package: Q&A Insights Session

Please join us for the 2025 Tāwhia te Mana Research Fellowships Q&A Insights session on Monday, 12 May 2025 from 11:00am to 12:15pm.

The Domestic Portfolio in the Research Funding team will be hosting a 1-hour session with past Tāwhia te Mana Research Fellowships winners and previous panellists to share their insights and advice on applying for the Tāwhia te Mana Research Fellowships.

Questions are encouraged and can be sent in advance to: submissions@auckland.ac.nz.

AUDIENCE: Open to UoA research staff applying for the 2025 Tāwhia te Mana Research Fellowships round, and research support staff (FIRST).

Key information:

Date: Monday, 12 May 2025
Time: 11:00am – 12:15pm
Location: Building 260, Seminar room 310 (Decima Glen), 12 Grafton Road, City Campus

Registration Link: https://www.eventbrite.co.nz/e/tawhia-te-mana-fellowships-qa-insights-session-12-may-2025-tickets-1310870070669?aff=oddtdtcreator

A Calendar Event invitation will be sent out to participants when the registration has been completed.

Spencer Foundation – Research Grants on Education: Large

The Large Grant supports education research projects that will contribute to the improvement of education, broadly conceived, with budgets ranging from US $125,000 to $500,000 for projects ranging from one to five years.

This program is “field-initiated,” meaning that proposal submissions are not in response to a specific request for a particular research topic, discipline, design, or method. Goal for this program is to support rigorous, intellectually ambitious and technically sound research that is relevant to the most pressing questions and compelling opportunities in education.

Value: between US$125,000 and US$500,000 (circa NZ$ 220,000 -880,000)
Duration: 12 – 60 months
Deadlines: Intent to apply. External Deadline – Wednesday 14 May 2025; Internal Deadline – Monday 9 June, 2025 (12 Noon)
Funder webpage:

Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake 2026 Biennial Research Funding Programme

NHC Toka Tū Ake invites researchers and practitioners to submit proposals for Biennial grants that align with their updated Research Strategy and Research Investment Priorities Statement 2025.

There have been a number of changes since the last round, so please take some time to familiarise yourself with these. Please visit the funders website for links to the relevant documents, guidelines and application templates.

Value: $50,000 – $100,000
Duration: maximum 2 years
EOI Internal Deadline: 12pm, Tuesday 20 May 2025

2025 New Zealand – China Strategic Research Alliance

The New Zealand – China Strategic Research Alliance (SRA) is an annual joint funding programme funded by New Zealand and the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST). Chinese partners must apply for their own funding through MoST.

For 2025, proposals must align with the priority area of Environmental Technologies. The specific research areas for this priority are:

Clean and renewable energy technologies
Climate change adaptation technologies
Climate change mitigation technologies
Carbon dioxide capture and conversion technologies
Novel technologies for biodegradation or elimination of emerging pollutants in vivo
Grant value: Up to NZ $300,000
Duration: Up to 3 years
Internal Deadline: 12 noon, Monday, 23 June 2025

Guidelines and resources can be found on the MBIE website

Publications

Oliver, P., Kearns, R., & Wills, P. (2025). ‘Waiheke is a community not a commodity’: Residents’ right and kaitiakitanga in tourism ‘hot spots’. In Justice in Tourism Destinations : Avenues for Destination Governance and Management. Eds Torabian, P and Albrecht, J.N.. Routledge, London & New York. pp 35-65

Castree, N., Barnes, T. & Salmond, J. (eds) (2025) Making Geography Matter: The past and present of a changing discipline (London: Routledge) https://www.routledge.com/Making-Geography-Matter-The-Past-and-Present-of-a-Changing-Discipline/Castree-Barnes-Salmond/p/book/9781032380513?srsltid=AfmBOoo3mep8Uwuu2zoD78ltxcbU4v8iOj4VnCv4PuV_sSj92juo7GyA

Agnew, J., Yeung, H., Salmond, J.A., Cox, K.R. 2024 Can Arguing for a Unified Geography Strengthen the Divisions It Seeks to Dissolve? Book review forum: Geography Indivisible (2023) Environment and Planning F 10.1177/26349825241276579

Salmond, J and Brierly, G (2025) Embracing and enacting critical and constructive approaches to teaching critical physical geography (Invited chapter). In Lane, S. and Lave, R (ed.) Field guide to mixing social and biophysical methods in environmental research (open access) https://www.openbookpublishers.com/books/10.11647/obp.0418

Ma, X., Zou, B., Gao, J., Deng, J., Wang, X., Wu, H., Xu, X., Wang, Y., Tan, Z., Jiang, N., Shen, Y., Li, D., Gao, J., Fan, Y., Salmond, J.A., Morawska, L. 2025 ‘Towards Compliance with the 2021 WHO Air Quality Guidelines: A Comparative Analysis of PM2.5 Trends in Australia and China’ Environment International, Volume 198, 2025,10937 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2025.109378.

Rindelaub, J., Salmond, J.A., Fan, W., Miskelly, G., Dirks, K., Henning, S., Conrath, T., Stratmann, F., Coulson, G., 2025 ‘Aerosol mass concentrations of microplastics at a remote coastal location in New Zealand’ Environmental Pollution Volume 372, 2025, 126034, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2025.126034.

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Issue 143 – Tuesday 15 April 2025

April 15, 2025 • asim086

HeadsUp

I can almost feel the collective catching of breath with the mid-semester break upon us. As we take stock at the semester’s halfway point, there is much to be thankful for – we’ve had no interruptions of the scale of epidemics and floods as in recent years; we have healthy enrolments in many courses; and there is a vibrancy on a campus well-populated by students. Perhaps the completion of construction projects helps the latter? Fewer detours and orange cones!

Looking ahead, first to the longer term:

if you are considering applying for academic promotion this year, please let me know. The longer the runways the smoother the lift-off. It will be good to discuss building you case early.

Second the shorter term:

Tuesday next week (April 22^nd) is a university holiday and mandatory annual leave day. Please be aware that there is a programme of work scheduled that day to test the smoke detection and suppression systems in building 302 which will also affect building 301. As this will significantly affect egress through the building (including elevators) the buildings will be closed for the day.

And third, to the medium term (ie next month):

On Science graduation day (15^th May, 7.30am-9.00am) the Autumn Graduation Morning Tea will be held in the 302-G80 and 302-G60 Foyer. This is a major event in our year with current and former students and their whanau coming along and deserving a welcome and conversation. The quality of our manaakitanga contributes to the reputation of our School. Whatever your role is – academic, professional, technical staff – please register and come along in a spirit of hospitality and celebration. Registration link: https://ScienceAutumnGraduationMorningTea.eventbrite.co.nz

Phil Shane was recently promoted to Professor and, in the spirit of celebration, will present his inaugural lecture titled From volcanic hazards to the global meta-crisis a geologist’s journey on Monday May 19^th. Venue:: Physics Lecture Theatre 1 PLT1/303-G20, 5.30pm with refreshments prior. Registration at Eventbrite From volcanic hazards to the global meta-crisis Tickets, Mon, May 19, 2025 at 5:00 PM | Eventbrite

Engagement with the media pleasingly continues apace, with Jenny and Karin recently sharing their research:

https://newsroom.co.nz/2025/04/01/how-many-beautiful-kitchens-have-come-at-the-expense-of-workers-lives/

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/557935/new-zealand-s-estuaries-in-hot-water

Let’s keep up this momentum of outward facing messaging.

Finally, on a note of sadness (but excitement for new opportunities) our enthusiastic and dedicated Research Programme Manager, Kelly Kilpin, is leaving us for a new opportunity within the university. On behalf of us all I thank her for all her dedication and friendly assistance over recent years.

For now, may everyone catch breath and enjoy some safe and rejuvenating time off their laptops and away from teaching spaces over the coming days.

Robin Kearns, Head of School

Announcements, Seminars & Events

Disaster Prevention and Management Seminar Series

When: Friday 2 May, 2pm | Where: Ontology Lab 302.551

Phil Shane Inaugural Lecture

When: Monday 19 May Where: Physics Lecture Theatre 1, PLT1/303-G20

Free Flu Jab

Hono Help

If anyone have any Hono issues, please contact Michael Groom

Understanding how labs can better engage Pacific science learners

Sonia Fonua has received a Faculty of Science SOTL grant (1 year, 5k) to explore how labs can better engage Pacific science learners. If you teach labs and would like to be involved or learn more about it, please email Sonia s.fonua@auckland.ac.nz

Exploring how arts-based creative practices can engage Pacific science learners and upskill science educators

Sonia has also received a University of Auckland TeachWell Grant (two years, 20k) to explore how arts-based creative practices can engage Pacific science learners and upskill science educators. This builds on the FoS SOTL grant which she received last year, so if you were involved in that you are welcome join in again. If you would like to know more information please let Sonia know, really happy to have a chat!

Rangahau

Undergraduate–Postgraduate Pairing Scholarship

This $800 scholarship supports undergraduate students to gain hands-on research experience by shadowing a postgraduate student. Undergraduates will assist with tasks like literature reviews, data analysis, and mapping, while learning valuable research skills and contributing to real projects.

Applications should include a copy of the undergraduate student’s academic transcript and a short paragraph justifying the proposed project and pairing. This is a great opportunity for collaboration, skill-building, and mentoring across levels of study.

Please email Sila (katarzyna.sila-nowicka@auckland.ac.nz) for details or with ready applications.

Health Safety & Wellbeing

Having a healthy autumn is all about embracing the season’s changes and finding balance. Here are a few ways to keep your physical and mental well-being in check during fall:

Boost Your Immunity

As the weather gets cooler, your body might need some extra support to fend off seasonal colds and flu.

Eat Seasonal Produce: Autumn is the perfect time for nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables like squash, sweet potatoes, apples, pears, and root veggies. These foods are full of vitamins and antioxidants.
Vitamin D: Shorter days and less sunlight can make it harder to get enough vitamin D. Consider a supplement if needed, or try to soak up some sun when you can.
Hydration: Even though it’s cooler, don’t forget to drink plenty of water. Herbal teas or warm lemon water are a cozy option too.

Stay Active

Cooler weather can make it tempting to stay indoors, but it’s important to stay active for both your body and mind.

Outdoor Activities: Go for a walk in the crisp air, hike to enjoy the fall foliage, or take up cycling or jogging. Fresh air and movement are great for your health.
Yoga or Stretching: The transition into fall can bring some stiffness with it. Yoga is fantastic for flexibility and mental calm.
Home Workouts: If you’d rather stay inside, bodyweight exercises like squats, lunges, and push-ups can keep you moving.

Mental Health Care

Autumn’s shorter days and the changing season can sometimes impact your mood. To keep your mental health in check:

Natural Light Exposure: Try to get outside during daylight hours to combat seasonal affective disorder (SAD). If it’s dark by the time you’re awake, light therapy lamps can help.
Mindfulness or Meditation: Autumn is a great time to reflect and slow down. Take 5-10 minutes each day to practice mindfulness or meditation to help manage stress.
Journaling: Writing about your thoughts can be a grounding practice, helping to clarify your goals and give thanks for the season’s bounty.

Rest and Rejuvenation

The fall season is a great reminder to take care of your body by prioritizing rest.

Sleep Hygiene: As the nights get longer, adjust your sleep schedule to ensure you’re getting enough rest. Aim for 7-9 hours a night.
Create a Cozy Space: Light some candles, make your favorite cozy drink, and create a peaceful, inviting space for rest and relaxation.

Fall-Inspired Self-Care

Autumn is all about coziness, so indulge in a little self-care that feels seasonal:

Healthy Comfort Food: Get creative with comfort foods like soups, stews, and baked goods. Make healthy versions of classic fall dishes by using whole grains, lean proteins, and plenty of veggies.
Skin Care: The cooler air can be drying, so hydrate your skin with rich moisturizers or oils, especially if you’re prone to dry skin.
Aromatherapy: Scents like cinnamon, clove, and pumpkin spice can uplift your mood. Use essential oils or candles to bring fall vibes into your home.

Connection and Community

The autumn season invites connection, whether with nature or loved ones.

Enjoy the Outdoors: Visit a pumpkin patch, orchard, or enjoy a scenic drive. Being in nature can help you feel grounded and relaxed.
Socialize: Autumn is often a time for gatherings. Whether it’s a cozy dinner with friends or a family game night, connecting with loved ones boosts mental health.

How do you usually spend your autumn? Any favorite activities or habits you like to bring into the season?

