HeadSup

Tālofa lava!

It’s Samoan Language Week and the theme is: Tapena sou ōso mo lau malaga – prepare yourself for the gift of travels.  What a great theme for Alert Level 2. Offices are opening up again (see the info below) and getting back to on-campus teaching in Semester 2 is increasingly likely, with a few caveats. Once the formal guidelines come through from John Morrow’s office we will send info out to all teaching staff via Ako Online. Currently things are promising but we need to be able to turn on a dime and provide a quality learning experience to those who will not be able to front up in person: in other words, we need to maintain remote learning capacity. I’m mindful of the workload involved and so are our Associate Deans and Dean, who are working to get a little more flexibility and clarity out of the DVC Academic. More on this soon.

Great news on the staffing front: Dr Georgia Piggot has accepted a lectureship in Environmental Management and will be joining us from mid-2021. Georgia currently is with the Stockholm Environment Institute, Seattle. She brings a wealth of experience in environmental social science and is at the forefront of shaping international climate policy.

The Alumni Relations and Development team have got a great project going: the 40 under 40 project. We have till the end of the week to get nominations in and it would be fantastic if we could do this. Please let me know if you have someone in mind.

If you are a staff member, please note that the date of the School Retreat has shifted to June 16 (9am – 4 pm, online, lots of breaks). This will be an opportunity to feed ideas into our annual planning round and to upskill in a couple of areas of your choice. The agenda is being finalised this week. I’m looking forward to seeing you all there.

Lastly, a reminder: If ever there’s a need to take all your leave entitlement it’s this year. Please find time to use it all up: your well-being depends on time away from the job and, if you go on holiday, you will be doing your bit to help others earn a buck. I’d like to remind all PIs on grants that your fixed-term staff accrue annual leave and this needs to be taken before contract-end. Any leave owed will come off the grant and if that is exhausted it will come of your RDA and RE accounts as available.

Manuia le aso

JR

---

Whakawhanaungatanga – communities

Samoan Language Week

Check out this link and try adding some new language to Zoom this week:

Tālofa lava: Hello (formal)

Mālō le soifua: Hello/Good health

‘O ā mai ‘oe? How are you? (to one person only)

Manuia fa‘afetai: Good, thank you

Manuia le aso: Have a great day

Tōfā soifua: Good bye (formal)

ENV Staff Retreat Day 2020

The Staff Retreat Day will be held virtually on Tuesday 16 June. If you are unable to attend, please send your apology to Samantha (Samantha.huang@auckland.ac.nz ).

Preparations for the Staff Retreat

To all ENV staff: This is a call for your best 1-2 photos of a positive thing you did /experience you had in lockdown, and what you did to celebrate Level 2. Include captions if you wish, of up to 5 words per image.

These will be compiled into a ‘Licking Lockdown’ slide show for the School of Environment retreat on 16 June.

Deadline for submission to Kathy Campbell (ka.campbell@auckland.ac.nz) Monday 8 June.

Staff and Research Students  – Return to Campus

Staff

Academic staff from the School of Environment have been approved (by JR) to return to their offices from the 28^th May. If you require earlier access please email our Group Services Manager Michael Groom (m.groom@auckland.ac.nz )

Research Students

With the approval of your supervisor, you will be able to start returning to campus from the 2^nd of June . Managers will need some time to ensure physical distancing and hygiene practices can be maintained in these office spaces, before allowing people to return.  Because of this, it is preferred for students to wait until after the Queen’s Birthday weekend to come on campus.

Congratulations!

Catriona Thompson and co-authors have just been awarded the 2020 Michael Kirkby Award for best paper published in Earth Surface Processes and Landforms in 2019: Thompson, CF, Young, AP and Dickson, ME 2019 ‘Wave impacts on coastal cliffs: Do bigger waves drive greater ground motion?’ https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/esp.4712.

This is the first paper from Catriona’s PhD, which she successfully defended in early May. Catriona completed a BSc in Geography at Auckland and Mark then hung an Honours project in front of her involving measuring wave impacts against sea cliffs. It turned out it needed a PhD not an Honours to do that project, and it’s exciting to see Catriona’s persistence on the topic recognised with this award. The President of the British Society for Geomorphology wrote that “It gives me great pleasure to be able to personally congratulate you on the award which recognises the importance of your paper which is an exemplary demonstration of the power of new geophysical methods, notably environmental seismology, for monitoring geomorphic processes.” Catriona now gets to wake up in the middle of the night to present the work at the 2020 Annual General Meeting of the BSG!

Call for nominations: 2020 40 under 40  – Alumni Relations & Development

Here are details regarding the 2020 40 Under 40 project from our Alumni Relations and Development team below. Nominations are now open and close on 1 June 2020.

A comprehensive list of potential awardees over the past four years has already been amassed by ARD (see here, you can filter by Science) but if there is anyone else you or your teams would like to nominate please complete the form here.

The 40 Under 40 project aims to shine a light on alumni aged 40 and under who have been making significant contributions to their local as well as global communities. They are selected on three criteria – professional success, community involvement and University engagement.

Please keep in mind the following when making nominations:

1. We are particularly interested in those who are making contributions in two or more of the criteria areas – professional success, community involvement and University engagement
2. The six categories are: Humanitarians, Performers, Influencers, Disruptors and Innovators, Business Leaders and Entrepreneurs
3. We are looking for equitable representation across professions, interests, geographies, faculties, genders and ethnicities
4. Nominees must be alumni and must be aged 40 and under as of 30 June 2020
5. Nominees cannot be current UoA staff, current UoA students or current Members of Parliament

Future Voices Forum

There is an urgent need to plan Aotearoa New Zealand’s recovery post-COVID-19. New Zealand’s Government and Business Leaders are coming together to identify ways to put the recovery and our future on a more sustainable path. What needs to happen for New Zealand to be environmentally and economically successful?

We invite you to participate in the Future Voices Forum, a discussion on New Zealand’s future, opened by Her Excellency The Right Honourable Dame Patsy Reddy GNZM, QSO Governor-General of New Zealand.

The Future Voices Forum​ is an online event and discussion where you will learn about the system level challenges in creating New Zealand’s environmental and economic future and have the opportunity to ideate solutions and opportunities, assisted by a facilitator.

We will be reimagining and exploring New Zealand’s Food, Energy, and Transport systems. Imagine that there is to be $20 billion spent on solving problems in these areas. What solutions would you create?

This is a unique opportunity for you to help inform New Zealand Government and Business. They want the best and brightest to rip up orthodox ideas and challenge the establishment. They want your perspective on designing the future of New Zealand.

At this forum, you will get to:

• Think big – stretch yourself to create solutions to critical issues and impact our nation’s future
• Inform New Zealand Government and Business Leaders on what you want for New Zealand’s future. This is your chance to inform policy and strategy and influence CEOs including from Air New Zealand, Fonterra, and leaders from the Ministry of the Environment and more
• Connect with like-minded students and staff

Date: Thursday 4 June, 4pm-6pm

Register here

We look forward to seeing you there.

Ngā mihi,

Darsel Keane
Associate Director, Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Meetings, seminars and events

Volcanology, Geochemistry, & Petrology Research Group

The volcanology, geochemistry, & petrology research group’s final meeting will be on 26 May 2020 at 9 am on Zoom. Lena will be giving a talk titled “Subsoil alteration and degassing in the Rotokawa Geothermal Field, New Zealand” about her masters! As always, everyone is welcome to attend our meetings. Please contact me (Sophia Tsang: s.tsang@auckland.ac.nz) for the link if you don’t have a calendar invite.  If you would like to take over my role in VPG next semester, please reach out! For more information, please see our website: vgp.blogs.auckland.ac.nz See you soon!

Calling all Modellers!

The School of Environment has taken an initiative to create a common platform for all Modellers in the University. Join our Slack group via this link.

Coastal Group Webinar

The next Coastal Group meeting/webinar will be held on Wednesday May 27^th at 12:00 to 1:00 pm on zoom

News will be shared and short talks include:

1. Boron isotope records from Pacific corals: Porites lutea under ocean acidification (Oliver Knebel)
2. Coral calcification and the effects of the 20^th Century warming ocean in the Central Pacific (Carlos Carvajal)

All welcome to attend – please email Emma Ryan at e.ryan@auckland.ac.nz for the Zoom link if you don’t have a calendar invite already.

---

Ako – Teaching and Learning

Pandemic, pedagogy and education 2:  Teaching and learning remotely

Thursday 28^th May 2-3pm

https://auckland.zoom.us/j/96123720863

The COVID-19 lockdown has posed considerable challenges and opportunities for educators. This zoom is designed showcase pedagogies, innovations and tools to assist and enrich remote learning within the Faculty of Science at the University of Auckland.

We will begin with three short presentations (approx. 10 minutes) followed by the opportunity for audience participation. Ideally this will spark a collective conversation that is ongoing, the second in an online series with future opportunities for staff to showcase pedagogical insights and innovations.

The presentations are as follows:

Title: Strategies for transferring first-year Chemistry experiments to Canvas

Presenters: Ruth Cink & Malini Arewgoda

Description: At its heart, chemistry is an experimental science. Remote learning certainly disrupts our normal structure for introducing students to the practical component of chemistry. We discuss our methods to re-create this essential part of our courses on Canvas and will share the pros and cons of these strategies.

Title: Getting on board the H5P train: Interactive question sets for online learning and engagement in biology education.

Presenter: Kathryn Jones

Description: Formative module question sets made with H5P were set up this year in BIOSCI 201 Cell and Molecular Biology. This talk will cover how anyone in the Faculty of Science can add H5P to their teaching toolkit, and how you can use it to keep students on-track with their learning.

Title: Fostering interactivity and students’ active learning in Zoom sessions

Presenter: JC Gaillard, Tutor Co-Contributors: Anthony Gampell, Martin Joe

This brief presentation will explore opportunities to retain class interactivity in teaching live sessions in a virtual and remote environment. Interactivity entails collaboration amongst students as well as between the lecturers and the students so that the latter actively contribute to their learning.

If you are unable to attend but would like to watch the session at a time which suits, please contact Mel Wall (m.wall@auckland.ac.nz) for access to the recording.

Tip of the fortnight

One of our ENV teaching team got some great feedback from a stage 1 student the other day and it’s worth a read:

Hey there, I’m just an average student going through his first year in uni, and I would just like to thank you for making my life so much easier. I found it very difficult to cope with online lectures which usually have video, audio issues and mainly are hard to understand. But after watching your section …, my life became so much easier. Your explanations are very easy to understand and I very much appreciate the fact that you address the explanation of words and meanings in your recordings. This makes my life so much easier and I would like to thank you very much. 

What’s the tip? Define the jargon and keep the terms consistent.

---

Rangahau – Research

Research and Funding Opportunities

AINSE 2020 Residential Student Scholarships (RSS) – expressions of interest now open (submissions close 31 May 2020)

Residential Student Scholarships (RSSs) are offered by AINSE Limited (the Australian Institute of Nuclear Science and Engineering) for suitably-qualified persons wishing to undertake studies aligned with ANSTO’s research programmes for a higher degree at an AINSE-member university. Expressions of interest will be received up to 11:59 pm AEST 31st May 2020.

AINSE RSSs are in the form of “supplements” and are offered to scholars who are, or will be, in receipt of an Australian Postgraduate Award (APA) / Research Training Program (RTP) or equivalent award, and for as long as that Award is current subject to satisfactory progress.

The award provides a stipend of A$7,500 per annum, in addition to up to A$5,000 per annum travel and accommodation allowance (plus an additional accommodation allowance of up to A$5,200 for eligible students travelling from interstate or overseas), to enable students to spend a significant amount of time working at ANSTO facilities.

The RSS differs from a Postgraduate Research Award (PGRA) in that a RSS student must be onsite at an ANSTO facility (at Lucas Heights, Camperdown and/or Clayton) for an average of six months per year or more, which can be as a single block of time or as separate visitations.