Funding Calls

Global Research Engagement Fund (GREF)

The Global Research Engagement Fund (GREF) is available to UoA researchers and professional research staff to foster the development of new and emerging research partnerships with international collaborators.

The next application deadline is 28^th April.

Applicants must connect with international.research@auckland.ac.nz to inform their intention to submit no later than 18^th April. Further funding application rounds are available throughout the year.

For enquiries, please contact international.research@auckland.ac.nz

ECR Career Exploration Workshops

We are excited to open applications for Early Career Researchers (ECR) to join ECR Career Exploration Workshops, a dedicated space for early career researchers (including final year PhD candidates) to reimagine their career paths and explore opportunities within and beyond academia.

This two-part workshop is designed to help you reflect on your values, strengths, and career possibilities while providing practical guidance on researching and navigating diverse career paths.

Workshop Details:

Dates: Tuesday, May 6 & Tuesday, May 13 (participants must attend both sessions) | Location: Building 201- Room 317 (Arts and Education, City Campus) 
Two Cohort Options:

Morning Group: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Afternoon Group: 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM

Pre-Workshop Commitment:

Participants will receive a digital pre-workshop workbook, requiring approximately four hours to complete. While not mandatory, this prework is highly recommended as it will help you reflect on your skills, aspirations, and career context before the sessions.

How to Apply:

To ensure a meaningful and engaged group, we ask applicants to submit the following via this link https://forms.office.com/r/0bGLSECf6P before the 28th of April.

A short paragraph explaining what you hope to gain from this workshop
A link to your up-to-date LinkedIn profile or Discovery page

Spaces are limited, so we encourage you to apply early. Please direct any questions to researcherdevelopment@auckland.ac.nz

Faculty of Science Commercial Seed Funding – Call for Applications

The Faculty of Science announces our next funding round for development of commercially-focused research and capability. Projects of up to $10k may be funded, and must be completed during 2025.

The aim is 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 (commercial and entrepreneurial skills).

The application should be well thought-out and indicate why the project is promising, but:

Very early-stage projects can be funded;
Emerging researchers are particularly encouraged to apply; and
There is low administrative overhead, with the application limited to 2 pages in length.

Projects which involve collaborative research with industry, rather than development of in-house IP, should instead consider the new NZ Product Accelerator Industry Collaboration funding, which accepts applications on an ongoing basis.

Application process and deadline: Applicants should submit a proposal via email to FoS-researchadmin@auckland.ac.nz. The application deadline is Friday, 9th May 2025, at 12 noon. The application (max. 2 pages including references) should address the topics on the application form (downloaded from the webpage below).

Webpage: Commercialisation Seed Funding – The University of Auckland

2025 Tāwhia te Mana Research Fellowships Support Package: Q&A Insights Session

Please join us for the 2025 Tāwhia te Mana Research Fellowships Q&A Insights session on Monday, 12 May 2025 from 11:00am to 12:15pm.

The Domestic Portfolio in the Research Funding team will be hosting a 1-hour session with past Tāwhia te Mana Research Fellowships winners and previous panellists to share their insights and advice on applying for the Tāwhia te Mana Research Fellowships.

Questions are encouraged and can be sent in advance to: submissions@auckland.ac.nz.

AUDIENCE: Open to UoA research staff applying for the 2025 Tāwhia te Mana Research Fellowships round, and research support staff (FIRST).

Key information:

Date: Monday, 12 May 2025
Time: 11:00am – 12:15pm
Location: Building 260, Seminar room 310 (Decima Glen), 12 Grafton Road, City Campus

Registration Link: https://www.eventbrite.co.nz/e/tawhia-te-mana-fellowships-qa-insights-session-12-may-2025-tickets-1310870070669?aff=oddtdtcreator

A Calendar Event invitation will be sent out to participants when the registration has been completed.

Spencer Foundation – Research Grants on Education: Large

The Large Grant supports education research projects that will contribute to the improvement of education, broadly conceived, with budgets ranging from US $125,000 to $500,000 for projects ranging from one to five years.

This program is “field-initiated,” meaning that proposal submissions are not in response to a specific request for a particular research topic, discipline, design, or method. Goal for this program is to support rigorous, intellectually ambitious and technically sound research that is relevant to the most pressing questions and compelling opportunities in education.

Value: between US$125,000 and US$500,000 (circa NZ$ 220,000 -880,000)
Duration: 12 – 60 months
Deadlines: Intent to apply. External Deadline – Wednesday 14 May 2025; Internal Deadline – Monday 9 June, 2025 (12 Noon)
Funder webpage:

Publications

Matt T. Illing, Lorna J. Strachan, Christopher M. Moy, Christina R. Riesselman, Vincent Rigalleau, Helge W. Arz, Frank Lamy (2025) Millennial-scale along-slope and down-slope marine flow processes over the last 160,000 years at the Chilean margin, Quaternary Science Reviews, 356, 109280.

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Issue 142 – Tuesday 1 April 2025

April 1, 2025 • asim086

HeadsUp

I’ve been having annual performance review discussions with senior colleagues earlier this year, ahead of the salary review process in late April. It’s been a pleasure to meet and have a sustained korero about how things are going and what the year holds for goals and objectives.

It’s also helped provide an ‘ear to the ground’ for the new (well, not-so-new) semester. Not only are student numbers up in many courses, but I also hear of widespread student enthusiasm and their sustained presence in lectures. That is very welcome, given recent years. In return let’s offer strong doses of enthusiasm and engagement.

As I’ve said before, one pair of words I’d love to banish is ‘teaching load’. Do we ever speak of ‘research load’? Whether intended or not there is an implication of burden and a need to endure in that pairing of words. We need to find joy in teaching if we don’t know it already. With very few exceptions, we are contracted to teach 40% (lecturing staff) or 80% (PTFs) of our time. If enthusiastically teaching really feels burdensome and a ‘load’, then we are probably in the wrong profession.

Our new Dean has two strong messages filtering through to Heads of Schools: we must strive for teaching quality and be vigilant to maintaining a safe working environment. With respect to the latter, a refreshed School Health & Safety Committee met for the first time last week ahead of the monthly FoS HSW meeting to which all Heads attend. A key message is being observant: if you see something that could be a hazard, report it. It’s as much what could be as what is a risk.

Looking ahead, we have graduation on May 15^th. Please plan on being there and register now to be on stage. We owe it to our students and their families to take time out and affirm their efforts. With over 70% of our revenue coming from enrolments, a response of ‘nah I’m too busy with my research’ really isn’t acceptable when graduation is only twice a year. Being present at a ceremony sits firmly at the intersection of teaching and academic citizenship and speaks to values of excellence, affirmation and collegiality.

Oh, and congratulations to Shane, Mark and Karin – all of whom I have heard on RNZ recently speaking to their research on vulcanism, sand dynamics and estuarine processes respectively. If I have missed other instances of media engagement, please let me know.

As the clocks change, enjoy these autumn days and may the enthusiasm of students be matched by yours.

Robin

Head of School

Announcements, Seminars & Events

Coastal and Marine Geoscience Group Meeting / Seminar

When: Wednesday 2 April,12-1pm | Where: Ontology Lab 302.551

School of Environment Seminar Series

When: Wednesday 9 April, 12-1pm | Where: Ontology Lab 302.551

Earth Observation Lab Quarterly Event

Join us on 10th April for this quarter’s EO Lab event 🎉 With exciting speakers from research and industry lined up, we will be in person and live-streaming from Auckland so you can join us in person or online! Join us to hear about some of the latest earth observation projects from across the country and connect with fellow EO Lab members. Sign up for your spot https://www.eventbrite.co.nz/e/earth-observation-lab-meet-up-tickets-1303805931639?aff=oddtdtcreator.

Horizon Europe Workshop

The EU’s flagship research and innovation program, promoting collaboration among research, industry, communities, and policymakers to address global challenges.

As interest in Horizon Europe continues to grow and funding calls for 2025 begin to emerge, we are offering support and a series of practical workshops focused on key aspects of networking with potential collaboration partners, developing your profile in Horizon Europe, project development as well as application process. These workshops are designed for researchers and research teams preparing to submit funding proposals for the upcoming 2025 calls.

Online Seminar: What to do if you’re invited to join a Horizon Europe consortium | Thursday, 10 April 2025, 10:00am – 11:00am via zoom.

There will be a series of short presentations, including from Andrew Sporle – National Contact Point Māori, followed by a 30min live panel discussion answering your questions. Please contact us at international.research@auckland.ac.nz to receive details on how to register and obtain the zoom link.

Oceanum Datamesh Demo

Seminar and Demonstration 15th April. 1300-1400, 302.586: The team at Oceanum have created a powerful environmental data science platform that accelerates work flows across various disciplines, from oceanography and coastal ecology to climate change adaptation. The OCEANUM.IO platform streamlines data discovery, access, and wrangling for all levels of expertise, overcoming many of the limitations and points of friction in existing data infrastructures.

By addressing issues like file format incompatibilities and data volumes, OCEANUM.IO enables users to focus on their analysis tasks rather than the underlying data engineering – thereby promoting more effective use of their time. With more than 5000 national and international datasets already registered, and the ability for users to upload their own data, the cloud-based application is actively promoting data democratisation and reducing knowledge disparities.

Easter Tuesday closure of Building 301/302 and fire systems testing

There is a programme of work being scheduled to test the smoke detection and suppression systems in building 302 which will also affect building 301.

Sunday 6^th April – access to the building will be available as normal for those with weekend access however there will be some disruption over much of the day (4+ hours) caused by:

Smoke detector testing which will initiate the alarm sounder in short bursts
Fire curtain testing (on levels G to 6) – this will be mainly silent but will affect building egress

Tuesday 22^nd April (Easter Tuesday) – Given the level of disruption, this has been scheduled on the University holiday and the building will be closed for the day.

Access will only be provided to those maintaining critical infrastructure. Please contact David Jenkinson (Technical Services Manager) – d.jenkinson@auckland.ac.nz to arrange special approval.

Understanding how labs can better engage Pacific science learners

Sonia Fonua has received a Faculty of Science SOTL grant (1 year, 5k) to explore how labs can better engage Pacific science learners. If you teach labs and would like to be involved or learn more about it, please email Sonia s.fonua@auckland.ac.nz

Exploring how arts-based creative practices can engage Pacific science learners and upskill science educators

Sonia has also received a University of Auckland TeachWell Grant (two years, 20k) to explore how arts-based creative practices can engage Pacific science learners and upskill science educators. This builds on the FoS SOTL grant which she received last year, so if you were involved in that you are welcome join in again. If you would like to know more information please let Sonia know, really happy to have a chat!

Media contribution by Thomas Dowling

Radar reflectors in the news again! Successful field trials in the sub-Antarctic islands: https://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/life-saving-reflector-tested-successfully.

Introductory R Workshop

An introductory R Workshop is being run on Monday 14^th and Tuesday 15^th of April 2025. The course will be run by the Statistical Consulting Centre (SCC) in the Department of Statistics. Below are the details of the workshop and attachments: R Workshop Registration Form April 2025 Introduction to R schedule

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
Cost
- 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 302.190. 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: 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.

For any further queries please contact Joei Mudaliar j.mudaliar@auckland.ac.nz

Health Safety & Wellbeing

The new dean is introducing big changes to how the Faculty and the Schools are going to operate and a big part of it is an overhaul to HSW. There are changes in progress to Faculty and School committees. Compliance is being looked at in detail and all the processes to identify and manage risks are being refreshed. This is a process that will take a while, and we can expect few bumps in the road but the end result is going to be a safer environment that we all can be proud of.

FLU VACCINE

Flu vaccine campaign kick starts on April, please see the information in this link: 2025 influenza vaccination for staff and students – The University of Auckland

Reporting incidents

There is systemic underreporting of HSW matters in the School and Faculty. Please follow the link to familiarise yourself with incident reporting. We must not only report incidents with injuries. There are three categories to report:

Observation, report an observation when you notice an unsafe condition or a positive comment about facilities, systems or people.
Incident: Any mishap that did not involved injury but could have potentially caused harm
Injury: Report any injury to an employee, student, contractor or visitor during a work activity. This is also required to be done when working from home. ACC claims will depend on the report. There is not such a thing as a small report.

Spotlight

We want to put the spotlight on two important dates coming up:

2 April is World Autism Awareness Day: please visit the website Home – Autism NZ to learn more about autism

7 April is World Health Day

Funding Calls

Spencer Foundation: Small Research Grants

This fund is intended to support education research projects that will contribute to the improvement of education. This program is “field-initiated” in that proposal submissions are not in response to a specific request for a particular research topic, discipline, design, method, or location. Goal for this program is to support rigorous, intellectually ambitious and technically sound research that is relevant to the most pressing questions and compelling opportunities in education.

Value: up to USD50,000 (circa NZD85,600
Duration: up to a maximum duration of 60 months
Internal Deadline: 12pm, Monday 7th April
Further Information (funding call, guidelines website).
- Funding Call
- Website
- Guidelines

If you are interested, please also get in touch with your FIRST

RSNZ: Catalyst: Seeding (Round1)

Catalyst seeding fund aims to supports activities that initiate, develop and foster collaborations leveraging international science and innovation for New Zealand’s benefit.

Notable eligibility changes for the 2025 funding opportunities: the Catalyst Fund investment plan (released in December 2024) identifies six priority research areas, which are:

Quantum technology
Health and biomedicine
Biotechnologies
Artificial Intelligence
Antarctic research
Space and Earth observations

*Note that 75% of the awarded Catalyst: Seeding contracts will be expected to be made up of proposals that align with the priority research areas. The remaining 25% of awarded contracts can be in any field of research including social sciences and the humanities.

Value: Seeding General: up to $80,000 (excl. GST)
Duration: for up to two years
Internal Deadline: 12pm, Tuesday 08 April 2025
Further Information (funding call, guidelines, registration info).

If you are interested, please also get in touch with your FIRST

RSNZ: Catalyst Leaders (Round 1)

This fund aims to supports incoming and outgoing targeted international fellowships for exceptional individuals that cannot be supported through other means. The following funding schemes are open in Round 1

International Leader Fellowships (up to 3 awards): Supports exceptional individuals from any country outside New Zealand to catalyse science and innovation capability and capacity development in New Zealand for a minimum of 4 weeks per year for up to 3 years.
Julius von Haast Fellowship Award (up to 1 award): Supports an internationally recognised researcher from Germany to undertake research in New Zealand for a minimum of 4 weeks per year for 3 years.
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Postdoctoral Fellowships (up to 4 awards): Supports excellent New Zealand post-doctoral researchers to do research in Japan for 12-24 months.
New Zealand – China Scientist Exchange Programme (up to 10 Awards): Supports the development of research linkages with China by enabling New Zealand researchers to visit Chinese research organisations for 2-6 weeks.

Value:
- International Leader Fellowships: up to $50,000 per annum.
- JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship: Flights, insurance and living allowance.
- Julius von Haast Fellowship Award: up to $50,000 per annum.
- New Zealand-China Scientist Exchange Programme: Flights, insurance and living allowance.
Internal Deadline: 12pm, Tuesday 08 April 2025
Further Information (funding call, guidelines, registration info).
- Funding Call
- Website
- Guidelines

If you are interested, please also get in touch with your FIRST

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Issue 141 – Tuesday 18 March 2025

March 18, 2025 • asim086

HeadsUp

Along with Tom Baker, over recent months I’ve had the pleasure of participating in a leadership programme named Puhoro. One of its brilliant aspects is that the kaleidoscope of senior university staffing has been given a shake and cohorts are mixed in together from across the range of roles and expertise. Quite aside from the valuable input, it’s offered rich insight into how the university operates through exposure to a diversity people often invisible to most of us who keep the engine room of the organisation ticking over.

Names are invariable chosen carefully. In te reo ‘Puhoro’ means “a type of tattoo design, often found on the thighs and buttocks, which symbolizes strength, resilience, and the interconnectedness of life, often representing the wake left by a waka”. I wasn’t left with a souvenir tattoo, but a sense that resilience and strength in any large institution like ours is aided by strong relationships and a culture that acknowledges interconnectedness.

The waka reference in the definition was built into the programme with a day devoted to paddling as teams on the harbour. Sadly my participation was ruled out by the recency of surgery but the powerful image of a waka remains as I reflect on more local interconnectedness in our School. A waka’s clear trajectory through the water is reliant on a unified commitment by paddlers with few instructions needed by a navigator.

Once again, I have been struck by how this work ethic prevails as a modus operandi in the School. It’s a gift when, as Head, one needs to step back for a while and reminded that the team keeps paddling with few instructions needed from the sidelines. I am very grateful for that. Certainly, there are ocean swells and the wakes of other vessels to navigate and so always issues to grapple with. That’s organisational life. But as I look back on the last month I am both grateful for Tom being Acting Head and, more recently, for the ease of being a Head-at-a-distance as I get on my feet again.

To be part of a team in which there is a collective recognition that we all do our bit without being asked or reminded is a gift indeed. As my poet friend Gregory O’Brien expresses it metaphorically “If we all carry each other, no one will have to walk”.

Ngā mihi mahana

Robin

Events & Announcements

All are invited to the School BBQ on Friday 21st March @ 12 noon

Community of Interest: Communicating Research to the Media and the Public (In-person forum 2)

The second in-person gathering is being held for academics interested in joining a network to share experience and advice on communicating research to media and the public.

When: Thursday 27 March, 12-1pm | Where: LG002 Seminar Room, 28 Park Ave, Grafton

Hear from guest speaker Nicola Gaston on her experience with media. Learn how to distil key messages and we can share news on storytelling workshops. The Community of Interest has been developed by academics for academics to offer an open and safe space to talk about communicating with the public and the media about research. Light refreshments will be served. For enquiries, please contact gilbert.wong@auckland.ac.nz

CAPEX 2025

Proposals for CAPEX purchases in the upcoming round are now being solicited. Please fill out the following form by 31 March. https://auckland.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4Og4JcE5R8VQlPo

Please provide realistic cost and use estimates and only list people who have been consulted and who support the application. We’ll be arranging to have a member of the CAPEX committee to have a quick chat with applicants so the committee fully understands the proposal. If you have questions contact Kevin (k.simon@auckland.ac.nz).

Understanding how labs can better engage Pacific science learners

Sonia Fonua has received a Faculty of Science SOTL grant (1 year, 5k) to explore how labs can better engage Pacific science learners. If you teach labs and would like to be involved or learn more about it, please email Sonia s.fonua@auckland.ac.nz

Exploring how arts-based creative practices can engage Pacific science learners and upskill science educators

Sonia has also received a University of Auckland TeachWell Grant (two years, 20k) to explore how arts-based creative practices can engage Pacific science learners and upskill science educators. This builds on the FoS SOTL grant which she received last year, so if you were involved in that you are welcome join in again. If you would like to know more information please let Sonia know, really happy to have a chat!

ANZIC Prize for Best Student Publication

Attention Post-Grad Students! Do you have a great publication relating to scientific drilling?

ANZIC – The Australian & New Zealand International Scientific Drilling Consortium – is proud to announce their new Prize for Best Student Publication in scientific drilling! As an ANZIC member, students from <<YOUR INSTITUTION>> are eligible to nominate! This award aims to foster community, celebrate excellence, and recognise outstanding contributions to scientific drilling research. This is your chance to gain recognition, connect with leading scientists, and win an all-expenses-paid trip to present at the 2025 ANZIC Forum in Auckland!

Learn more: https://www.iodp.org.au/anzic-prize-for-best-student-publication/

Horizon Europe Workshop

The EU’s flagship research and innovation program, promoting collaboration among research, industry, communities, and policymakers to address global challenges.

As interest in Horizon Europe continues to grow and funding calls for 2025 begin to emerge, we are offering support and a series of practical workshops focused on key aspects of networking with potential collaboration partners, developing your profile in Horizon Europe, project development as well as application process. These workshops are designed for researchers and research teams preparing to submit funding proposals for the upcoming 2025 calls.

Online Seminar: What to do if you’re invited to join a Horizon Europe consortium | Thursday, 10 April 2025, 10:00am – 11:00am via zoom.

There will be a series of short presentations, including from Andrew Sporle – National Contact Point Māori, followed by a 30min live panel discussion answering your questions. Please contact us at international.research@auckland.ac.nz to receive details on how to register and obtain the zoom link.

Media contribution by Salene Schloffel-Armstrong and Robin Kearns

DarkSky designation can mitigate ‘privatisation of celestial sphere’

The expansion of satellite activity has, in part, led to the increased push by certain communities to seek DarkSky certification by Salene Schloffel-Armstrong and Robin Kearns 13/4/2025 https://newsroom.co.nz/2025/03/13/darksky-designation-can-mitigate-privatisation-of-celestial-sphere/

Introductory R Workshop

An introductory R Workshop is being run on Monday 14^th and Tuesday 15^th of April 2025. The course will be run by the Statistical Consulting Centre (SCC) in the Department of Statistics. Below are the details of the workshop and attachments: R Workshop Registration Form April 2025 Introduction to R schedule

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
Cost
- 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 302.190. 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: 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.

For any further queries please contact Joei Mudaliar j.mudaliar@auckland.ac.nz

Health Safety & Wellbeing

As autumn begins, it’s important to adjust your health routine to stay well during the changing season. Here are some tips to help you stay healthy:

Get Your Flu Shot: Autumn marks the start of flu season, so getting vaccinated can help protect you from the flu. Vaccination for flu virus becomes available on 1 April 2025.
Boost Your Immune System: Eat a balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables, stay hydrated, and get enough sleep to keep your immune system strong.
Stay Active: Even as the weather cools, try to maintain regular physical activity. Outdoor activities like walking or hiking can be enjoyable in the crisp autumn air.
Dress in Layers: The weather can be unpredictable, so dressing in layers helps you stay comfortable throughout the day.
Prepare for Allergies: Fall allergies can be bothersome. Keep windows closed on high pollen days and consider using an air purifier.
Stay Hydrated: It’s easy to forget to drink water when it’s cooler, but staying hydrated is just as important in autumn as in summer.
Plan for Daylight Savings: Gradually adjust your sleep schedule to prepare for the time change and ensure you get enough rest
Mental Health: As days get shorter, some people may experience seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Light therapy and staying active can help manage symptoms.

These tips can help you enjoy a healthy and vibrant autumn. Do you have any specific concerns or questions about staying healthy this season?

There is also a response in place to fight the current pertussis epidemic, ask the pharmacist if you are eligible for boosters.

Funded vaccines for special groups from 1 July 2024 – Factsheets – Immunisation Advisory Centre

Funding Calls

Spencer Foundation: Small Research Grants

This fund is intended to support education research projects that will contribute to the improvement of education. This program is “field-initiated” in that proposal submissions are not in response to a specific request for a particular research topic, discipline, design, method, or location. Goal for this program is to support rigorous, intellectually ambitious and technically sound research that is relevant to the most pressing questions and compelling opportunities in education.

Value: up to USD50,000 (circa NZD85,600
Duration: up to a maximum duration of 60 months
Internal Deadline: 12pm, Monday 7th April
Further Information (funding call, guidelines website).
- Funding Call
- Website
- Guidelines

If you are interested, please also get in touch with your FIRST

RSNZ: Catalyst: Seeding (Round1)

Catalyst seeding fund aims to supports activities that initiate, develop and foster collaborations leveraging international science and innovation for New Zealand’s benefit.

Notable eligibility changes for the 2025 funding opportunities: the Catalyst Fund investment plan (released in December 2024) identifies six priority research areas, which are:

Quantum technology
Health and biomedicine
Biotechnologies
Artificial Intelligence
Antarctic research
Space and Earth observations

*Note that 75% of the awarded Catalyst: Seeding contracts will be expected to be made up of proposals that align with the priority research areas. The remaining 25% of awarded contracts can be in any field of research including social sciences and the humanities.

Value: Seeding General: up to $80,000 (excl. GST)
Duration: for up to two years
Internal Deadline: 12pm, Tuesday 08 April 2025
Further Information (funding call, guidelines, registration info).

If you are interested, please also get in touch with your FIRST

RSNZ: Catalyst Leaders (Round 1)

This fund aims to supports incoming and outgoing targeted international fellowships for exceptional individuals that cannot be supported through other means. The following funding schemes are open in Round 1

International Leader Fellowships (up to 3 awards): Supports exceptional individuals from any country outside New Zealand to catalyse science and innovation capability and capacity development in New Zealand for a minimum of 4 weeks per year for up to 3 years.
Julius von Haast Fellowship Award (up to 1 award): Supports an internationally recognised researcher from Germany to undertake research in New Zealand for a minimum of 4 weeks per year for 3 years.
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Postdoctoral Fellowships (up to 4 awards): Supports excellent New Zealand post-doctoral researchers to do research in Japan for 12-24 months.
New Zealand – China Scientist Exchange Programme (up to 10 Awards): Supports the development of research linkages with China by enabling New Zealand researchers to visit Chinese research organisations for 2-6 weeks.