Expressions of interest are now being sought from first-year PhD students whose research topics closely align with ANSTO’s research programmes: The Environment, Human Health, the Nuclear Fuel Cycle, Defence and Space Industries, and Fusion. In addition, opportunities may also exist for postgraduate students interested in contracted research and industrial engagement projects in the defence industry area, and for postgraduate students interested in fusion research that aligns with ANSTO and ITER activities.

Applicants are requested to email a one page (A4) only* abstract to ainse@ainse.edu.au outlining the details of their research project and the ANSTO staff member(s) they will be collaborating with. Selected applicants who are successful in the first round will be invited to submit a more detailed online application.

The Terms & Conditions and an ANSTO Capabilities & Facilities Guide can be found on the AINSE website: www.ainse.edu.au. For enquires and further information, please contact the friendly staff at AINSE on ainse@ainse.edu.au | +61 2 9717 3376.

Facebook Research – Explorations of Trust in AR, VR and Smart Devices

Facebook is seeking research proposals for exploring unique challenges, threats, attacks, mitigations, and other considerations in the burgeoning space of AR, VR and smart devices.

Trust and trustworthiness are terms for encompassing security, privacy, integrity and ethics in the products and platforms.

Projects will be funded that help accelerate research in these fields with the hope of helping to foster a world of trustworthy mixed-reality and smart device products.

A broad range of topics relating to applications like AR glasses, VR headsets, other AR or VR form-factors, smart home products and more will be considered by the funder.

Value:  $75,000 USD (Max) – award is an unrestricted gift meaning there are no budget restrictions.

Duration:  No specified duration but awards generally last for 12-18 months.

Internal Deadline:  June 5, 5pm

Full Guidance and call specifications can be found on this webpage.

The Royal Society Te Apārangi is now calling for applications for the following awards and opportunities:

The Sir Hugh Kawharu Masters Scholarship for Innovation in Science

The Sir Hugh Kawharu Scholarship for Innovation in Science, administered by Royal Society Te Aparangi, is a $10,000 scholarship for study at masters level in the sciences. The Scholarship is applicable across a broad range of science disciplines including the physical, mathematical and computational, earth, environment, marine, social, health, biological, biomedical, human, and behavioural sciences. The Call for Applications is now open with a closing date of 31 August 2020. Information about how to apply is available on the Society’s website.

Raewyn Good Study Award for Māori and Pasifika Social Science Research

The Raewyn Good Study Award for Māori and Pasifika Social Science Research is an award of $6,000 for a Māori and Pasifika postgraduate student undertaking a Master’s which involves social sciences research. The study award, tenable at any New Zealand university/wānanga for one year is available to students, who at the time of application, are engaged/enrolled in or applying for a Master’s degree which involves undertaking social sciences research. The Call for Applications is now open with a closing date of 31 August 2020. Information about how to apply is available on the Society’s website.

RHT Bates Postgraduate Scholarship

The RHT Bates Postgraduate Scholarship is a study award of $6,000 for a PhD in the Physical Sciences and Engineering in a New Zealand university. Preference will be given to those whose research aims to apply information/image processing to studies in medicine, the physical sciences, astronomy or engineering. The Call for Applications is now open with a closing date of 31 August 2020. Information about how to apply is available on the Society’s website.

Research in the Pacific – UniServices are interested in any potential research projects based in the Pacific.  Please get in touch with Kathryn or Kelly to discuss more.

Master of Science (MSc) research scholarship

A one-year MSc (Geology) scholarship funded by the Royal Society of New Zealand Marsden Fund is available at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington. The successful applicant will conduct multi-disciplinary field mapping, microstructural analysis, and geochemical or geophysical investigations to investigate the role fluids play in repairing and restrengthening greywacke fault zones damaged by earthquakes. The research will be supervised by project lead Dr Carolyn Boulton in collaboration with Dr Catriona Menzies, Durham University (UK) and Dr Ludmila Adam, University of Auckland (NZ).
The scholarship provides a 12-month stipend of NZ$17,000 and payment of domestic tuition fees. Students who are not citizens of New Zealand or Australia are encouraged to apply, but will be required to pay international tuition fees unless alternative funding is available (please see https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/international).
To apply, or for further information, please send an email to Dr Carolyn Boulton (carolyn.boulton@vuw.ac.nz).

For for further reading please see here.

New publications

1. COULSON, G. MOORES, J. WAA, A., KEARNS, R, WITTEN, K., BATSTONE, C., SOMERVELL, E., OLIVARES, G. and HOWDEN-CHAPMAN, P. (2020). Towards a framework for resilience assessments: working across cultures, disciplines and scales in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Frontiers in Sustainable Cities 14 May 2020 | https://doi.org/10.3389/frsc.2020.00011
2. Costello, MJ. 2020. Taxonomy as the key to life. Megataxa 1, 105-113. https://doi.org/10.11646/megataxa.00.0.0 [this new journal was launched by Professor Zhi-Qiang Zhang of the School of Biological Sciences and Landcare]
3. Zhao Q, Stephenson F, Lundquist C, Kaschner K, Jayathilake DRM, Costello MJ. 2020. Where Marine Protected Areas would best represent 30% of ocean biodiversity. Biological Conservation 244, 108536. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108536
4. Arfianti T., Costello MJ. 2020. Global biogeography of marine amphipod crustaceans: latitude, regionalization, and beta diversity. Marine Ecology Progress Series 638: 83–94. 
5. Chao A, Kubota Y, Zelený D, Chiu C-H, Li C-F, Kusumoto B, Yasuhara M, Thorn S, Wei C-L, Costello MJ, Colwell RK. 2020. Quantifying sample completeness and comparing diversities among assemblages. Ecological Research 35, 292–314.
6. Kusumoto B, Costello MJ, Kubota Y, Shiono T, Wei C-L, Yasuhara M, Chao A. 2020. Global distribution of coral diversity: biodiversity knowledge gradients related to spatial resolution. Ecological Research 35, 315–326. DOI: 10.1111/1440-1703.12096.
7. Pagès-Escolà M, Bock PE, Gordon DP, Wilson S, Linares C, Hereu B, Costello MJ (2020) Progress in the discovery of extant and fossil bryozoans. Marine Ecology Progress Series 635, 71-79.
8. Zhao, Q., Basher Z., Costello MJ. 2020. Mapping near surface global marine ecosystems through cluster analysis of environmental data. Ecological Research 35 (2), 327-342.
9. Thompson, CF, Young, AP and Dickson, ME 2019 ‘Wave impacts on coastal cliffs: Do bigger waves drive greater ground motion?’https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/esp.4712
10. Le Dé, L., Gaillard, J.C., Gampell, A.V., Loodin, N. & Cadag, J. (2020). Participatory mapping 2.0: new ways for children’s participation in disaster risk reduction. Australian Journal of Emergency Management, 35(2), 34-42.
11. Gampell, A. V., Gaillard, J.C., Parsons, M. & Le Dé, L. (2020). Fostering student participation in disaster risk reduction through disaster video games. Australian Journal of Emergency Management, 35(2), 43-50.
12. Gampell, A. V., Gaillard, J.C., Parsons, M. & Le Dé, L. (2020). Exploring the use of the Quake Safe House video game to foster disaster and disaster risk reduction awareness in museum visitors. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 49, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2020.101670

---

Copy deadline for next edition of P-cubed: Friday 5th June to Farnaz: f.sheikh@auckland.ac.nz

HeadSup

Kia ora koutou

This time of year is usually marked by the wonderful Autumn graduation events, where families and friends come together to celebrate the success of our students. Toasting new graduates is one of my favourite jobs in the HOS role and I’m very hopeful that the Spring graduation will go ahead. Hearty congratulations to all who were planning on getting capped last week but were foiled by COVID-19. We are proud of you and your achievements!

The recent search for a Lecturer in Environmental Management / Environmental Geography resulted in a short-list of four outstanding applicants. I’m delighted to advise that Emma Sharp has accepted a lectureship and will take up the role in January 2021. In the meantime she will continue in her fixed-term capacity. Those of you who have worked with Emma will know that her appointment bodes well for our future. Congratulations Emma! Given the strategic opportunity afforded by another of the applicants, the Dean approved a second position in lieu of the failed search for a Professor in Environmental Management. An offer is in progress. If declined we will not appoint another candidate at this juncture.

Other staffing news, I’m very pleased to advise that Marie McEntee was successful in her request to change from Senior Tutor to Lecturer. Marie has been increasingly successful in attracting external research funding. This change to her conditions of service will afford opportunity to pursue her research interests. Congratulations Marie, well deserved!

There also is some movement in service and leadership roles. Michael Rowe is on leave in Semester two and is stepping down from his role as Chair of the Post-Graduate Research Committee. This is a major leadership role with a high service burden.  During his tenure, Michael has streamlined processes and improved the strategic functionality of this sector of the school. Michael – thank you very much for a job well done. Michael has handed over to Luitgard Schwendenmann who is now in the role – thank you Luitgard! I’m very grateful to Anthony Fowler, who has been a steady hand in the PhD Advisor role. Anthony is stepping down so that he can take his RSL and Larry Murphy has kindly agreed to take up the role, effective Semester 2.

Lastly – thank you Joe! The cool games that have been going on during the lock-down are fantastic and it’s wonderful to see the images and notifications in p-cubed today. My only frustration is that for some reason unknown to me Mr Zuckerberg is refusing to let me re-join facebook! What did I do?

Ngā mihi
JR

---

Whakawhanaungatanga – communities

Flu vaccination reimbursement for staff

With most staff unable to receive the flu vaccination on campus this year, the University will instead reimburse the cost of obtaining the vaccine from your medical centre or local pharmacist. All permanent staff and all staff with a fixed term employment agreement are eligible for reimbursement.

Flu shots will be reimbursed through concur with the following codes 732 (Staff related Costs) 8606 (Cost centre).

There is a link below with more detail:

https://www.staff.auckland.ac.nz/en/news-events-and-notices/notices/notices-2020/january-june/flu-vaccination-reimbursement-for-staff.html

COVID-related research

We are creating a list of COVID-related research going on the in Faculty with the aim of using this as a basis to set up a cross-faculty activity (form as yet to be decided). Could you please send details of your research project to Caroline Roughneen (c.roughneen@auckland.ac.nz). Note – we have a pretty good idea of new funded projects – but have less awareness of unfunded research, or situations where existing projects have been modified to focus on COVID.

Congratulations!

Master of Engineering Geology student William Mansell has won a scholarship from the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM) NZ branch for his thesis project at Maramarua coal mine. Congratulations William!

Congratulations!

Sophia Tsang successfully defended her PhD thesis “Modelling the Hazard Footprint and Consequences of Lava Flows in an Urban Environment” on 5 May 2020. The examiners commended Sophia for her impressive thesis and performance in the oral exam. Congratulations Sophia!

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Ben Simons (Supervisors: Shane Cronin, Jen Eccles and Art Jolly (GNS Science)) for successfully defending his PhD thesis, “Drivers of Variation in the Eruptive and Magmatic Processes of a Persistently Active Volcano, Yasur, Vanuatu” on 29 April 2020.

Capping at the Robinson Fowler house

Alex, Anthony’s youngest, would have paraded this year, but instead had to make do with being capped (with Angus & Pooh) by dad. A nice short ceremony, with family dialling in, and very cheap regalia hire this year (raincoat, scarf, and weird hat). Alex’s brother Michael, also a Computer Science major, did feel a bit short changed having set aside the normal three hours.

The ENV Lockdown Street Art Challenge

The School of Environment clubs have had, and continue to have, lots of activities to keep boredom at bay throughout Semester One! Students and Staff welcome to join and compete for the JR shield between disciplines (Geography, Geoscience, Geology, Environment). Be in it to WIN it for your major!