Value:
- International Leader Fellowships: up to $50,000 per annum.
- JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship: Flights, insurance and living allowance.
- Julius von Haast Fellowship Award: up to $50,000 per annum.
- New Zealand-China Scientist Exchange Programme: Flights, insurance and living allowance.
Internal Deadline: 12pm, Tuesday 08 April 2025
Further Information (funding call, guidelines, registration info).
- Funding Call
- Website
- Guidelines

If you are interested, please also get in touch with your FIRST

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Issue 140 – Tuesday 4 March 2025

March 4, 2025 • asim086

HeadsUp

There’s pedestrian traffic down Symonds St, so it must be Week 1!

Wishing everyone a good start to the semester.

And in the spirit of wishing: may your lecture theatres, labs and tutorials be filled with actual students, and your assignment in-boxes with considered, well-referenced responses.

Tom (Acting HoS)

Announcements

HONO – is live now!

Please click here for the latest information and updates
Log in to Hono using your University username and password
The quick video guides is also available to assist you in getting help faster or click on the Hono online help
First pay run in Hono: Wednesday 5 March 2025
Contact Michael Groom if you get stuck with anything

PhD Advisor Change

After 4(!) years Jennifer Eccles passes the PhD Advisor baton onto Luitgard Schwendenmann (l.schwendenmann@auckland.ac.nz) and Martin Brook (m.brook@auckland.ac.nz) as she jets off to Europe of R&SL.

Luitgard will primarily be managing active student facing activities – confirmations, signing off on annual continuation reviews, being the HoD referee on University of Auckland Doctoral Scholarship Extensions applications, and any changes to enrolment (extensions, suspensions, full time/part time, change of supervisors, thesis title etc). Hence if there are any issues Luitgard will be the first point of call beyond your supervision team and it is better to broach any issues sooner rather than later so she will have the opportunity to help early.

Martin will primarily be handling admissions and interfacing with the centralised examination process as needed.

Please note that unfortunately the examinations office have a backlog at the moment and we are managing comms to them so they are working on moving these along rather than just replying to hundreds of emails querying progress. Please flag with Martin if the process is taking longer than:

4 weeks for the thesis to be sent out to examiners
Thesis with examiners > 12 weeks
> 4 weeks once examination report returned for decision to be made (this can be much shorter but it varies)
> 4 weeks for the oral examination to be scheduled once this decision has been made.

Generally useful documents in the Doctoral space are now hosted on Teams through ENV Group – Files under the path Documents – General – Postgraduate – Doctoral”

LINZ Geographic Information Science (GIS) Scholarships award to 2 undergrad students

We’re pleased to congratulate the recipients of this year’s Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand Geographic Information Science (GIS) Scholarships. Ka rawe! 🙌📢🎓The scholarships support recipients with their tertiary study fees. We’re proud to be helping develop the next generation of GIS specialists. Congratulations to:

Anna Connell – Bachelor of Science (Geography and Environmental Science) at the University of Auckland
Joel Plummer – Bachelor of Science (Geography) at the University of Auckland

Facebook LINZ Page Photo

CAPEX 2025

Proposals for CAPEX purchases in the upcoming round are now being solicited. Please fill out the following form by 31 March. https://auckland.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4Og4JcE5R8VQlPo

Please provide realistic cost and use estimates and only list people who have been consulted and who support the application. We’ll be arranging to have a member of the CAPEX committee to have a quick chat with applicants so the committee fully understands the proposal. If you have questions contact Kevin (k.simon@auckland.ac.nz).

Media contributions by Thomas Dowling

A paper to which Thomas Dowling and Te Kahuratai Moko-Painting contributed on orbital conservation, ended up in top 5% of media attention on all papers worldwide. Newsroom took a version of it here in the NZ media that Thomas wrote along with the UoA media team.

A sustainable development goal for space: Applying lessons from marine debris to manage space debris: 1016/j.oneear.2024.12.004

NZ has a lot to lose from a polluted orbit – Newsroom

Opinion: The number of satellites and other objects sent into Earth’s orbit is increasing like never before. Before space ends up awash with debris like the ocean, scientists are calling for global agreements to protect orbital space. The United States and China are in a space race, sending thousands of satellites into orbit every year.

Defence Science and Technology published a short story on the search and rescue with synthetic aperture radar work which Thomas is leading.

Research to help NZ search and rescue efforts

24 February 2025 | OUR SCIENCE. DST’s Sensing and Intelligence Programme is collaborating with the University of Auckland (UoA) to understand whether low cost, low tech, passive RADAR reflectors can improve the probability of detection of small marine craft in distress, by space-based Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) systems. This research is being done under a programme called SAR4SAR …

www.dst.mil.nz

Outreach

Social media : We’d like to expand the School of Environment’s social media reach to other platforms beyond Facebook, but we need some foundation content to guarantee at least one post a month (ideally one a week!). Therefore, we need your content to celebrate and elevate your research and community activities. Please send the following to Kenzi Yee kenzi.yee@auckland.ac.nz (and cc: el.sharp@auckland.ac.nz) who is collating posts.

Blurb of about ~30 words
A representative image
Ideally, a link to a website/ Conversation article/ RNZ / Newsroom/ TVNZ/ The Spinoff, but not necessary.

Ngā mihi mahana, Emma

Health Safety & Wellbeing

Autumn can bring a number of health issues, including respiratory infections, allergies, and mood swings.

Respiratory infections
- Flu: A highly contagious virus that can be reduced with a flu shot
- Common cold: Cooler temperatures and indoor gatherings can lead to more colds
- Bronchitis and pneumonia: These can become more prevalent as the weather cools
- Ear infections: More prevalent during the autumn and winter seasons
Allergies
- Fall allergies: Can cause sneezing, congestion, and itchy eyes
- Asthma exacerbations: Fall allergies can worsen asthma symptoms
Mood swings
- Some people may experience mood swings and irritability during the fall due to hormonal changes and disrupted routines
Other health issues
- Sinusitis, Strep, Norovirus/Stomach Bugs, Vitamin D Deficiency, and Pink eye

How to stay healthy in autumn

Wash your hands frequently with soap and water, especially after using public transport, coughing, or sneezing
Use tissues to catch coughs and sneezes, dispose of them immediately, and then wash your hands
Stay warm
Ventilate your space
Maintain a regular sleep schedule
Eat a balanced diet
Engage in relaxation techniques

Funding Calls

Spencer Foundation: Small Research Grants

This fund is intended to support education research projects that will contribute to the improvement of education. This program is “field-initiated” in that proposal submissions are not in response to a specific request for a particular research topic, discipline, design, method, or location. Goal for this program is to support rigorous, intellectually ambitious and technically sound research that is relevant to the most pressing questions and compelling opportunities in education.

Value: up to USD50,000 (circa NZD85,600
Duration: up to a maximum duration of 60 months
Internal Deadline: 12pm, Monday 7th April
Further Information (funding call, guidelines website).
- Funding Call
- Website
- Guidelines

If you are interested, please also get in touch with your FIRST

RSNZ: Catalyst: Seeding (Round1)

Catalyst seeding fund aims to supports activities that initiate, develop and foster collaborations leveraging international science and innovation for New Zealand’s benefit.

Notable eligibility changes for the 2025 funding opportunities: the Catalyst Fund investment plan (released in December 2024) identifies six priority research areas, which are:

Quantum technology
Health and biomedicine
Biotechnologies
Artificial Intelligence
Antarctic research
Space and Earth observations

*Note that 75% of the awarded Catalyst: Seeding contracts will be expected to be made up of proposals that align with the priority research areas. The remaining 25% of awarded contracts can be in any field of research including social sciences and the humanities.

Value: Seeding General: up to $80,000 (excl. GST)
Duration: for up to two years
Internal Deadline: 12pm, Tuesday 08 April 2025
Further Information (funding call, guidelines, registration info).

If you are interested, please also get in touch with your FIRST

RSNZ: Catalyst Leaders (Round 1)

This fund aims to supports incoming and outgoing targeted international fellowships for exceptional individuals that cannot be supported through other means. The following funding schemes are open in Round 1

International Leader Fellowships (up to 3 awards): Supports exceptional individuals from any country outside New Zealand to catalyse science and innovation capability and capacity development in New Zealand for a minimum of 4 weeks per year for up to 3 years.
Julius von Haast Fellowship Award (up to 1 award): Supports an internationally recognised researcher from Germany to undertake research in New Zealand for a minimum of 4 weeks per year for 3 years.
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Postdoctoral Fellowships (up to 4 awards): Supports excellent New Zealand post-doctoral researchers to do research in Japan for 12-24 months.
New Zealand – China Scientist Exchange Programme (up to 10 Awards): Supports the development of research linkages with China by enabling New Zealand researchers to visit Chinese research organisations for 2-6 weeks.

Value:
- International Leader Fellowships: up to $50,000 per annum.
- JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship: Flights, insurance and living allowance.
- Julius von Haast Fellowship Award: up to $50,000 per annum.
- New Zealand-China Scientist Exchange Programme: Flights, insurance and living allowance.
Internal Deadline: 12pm, Tuesday 08 April 2025
Further Information (funding call, guidelines, registration info).
- Funding Call
- Website
- Guidelines

If you are interested, please also get in touch with your FIRST.

Publications | Articles

Shin, H., Gardner, Z., Solomon, G., & Basiri, A. (2025). Diagnosing Spatial and Temporal Biases of OSM Contributors: Identifying Differences Between Gender and Age from an Online Survey. Annals of the American Association of Geographers, 1–21. https://doi-org/10.1080/24694452.2024.2447507

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Issue 139 – Tuesday 18 February 2025

February 18, 2025 • asim086

HeadsUp

The email traffic has increased and meeting frequency heightened. It must be Semester One approaching! At this time, I’d like to thank three groups of colleagues.

First, the ‘course build’ teams for the new suite of ENV-codes stage 1 courses. These colleagues have devoted a great deal of creativity and time to developing teaching content and architecture to courses for which they won’t be directly contributing. Hence, these colleagues won’t be accruing any credit on the teaching workload model. This is School citizenship in action and we all should be grateful to the course builders among us.

Second, a big thanks to the student advisors who reply to emails and talk with students offering opportunities, alternative and advice, especially at this time of year. I recall when, a good number of decades ago, I arrived on campus as a teenager with only a sketchy idea of what I wanted to study. A patient Arts Faculty advisor outlined the options. Mercifully Geography was in the mix, even though it seemed an afterthought. These conversations can be crucial points of contact so the dedication of all who advise our current and prospective students is appreciated especially this time of year.

Third, appreciation too to Emma Sharp and her Outreach colleagues Kenzie and Thomas. This team has developed a plan for innovative research content to be rolled out regularly via the School’s social media outlets through 2025. The goal is digestible, accessible material deriving from our research projects that might entice prospective students in our direction as well as generally raise the profile of ENV. So, when Emma and team are in touch, please respond affirmatively.

I have been looking forward seeing everyone at the first staff meeting on 26^th and welcome back drinks on 3^rd. But I’ve had recent news of a late Christmas present so I won’t be with you. This week I am getting a new knee and have been advised to take a fortnight as post-operative medical leave. Tom Baker will be Acting Head. All going well, I will return to HoS duties – but perhaps remotely for a while – on Monday 10^th March.

So, I wish everyone well as teaching begins again. Enthusiasm is infectious. May you convey the enthusiasm that led you into the fields you have excelled in and inspire the curious minds you encounter.

Robin Kearns

Announcements & Seminars

HONO – Go live is now Monday 24 February 2025 | Hono Overview

Go live for all users: Monday 24 February 2025
First pay run in Hono: Wednesday 5 March 2025
Leave: if you are taking or booking leave before ‘Go live’ or have taken any leave that wasn’t entered in the system, please email Patricia so that she can submit a service request to get it entered in the system.
Training will continue for all staff as planned

Research Support Update

Kim Le has recently joined the Research Support team as a Research Programme Coordinator (RPC), and will be working with Sophie and Kelly to assist with pre- and post-award research project queries. Kim will be known to some of you having completed her MSc in Environmental Management (1^st class Hons) with Ward Friesen in 2020. Following this, she returned home to Vietnam to work for non-profit environmental organisations, before relocating to NZ last year with her family. Before moving across to the research support team, Kim worked as a research assistant at Koi Tū. Kim is located on Level 6 (outside of Robin’s office).

Visit of Prof. Enzhu Hu (Northeastern University, China)

Melanie Kah is hosting Prof. Enzhu Hu (Northeastern University, China) who will offer two short courses in the next couple of weeks/months. Follow the link for more details on the content:

Meta-analysis
HYDRUS: The Basic Theory of Soil Physics

Open to both staff and research students, please contact Enzhu (huenzhu@gmail.com) directly if you are interested and would like to learn more!

Recent Australia New Zealand Tree Ring Sciences Conference” held at Waipapa Taumata Rau University of Auckland

From 21 to 23 January, the “Looking at the wood, seeing the trees and more: Australia New Zealand Tree Ring Sciences Conference” was held at the Clock Tower, here at Waipapa Taumata Rau University of Auckland.

This event bought together ~30 scientists and researchers mostly from Australia and New Zealand but also Italy and the UK, to present research based around the common theme of tree rings.

This was the first such meeting held specifically for the Australian and New Zealand tree-ring community. Topics ranged from climate reconstruction to forest ecology to the challenging nature of some Australian and New Zealand species for dendrochronology, requiring novel approaches to establishing chronologies. We also heard about new radiocarbon and stable oxygen isotope research using kauri tree rings, and cultural issues in the context of archaeological dating of wood.

Bad weather stymied our fieldtrip to Cascades Kauri Park but instead we spent the morning in the tree-ring lab where Luitgard and I showcased various kauri-based research carried out here at ENV, followed by a group lunch.

The conference was full of good energy, engagement and conversation (which continued into the evening over dinner and red wine). The student attendees reported that they really enjoyed the opportunity to come together, talk about their work and be reminded that they were not alone in working with sometimes quite challenging species! There is enthusiasm for a repeat event in two years’ time, somewhere in Australia.

The conference was organised by Gretel and Luitgard with help from Liam Casey in Event Services. Alan Hogg (Waikato University), Kathy Allen (University of Tasmania) and Pauline Grierson (University of Western Australia) were part of the conference committee. ENV students Melanesia Boseren, Em Sharp and Mitchell Keys provided great support during the meeting too.

Conference attendees, and not a tree-corer in sight!

Disaster Prevention and Management Seminar Series

AKO

This year, the Student Experience Committee has a budget of $2500.00 towards small class-related catering activities. There will be $1250.00 available in each semester. To maximise this budget and make its distribution as fair as possible, we have created an online form where all interested course coordinators can declare their interest and submit a very brief proposal (100 words) outlining how much they need and for which purpose. The cap for each course is set at $150.00 per semester and applications should be submitted by the 28th of February (semester 1 courses) and the 18th of July (semester 2 courses). Selection will be made by the committee shortly afterwards. Ad-hoc applications throughout the semesters may be considered depending on budget availability.

Here’s the link to the application form: https://forms.office.com/r/s7bvNAcFAP

Student Experience Committee

Outreach

Social media : We’d like to expand the School of Environment’s social media reach to other platforms beyond Facebook, but we need some foundation content to guarantee at least one post a month (ideally one a week!). Therefore, we need your content to celebrate and elevate your research and community activities. Please send the following to Kenzi Yee kenzi.yee@auckland.ac.nz (and cc: el.sharp@auckland.ac.nz) who is collating posts.

Blurb of about ~30 words
A representative image
Ideally, a link to a website/ Conversation article/ RNZ / Newsroom/ TVNZ/ The Spinoff, but not necessary.

Ngā mihi mahana, Emma

Health Safety & Wellbeing

Protective clothing for fieldwork

Gloves, Some activities require protecting your hands
hard hats
high visibility clothing
overalls and protective aprons.
Rain gear

Footwear

Tennis shoes and sneakers are comfortable, but they are not, often, the proper type of footwear while undertaking fieldwork. Choosing the right footwear for fieldwork is crucial for comfort, safety, and performance. Here are some key factors to consider:

Terrain and Environment:
- Wet Conditions:Waterproof boots with good traction are essential. Look for materials like Gore-Tex that keep water out while allowing your feet to breathe ¹.
- Dry Conditions: Lightweight, breathable hiking boots or shoes are ideal. They provide comfort and prevent overheating ².
Activity Type:
- Hiking and Walking: Sturdy hiking boots with ankle support are important to prevent injuries on uneven terrain ².
- Wading or Marsh Work: Chest waders or lace-up canvas wading boots are recommended for environments with deep mud or water ¹.
Comfort and Fit:
- Proper Fit: Ensure the boots fit well with enough room for your toes. Consider wearing the socks you plan to use during fieldwork when trying on boots ³.
- Cushioning and Support: Look for boots with good arch support and cushioning to absorb impact and reduce fatigue ³.
Durability:
- Quality Materials: Invest in boots made from durable materials that can withstand harsh conditions. High-quality leather or synthetic materials are often more durable ².
Safety Features:
- Toe Protection: Boots with reinforced toes can protect against impacts and sharp objects ³.
- Non-Slip Soles: Thick rubber soles with plenty of traction are essential for preventing slips and falls ³.

By considering these factors, you can choose the right footwear to keep you comfortable and safe during your fieldwork. Do you have a specific type of fieldwork in mind?

Waterproof hiking boots are a great option. In warm weather, non-waterproof hiking boots or trail running shoes are good options. Because these are breathable, they will keep your feet drier and cooler than waterproof boots

Funding Calls

RSNZ: Catalyst: Seeding (Round1)
Catalyst seeding fund aims to supports activities that initiate, develop and foster collaborations leveraging international science and innovation for New Zealand’s benefit. Notable eligibility changes for the 2025 funding opportunities: the Catalyst Fund investment plan (released in December 2024) identifies six priority research areas, which are: Quantum technology Health and biomedicine Biotechnologies Artificial Intelligence Antarctic research Space and Earth observations *Note that 75% of the awarded Catalyst: Seeding contracts will be expected to be made up of proposals that align with the priority research areas. The remaining 25% of awarded contracts can be in any field of research including social sciences and the humanities.
Value/Duration:	Internal Deadline
· Seeding General: up to $80,000 (excl. GST) in total for up to two years	12pm, Tuesday 08 April 2025
Further Information (funding call, guidelines, registration info). If you are interested, please also get in touch with your FIRST. Funding Call Guidelines Website

RSNZ: Catalyst Leaders (Round 1)
This fund aims to supports incoming and outgoing targeted international fellowships for exceptional individuals that cannot be supported through other means. The following funding schemes are open in Round 1 International Leader Fellowships (up to 3 awards): Supports exceptional individuals from any country outside New Zealand to catalyse science and innovation capability and capacity development in New Zealand for a minimum of 4 weeks per year for up to 3 years. Julius von Haast Fellowship Award (up to 1 award): Supports an internationally recognised researcher from Germany to undertake research in New Zealand for a minimum of 4 weeks per year for 3 years. Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Postdoctoral Fellowships (up to 4 awards): Supports excellent New Zealand post-doctoral researchers to do research in Japan for 12-24 months. New Zealand – China Scientist Exchange Programme (up to 10 Awards): Supports the development of research linkages with China by enabling New Zealand researchers to visit Chinese research organisations for 2-6 weeks.
Value/Duration:	Internal Deadline:
International Leader Fellowships: up to $50,000 per annum. JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship: Flights, insurance and living allowance. Julius von Haast Fellowship Award: up to $50,000 per annum. New Zealand-China Scientist Exchange Programme: Flights, insurance and living allowance.	12pm, Tuesday 08 April 2025
Further Information (funding call, guidelines, registration info). If you are interested, please also get in touch with your FIRST. Funding Call Website Guidelines

Spencer Foundation–Vision Grant
This fund aims to fund the collaborative planning of innovative, methodologically diverse, interdisciplinary research on education that contributes to transforming education systems for equity.
Value/Duration:	Deadline:
Value: USD75,000 (circa NZD 120,000) Duration: up to a maximum duration of 12 months	Two-stage Submission deadlines: EXTERNAL DEADLINE for Intent to Apply: Thursday, February 11, 2025 (12 Noon CT) INTERNAL DEADLINE for Full Proposal: Monday, March 3, 2025 (12 Noon CT)
Further Information (funding call, guidelines, website). If you are interested, please also get in touch with your FIRST (Kelly or Sophie) Funding Call Guidelines/Website

Marsden 2025 Updates

The Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology announced that the Marsden fund will be changing ahead of the 2025 round. Along with the announcement of the changes, a new Investment Plan (2025-2027) and Terms of Reference have been released by the Royal Society Te Apārangi.

Due to the changes announced by the Minister, the Royal Society have advised that the Marsden 2025 round will be delayed. At this stage, no new timeline has been provided and we are unsure of the extent of the delay.

The most notable changes that have been announced are as follows:

The Marsden fund has been updated to “focus on core scientific research that helps lift economic growth and contributes to science with a purpose.”
The Humanities and Social Sciences panels will be disbanded and no longer supported.
The new Investment Plan focuses on supporting research that can be of economic, environmental or health benefit to New Zealand. The new Terms of Reference outline that approximately 50% of funds will go towards supporting proposals with economic benefits to New Zealand.

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*

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.

Publications | Articles

Ball, L. (2025) Gene technology bill fails to recognise Treaty partnership. Newsroom. 19 January
Barrett, J. (2025) Māori communities lead innovative ways of financing housing on ancestral lands. The Conversation. 5 February.
Shorrock, A.E., Strachan, L.J., Barnes, P.B., Bostock, H.C., Moore, G.F., McArthur, A.D., Gamboa, D., Woodhouse, A.D., Bell, R.E., Davidson, S.R., Maier, K.L., and Nodder, S.D. (2025) Coeval transverse and axial sediment delivery to the northern Hikurangi Trough during the late Quaternary, Basin Research, 37:e70019, 1-25.
Macnaughtan, M., Pecher, I, Strachan, L.J., (2025) Gas hydrates on New Zealand’s Chatham Rise. An indicator of Gondwanan thermogenic gas expulsion? Marine and Petroleum Geology, 173: 107226.

Categories: Uncategorised

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Issue 138 – Wednesday 5 February 2025

February 5, 2025 • asim086

HeadsUp

Welcome back to all! Ngā mihi o te Tau Hou! I trust the first weeks of 2025 have been good to you whether they have been mainly devoted to Annual Leave, research activities or teaching Summer School (or some combination). I have enjoyed encountering colleagues in meetings and along the corridors, catching up on grant-writing efforts as well as holiday adventures.

Now that its February its time for our boots to seriously grip the tracks. Our first staff meeting is 26 February (and please also mark your diaries for a welcome back to the teaching semester staff drinks on Monday 3^rd March, 4pm).

Steering Group has already met to confirm our budget for 2025. Nothing too austere this year but some ‘nip and tuck’ has been needed to bring requests into line with what we have been offered. Thanks to Michael Groom for assistance with this process.

Early enrolment data looks promising for the first offering of our new Stage 1 courses. Two have already crested 100 students. Thanks to all for the efforts already undertaken and yet to come in their Semester 1 launch. The Waipapa Taumata Rau course we are so heavily invested in has crested 1,000 enrolments. This is entirely new territory in purpose and scale. Again, big congrats to all involved. Sadly some of our existing courses continue to languish at the margins of viability. Hard calls may yet lie ahead.

In other news, for 2025 we welcome back Jan Lindsay from her AD(Research) role and congratulate Jenny Salmond who is stepping in for Vivien Kirk as Acting AD (Postgraduate) (till mid-year).

By way of reminder, and as you’ll know after all the publicity, PeopleSoft functions such as booking Leave remain unavailable until late this month when the sparkly new Hono system goes ‘live’. If you are taking or booking Leave before then or have taken any leave that wasn’t entered in the system, please email Patricia so that she can submit a service request to get it entered in the system. Once Hono is live we will not be able to backdate any leave you have taken. More generally, in a ‘back to the future’ move, we’ll return to use of a ‘Leave Planner’ sheet this year in an attempt to establish an ethic of Leave Responsibility in the School. I know many became tired of me talking about Annual Leave last year but as a School we are seriously negligent in this regard. I have been told by HR that 36% of staff have unacceptably high Annual Leave balances. Ahead of receipt of your planner, if you currently have more than 80 hours/2 weeks Leave owing, start considering when in 2025 you will take this time.

We can look ahead to the year with both confidence and uncertainty. The churn of change is never far away. I am therefore grateful to all who have already stepped up into new service roles, new teaching areas and, more generally, adopted a forward-looking School-wide perspective. This is no time to circle the disciplinary wagons or operate out of a position of self-interest. 2025 will be, in large part, as good as we make it.