Congratulations to Geography for winning the ENV Lockdown Street Art Challenge! This competition continued throughout the level 4 lockdown and promoted isolated exercise where participants were given an object to map out in their run. Super successful and major fun! Here are some of the awesome tracks people created!

 

SCHOOL OF ENVIRONMENT QUIZ LINE

The ENV Quiz Line is continuing throughout Semester One! The quiz works like the “What Am I?” section of a pub quiz where a clue is posted each day until the round ends on the 4th day. If any students or staff would like to get involved or would like more information please visit the Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/543925486258412/). For any further queries please email Gina Swanney (gswa730@aucklanduni.ac.nz).

The ENV Proverb Photo Challenge

The ENV Proverb Photo Challenge is a new competition in where the participant takes a photo (no plagiarism) to illustrate a well known proverb. Proverbs are provided every two days with voting taking place in the afternoon of the second day! If anyone would like to be involved please visit the facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/2305445616430070/). For more information please email Joe Fagan (j.fagan@auckland.ac.nz).

The Great ENV Lockdown Bake Off!

Dust your pans off and get creative! Every a couple of days a theme is set and your goal is to make the best creation! Share the photo/video and recipe to the Facebook group and voting will take place at the end of the 3rd day!  If anyone would like to be involved please visit the Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/228086901863054/). For more information please email Michaela Dobson (mdob102@aucklanduni.ac.nz).

Meetings, seminars and events

Coastal Group Webinar

The next Coastal Group meeting/webinar will be held on Wednesday May 13^th at 12:00 to 1:00 pm

News will be shared and short talks include:

1. Shoreline changes in coral reef islands of the Federated States of Micronesia since the mid-20th century (Meghna Sengupta)
2. On the use of directional wave spectra to identify swells approaching Majuro (Laura Cagigal)

All welcome to attend – please email Emma Ryan at e.ryan@auckland.ac.nz for the Zoom link if you don’t have a calendar invite already.

Volcanology, Geochemistry, & Petrology Research Group

The volcanology, geochemistry, & petrology research group (VGP) meets during the semester. Our final meeting of the semester will be on 26 May 2020 at 9 am on Zoom. Lena will be giving a talk titled “Subsoil alteration and degassing in the Rotokawa Geothermal Field, New Zealand” about her masters! As always, everyone is welcome to attend our meetings. Please contact me (Sophia Tsang: s.tsang@auckland.ac.nz) for the link if you don’t have a calendar invite.  If you would like to take over my role in VPG next semester, please reach out! Additionally, if you have any updates (including new students or projects) you would like to see on the website or would like to contribute a blog post, please email David (dfar197@aucklanduni.ac.nz). For more information, please see our website: vgp.blogs.auckland.ac.nz See you soon!

---

Ako – Teaching and Learning

Pandemic, pedagogy and education:  Teaching and learning remotely

Monday 11^th May 2-3pm

https://auckland.zoom.us/j/99906458825

The COVID-19 lockdown has posed considerable challenges and opportunities for educators. This zoom is designed showcase pedagogies, innovations and tools to assist and enrich remote learning within the Faculty of Science at the University of Auckland.

We will begin with four short presentations (5-10 minutes) followed by the opportunity for audience participation. Ideally this will spark a collective conversation that is ongoing, the first in an online series with future opportunities for staff to showcase pedagogical insights and innovations.

Title: Using Canvas to facilitate student engagement

Speaker: Kaitlin Beare

Our remote learning reality has posed challenges to engage students in self-directed learning in large courses. I share insights into the successes and challenges in utilising Canvas to develop staff-student and student-student connections.

Title: Let’s fly to Muriwai – a virtual field trip.

Speaker: Nick Richards

Description: Field trips can be constrained because of a complex array of real world situations. A virtual field trip has been developed for a Stage 1 Earth Science course that integrates drone imagery, locality videos and other resources.

Title: Engaging with Oceanic ways during COVID-19

Speaker: Sonia Fonua

Embedding Tongan (and other Pacific) values in university teaching and learning spaces can benefit all students. I will share a model that employs a visual tool to enable explicit discussion and demonstration of values in any teaching and learning space.

Title: Engaging and motivating students via digital platforms for remote learning

Speaker: Rhys Jones

A range of engagement activities were created to engage and motivate students, before level-4 lockdown and were refocused and developed during lockdown. This session will include an overview of the activities developed, particularly the use of Google Sheets for students to answer video embedded quizzes, questions and games. They were also used to elicit ideas from students to help keep everyone engaged. Using student responses to direct and adapt activities and learning opportunities became integral, with the absence of in person teaching/live lectures.

From reactive to proactive: Virtual workshop on remote teaching and learning

ENV AKO Innovation Committee

Wednesday 13 May 2020 – 1-2 pm

Zoom: https://auckland.zoom.us/j/91922810088

The AKO Innovation Committee is inviting everyone to participate in a virtual workshop to identify and discuss key issues that staff and students have been facing in our experience of remote teaching and learning. We are hoping to gain insights from staff about how we can better support their practice. We will use these insights to set the groundwork for a subsequent series of more specific and topical webinars/workshops the committee is planning to organise to assist staff with their preparation for the remainder of the semester 1 and semester 2. The workshop will be recorded.

---

Rangahau – Research

Research and Funding Opportunities

Faculty of Science – Healthy People Healthy Communities Seed Funding

We invite applications from members of the Faculty of Science for seed funding to support research projects. Funding of up to $2000 per project is available, with a particular focus on supporting collaborations across disciplines, Schools and Departments. Further details are available in the attached application form.

Applications are due by 9am Monday 1 June 2020.

Click here to view the Theme’s recent Health Hui which showcases three previous seed funding awardees highlighting how they uses HPHC Theme seed funding to advance their research.

Spencer Foundation:  Research Grants on Education: COVID19 Related

The COVID19 Related Research Grants support education research projects that will contribute to understanding the rapid shifts in education in this time of crisis and change.

There are two primary categories of projects of particular interest for this special grant:

• supporting studies that aim to understand and disrupt the reproduction and deepening of educational inequality caused by the COVID19 crisis
  • opportunities to remake or image new forms of equitable education opportunities when there is great disruption and change.

Grant Value: Maximum of £50,000 (approx NZD 75,900); awarded for 1-3 years.

Internal Deadline: June 2, 5pm

Further guidelines are available at the funders website

Royal Society Te Apārangi – Catalyst Fund update

As previously signalled, we received confirmation from MBIE that the April Catalyst: Seeding and Catalyst: Leaders call has been cancelled. We anticipate the next Catalyst Seeding and Catalyst Leaders call for applications to open on 30 July 2020. Funding from the cancelled April call will be made available for the next call. Further details for the July calls will be made available at the time of the call.

• Cancelled: applications for the 2020 New Zealand – Germany Science & Technology Programme (under the April Catalyst: Seeding call)
• Postponed: applications for Julius von Haast Fellowship (under the April Catalyst: Leaders call) will be accepted in the July Call

AINSE Early Career Researcher Grants (ECRG) – applications now open (applications close 31 July 2020).

The Early Career Researcher Grant (ECRG) is offered by AINSE Limited (the Australian Institute of Nuclear Science and Engineering) to suitably-qualified persons holding a postdoctoral position at an AINSE Member Institution and/or Organisation  (the University of Auckland is a member institution) and wishing to undertake work in collaboration with ANSTO. Applications will be received up to 11:59pm AEST 31^st July 2020.

Website: https://www.ainse.edu.au/ecrg/

ECRG Flyer: https://www.ainse.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/ECRG-2020-Flyer.pdf

Facebook post: https://www.facebook.com/AINSEltd/posts/2617565655192629

The AINSE ECRG is a one-time payment offered to scholars who are in the first five years of employment as an Early Career Researcher, with allowances made for career breaks of a reasonable time-frame. The recipient must be listed on an approved proposal to commence work at an ANSTO facility between 1st October 2020 and 31st December 2021.

The award provides a grant of A$10,000 excl. GST that can be spent on travel, accommodation and consumables relating to the recipient’s approved ANSTO proposal, and carer requirements, subject to AINSE discretion. The grant will be delivered to the host institution and placed into the recipient’s research account. Responsibility for establishing taxation liability lies with the grant recipient.

The Terms & Conditions, application form, and an ANSTO Capabilities & Facilities Guide can be

found on the AINSE website: www.ainse.edu.au/ecrg. For enquires and further information, please contact AINSE at ainse@ainse.edu.au | +61 2 9717 3376.

New publications

1. Suzanne Bull, Greg H. Browne, Malcolm J. Arnot and Lorna J. Strachan (2020) Influence of mass transport deposit (MTD) surface topography on deep-water deposition: an example from a predominantly fine-grained continental margin, New Zealand. In: Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 500;  Subaqueous Mass Movements and their Consequences: Advances in Process Understanding, Monitoring and Hazard Assessments. https://doi.org/10.1144/SP500-2019-192
2. Le Heron, E., Le Heron, R., Logie, J., Greenaway, A., Allen, W., Blackett, P., Davies, K., Glavovic, B., and Hikaroa, D. (2020) Participatory Processes as Twenty-First Century Social Knowledge Technology: Metaphors and Narratives at Work. Chapter 11 in Sustaining Seas: Oceanic Space and the Politics of Care; Ed Probyn, E., Johnston, K., and Lee, N. Rowan & Littlefield International, London, New York.

---

Copy deadline for next edition of P-cubed: Friday 22nd May to Farnaz: f.sheikh@auckland.ac.nz

HeadSup

Kia ora koutou

Welcome to Alert Level 3! The UOA guidelines for our operation under this Alert Level can be found here. It’s not much different to Level 4 but it does allow for access to Labs and equipment for high priority work. Please see the notice below for details on gaining access. Blair and the ENV Technical Services advisory team (Shane, Kevin, Mark, me) will be finalising our internal processes over the next couple of days. If you are a student needing access, be sure to provide a rationale for your prioritisation when you fill out the form. I’m keeping all my digits crossed for a speedy transition to Alert Level 2. Let’s stay focused on maintaining physical distance and help Aotearoa – New Zealand eliminate COVID-19.

If this week’s p-cubed is anything to go by, we are picking up! Lots of activities are happening. Farnaz has made it simpler for us to get these into our calendars: take a look at the notices, then go to the ‘Events, meetings and seminars’ sidebar where you will be able to click and save the activities you want to attend into your calendar. If you have standing activities that you would like locked into the sidebar, please let Farnaz know.

Thanks to all who attended our ENV forum last Friday. It was great to catch up with everyone. If you have questions/comments feel free to send them through to me anytime or catch up with me at one of my open doors (PG students 11-12 noon, every Thursday; ENV staff 11-12 noon every Wednesday).

Those who attended our Kaupapa 2020 event will remember the QC (questions/comments) exercise. It seems a long time ago now but here is the summary of that exercise. I’m happy to discuss any of these points further. At this event I flagged that 2020 would be the year of the ENV 5-year Review. This review has been postponed to 2021.

Last but definitely not least, on behalf of the School I would like to extend a very warm note of thanks for many years of loyal and creative service to Ward and Lyndsay who are retiring at the end of this week. Thank you Ward, thank you Lyndsay – may you both enjoy a wonderful and long retirement! Although we cannot farewell Ward and Lyndsay in our usual way at this time, we will come together as soon as possible and do this in style. Meanwhile, if you would like to note your thanks and wishes for their happy retirement, here is our card.

Ngā mihi
JR

---

Whakawhanaungatanga – communities

Ward and Lyndsay are retiring!!!

Two farewells

We bid adieu to Lyndsay Blue and Ward Friesen who retire together at the end of this month. As a pair of human geographers who have a shared affinity with the Pacific they have made an immense contribution to the former Department of Geography and now the School of Environment. Both were appointed (quite independently!) in 1991 and both have been ‘team players’. Two words that handily rhyme sum up their respective contributions: care and flair.