See you all soon – Robin Kearns

Announcements & Seminars

HONO – Go live is now Monday 24 February 2025 | Hono Overview

Go live for all users: Monday 24 February 2025
First pay run in Hono: Wednesday 5 March 2025
Leave: if you are taking or booking leave before ‘Go live’ or have taken any leave that wasn’t entered in the system, please email Patricia so that she can submit a service request to get it entered in the system.
Training will continue for all staff as planned

John Morris Afternoon Tea event

Date: Wed 19th February 2025 | Time: 2-3pm | Venue: Level 6 break out space

Click here to read the brochure Laboratory_Product Portfolio_NZ_Jan2025

Disaster Prevention and Management Seminar Series

Communities

Public Event held at the Auckland Art Gallery on 18 January 2025

A panel discussion on the role of art in inspiring hope and environmental action – featuring four current or former students (Anna Wang, Joshua Wang, Inka Pledis, and Georgia Mae Pringle) we ran at Auckland art gallery on 18 January.

What are the connections between creativity, hope and climate change? That is what four young people came together to discuss as part of an event “Imagining tomorrow: Creativity, Climate and Hope” hosted by Toi O Tāmaki”. A panel consisting of current and recently graduated University of Auckland students, who work in environmental and climate scientific spaces, were led through a series of questions by Dr Meg Parsons, to inspire and provoke thought in the audience gathered at the gallery. Inka Pleiss, Anna Wang, Georgia Pringle and Joshua Wang shared each how they were inspired to get involved in climate and environmental work, and how they stay inspired and hopeful even when times may seem dire, including actively searching out good news while still staying up to date with the not so good, and finding ways that your skills can help in climate and activism spaces instead of trying to fit a prescribed activist mold. For some this may look like painting posters and for others it’s helping out a local community group manage their volunteer database. Climate and environmental action looks different for everyone and each different skill set is needed for collective action.

A key message from the day was also what scientists and artists can learn from each other. Where scientists have lots of passion and know how, they occasionally lack the communication skills that artists hold central to their work. However, scientists regularly employ creative thinking to solve problems or design projects that will answer those burning questions facing us. The group also agreed the power of laughter and levity was not to be overlooked when having discussions around climate and environmental issues and how comedy can provide the relief you may need to buckle up the shoes for another day of hard mahi. Meg also adeptly led the group through her own reflections and experiences to highlight how positive reinforcement and imagery that provokes hope is a stronger motivator for positive climate actions, and how this was reflected in the work of Olafur Eliasson whose exhibition was the inspiration for the event. Olafur explores themes and imagery relating to climate change and other moments through his life without berating the viewer. It asks the viewer to explore and think while still inviting the potential for hope, action and positive change, a message that the panelists agreed was one to carry forward.
Olafur Eliasson: Your curious journey runs at Toi O Tāmaki – Auckland Art gallery until Sun 23 Mar 2025. Special thanks to Ellie Lim for helping curate the event.

Health Safety & Wellbeing

Field Gear

Choosing the right field-gear helps reducing the risks to you while undertaking field activities, we will explore different items you need to consider. Today is rain protection.

Waterproof vs rain jacket

In a rain jacket, although you will be fine in a drizzle, in a heavy downpour you need shelter. That’s not the case with a waterproof jacket, because it truly holds water outside from coming in contact with your skin.

Waterproof jacket:
Durable Water Repellent DWR Coating: Application, Cleaning & Care | REI Expert Advice
Impermeable membrane
Lining
Cinchable hood
Zipper pockets
Impermeable membrane
Seam sealed zipper
Rain Jacket:
No seam sealed zippers
DWR coating
Breathable
Nylon or Polyester

Funding

Funding Calls

Marsden Fund 2025
The Marsden Fund aims to invest in excellent, investigator-led research aimed at generating new knowledge, with long-term benefit to New Zealand. Three types of awards are offered: • Fast-Start: for emerging researchers to give an impetus to their careers by promoting them as sole Principal Investigators (PI) in their own research programme. • Standard: for established and emerging researchers. • Council Award: for projects that are interdisciplinary in nature, with larger teams.
Value/Duration:	Internal Deadline
All grants are for a maximum of three years and are GST exclusive. • Fast-Start: up to $120K p.a. • Standard: up to $220-$320K p.a. (varies by panel) • Council Award: up to $1M p.a.	12pm, Monday 17 February 2025
Further Information (funding call, guidelines, website): · Funding Call · Website · Guidelines (Fast-Start, Standard) · Guidelines (Council) If you are interested, please also get in touch with your FIRST (Kelly or Sophie)

Spencer Foundation–Vision Grant
This fund aims to fund the collaborative planning of innovative, methodologically diverse, interdisciplinary research on education that contributes to transforming education systems for equity.
Value/Duration:	Deadline:
· Value: USD75,000 (circa NZD 120,000) · Duration: up to a maximum duration of 12 months	Two-stage Submission deadlines: · EXTERNAL DEADLINE for Intent to Apply: Thursday, February 11, 2025 (12 Noon CT) · INTERNAL DEADLINE for Full Proposal: Monday, March 3, 2025 (12 Noon CT)
Further Information (funding call, guidelines, website): · Funding Call · Guidelines/Website If you are interested, please also get in touch with your FIRST (Kelly or Sophie)

Marsden 2025 Updates

The Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology announced that the Marsden fund will be changing ahead of the 2025 round. Along with the announcement of the changes, a new Investment Plan (2025-2027) and Terms of Reference have been released by the Royal Society Te Apārangi.

Due to the changes announced by the Minister, the Royal Society have advised that the Marsden 2025 round will be delayed. At this stage, no new timeline has been provided and we are unsure of the extent of the delay.

The most notable changes that have been announced are as follows:

The Marsden fund has been updated to “focus on core scientific research that helps lift economic growth and contributes to science with a purpose.”
The Humanities and Social Sciences panels will be disbanded and no longer supported.
The new Investment Plan focuses on supporting research that can be of economic, environmental or health benefit to New Zealand. The new Terms of Reference outline that approximately 50% of funds will go towards supporting proposals with economic benefits to New Zealand.

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

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.

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

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.

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Issue 137 – Tuesday 10 December 2024

December 10, 2024 • igom365

HeadsUp

The email traffic has slowed. Many of our ENV team are on annual leave, away at conferences, doing fieldwork, or attending to late-in the year to-do lists. But there remains both a last and first on Wednesday 11th this week: the last Faculty meeting of the year and the first for our new Dean, Professor Sarah Young. As you will have seen in FoS invite, Sarah requests that all staff attend to hear her update and plans. I hope – or should I risk saying expect? – to see a good turnout from Environment.

What should have been mentioned first in this year’s last Heads-up, however, is some hearty congratulations. We have three academic promotions in the School including two new Associate Professors. James Muirhead received a significant move up the Senior Lecturer scale and both Lorna Strachan and Brad Coombes are now A/P. A hearty well-done for these well-earned accolades and career achievements.

Also, not a promotion per se, but congrats to Mel Wall for being invited to take on a 0.04 Māori Academic Lead role reporting to the DVC Education. The talent pool in the School is deep!

I’d also like to take this opportunity to offer reiterated thanks and best wishes to Iliane Gomez, our Group Services Administrator, who is leaving us for the other hemisphere. Thanks for all you’ve done for us, Iliane and your constant cheery smile!

On a more sombre note, even in a quiet time of year there can be a few ‘curved balls’ as they say in baseball. I refer to the announcement by Minister Collins of the disestablishment of the Marsden humanities and social science funding panels and eligibility for grants applications in those domains. This news strikes at the heart of a vibrant and internationally high-ranking part of our School. Suffice to say the email traffic among us social science Fellows of Te Apārangi/Royal Society and wider networks has been intense. Commendably Tom Baker added to the series of well-crafted commentaries: https://newsroom.co.nz/2024/12/06/marsden-fund-cuts-a-win-for-convenient-evidence/ A point of consensus among commentators from across the spectrum of scholarship is that we will all be diminished by a narrowing of the gate to research funding in Aotearoa.

A plea before the great summer diaspora. In these times when we more-than-ever value every prospective or current student, we cannot afford to leave any of them wondering when we will be next available to reply or meet and talk. So, for anyone with a student-facing portfolio in the School, please find a proxy to be available to offer advice if you will be away beyond Monday 6^th January. The time we may be away may also be the very time a prospective student is looking for guidance. Between 5 and 17^th January, George Perry will be Acting HoS and may well be open to being named on your e-signature as a contact for advice. Regardless, I ask that all in the School set an auto-reply with a date of return so any enquirer isn’t met with a bewildering silence by way of reply. Students and other enquirers should be able to know when you will return to regular duties.

Finally, I acknowledge that it’s been a big year for us as a School as we’ve been caught up in the churn of change. I hardly need to list them, but “stage1 course-build, optimisation, WTR and CFT” will all be code for processes with which we’ve engaged in the quest to refresh our offerings and potentially boost enrolments. I would like to say 2025 might offer respite from change, but that would be a foolish undertaking. I acknowledge I haven’t got everything right within this churn of change and suggestions for 2025 are always gratefully received. However, bumpy though the years been at times, I’d like to think the good ship Environment is heading in a promising direction with “all hands-on deck”. Thank you all for your contributions to the collective efforts and may you all have a safe and restful break. If you find your way to Waiheke over the next month or so, do be in touch. My dog and I are always on for an extra-curricular catch up with both “annual leave” and “optimisation” firmly banished from the conversation!

Have a great break and, if not before, see you in 2025.

Robin

Announcements

Interactions with School of Graduate Studies and PhD examination timeline expectations

UoA is revisiting its way of managing doctoral processes (recruitment, application, admission, candidature, development, examination etc) including the disestablishment of the “Dean of Graduate Studies” position as of 31^st December. While the future direction is decided SGS continue to be understaffed which will inevitably cause delays, particularly with the processing of exams. Delays are frustrating, but emailing SGS to ask why there are delays with particular students mostly just slows everything down for everyone. Please funnel any questions/enquiries through the Doctoral Advisor (Jennifer Eccles – j.eccles@auckland.ac.nz).

SGS are currently prioritising the receipt and distribution of theses for examination; to speed things up please ensure the intention to submit and nomination of examiners had already been made at the time of submission. Arguing conflict of interest will also cause long delays. If you can see the thesis has not been dispatched to examiners within four weeks (after the student and supervisors have done what they need to) let the Doctoral Advisor know to escalate through back channels. SGS will aim to process theses received on or before 10th December prior to Christmas. Theses received after this are likely to be reviewed when the team is back after Jan 6th. If the thesis has been out for examination for longer than 12 weeks let the Doctoral Advisor know. If Wahapu shows examination reports have been returned but there has been no decision, please wait for two weeks before flagging this with the Doctoral Advisor.

Notice: End-of-Year Lab Closures, Clean-Up, and Reopening Schedule

As we approach the end of the year, the lab closure dates for 2024 have now been confirmed. The last day for lab access will be Tuesday, 17 December, with closures beginning on Wednesday, 18 December. If you need access beyond this then please discuss this with me and the Technician in charge first. Labs are scheduled to reopen on Monday, 6 January.

All users are expected to assist with cleaning up their workspaces before the labs close. Any unattended samples or materials left in shared spaces without prior arrangement will be disposed of. It is essential that everyone contributes to ensure the labs are properly packed down for the holiday period.

Thank you for your cooperation in ensuring the labs are clean and ready to resume operations in the new year.

Regards,

Blair

Technical Manager, School of Environment

Software purchases or renewals in 2025

This is the final call for software purchase or renewal requests due 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.

Emma, Mark, Megan, Murray won the Terry Healy Coastal Project Award from the New Zealand Coastal Society for their work on developing a national historic coastal change dataset for Aotearoa New Zealand

‘Learning Auckland’ through teaching:

Reflection on my first year as an Aucklander

Hyesop Shin

Landed in the last week of March 2024, right in the middle of a supremely busy semester 1, felt like jumping into another world of wonder. Coming from the stormy Scottish Highlands, the sight of the Sky Tower piercing the skyline and the stunning Pacific Ocean rolling in was…well, surreal. It was easy to grasp why Auckland was being the most liveable city in the world 2021 (I know it dropped to 9th this year). As a geographer, I was curious to know more about the city than what the internet told me.

It didn’t take long to notice a hot topic around here: traffic. Like the British’s endless conversations about the weather, traffic seemed to be the common topic for everyone (at least from the conversations I had!). Lucky for me, I got to dive right into this topic by supervising some student projects focused on Auckland and transport. Narrowing down our group focus on public transport, the group and I investigated some fascinating subtopics that revealed some insights about the city.

One of the projects asked, “Can Aucklanders easily reach greenspaces and community amenities using public transport?”. A quick online survey with 60 participants came out with a mixed bag. Only about a quarter of people used public transport or walked to get to greenspaces; most just hopped in their cars. West Aucklanders particularly struggled with access, as supermarkets such as Costco and Pak’n Save tend to be larger and located in areas less suited for walking or public transport. On the flip side, respondents located in central Auckland enjoyed corner shops within a 15-minute walk. Additionally, some mentioned that the liquor ban in West Auckland triggered them to travel to the North or Central, which they found challenging using public transport (Public transport? Nope, that’s car territory). Another interesting finding was that those greenspaces near main roads such as Cornwall Park were more frequently visited and enjoyed by the public.

Another group of students turned their attention to Waiheke Island’s transport scene. One project examined the effects of Fullers360’s pricing policies on residents’ affordability using 90 questionnaire responses. Surprisingly, affordability wasn’t the biggest concern. 60% of people spent less than 5% of their monthly income on ferry rides, and the following 28% spent around 5-10%. Then what did annoy people? Service quality, with complaints about cleanliness and punctuality. Another project tackled how seasonal tourism impacts bus use on the island. Using 2.5 years of bus ridership data, it turns out that ridership shoots up during summer months while punctuality takes a noticeable drop. We also found that residents from the west of the island (Fullers’ ferry terminal) to the central hub including the library and eateries enjoyed better accessibility to bus stops. However, residents in the far eastern and southern areas of the island often had to walk over 1km to the nearest bus stop, likely contributing to higher car dependency in these regions.

Phew, what a year! I’ve learnt so much about Auckland’s transport system through these projects and more, and it’s clear there’s so much more to discover. From its traffic problems to its dreams of becoming a green and sustainable city, Auckland has become my living, breathing classroom. Looking ahead, I am eager to learn more about this city not only through my GIS software, but also through the lens of the people, their environment and more.

Outreach

The Outreach Committee thanks all members of our School in their efforts to communicate the work we do this year. This includes all those who have taught, presented, written about, had conversations about, been involved in Outreach events on, and have been enthusiastic about, our diverse mahi!

Whakawhanaungatanga – Communities

We are still on the lookout for writers for our upcoming edition! Volume 4 Edition 5 will be showcasing indigenous science research and concepts that are being worked on within the faculty. If you or someone you know are working on related topics, or are unsure whether your work fits within this scope, we would love to hear from you. Feel free to DM us on social media if you have any questions, use the application form below, or send us an email!

Abstract applications close 15th of December 2024. https://forms.gle/WtKErUmX9dY9wk2w8

E-bike offers

Check out the e-bike deals for University staff.

Electric bike team

Electric Bike Team has a great deal for staff wishing to purchase one of their bikes. Look now: Electric bike team

Big Street Bikers

Looking to buy an e-bike? Big Street Bikers has discounts and some freebies for University staff. Check it out: Big Street Bikers

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.

Funding

Funding Calls

Marsden Fund 2025
The Marsden Fund aims to invest in excellent, investigator-led research aimed at generating new knowledge, with long-term benefit to New Zealand. Three types of awards are offered: • Fast-Start: for emerging researchers to give an impetus to their careers by promoting them as sole Principal Investigators (PI) in their own research programme. • Standard: for established and emerging researchers. • Council Award: for projects that are interdisciplinary in nature, with larger teams.
Value/Duration:	Internal Deadline
All grants are for a maximum of three years and are GST exclusive. • Fast-Start: up to $120K p.a. • Standard: up to $220-$320K p.a. (varies by panel) • Council Award: up to $1M p.a.	12pm, Monday 17 February 2025
Further Information (funding call, guidelines, website): · Funding Call · Website · Guidelines (Fast-Start, Standard) · Guidelines (Council) If you are interested, please also get in touch with your FIRST (Kelly or Sophie)

Spencer Foundation–Vision Grant
This fund aims to fund the collaborative planning of innovative, methodologically diverse, interdisciplinary research on education that contributes to transforming education systems for equity.
Value/Duration:	Deadline:
· Value: USD75,000 (circa NZD 120,000) · Duration: up to a maximum duration of 12 months	Two-stage Submission deadlines: · EXTERNAL DEADLINE for Intent to Apply: Thursday, February 11, 2025 (12 Noon CT) · INTERNAL DEADLINE for Full Proposal: Monday, March 3, 2025 (12 Noon CT)
Further Information (funding call, guidelines, website): · Funding Call · Guidelines/Website If you are interested, please also get in touch with your FIRST (Kelly or Sophie)

Marsden 2025 Updates

The Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology announced that the Marsden fund will be changing ahead of the 2025 round. Along with the announcement of the changes, a new Investment Plan (2025-2027) and Terms of Reference have been released by the Royal Society Te Apārangi.

Due to the changes announced by the Minister, the Royal Society have advised that the Marsden 2025 round will be delayed. At this stage, no new timeline has been provided and we are unsure of the extent of the delay.

The most notable changes that have been announced are as follows:

The Marsden fund has been updated to “focus on core scientific research that helps lift economic growth and contributes to science with a purpose.”
The Humanities and Social Sciences panels will be disbanded and no longer supported.
The new Investment Plan focuses on supporting research that can be of economic, environmental or health benefit to New Zealand. The new Terms of Reference outline that approximately 50% of funds will go towards supporting proposals with economic benefits to New Zealand.

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.

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

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

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).

Health, Safety and Wellbeing

Updates from HSW

December 10^th is the international day of Human Rights, and we want to mention it in this space, Because the United Nations Human Rights Council also adopted a resolution in 2021 recognizing the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment as a human right and we want to extend it to the place where you study too.

December 10th commemorates the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations in 1948. This day underscores the importance of fundamental rights and freedoms that every individual is entitled to, regardless of nationality, gender, ethnicity, or religion. Health and safety are integral components of these rights. Ensuring safe and healthy working conditions is a fundamental human right, as it directly impacts an individual’s well-being and dignity. we highlight the critical role that health and safety play in upholding human rights, emphasizing that a safe and healthy environment is essential for everyone to live with dignity and respect. This celebration serves as a reminder that protecting human rights includes safeguarding the physical and mental health of all individuals.

Following with Human rights, Decembre 18^th is International Migrants Day. The school with its diverse population has a strong representation in this category. This day celebrates the contributions and resilience of migrants worldwide. In a diverse environment like the School of environment; this day holds special significance as it highlights the rich cultural tapestry woven by people from different backgrounds. It is an opportunity to recognize the positive impact of migration on communities, economies, and societies. Celebrating this day in a diverse setting foster understanding and appreciation of different cultures, promotes inclusivity, and encourages dialogue about the challenges and opportunities that migration brings. By acknowledging the experiences and contributions of migrants, we can build more cohesive and supportive communities that value diversity and human rights.

Christmas Safety

The Christmas period in New Zealand is a time of joy and celebration, but it’s also important to stay safe during this festive season. With summer in full swing, many people head outdoors to enjoy the warm weather, so it’s crucial to practice sun safety by wearing sunscreen, hats, and sunglasses. If you’re traveling, ensure your vehicle is well-maintained and take regular breaks to avoid fatigue. Be mindful of water safety when swimming at beaches or pools, and always supervise children around water. Additionally, with the increase in social gatherings, it’s important to drink responsibly and never drink and drive. By taking these precautions, you can enjoy a fun and safe Christmas period with your loved ones.

Whooping Cough Alert

Aotearoa New Zealand is in the early stages of a whooping cough (pertussis) epidemic, and it’s expected to stick around for up to a year. Babies, especially Māori and Pacific, are most at risk of getting seriously ill.

Spread – highly contagious
Whooping cough spreads easily and can be dangerous for babies. Sadly, last year three babies lost their lives to it, and about half of babies under 12 months who catch it need hospital care.

Risk Review for those working with high-risk groups.
Te Whatu Ora encourage all staff—especially those in healthcare, maternity care, or frontline roles—to keep their vaccinations up to date for whooping cough, flu, and measles.

How you can help:
Vaccinations are the best way to protect yourself, your whānau, and others in our community.

Those eligible for free vaccine:

Pregnant people: Free from 13 weeks (ideally between 16–26 weeks).
Babies: Vaccinations at 6 weeks, 3 months, and 5 months, with boosters at 4 and 11 years.
Kids under 18: All children can get a free vaccine.
Adults aged 45 and 65: Free booster at these ages if eligible.
Unimmunised or partially immunised adults (or no record of vaccines) A funded primary course of 3 doses of Tdap vaccines (at a minimum of 4-week intervals).

Vaccinations are available at City Campus Pharmacy they will be able to provide free advice, or you can attend your local health provider.

For those not eligible for free vaccination City Campus Pharmacy can offer vaccination for $55.00.

Publications | Articles

Baker, T. (2024) Marsden Fund cuts a win for ‘convenient’ evidence. Newsroom. 6 December.
Scarfi S, Almonti V, Mirata S, Passalacqua M, Vernazza S, Patel JP, Brook M, Hamilton A, Kah M, Gualtieri AF. (2025). In vitro cyto- and geno-toxicity of asbestiform erionite from New Zealand. Environmental Research 265: 120415.
Shane, P., Augustinus, P. (2024) Comment on “First detection in Australia of cryptotephra likely to be derived from the 25.6 ka Oruanui supereruption in New Zealand” by Hopkins et al. Quaternary Science Reviews 346, 109051, doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2024.109051
Sharp EL, Tsang S and Egli V (2024) Children’s food gardening: Valuing experiential, intergenerational and multi-cultural learning . Kōtuitui: New Zealand Journal of Social Sciences Online
Sharp EL, Yee K, Makey L and Fisher K (2024) Diverse methodologies of care: Thinking with and practising (soil) in situated, affective and enactive ways. Asia Pacific Viewpoint
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

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Issue 136 – Monday 25 November 2024

November 25, 2024 • igom365

HeadsUp

We’re into to that ‘last of the year’ stage. Christmas/New Year and summer breaks await. Last chance soon to seek reimbursements and arrange expenditure (see earlier comms for dates). Last opportunities to do Lab work before the holiday close-down (also earlier comms). For some, a last chance to book annual leave before another niggly email reminder! And, on Wednesday, the last of the School’s end-of-year occasions with the annual party down the hill at the bowling club. I look forward to seeing many/most of you there. We invest in these expressions of School-as-community, so please do be beneficiaries of efforts at planning and come along.

The party is an opportunity to celebrate the year and all it brought us. But also, there will be a tinge of sadness with the opportunity to offer a farewell. Iliane has served us so well and enthusiastically as GSA and has decided to relocate to London. Her last day will be in December for the CoB for the year. Thanks for all the ways you’ve brought life to the School, Iliane!

Meanwhile, as we complete last things for 2024 space opens for activities that have otherwise been on hold or constrained by teaching schedules. Last week I joined a number of others at the truly wonderful NZ Geographical Society Conference in Tauranga Moana. It was a reminder of what great work we do and that we can cross the world at great expense of time, finance and carbon but sometimes the most rewarding conferences are only down the road.

Others have been doing great mahi further afield. Karin Bryan and Giovanni Coco have been at the launch of the China-NZ Catalyst strategic alliance project with Hohai University and East China Normal University. James Muirhead is preparing for two months in Antarctica. Just two examples. There’s a diaspora underway now that close-to-home obligations are complete.

We have the Hono system back on track to start in the new year and a close-down period ahead so there’s a flurry of activity getting contracts in place etc. Please don’t leave any administrative requests into December. And when opportunities for Hono training come your way, do sign in.

Before such challenges, however, I know we all will be grateful for a summer break. And I am very appreciative that George Perry’s Leave plans are such that he is willing to deputise, allowing me to tune out from HoS vigilance as much as is feasible for the first three weeks of January.

So, may attention to last things for 2024 proceed well for you all and do please plan to take the break you need over December/January.

Robin Kearns HoS

Announcements

Great news! We have had 3 funding successes in the 2024 Continent and Ocean Research & Education (CORE) Funding round, awarded by the Australia-New Zealand International Drilling Consortium (ANZIC). Our successful recipients were:

PI Lorna Strachan ($25K) “Has the Hikurangi Subduction Margin undergone profound changes in accelerated Pacific Plate subduction during the last 1 Myrs?”
AI Paul Agustinus (($20K Aus; PI Simon Haberle, ANU) “Geophysical Survey of Lake Kutubu, Papua New Guinea – a potential ICDP coring site”
AI Lorna Strachan ($25K, PI Greer Gilmer, GNS) “Do Fiordland (NZ) sediment cores contain an untapped record of past earthquakes?”