Care pervades Lyndsay’s legacy. Throughout her career she has never been one to highlight her achievements. Reflecting, perhaps, her humility, there is no detail on her School web page apart from the standard auto-generated publications.  She came to the School with rich experiences from across the South Pacific, having taught at the University of Papua New Guinea, James Cook University in Queensland, ANU, and having volunteered in Samoa. Alongside her practical depth and academic interests in development and socio-cultural geographies. Lyndsay’s academic interests lie in questions of society-environment relations, especially in the Pacific. She brought to the study of these relations an early recognition of the values of non-human actors and a deep concern for the human condition.  Her greatest contribution to the academy has lain in teaching and in opening up the university to those who might not otherwise have had access to its privileges. Lyndsay is a long-serving stalwart of the University of Auckland’s Foundation Studies programme, for which she is a fierce advocate. She has supported her students through the programme into otherwise unlikely undergraduate, masters, and even PhD programmes, as well as through life crises and into senior roles in public and private sector organisations. She has carried this care far beyond her own courses and has worked tirelessly in the interests of equity within School and Faculty. She has been a colleague with a huge heart and someone who has had an immense influence on colleagues as well as students. Her influence is impossible to measure in ways commonly associated with academics. Her legacy is students who have felt supported, who have succeeded and who have felt sustained by the aroha and practical assistance Lyndsay has offered. She has always carried others with her in her roles. In 2012, for instance, Lyndsay was central to the School’s Tuakana team which were winners of a University Excellence in Equity Award. Some geographers write about care; Lyndsay has been the ultimate practitioner of care through being there – for both students and colleagues. We’ll miss her.

Ward has brought a flair to all he’s done. He completed his PhD on mobility in the Solomon Islands in the former Department of Geography (after earlier degrees in his homeland of Canada) and was appointed as Lecturer shortly afterwards.  He has since worked across economic, population and urban geography as well as being a well-respected Pacific Studies scholar and a stalwart of Development Studies in the wider Pacific region. Over several decades as a population geographer and mobilities researcher, Ward has produced influential demographic analyses for the Solomon Islands as well as local governments in Auckland.   He has brought flair to a field often considered by students to be ‘a bit dry’. In crafting connections between population change and Auckland’s observable landscape his scholarship has given population studies an immediacy for students. His teaching has always been a breath of fresh air aided by the most colourful shirts this School has known as well as wry sense of humour. Many of his shirts tell stories of forty years of research visits that bridged the eastern and western Pacific Islands and allowed Ward to maintain an important research network of Pacific-based and international scholars and government officials (including former students). Closer to home, he has had a sustained research interest in Auckland itself, having worked on suburban residential development and population implications as well as demographic, ethnic and socio-economic change. Many of Ward’s research and teaching interests have crystallised in his more recent theorisation of how migrant groups have shaped urban spaces and institutions, creating new ‘ethnoscapes’ and his study of migration, ethnicity and identity across New Zealand at large.  While he’s stood out as an individual for his shirts, in other ways he’s been the ultimate team player. Whether on research projects, field-taught courses or his long-term contributions to Pacific Studies and Development Studies teaching programmes, Ward has carried the kaupapa. He’s had the flair and always been there. We’ll miss him.

Congratulations!

Robin Kearns has been appointed by Minister Eugenie Sage to a position on the New Zealand Geographic Board/ Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa (NZGB) which is the national place naming authority responsible for official place names in New Zealand.

Access under Alert Level 3

The COVID-19 Level 3: Campus Access and Priority Research Request Form  is now live

Please read all the information and guidelines below before you submit an application for research or learning & teaching activity to begin on campus during Alert Level 3.

Research-specific Applications

The Moving to Alert Level 3 Plan details the approval requirements for priority research to begin campus and field activity during Alert Level 3.  Please read this document.

Learning & Teaching Applications

All learning & teaching applications require a final approval from the DVC Academic.  This final approval is part of the Faculty process.

The Campus Access and Priority Research Request Form is designed to be completed by:

• Individual staff or research students (if permissible*) making a request; or
• A staff requestor who is making the request for an activity/facility that includes up to 10 staff/research students/contractors/co-locators

*All research students who consider their research to fit the definition of ‘priority research activity’ should discuss this with their supervisor in the first instance. Any applications for on-campus research to be undertaken by research students should normally be submitted by the supervisor on behalf of the research student(s).

Applications for research meeting the definition of Essential Research (e.g. involving face-to-face engagement with the public or related to Covid-19) must continue to be completed through the Essential Research Activities Registration Form as they are reviewed and approved through the SRT Panel.

Approval will not be granted under Level 3 for access to the campus to collect belongings, chairs, etc

If researchers use the wrong form, they will need to re-apply using the correct form.

At the end of the online form there is an option for the requestor to be emailed a PDF copy of the application. It is advised that the requestor select this option.

Any staff members having difficulties accessing the form should contact the SSC, as it is likely related to the Microsoft identity of the requestor.

Once the online form has been submitted, the central BCP Group will distribute the requests and the approval process will begin.

School and Departmental panels will be set up to assess applications and Technical Managers/Technical Team Leads will be key contributors. The role of the Technical Services staff will be to assess the viability of prioritised research to be undertaken within the constraints of the Covid 19 Alert Level 3 guidelines.

Recommendations will then be sent to the Dean’s Authorisation Panel. The panel will endeavour to turn around applications quickly and applicants will be advised whether they have been approved or declined access as soon as possible.

If approved, an official permission letter to be on campus or complete field work at Alert Level 3, will be sent to the requestor. Individual access cards will not be activated until this official letter has been sent.

PBRF Funding

We have funding available and have identified some ways to hopefully stimulate applications:

– casual contracts are a great option. If a student has just finished, financial support from PBRF could help write a paper and support the student.

– we have always been reluctant to use PBRF to pay for publication charges. This year we will consider applications.

– if you needed to buy “data” to seed or start or complete a research project, this is probably the year when PBRF can help.

We have also decided to review proposals at the end of each month so we can speed up the approval process.

Please use the attached template to prepare your proposal and submit it to g.coco@auckland.ac.nz

ENV project assisting school students to learn Maths and Science on Education TV.

Marie McEntee and Joe Fagan were funded undertake a Curious Minds Project in 2017 with the school children of Aotea Great Barrier Island.  The project called Sea Science saw Marie, Joe and three ENV students  assist the children with their beach cleanups and to use the information to communicate their work and to then work with stakeholders to bring about environmental change.  The children told their stories through art, writing, play and song.  Together with a kaumatua, Marie and Joe facilitated engagement between the owners of the island’s mussel farms to reduce mussel lanyards landing on the beaches.  The project was subsequently picked up by the Ministry of Education and showcased in the Ministry’s Connected Magazine which is distributed to primary schools around the country.  Connected Magazine have just let Marie and Joe know that the project has been chosen among a few to be showcased as an example of science and maths on Education TV, the new Ministry’s initiative to educate children while at home.

Postgraduate Matters

Below are updates that have come through Faculty of Science, mostly regarding COVID-19 response.

1. Access at levels 3: Be prepared for much less “on campus” under level 3 than what you’re hoping for. You are still requested to stay at home and there is unlikely to be fieldwork. Supervisors- please manage expectations with your postgraduate students on this.
2. Supporting students: Some students are still feeling isolated- please try to facilitate some “group” meetings, even if it means being a little off topic, just to promote inclusivity.
3. Extensions/suspensions: Please follow the ever updating SGS page as this is the most up to date source for regulations. Please don’t be afraid to sit tight and wait out some of these shorter delays (particularly for stage 3). Suspensions can be retrospective for Masters and PhD students.
4. New enrolments: When considering new enrolments, particularly international, through the AFA system, make sure that your projects have a plan “B” and that there are contingencies in place for restrictions on travel. This may mean that a new student needs to work from home for the first few months of their enrolment, or maybe you facilitate access for them to work in a lab where they are located for 6-9 months until they are able to get into New Zealand. Be creative, but also realistic- what happens if the student is unable to get a visa? The University is arguing to be able to enrol students even without a visa but this is an ongoing discussion/debate and is not yet resolved.
5. Financial Matters:
   1. The hardship grant is currently undersubscribed- this can help students struggling right now (although you need to be able to provide evidence). This can be if you or your partner have lost work, or for PhD’s if you are suspended (note the suspension rule here does not apply for Masters as they have a separate support grant).
   2. Masters need to apply to the general University hardship fund but should consider it if appropriate.
   3. Future scholarships- it is still unclear how COVID-19 will impact future scholarship offers- they hope is to maintain current levels but this is uncertain.
   4. Continuing scholarships- there will be no “new” scholarship money for PhD- this is important to consider for extra extensions. Currently supporting the 36 months of support (through the UOA doctoral scholarship), 6 month extensions (for GPA >7), but beyond that only a 3 month fee waiver- no additional extensions of the scholarship funds.

2021 CapEx:

If you have any items on your CapEx Wishlist for 2021 (and beyond) please send these to Blair by the end of April.

At this stage all I need is a name and an approximate cost. There is the expectation that a full case will be completed at a later date.

If you have already spoken with one of the techs, they would have most likely already passed the info on to me.

Regards

Blair Sowman
Technical Manager | School of Environment

Te Tumu Herenga | Libraries and Learning Services

Although the Library is physically closed, we are still open for business, and you can send us your queries or set up a consultation appointment by Zoom using the AskUs link.

Our staff have been busy converting our resources and services to online, and

The Learning Online Toolkit has now been released to all students in Canvas.

It contains a range of online study support resources to help students with their academic development. It includes brief tips on:

• How to learn online
• Technology
• Communicating online
• Online tests
• Working in online groups

It also links to Te Tumu Herenga l Libraries and Learning services, UoA student support services and specialist services provided by English Language Enrichment, Inclusive Learning and Te Fale Pouāwhina.

The toolkit has been added to the Canvas navigation menu along with an announcement on the Dashboard.

See The Learning Online Toolkit

Find our other Te Tumu Herenga | Libraries and Learning Services  Covid-19 Support at the following links:

For Students | For Researchers | For Teaching Staff | For Māori and Pacific Learners | For Inclusive Learning Support | For English Language Development Support

Meetings, seminars and events

The Geography Auckland (NZGS Auckland) newsletter

The Auckland Branch invites you to attend the next meeting via Zoom

Erionite and public health in Auckland: are our soils and rocks killing us?

Presented by Martin Brook

Tuesday 19th May

An invitation will be sent out during the previous week

Please click here to read the newsletter.

Seminar Series is back!

Save the date:  ENV (Zoom) Seminar: 1^st of May Friday 16:00 – 16:40 + drinks 😊.

Join us on Friday the 1^st  of  May from 4 pm to learn about the fantastic research your colleagues do. All staff members and students from the School of Environment are warmly invited to attend this brilliant School of Environment Seminar. As you may be already aware we  are running  the seminars every three months and they have been incredibly fascinating so far.

In the upcoming ENV Seminar, we will have two presenters  Danielle and Ryan and their talks will be followed by Friday virtual drinks.

Zoom location: https://auckland.zoom.us/j/441894919

PSC Cheese and Whine

Time: Apr 23, 2020 05:00 PM Auckland, Wellington

Every week on Thu, 9 occurrence(s)

Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.

Weekly: https://auckland.zoom.us/meeting/tJEodeChpjIvHtdpe1Yi445yWcV_70o1paeP/ics?icsToken=98tyKuCtqzkjE9yctR2ERowMGYjoXfPxiFhYgrdZjBq0OikHNlbvAeF0DeUvH4nA

Join Zoom Meeting from here.

Volcanology, Geochemistry & Petrology Research Group

The volcanology, geochemistry, & petrology research group (VGP) meets during the semester. Our next meeting will be on 26 May 2020 at 9 am on Zoom. As always, everyone is welcome to attend our meetings. Please contact me (Sophia Tsang: s.tsang@auckland.ac.nz) for the link if you don’t have a calendar invite.  If you would like to be added to this list or to volunteer to take on the organising role for VGP starting next semester, please email me (s.tsang@auckland.ac.nz). Additionally, if you have any updates (including new students or projects) you would like to see on the website or would like to contribute a blog post, please email David (dfar197@aucklanduni.ac.nz). For more information, please see our website: vgp.blogs.auckland.ac.nz See you soon!

---

Ako – Teaching and Learning

Thanks everyone for your great work keeping courses going and students engaged. Especially big thanks to all the TAs and GTAs who are doing a brilliant job. Let’s keep focused on maintaining engagement – we are remote learning until the end of the Semester and it’s a long way off. Students may start to flag as this drags on. Please prioritise:

• engagement – stay in touch with students, stay in touch with TAs/GTAs, personalise feedback/interaction
• Delivery methods – keep it simple, keep it accessible by all. I realise live streaming is happening around the university and it definitely is a good option for teaching and learning but not for all. There are genuine equity issues that cannot be addressed at the moment so please do not use live streaming for required work, especially not for assessments.

All the best for the next 7 weeks! – JR

---

Rangahau – Research

Meetings, seminars and events

Morphological modelling to understand Terrestrial Cosmogenic Nuclide concentrations in rocky coasts

Speaker: Lovleen Acharya Chowdhury (PhD Proposal)
Date: Thursday, April 30th
Time: 9:30 am
Zoom invite: https://auckland.zoom.us/j/7268a92178

Research and Funding Opportunities

NSCs SfTI and BioHeritage are calling for interest in a new SfTI Biosecurity Tech project

The Science for Technological Innovation (SfTI) and New Zealand’s Biological Heritage National Science Challenges (NSCs) are calling for a registration of interest to become part of a cross-disciplinary, multi-organisational research team to contribute to the next mission-led Spearhead project.  This will be based around the Biosecurity Technology Mission on employing cutting-edge physical sciences and engineering to create new processes and tools that will better protect New Zealand from harmful biological elements such as non-indigenous flora, pathogens, insects and mammalian species.

Registration Deadline: Friday 1 May 2020 – Please register directly on the funder website

Value:  Spearhead projects are typically funded for $1m p.a. over three years.

Deep South National Science Challenge

The Deep South Challenge invites you to submit a research outline which identifies a key climate process for New Zealand and how understanding of this process could be better understood through new observations. The Challenges objectives are: 1) to facilitate a research community consultation to identify the key climate processes for New Zealand; and 2) to fund research into the highest priority processes for New Zealand.

To achieve our first objective, we will be using the research outlines as input to an online workshop in June. Here invited participants will be able to work with the Challenge to identify and prioritise where studies using observations could lead to a better representation of climate processes in models. In August we will release a Request for Proposals with the aim of funding the highest priority studies.

Deadline: Research outline due 15 May 2020

Please get in touch with Kelly or Kathryn if you would like more information.

Our Land and Water National Science Challenge

The Our Land and Water National Science Challenge is looking for a Science Theme Leader (0.4FTE until 30 June 2024) for the Incentives for Change research theme. This theme seeks to identify the rewards, signals and approaches that motivate beneficial behaviours and reciprocal relationships in the agri-food and fibre system. The role and responsibilities of theme leaders are set out in the person specification. If interested, please email a letter outlining your background, experience and overall fit to Ourlandandwater@agresearch.co.nz by Friday 8 May.

Sustainable Land Management and Climate Change (SLMACC) – Freshwater Mitigation

To support field trials of existing farm technologies and practices which protect waterways and wetlands by reducing nutrient run-off and leaching. The programme aims to produce scientific data that can be incorporated into decision-support tools such as Overseer.

Internal Deadline:  Wednesday 6 May, 3pm

Value: Between $200,000 and $2 million

Further Guidelines:  See the funders website

International Network Funding Calls:

Two of our international networks have released funding calls for projects relating to the needs of universities as a result of the global pandemic:

U21 Global Education Enhancement Fund

Partnerships of two or more U21 member universities can apply for this fund, working together to design better solutions for online teaching, learning and assessment, which can be subsequently shared as resources within the U21 network.

Internal Deadline:  12 noon, 6 May 2020

Value: USD $5,000 per partner awarded.

WUN fund addressing research needs triggered by the pandemic

Proposals are invited for projects that address time-sensitive research problems arising from the COVID-19 pandemic and must include at least three WUN member universities across two or more countries.

Internal Deadline:  12noon, 11 May 2020

Value:  GBP £10,000 per project awarded.

Proposals from Auckland researchers must be submitted for internal review prior to submission to the relevant funder.

Further information including application process and deadlines can be found on the intranet page here:https://www.staff.auckland.ac.nz/en/how-the-university-works/international-opportunities-and-linkages/international-networks/covid-19-related-funding-opportunities0.html

Some of our WUN partners are also seeking collaborators on projects, these will also be uploaded to the info page below. Currently four projects are listed.

2020 AINSE Residential Student Scholarships (RSS): expressions of interest now open

Residential Student Scholarships (RSSs) are offered by AINSE Limited (the Australian Institute of Nuclear Science and Engineering) for suitably-qualified persons wishing to undertake studies aligned with ANSTO’s research programmes for a higher degree at an AINSE-member university (UoA is a member university). Expressions of interest will be received up to 11:59 pm AEST 31st May 2020.

Online link to RSS Flyer: https://www.ainse.edu.au/AINSE%20RSS%202020.pdf

AINSE RSSs are in the form of “supplements” and are offered to scholars who are, or will be, in receipt of an Australian Postgraduate Award (APA) / Research Training Program (RTP) or equivalent award, and for as long as that Award is current subject to satisfactory progress.

The award provides a stipend of A$7,500 per annum, in addition to up to A$5,000 per annum travel and accommodation allowance (plus an additional accommodation allowance of up to A$5,200 for eligible students travelling from interstate or overseas), to enable students to spend a significant amount of time working at ANSTO facilities.

The RSS differs from a Postgraduate Research Award (PGRA) in that a RSS student must be onsite at an ANSTO facility (at Lucas Heights, Camperdown and/or Clayton) for an average of six months per year or more, which can be as a single block of time or as separate visitations.

Expressions of interest are now being sought from first-year PhD students whose research topics closely align with ANSTO’s research programmes: The Environment, Human Health, the Nuclear Fuel Cycle, Defence and Space Industries, and Fusion. In addition, opportunities may also exist for postgraduate students interested in contracted research and industrial engagement projects in the defence industry area, and for postgraduate students interested in fusion research that aligns with ANSTO and ITER activities.

Applicants are requested to email a one page (A4) only* abstract to ainse@ainse.edu.au outlining the details of their research project and the ANSTO staff member(s) they will be collaborating with. Selected applicants who are successful in the first round will be invited to submit a more detailed online application.

The Terms & Conditions and an ANSTO Capabilities & Facilities Guide can be found on the AINSE website: www.ainse.edu.au. For enquires and further information, please contact the friendly staff at AINSE on ainse@ainse.edu.au | +61 2 9717 3376.

New publications

1. Meiqin Han had the first paper from her PhD thesis published in the international journal Catena:Han, M., Brierley, G., Li, B., Li, Z., & Li, X. (2020). Impacts of flow regulation on geomorphic adjustment and riparian vegetation succession along an anabranching reach of the Upper Yellow River. Catena, 190, 104561.​
2. Suyadi, Gao, J., Lundquist, C. J., & Schwendenmann, L. (2020). Aboveground Carbon Stocks in Rapidly Expanding Mangroves in New Zealand: Regional Assessment and Economic Valuation of Blue Carbon. Estuaries and Coasts. 10.1007/s12237-020-00736-xHamilton, D.J., Bulmer, R.H., Schwendenmann, L. , & Lundquist, C. J. (2020). Nitrogen enrichment increases greenhouse gas emissions from emerged intertidal sandflats. Scientific Reports 10, 6686 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-62215-4
3. Campbell, K.A., Nicholson, K., Lynne, B.Y., Browne, P.R.L., 2020. 3D anatomy of a 60-year-old hot spring deposit at Hipaua-Waihi-Tokaanu geothermal field, Taupo Volcanic Zone, New Zealand. Sedimentary Geology.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sedgeo.2020.105652
4. Ruff, S.W., Campbell, K.A., Van Kranendonk, M.J., Rice, M.S., Farmer, J.D., 2020. The case for ancient hot springs in Gusev crater, Mars. Astrobiology 20, 475-499.
5. Teece, B.L., George, S.C., DJOKIC, T., Campbell, K.A., Ruff, S.W., Van Kranendonk, M.J., 2020. Biomolecules from fossilized hot-spring sinters: implications for the search for life on Mars. Astrobiology 20, 537-551.
6. Opit, S., Kearns, R. and Witten, K (2020) Housing Preferences of Young Adults in light of Urban Intensification: Evidence from Auckland, New Zealand Housing Studies 35(1) 123-142.

---

Copy deadline for next edition of P-cubed: Friday 8th May to Farnaz: f.sheikh@auckland.ac.nz

HeadSup

Kia ora koutou

Happy Easter, I hope the existential bunny made it to your house. Certainly chocolate and baking seem to be must-have items to stave of third-week-itis. I consumed an entire afghan slice in the space of a day before realizing my bubble is too small for baking. And I’m over Netflix, but the dogs have never been so well-walked. We are getting there though, the curve is flattening. We just have to stay the distance.

I’d like to give a big shout-out to everyone for keeping our teaching and learning going strong. I don’t think a mid-semester break has ever been so welcome. Please take time to relax and blob about a bit.

I know many of us are preparing material for the next 7 weeks of teaching. Please limit the tasks expected of students and make them simple and easy to navigate. Remote tasks take a lot longer to complete than we think. Some students are starting to suffer under the weight of multiple activities. Everyone is stressed so let’s keep the expected workloads down.

If you are a research student or supervisor and have yet to do so, please make a flexible plan to prioritise different activities according to Alert Level. I hope to have more information on access protocols in the next week.

All the best for weeks three and four.

Ngā mihi
JR

---

Whakawhanaungatanga – communities

IT Committee

The IT-Committee has compiled a number of common IT-related issues and possible solutions.  Please check the P-Cubed IT web-page.

https://p-cubed.blogs.auckland.ac.nz/env-it-committe

Meetings, seminars and events

Kāinga Wahine is going online!

Postgrads, and all School of Environment staff who identify as women – welcome to our shared space. As we discussed at our first catch up of the year, we’re hoping to meet monthly to bring us all together, recognise and know the diversity of our women in the School.

Please update your calendars with the dates for the rest of the semester (note we vary the times to try to accommodate different schedules:

14^th May 12-1pm

11^th June 1-2pm

Please also share the invite with your own School of Environment colleagues who may have been missed off of this list. ​

Join us in this zoom room: https://auckland.zoom.us/j/8913664680

In the absence of a shared plate, feel free to bring a recipe!

Looking forward to seeing you soon,

Emma

(on behalf of the School of Environment Equity Committee)

The Geography Auckland (NZGS Auckland) newsletter

Kia ora, Greetings everyone,

Here is the April newsletter from lockdown Auckland.  We do hope everyone is finding WFH a new challenge and possibly with some element of novelty.  You will notice a number of cancellations, but a schedule of Dialogues, some of which we hope will happen.

In the meantime here is something from a quotation I saw recently:  “Sun is not cancelled. Relationships are not cancelled.  Love is not cancelled.  Imagination is not cancelled.  Music is not cancelled.  Kindness is not cancelled.  Hope is not cancelled.”