These proposals support research from both legacy data of the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) and International Continental Drilling Program (ICDP) consortia, and development of new data sets to support future, often career-defining, proposals and expeditions. If you want to learn more about these and other funding opportunities (from undergrads to established researchers) check out the ANZIC and GeoDiscovery NZ websites.

For those who are unaware, the UoA is one of 5 member institutions in NZ (along with GNS, NIWA, VUW, UoO), which provides us full access to more than 60 years of legacy data, and allows us to lead and develop future global research proposals. There are many opportunities to get involved in one of the biggest science consortiums on the planet!

Supervisors of Honours and Masters (30 and 60 pt) dissertation students:

After the examinations are complete, supervisors can request feedback from the reports. Please contact Melissa for this.
There are no longer word limits for the 30 and 60 pt dissertations, only guidance, and the webpage has been revised to reflect that.

Outreach

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

Whakawhanaungatanga – Communities

Coastal and Marine Geoscience Group Meeting/Seminar

The next Coastal-Marine Geoscience Group seminar will be held on Wednesday 4th of December at 12:00pm to 1:00 pm in the Ontology Lab (302-551).

News will be shared and a talk given from Murray Ford, “Tropical storm variability in the western Pacific and impacts on atoll islands”

This will be the final seminar of the year, providing an ideal opportunity to reconnect with everyone!

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.

Celebrating Our Researchers – Research Awards

The Postgraduate Research Symposium and ENV Research Awards Ceremony were held last week. A huge thank you to all those who presented talks or posters (and those who won!) and those who came to celebrate our researchers.

We are pleased to congratulate the winners of the ENV awards:

School-wide awards

Hiroki Ogawa School Citizenship Award – Heather Paterson-Shallard

Early Career Research Award – Dr Joa Parades Marino

Engagement with Indigenous Knowledge and Values Award – Debbie Larkins

Transdisciplinary Research Award – Dr Tom Dowling

Research Communication Award (3 awards this year, sponsored by the Outreach Committee) – Annahlise Hall, Dr Salene Schloffel-Armstrong and The Politics, Economies and Place Research Group

Discipline awards – ENVSCI

Honours thesis award – Sophie Kolston

30 pt masters thesis award – Vanessa Castro

Masters thesis award – Nicole Whitelock

PhD thesis award – Nadia Dikareva

Postgrad paper award – Eduardo Gomez de la Pena

Discipline awards – EARTHSCI

Honours thesis award – Alex Gold

Masters thesis award – Natasha Ngadi

PhD thesis award – Jimmy Yang

Postgrad paper award – Janki Patel

Discipline awards – GEOG

Honours thesis award – Lianne Edwards-Maas

Masters thesis award (GIS) – Jaxon Ingold

PhD thesis award – Mike (Zheng) Chen

Postgrad paper award – Bethany Cox

Postgraduate Research Showcase 2024

This year’s Postgraduate Research Showcase attracted 20 entries (7 oral presentations and 13 posters) that highlighted the diverse research interests of the School. The quality of the oral presentations was uniformly high and the posters were engaging, interesting and informative. The oral presentations were judged by academics from different disciplines in the School and the posters were judged by attendees via an online poll. The Showcase was a celebration of the excellent work being undertaken by our research students and was a great occasion for everyone to experience a rich array of topics.

Oral Presentation- Winners

PhD Students- Awards

	Student	Title
1	Nargiss Taleb	Compostable Products in Aotearoa New Zealand: The hidden additives and their implications.
2	Ellie Buttle	Slippery chemicals in (and out of) place
3=	Jack Barrett	Uncovering diverse economies of kāinga housing
3=	Wendy Fan	Revealing hazardous mineral fibres in ambient air: understanding the nature of exposure

Masters and Honours Students- Awards

	Student	Title
1	Richard Beauchamp	Estimating recreational fishing effort using smartphone location data
2	Zoe Armstrong	Oxygen fugacities of early arc magmas – insights from the Solander Islands and Mariana forearc
3	Kate Seth	The Effect of Plastic on the Radiative Properties of Sand and Water

Poster Presentations- Winners

PhD Students- Awards

	Student	Title
1	Laura McDonald	Not to be sneezed at: A case for pollen monitoring in Aotearoa
2	Siqi Yang	Using infrared spectroscopy to determine the chemical composition of kauri leaf litter in kauri forests affected by dieback
3	Elizabeth Williams	The spatial and temporal patterns of forest succession following landslide disturbance in the Aotea and Coromandel regions

Masters and Honours Students- Awards

	Student	Title
1	Debbie Larkins	Engagement Beyond Inclusion: Reframing Citizen Science in Aotearoa New Zealand
2	Dominique Stallard	Exploring the variability of trace element biosignatures as a function of textural sinter lithofacies throughout hot spring settings
3	Em Sharp	Reassessing the Potential of Podocarpus totara (tōtara) for Tree Ring Dating

1 Bedroom Rental Available (Lease Takeover) 30 Beach Rd, Britomart 595$ per week

We are looking for someone to take over our lease (4 months remaining) from January 20^th 2025. The lease is a fix term lease finishing 11/5/2025, and will roll over to periodic lease from that date unless you give written notice. Email Karin Bryan for further details.

Looking for a furnished flat/home in Auckland

Hi, I’m Itxaso (she/her), a Marie Slodowska Curie Fellow in the School of Environment of the UoA. My partner Raúl and I have just moved to Auckland for 1.5 years, and we’re looking for a friendly place to call home. We prefer a furnished private flat or home with 1-2 bedrooms. Our budget is up to $500/week. We’re tidy, respectful, and non-smokers. If you have or know of a suitable place, please reach out to iruizuri@gmail.com.

Industry and Research Commercialisation

Entrepreneurship beyond your studies

Stephen Lo from UniServices is running a panel discussion on 28 November on entrepreneurship as a career path. See the poster below. This is for Masters, PhD, Postgrads.

Panel Discussion:

Exploring entrepreneurship as a career path beyond PhD

Join us on this panel discussion that explores the journey of those who went from completing their PhD to becoming an entrepreneur

If you are studying as a postgraduate student (Masters and PhD level) or doing research as a postdoctorate, this event is for you.

This panel discussion brings in three PhD alumni from The University of Auckland who took on the entrepreneurial journey. This will provide you good insight about entrepreneurship as an option outside of academia.

By attending this event, you will get to hear firsthand from our panel speakers about:

· Why they chose that pathway

· The impact they are producing for New Zealand and the world

· The knowledge and skills developed through their PhD programme which translates to their success as entrepreneurs

· The challenges they faced and how they overcame it

Details of the Event:

· Date: Thursday, 28^th November

· Time: 11am – 1pm (lunch will be catered at 12:15pm)

· Location: 303-155 (Room 155, Level 1, Building 303, Faculty of Science)

· This event is FREE to attend

During lunch, there is an opportunity to talk our team at Auckland UniServices to find out more about the support that is offered to students and staff at The University of Auckland regarding entrepreneurship, innovation and commercialisation.

We have limited spaces, so please register early!

Click here to register

Deep/Clean Tech Lunch

There’s a special end of year event on 26 November that Faculty of Science is contributing to.

Date: Tuesday 26 November

Time: 16h30 to 19h00

Venue: Mezze at Durham Lane

RSVP essential, by return email to kevin.sheehy@vuw.ac.nz Please indicate any special dietary requirements in your RSVP.

We are teaming up to bring you an evening of mezze, drinks and excellent entrepreneurial company with our co-hosts for the evening:

University of Auckland Faculty of Science
Dodd Walls Centre for Quantum and Photonic Technologies
Newmarket Innovation Precinct
Tātaki Auckland Unlimited

Come along to catch up with deep tech and Cleantech entrepreneurs, and as usual for our final event of the year will be including investors and a wider range of support agencies to come along and discuss progress for the year and ambitions for 2025. With 2024 going down in history as the year that OpenStar achieved first plasma, CoP29 finally approved the ground rules for global trading of carbon credits, the cleantech industrial revolution is truly getting momentum.

We are still on the lookout for writers for our upcoming edition! Volume 4 Edition 5 will be showcasing indigenous science research and concepts that are being worked on within the faculty. If you or someone you know are working on related topics, or are unsure whether your work fits within this scope, we would love to hear from you. Feel free to DM us on social media if you have any questions, use the application form below, or send us an email!

Abstract applications close 15th of December 2024. https://forms.gle/WtKErUmX9dY9wk2w8

E-bike offers

Check out the e-bike deals for University staff.

Electric bike team

Electric Bike Team has a great deal for staff wishing to purchase one of their bikes. Look now: Electric bike team

Big Street Bikers

Looking to buy an e-bike? Big Street Bikers has discounts and some freebies for University staff. Check it out: Big Street Bikers

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.

Rangahau – Research

Join us for a Morning Tea hosted by the Rangahau Committee to celebrate our collective research successes!

🗓 When: Wednesday 4, November

⏰ Time: 10:30

📍 Where: 6^th floor

Come along to enjoy good company, delicious treats, and a chance to toast the achievements of our research community.

We look forward to seeing you there! 🌟

Katarzyna Sila-Nowicka, PhD (she/her)

Senior Lecturer in GIScience | School of Environment | Faculty of Science | The University of Auckland

Office 413, Building 302, 23 Symonds Street

Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand

Katarzyna.sila-nowicka@auckland.ac.nz

Funding

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.

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

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

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).

Health, Safety and Wellbeing

Updates from HSW

We are still searching for student Rep to the HSW SoE Committee, great experience possibility of training and great skill to have. Please contact Andres Arcila-Rivera ( a.arcila@auckland.ac.nz )

Keeping yourself safe during downtime

The silly season is here and the amounts of BBQ. Charcoal is the tastiest, but gas BBQ is very convenient. Some tips to help with the safe use of gas is:

Store the bottles in well-ventilated area preferably outside.
- the propane gas cylinders storage (LPG cylinder storage) should always be kept away from high traffic areas to minimize any chance of accidental impacts.
- Indoor LPG-propane gas storage should always be avoided.
- The LPG-propane cylinder storage area should be flat and firm, such as a concrete slab and be in a location with good drainage, as propane gas cylinders should not be allowed to remain in standing water.
- The area around the LPG-propane gas cylinder storage area should be free from any ignition sources, including electrical componentry, and the surrounding area should also be free of any flammable materials.
- Propane cylinders should not be placed near any artificial heat source.
Keep the bottles upright
All bottles should be treated as if they were full, with the valve remaining closed when disconnected.

NZFS recommends the following about BBQs:

BBQs are potentially dangerous when used carelessly or when consuming excessive amounts of alcohol. Treat your BBQ the same way you would a stove: don’t drink and fry and avoid leaving cooking unattended.
Ensure you regularly check and maintain any fittings and connections. Use the soap bubble test to make sure there are no leaks.
Leave plenty of clear space around the BBQ. Make sure there is no nearby debris that could catch fire.
Supervise children at all times when using the BBQ.
Remove all excess fat from the BBQ after each use.

To check for gas leaks in the connections or along the hose do the soap bubble test:

Whenever you connect a gas cylinder to a BBQ, make sure it’s hand tight. You can do this by turning the gas cylinder on and then pouring a little soapy solution (1/4 cup of water and a squirt of liquid suds) over the valve.

If any bubbles are created, you may have a gas leak. Turn the valve off and replace the cylinder O-ring.

Publications | Articles

Kalatehjari R., Najafi EM, Asadi A, Brook M. (2024). New Zealand pumicite as a precursor in producing alkaline cement with aluminate-based activators. Case Studies in Construction Materials, 21: e04008.

Categories: Uncategorised

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Issue 135 – Monday 11 November 2024

November 11, 2024 • igom365

HeadsUp

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

Announcements

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!

Book a session
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

Outreach

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

Whakawhanaungatanga – Communities

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.

E-bike offers

Check out the e-bike deals for University staff.

Electric bike team

Electric Bike Team has a great deal for staff wishing to purchase one of their bikes. Look now: Electric bike team

Big Street Bikers

Looking to buy an e-bike? Big Street Bikers has discounts and some freebies for University staff. Check it out: Big Street Bikers

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.

Rangahau – Research

“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:

Friday 25 Oct
Friday 01 Nov
Friday 08 Nov
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.

Funding

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 25^th 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 25^th 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 20^thof 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).

Health, Safety and Wellbeing

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

Publications | Articles

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.

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