Kia kaha! Noho ora mai. / Say strong, stay well and look after yourself

Please click here to read the newsletter.

Volcanology, Geochemistry & Petrology Research Group

The volcanology, geochemistry, & petrology research group (VGP) meets during the semester. Our next meeting will be on 28 April 2020 at 9 am on Zoom. Phil would like to tell us about some of his recent research! As always, everyone is welcome to attend our meetings. Please contact me (Sophia Tsang: s.tsang@auckland.ac.nz) for the link if you don’t have a calendar invite.  If you would like to be added to this list, please email me (s.tsang@auckland.ac.nz). Additionally, if you have any updates (including new students or projects) you would like to see on the website or would like to contribute a blog post, please email David (dfar197@aucklanduni.ac.nz). For more information, please see our website: vgp.blogs.auckland.ac.nz See you soon!

Quiz

The School of Environment student clubs are putting on a quiz throughout the lock down for all students within the faculty.

This quiz acts like the “What Am I?” sections in pub quizzes where each round a clue is given to hint at what the object, place, historic event, technique or person is. This quiz is for all School of Environment students hence will cover Geology, Engineering geology, Geophysics, Geochemistry, Geomorphology, Coastal, Climate, Environment, Human geography, Physical geography, and many more sub categories. 

Every “round” will start every 4 days with one clue each day and the What Am I being revealed at approx. 8pm on the 4th day and beginning the new round. We are currently in the 3rd round and is planned to go till the end of semester 1 lectures (approx. 12th June at this point) but the end date will be announced closer to the end of semester.

This is a cool way of getting undergrads and postgrads out of the lock down blues and promotes thinking about the other disciplines in a fun interactive way. If any staff member would like to notify their class of this they are welcome too. There is a facebook page where all the questions are posted and more information is available (https://www.facebook.com/groups/543925486258412/).

Although this is specifically for students (tailored particularly towards undergraduates), if any staff member would like to get involved and possibly come up with a few questions please email Gina Swanney (gswa730@aucklanduni.ac.nz) for more information. 

---

Ako – Teaching and Learning

Enjoy the break!

---

Rangahau – Research

Help with digital research tools, skills and platforms

The Centre for eResearch (CeR) team is working remotely to provide services that support researchers, including postgraduate/doctoral researchers. These services are described and can be requested in the ResearchHub –research-hub.auckland.ac.nz

Workshops and drop-in sessions are also being offered to help researchers continue their work at home: 

Enabling research at home – daily drop-in, 1-1:30pm – https://auckland.zoom.us/j/601455135
Introduction to CeR’s research data, compute and digital research skills services to support working at home (15mins), followed by group or individual question and answer with the CeR team.

Managing Research Data – weekly 1-hour workshops 
Part 1: Introduction to planning, organising and storing your research data. 
Part 2: Sharing, publishing and archiving your research data.
We will focus on best practices and University services.
Details – https://research-hub.auckland.ac.nz/#/content/44
Booking link – https://www.library.auckland.ac.nz/workshops/?p=view_workshop&id=2360&from-ref=hub

Data analysis at home – 1-hour workshop and practical session.
Ideal for those considering or starting to use Nectar Research Cloud for data analysis, this session will provide practical instruction on getting an allocation and setting up a Windows virtual machine.
Details – https://research-hub.auckland.ac.nz/#/content/70
Booking link – https://www.eventbrite.com/e/research-analysis-at-home-tickets-102118982626

Hacky Hour –Tuesday & Thursday, 3-4pm – https://auckland.zoom.ac.nz/hackyhour 
Ask questions, offer solutions, share lockdown tips and chat to your peers.
Aimed at doctoral candidates but all University researchers are very welcome. 
Message the Hacky Hour slack channel, sign-up https://uoa-eresearch.github.io/HackyHour/ using your University email.

Please contact researchdata@auckland.ac.nz if you have any suggestions or questions about these or potential sessions.

Coastal Group and Marine Geosciences Webinar

The next Coastal Group and Marine Geosciences Group meetings will be a joint webinar on Wednesday April 22nd at 12:00 to 1:00 pm

Short talks include:

1. Glacial-age coastal processes still influence our modern coast and its response to climate change (Dr Marta Ribó)

2. Seismic spectral signatures of individual wave impacts on coastal cliffs (Catriona Thompson)

All welcome to attend – please email Emma Ryan at e.ryan@auckland.ac.nz for the Zoom link if you don’t have a calendar invite already.

Thank you,

Emma

Research and Funding Opportunities

NSC – Sustainable Seas Innovation Fund

The Sustainable Seas Innovation Fund is open for applications for research projects that will contribute directly to building a ‘blue economy’ in Aotearoa. The maximum project value is $250,000.  Detailed information and criteria are specified in the request for proposals (RFP) document. EoIs must be submitted via this online form by 18 May 2020. 

MPI- Sustainable Land Management and Climate Change (SLMACC)

 

The purpose of these awards is to help the agriculture and forestry sectors with challenges arising from climate change.

 

1. SLMACC Adaption – Focuses on social impacts, policy research and the science around adaptation to climate change, with the aim to improve resilience to a changing climates; and help farmers move towards a low carbon future

Value:  $100,000 – $400,000 (1-2 years)

 

2. SLMACC Extension – Focuses on communicating research findings to farmers, growers and other primary industry professionals, with the aim to directly influence engagement, encourage implementation and create lasting changes in behaviour.

Value: up to $300,000 (up to 1 year)

 

Internal deadline for both awards is Tuesday 21 April.  Applications must be submitted by the Funds Advisory Team, please contact your RPC to register your interest

Further guidelines and resources:  Funders website

New publications

1. Blue, B. and M. Tadaki (2020), ‘Getting the measure of nature: the inconspicuous geopolitics of environmental measurement’, in S. O’Lear (ed), A Research Agenda for Environmental Geopolitics, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar. https://doi-org.ezproxy.auckland.ac.nz/10.4337/9781788971249.00008 Please email Brendon if you would like a copy of the chapter.
2. Brook MS, Hebblewhite B, Mitra R. (2020). Coal mine roof rating (CMRR), rock mass rating (RMR) and strata control: Carborough Downs Mine, Bowen Basin, Australia. International Journal of Mining Science and Technology 30: 225–234. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095268619304070

---

Copy deadline for next edition of P-cubed: Friday 24th April to Farnaz: f.sheikh@auckland.ac.nz

HeadSup

Kia ora koutou

This is an extraordinary year. Today we commemorate the people who lost their lives to hatred in the Christchurch terrorist attack last year. We will share food crafted by our hands and stand together in remembrance and determination to eschew white supremacist ideology and other forms of bigotry and hatred. This University values diversity and is committed to creating a safe and inclusive environment for all. This will be the last communal food sharing activity in ENV until further notice.

COVID-19 presents a real threat to our ability to maintain a safe environment and care for people if they get sick. We must flatten the curve and keep it flat or our health system will not be able to cope with those needing care – and people will need care. COVID-19 is coming at us at the same time as our usual flu season – a time when our hospitals are at full stretch. We must contain and stop the spread of COVID-19. We are in for a long period of disruption and it will have serious implications at an individual and collective level. You will be aware that the Vice-Chancellor has cancelled international travel for all UOA activities and has requested all UOA staff and PG research students to return home. We can anticipate further restrictions on activities as COVID-19 unfolds.

As a School we must act collectively to limit the impact of COVID-19 on our people and our communities. Social distancing is important and will become more so in the coming days and weeks, a point flagged by John Hosking, Dean of Science, in his email to staff this morning. We do not know how the management of social distancing will role out. Decisions at UOA Senior Leadership may come fast and we must be ready to limit the impact on our UG and PG students.

May I please ask all staff and students to:

• Stay home if you are sick or suspect you are sick and contact Healthline if appropriate.
• Increase social distancing:
  • All meetings that can be held by zoom/skype should be held by zoom/skype (CBDBZ: could be done by zoom). This includes small group meetings, committee meetings, supervision meetings.
  • Maintain physical space (1-2 m), and do not handshake, hug, hongi. Practice your East Coast waves.
  • Stop holding ENV communal food/drinks events until further notice
  • Move to webinar /zoom options where possible.
• Create connection to maintain our communities (if you are an ENV PG student here’s a link to a new ENV PG community facebook page)
• All supervisors and PGR students: make your plans now for management of your research over the next 3-6 months.
• Prepare for remote teaching of ALL S1 courses (and think ahead to S2).
  • Students are the core business of the University. We must prioritise maintenance of delivery of high quality courses.
  • Work together in teaching teams to ensure you have a quality plan ready to go if we are instructed to teach remotely. This could happen fast – prepare now.
  • Cancelling courses is not an option – if you cannot figure out how to make it work get in touch with me.

We are all in this together: be sure to let me know early if I have missed something, if you recognize an issue that needs to be resolved or if you need help. And, importantly, please be kind to each other.

Ngā mihi
JR

---

Whakawhanaungatanga – communities

Dear All,

The Rangahau Committee will host a Forum on “Research in the Pacific” on Tuesday 31 March from 12:00 – 13:00pm in Fale Pasifika, followed by lunch (13:00 – 14:00). All staff are welcome to join. Research active staff are expected to attend. Please RSVP here for catering purpose by Monday 23 March. Please advise Samantha (Samantha.huang@auckland.ac.nz) if you are an apology. We have a great list of speakers:

• Ward Friesen, School of Environment, “Human Geography research centred on the Pacific”
• Murray Ford, School of Environment, “Physical Geography and Earth Science research centred on the Pacific”
• Melani Anae, Director Research, Centre for Pacific Studies, Faculty of Arts.  Melani will discuss her research interests and the role of research in the Centre for Pacific Studies
• Jeff Nikoia, Director Strategic Growth, UniServices. Jeff will outline some of the activities UniServices is involved with in the Pacific
• Brenda Star, Trustee, Pacific Development and Conservation Trust.   Brenda will outline the work of the Trust to support development and conservation in the Pacific

We look forward to seeing you at the Forum,

The Rangahau Committee

PhD enrolment extensions

Would supervisors please bear in mind that PhD students don’t need an enrolment extension until they have completed four years of FTE enrolment. We are getting a few unnecessary formal requests coming through (DOC-6 forms). In some cases it may be that there is confusion with scholarship extensions, but these are a separate matter (dealt with by the Scholarships Office).

Thanks, Anthony

(PhD Advisor)

Calling for volunteers for a fun day doing volcano and earthquake experiments with children!

Event: MOTAT Science STEM Fair

Where: MOTAT, Museum of Transport and Technology, Great North Road

Date: Sunday 5 April 2020 (as of 13 March it’s still on…)

Time: We need help between 9 am and 5 pm, for the whole time or an hour or two or anything in between

Who: Join the DEVORA (Determining Volcanic Risk in Auckland) and QuakeCORE outreach groups. No experience needed, just enthusiasm and joy: You’re helping children be excited about science!

https://www.motat.org.nz/experience/events/science-stem-fair/

Please contact Kate katelk@auckland.ac.nz or Michaela mdob102@aucklanduni.ac.nz

The Geography Auckland (NZGS Auckland) newsletter

The Auckland branch of NZGS promotes the activities of geographers and the development of the discipline in the Auckland region. It has proven an effective platform for hosting and sponsoring public seminars and workshops, and talks by prominent local and international geographers; running competitions for schools; providing opportunities for young geographers to attend conferences; and for bringing geographers together to discuss issues of public and disciplinary concern.

What’s on?
2020 GEONIGHT (International Night of Geography)
Wednesday 1st April 2020
Geography Auckland is joining the World International Night of Geography
Science Centre
University of Auckland
Building 302 Room 140
4.00pm – Start
___________________________
Celebrate Geography,
Get excited
Karen Fisher (k.fisher@auckland.ac.nz)
June.logie@me.com (secretary)

Click here to read more.

Meetings, seminars and events

School of Environment Careers Expo 2020

7th April 12.00-2.00 pm, Room 302-140

School of Environment Shared Fundraising Morning Tea for the Victims of the Christchurch Terrorist Attack

If you missed the morning tea yesterday, it is still not too late to donate. Please contact Mel Wall (m.wall@auckland.ac.nz). Thanks

All proceeds to Our People, Our City Fund which supports the families and Muslim communities impacted by the white supremacist terrorist attack on March 15, 2019 (https://christchurchfoundation.org.nz/giving/our-people-our-city-fund/donate)

Earth Sciences Bickie briefing

Earth Sciences Bickie briefing is every Thursday morning at 10.30am in the Level 6 break out space. It’s a chance to share announcements, get updates on academic and research events and deadlines, and share highlights from the past week. All postgrads and staff welcome.

Volcanology, Geochemistry, & Petrology Research Group

The volcanology, geochemistry, & petrology research group (VGP) meets during the semester. Our next meeting will be on 17 March 2020 at 9 am in 303-G16. Nathan Collins will be giving a talk about his work entitled “Geochemical insights into shallow magmatic processes and transitioning eruption styles, Ambae, Vanuatu”! As always, everyone is welcome to attend our meetings. After this meeting, for the foreseeable future, we will be moving to holding VGP meetings as Zoom meetings. This includes next week’s meeting in which David Farsky will be practicing his proposal talk titled “Source, loss, and content of the deep magmatic volatiles (CO2, He) of the Taupo Volcanic Zone, New Zealand.” After setting up the Zoom meetings, I will send out details on how to join to everyone invited to the calendar invite. If you would like to be added to this list, please email me (s.tsang@auckland.ac.nz). Thank you for being flexible on this front. Additionally, if you have any updates (including new students or projects) you would like to see on the website or would like to contribute a blog post, please email David (dfar197@aucklanduni.ac.nz). For more information, please see our website: vgp.blogs.auckland.ac.nz See you soon!

---

Ako – Teaching and Learning

Three members of the Waterways team at Auckland Council will make a special presentation on stream management issues in the Auckland region in the GEOG 331 class on Friday 20th March, from 10am-12noon. Any staff/student is welcome to attend this special session. It is in the Clock Tower, G10.

The following week, Ed Baynes, a Post Doc in Engineering, will make a one hour presentation from 10-11 in the same room, outlining his field and experimental work on sediment pulses in river systems. Same room – again, anyone welcome to attend (Friday 27th March, 10-11 am, Clock Tower, G10).

And finally, there will be a rivers symposium at UoA on Tuesday April 28th, from 1-5pm. B303, room G16. See the flyer below.

Get it Write – Academic Article Writing Workshop

Hosted by FMHS (open to all Faculties) and geared towards postgraduate students and early career academics:

---

Rangahau – Research

Meetings, seminars and events

Master Research Seminars

25 and/or 26 May 2020.
Mini-seminars by masters thesis students who are completing mid-year. All are invited. Supervisors should be there to support their students. Detailed programme still to be arranged.
Phil Shane
(Masters advisor)

Title: Flux, Origin and Pathway of Greenhouse Gas Emission from the Taupo Volcanic Zone
Presented by Tsung-Han Jimmy Yang

Date: Monday, 16 March
Time: 12 noon
Venue: 302-551

Title: Automating seismic data analysis and interpretation- CANCELLED due to COVID-19 concerns

(Please remove this seminar from your calendar)

Presented by Sergey Fomel, University of Texas, Austin, Texas, USA

Date: Monday, 30 March
Time: 12 PM
Venue: 303 – G16

Title: Dispersion and Morphodynamics in Estuarine and Nearshore Waters
Presented by Gaoyang Li (PhD Proposal)

Date: Wednesday, 18 March
Time: 2pm
Venue: 302-551

Research and Funding Opportunities

Sustainable Seas Ko ngā moana whakauka National Science Challenge

Innovation Fund

The purpose of the $2M Innovation Fund is to fund two-year research projects that will contribute directly to building a ‘blue economy’ in Aotearoa. The expected value of projects is from $50K to $250K max. There is a two stage application process with Expression of Interests to be completed via the EoI online submission form – by 12 noon, Monday 18 May 2020.  The Request for proposals (RFP) document contains further details including the application and assessment process, timeline, project values, scope, and criteria. Please let Kelly or Kathryn know if you are going to apply so we can assist with the indicative budget and faculty approvals prior to EOI submission.

Research funding

The Faculty is calling for applications for two internal funds by Monday 30 March:

• The Nearmiss Fund provides funding ($10K max.) for up to 6 PIs who successfully progressed to the second stage of a major funding round, but missed out at the final stage.
• The PhD publications Fund is a strategic initiative being trialled through FRDF funding. This funding ($4K max.) is to support 5-8 students as  research assistants to write up thesis results for publications (One application per PI).

Details and application form will be online here soon (or email Kelly or Kathryn and we will send you the guidelines and application form).

Please email your completed applications to Wendy Rhodes (w.rhodes@auckland.ac.nz) by 30 March. 

Rutherford Discovery Fellowships

The Rutherford Discovery Fellowships (RDF) supports the development of future research leaders, and assist with the retention of New Zealand’s talented early to mid-career researchers.

Eligibility: Applicants must be a NZ citizen or hold a NZ resident visa and continuously resided in NZ for at least three (3) months prior to application; and have had their PhD conferred between 1 January 2012 and 31 December 2017.

Value:  Ten (10) Fellowships, up to $160,000 p.a. each for five (5) years in length will be awarded in 2020.

The Fellowships consist of:

− $70,000 per year contribution towards researcher’s salary

− $60,000 per year contribution towards research related expenses

− $30,000 per year host contribution to support Fellow’s research programme.

 Deadline: 9 am, Monday 6 April 2020

 Further details: See the Rutherford Discovery Fellowships website

If you are interested in applying, please have a chat to JR.  More information can be obtained from your RPC (Kathryn Howard or Kelly Kilpin).

Fulbright New Zealand – Fulbright Specialist Awards

Fulbright Specialist Awards are for New Zealand institutions to host US academics, artists or professionals for lectures, seminars, workshops, conferences or symposiums. Up to five awards are granted each year, towards two to six-week programmes of activities.

 Eligibility:  The period of award is 2-6 weeks (the exchange must start at least 6 weeks after the Fulbright closing date and within 12 months of application

 Value: The awards are valued at up to US $11,700 and cover the Specialist’s flights between the US and NZ, and a daily honorarium. Up to six awards will be made.  The host needs to provide accommodation, meals and transport within NZ. No money is awarded to the host institution

 Internal Deadline:  Monday 23 March 2020

 Further details:  See the funders website

Teaching & Learning Research Initiative – Expression of Interest

 In 2020 there are two pathways to funding:

1.       Open pathway: open to proposals from all contexts and settings that meet the criteria

2.       Whatua tū aka: for projects that meet the criteria for a kaupapa Māori project

 Eligibility:  To be eligible for the fund, proposals need to come from partnerships involving teachers and researchers.   In the context of the TLRI, teachers are defined as education and training practitioners. The category of education and training practitioners may include, but is not limited to: teachers in kindergartens, early childhood centres, kōhanga reo and Pasifika language nests; teachers in kura, primary, intermediate, and secondary schools; and lecturers, tutors, and trainers working in post-school settings such as universities, wānanga, polytechnics, private training establishments (PTEs), industry training organisations (ITOs) and workplace settings

 Value:  Funding provided for Projects for 1, 2, or 3 years duration with a maximum of $150,000 per year appropriate for scale and scope of proposed project.

There is a maximum of $450,000 across the life of the project

 Internal Deadline:  Thursday 23 April 2020

 Further details:  See the funders website

New publications

1. Schuurman, N., Martin, M. E., Crooks, V. A., & Randall, E. (2020). Where to enhance rural palliative care? Developing a spatial model to identify suitable communities most in need of service enhancement. BMC Health Services Research, 20(1), 168. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-020-5024-y
2. Martin, M. E., & Schuurman, N. (2020). Social Media Big Data Acquisition and Analysis for Qualitative GIScience: Challenges and Opportunities. Annals of the American Association of Geographers, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/24694452.2019.1696664 

---

Classifieds

Job opening – Stallard Scientific Editing

Stallard Scientific Editing is seeking part-time (freelance) and full-time scientific editors, working from home, in the following specialist fields: seismology, tectonics, structural geology, regional geology, economic geology, igneous and metamorphic geology, atmospheric science, meteorology, and climatology.

The work involves editing scientific manuscripts (written by non-native speakers) for consistency, correct grammar, correct use of English, and readability, without altering the scientific content or changing the author’s meaning.

It has been clarified that recent graduates or even PhD candidates submitted but awaiting defence are welcome to apply. To apply, please contact Aaron Stallard at office@stallardediting.com.

Read more here.

Graduate Programme 21: awesome opportunity

Parks services unit, Auckland Council. See this link.

---

Copy deadline for next edition of P-cubed: Friday 27th March, 1pm to Farnaz: f.sheikh@auckland.ac.nz

HeadSup

Kia ora koutou

Welcome to Semester 1! Once again the corridors and access ways are buzzing with new and returning students. Please keep an eye out for the lost ones and take time to help them out.

It’s a challenging start to the year with COVID-19 hitting home (see staff guide here). The Faculty has been working hard to ensure students caught up in the travel ban can participate in courses remotely. This requires a high commitment from all teaching teams – thank you to all who are making remote learning possible. Planning forward, I think it would be useful for all Semester 1 teaching teams to consider how courses could be transferred to remote learning if necessary. Likewise, it would be sensible for all PG research students and staff to start thinking about a ‘working from home’ plan on the off-chance we shut the doors. I’ll be looking into this over the next few days and will provide more guidance once I’ve got my head around the UOA pandemic plan.

If you have international travel planned or are about to embark on RSL, you may be rethinking itineraries. Please pay careful attention to the insurance info and the MFAT Safe Travel site. The School picks up the tab for any travel cancellations – in practice this means you need to be able to cover the costs via slush funds/research accounts or if this is not possible you will need to have a conversation with me noting that 2020 is a tight year. For those on RSL, the Faculty appreciates that you may need to make major changes to your itineraries. This will require some paperwork but there shouldn’t be any issues. As best I understand the situation, you still need to be overseas for 6 weeks to get the GIA.

Thanks to all who participated in the ENV Kaupapa 2020 event. The RSL reports were fantastic! I’m working my way through the questions and comments and will bring them back to the School in the next edition of p-cubed. The Kaupapa for 2020 is impact and excellence and we are kicking off three projects: Pacific Engagement (Sonia), Work and Wellbeing (David), and Knowledge Mobilisation (Marie).

And, to finish on a high note, I am delighted to advise that Mel Wall received the 2019 Dean’s Award for Teaching (Sustained Excellence). Well done Mel, thoroughly well deserved!

Ngā mihi

JR

---

Whakawhanaungatanga – communities

School of Environment upcoming events for your diary (courtesy of the Student Experience Committee)

• Thursday 5th March 12-2 pm Welcome to ENV bbq for stage 1 and 2 students (outside building 301)
• Thursday 12th March 12-2 pm Welcome to ENV bbq for stage 3 and PG students (outside building 301)
• Thursday 2nd April 12-2 pm Sports event 1 Volleyball (+bbq)
• Tuesday April 7th Careers expo (time and room to be confirmed)
• Wednesday 13th May 6 pm Quiz night
• Thursday 21st May 4-5 pm Sports event 2 NavEvent (orienteering)
• Monday 13th July Matariki celebration
• Wednesday 19th August 12-2 pm Sports event 3 Nostalgia games (+bbq)
• Friday 25th September Entries due for ENV Film Competition
• Wednesday 30th September 4-6 pm Sports event 4 Soccer (+bbq)
• Saturday 3rd October 3 ENV Ball
• October 5th-9th October Mental Health Awareness week

Code of Conduct

The code of conduct for the university and associated guidelines are now on the web. The purpose of this Code is to develop and maintain a standard of behaviour that supports and enables the University’s commitment to being a safe, inclusive, equitable and respectful community. The Code of Conduct applies to all members of the University community – staff and students. Please feel free to post the code in offices and on CANVAS.

Spending ENV $$ and Cost Codes

If you are claiming expenses or arranging POs you need to use the correct cost codes. There are codes for ‘cost centres’: ENV is 4140; RDA is 8774; HOD is 8674; RE is 4200. Full list here. If you are claiming anything against the ENV cost centre, you must use the correct Project and Product codes.

Academics please note, the only $$ you can spend without prior approval are your Professional Development funds, if you are eligible. Use Project # 15408 and your personal product code.

For other expenditure and codes, contact:

• Rangahau: research support (opportunities); PBRF; Hay, Bartrum, Cumberland lecture support (Giovanni)
• Ako Innovation: teaching grants, new initiatives (Mel)
• Ako: Academic programmes, courses, field trips, GTA/TA support, driving assessments (David)
• Ako: Curriculum development (Robin)
• Whakawhanaungatanga: Student experience (Joe); Outreach (JR); Equity (Sonia); General (Karen)
• IT: software, hardware (Ingo)
• Technical support, repairs, maintenance (Blair)

Technical Support for Semester 1

Please send your technical support requirements for semester one to Blair.
Email dates that you require technician support, how many technicians you need and what they are needed for.
This includes both teaching and research support.

Notice:

Microscopy Lab – Te Taiwhanga Ngsaruiti is now open in 302-489. The lab has two new True Chrome Tucsen cameras to increase the capacity of the micro-imaging suit, general purpose microscopes (for micro-palaeontology, picking/viewing samples, microphotography) and additional petrographic microscopes.

 

First aid training

The School is looking to run a few first aid training sessions for staff and students.

For staff the cost of this will be covered by the School; students will be charged against their account. Dates are TBA once we have numbers confirmed.

Full (comprehensive) courses take 2 full days. Revalidation takes 1 day.

Please send Blair an email if you are interested in attending.  

Vice-Chancellor’s Excellence Awards

Nominations for the Vice-Chancellor’s Excellence Awards opened on February 1st and below is information regarding the categories, how to apply and links to further information.

The key difference for nominations this year is that all nominations are to be initiated using the online nomination form. Once completed, a copy must be sent to Faculty Office for initial assessment. Please send your completed nomination form to Margot Spraggon by no later than 6^th March.

Vice-Chancellor’s Excellence Awards

There are three main categories:

1. Professional Staff (containing 5 awards),
2. Health, Safety & Wellbeing
3. Environmental Sustainability.

Professional staff may be nominated for all categories while academic staff and students may be nominated for the Health, Safety & Wellbeing and Environmental Sustainability categories.

These awards recognise and reward excellence in a wide variety of activities that contribute to the University’s teaching, research and community service endeavours.  These awards complement the existing Research Excellence Awards and Teaching Excellence Awards.

Nominations are assessed firstly by the faculty/service division leadership team with final nominations signed off by the Dean/Director.  Each faculty/service division will set their own deadline for the submission of nominations for the initial review, before the final nominations are sent through to POD by the faculty/service division leadership teams for consideration.

Important Information

• Nominations without endorsement from Dean/Director will not be deemed as valid and will not be presented to the selection committee.
• The maximum individual/team amount to be awarded per category will be $2000.
• The awards will be presented by the Vice-Chancellor at a function held for the occasion on Tuesday 12 May.

Further information about these awards can be found on the staff intranet

Meetings, seminars and events

The IT Committee has met on Tue., 25 Feb

A few notes:

• Computers in teaching laboratories: Please be prepared for potential teething problems in the first week of the semester.  The recent switch to Windows 10 may cause some older computers to slow down.  Please also inform your TAs.  Please let me know if you are having any serious problems – I’ll pass this on. 
• FlexIT: IT encourages us to use FlexIT for teaching labs. and more generally. Essentially, FlexIT provides a virtual desktop with the software from the lab. images (and more) installed.  Please check the following information: https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/my-tools/flex-it.html
• Databases:  Several people are considering mirroring national or international databases (e.g., in my case, NZP&M’s petroleum exploration data).  Please let me know if you are having similar thoughts.  This effort could be hugely beneficial for research and teaching and would best be coordinated. Ingo (i.pecher@auckland.ac.nz)

School of Environment Shared morning tea

Monday 16th March, 10.30- 11.30am, 302-6th floor

If possible, please bring a plate of food to share which reminds you of home.

Also, if you are able and willing, can you please bring cash for a donation. All proceeds to Our People, Our City Fund (administered by the Registered Charity The Christchurch Foundation). The fund supports the families and Muslim communities impacted by the white supremacist terrorist attack on March 15, 2019 (https://christchurchfoundation.org.nz/giving/our-people-our-city-fund/donate)

Any questions, please contact Mel Wall (m.wall@auckland.ac.nz)

Can You Feel It? On the Complex Role of Emotions and Affects in Policy Making

Seminar: Professor Michael Orsini
Institute of Feminist and Gender Studies | School of Political Studies (University of Ottawa)
Friday 6 March — 12.30-2.30pm
Pat Hanan Room (207-501)
This presentation focuses on some of the contentious policy narratives that circulate around fatness and ‘obesity’, and explores how these are structured by intersections of race, class, disability, and gender. Drawing on interviews with researchers, policy makers and people living with ‘obesity’ or who self-identify as fat, I am interested in how different orderings of emotions – or “feeling rules” — help us to think about the ways in which emotions and affects are discursively managed in complex (and emotionally charged) policy environments. Moving beyond conventional approaches to policy analysis that privilege rationalist forms of inquiry, I ask how processes of meaning-making are influenced by the ways in which certain emotions are deployed in contexts where the policy interventions themselves involve stigmatized populations about whom particular emotions might be attached.
Read more

Staff training to work with Māori and Pacific peoples

Enabling cultural capability: building confidence, awareness and understanding for those working with Māori and Pacific peoples

This project will build the cultural capacity of the School of Environment staff to understand and work with Māori and Pacific knowledges and peoples.  Policies within the University and external organisations require staff to acknowledge the unique cultural attributes of Māori and Pacific peoples in Aotearoa New Zealand; however, staff often feel they lack the ability to do so. This project will provide staff with opportunities to redress this. In a series of meetings and workshops (facilitated by external cultural experts) throughout 2020, staff will be supported to transform their teaching and/or research practices.

This project will be relevant to those staff who are working with Māori and Pacific students, applying for external grants within Aotearoa New Zealand, engaged in fieldwork that is of relevance to Māori and Pacific communities, and those considering promotion/continuation, among others.

This project is funded by a University of Auckland Learning Enhancement Grant. Anyone who is keen to participate in this staff training is warmly welcome to. Please email Sonia (s.fonua@auckland.ac.nz) to indicate your interest. 

Kāinga Wāhine shared lunch

The School of Environment Equity Committee invites all ENV postgraduate students and staff who identify as women to join us for the first Kāinga Wāhine shared lunch of the year, on 12^th March 1-2pm in the Ontology Lab, Rm 302.551. No RSVP required – please bring a plate to share! 

 We will circulate future dates in advance – look out for posters around the School, and a calendar invite. Contact Emma Sharp with any queries. 

This first meeting also marks the week of International Women’s Day (8th March). The Faculty of Science Women in Science network is putting on an International Women’s Day morning tea on Monday March 9th, 10:30-11:30, in the 6th floor common area of building 302, to celebrate the occasion. 

Earth Sciences Bickie briefing

Earth Sciences Bickie briefing is every Thursday morning at 10.30am in the Level 6 break out space. It’s a chance to share announcements, get updates on academic and research events and deadlines, and share highlights from the past week. All postgrads and staff welcome.

Volcanology, Geochemistry, & Petrology Research Group

The volcanology, geochemistry, & petrology research group (VGP) meets during the semester. Our meetings for the first semester of 2020 will be on 10 March 2020 at 9 am in 303-G16. We will be conducting practice talks for the upcoming Chapman Conference on distributed volcanism! As always, everyone is welcome to attend our meetings. If you have any updates (including new students or projects) you would like to see on the website or would like to contribute a blog post, please email him (dfar197@aucklanduni.ac.nz). For more information, please see our website: vgp.blogs.auckland.ac.nz See you soon!

---

Ako – Teaching and Learning

ENV AKO

The School’s online Academic Guide has been around since 2016. This is primarily a resource for academic staff and especially course coordinators. It can be accessed from P-Cubed through the How to do stuff menu (at the top) and has been referred to frequently in recent posts.

ENV AKO will be its Canvas-based successor. Semester 1 Course Coordinators have already been receiving announcements via this Canvas ‘course’, and all remaining teaching staff will soon be receiving invitations to join. Please note:

• The ENV Academic Guide is still available – either directly or as a plug-in through ENV AKO.
• ENV AKO is under development and functions will be rolled-out over the next few months.

 If you do not receive an invitation (from Canvas) please contact our Group Services Administrator, Alex.

Assessment for Covid-19 travel-ban students

AKO Innovation Committee will run an informal round-table conversation (with lunch) on Tuesday 3 March from 12pm in 302.551 (Ontology Lab). This is primarily for staff teaching Semester 1 courses with students ‘attending’ at a distance (from China). Please advise Mel Wall if you would like to attend.

Software for Covid-19 travel-ban students

The University has updated its list of software that can be used by China-based students. This may be found on the Coronavirus outbreak page – which is worth keeping a check on.

---

Rangahau – Research

Funding model  for postgraduate students

Starting this year we have modified the funding model from the School for postgraduate students so please make sure your students are aware (they will also hear about this during orientations over the next two weeks) and that you have discussed this when filling out the PD3B forms.
• PGDipSci: School of Environment will cover printing expenses (up to $150).
• Honours will stay the same ($350).
• MSc: The allocation needs to be reduced from $2000 to $1000 (with $150 for thesis binding)
• MEG/MENV (90pt research component): $750 (with $150 for thesis binding)
• MENV (30pt): same as Honours ($350).

Printing costs for postgraduate students are allocated in $50 allotments, covered by the School of Environment (not part of the allotment). For allocations and top-ups see Group services administrator Alexandra Soudlenkova

Once the allocations are spent, students may apply for a top-up of their funds- please send top up requests to Chris Struthers at env-pgadmin@auckland.ac.nz. However, these requests must be justified and consistent with anticipated expenses in their PD3B forms.

News

A temporary adieu to Amy Weir, one of the Faculty’s Research Programme Coordinators supporting researchers in the School of Environment, who has been appointed to a 10 month secondment as a Research Programme Manager to support researchers in the School of Biological Sciences and Institute of Marine Science. Researchers Amy was supporting in the School, will now be supported by Ivana Mlinac or Kathryn Howard.  The researchers supported by Kelly Kilpin remains the same. 

 If you’d like to clarify who your primary research support contact is, please email Kathryn at Kathryn.Howard@auckland.ac.nz. But of course you are welcome to contact any of us with any research queries at any time – we (Kelly, Ivana and Kathryn) are ready to assist you. 

Meetings, seminars and events

Title: Regional to reservoir stress-induced seismic azimuthal anisotropy

Presented by Lisa Gavin, Woodside Energy, Perth, Australia

Date: Friday, 6 March
Time: 2 – 3 PM
Venue: 303 – G14

You can find the flyer here.

 

Title: Automating seismic data analysis and interpretation

Presented by Sergey Fomel, University of Texas, Austin, Texas, USA

Date: Monday, 30 March
Time: 12 PM
Venue: 303 – G16

You can find the flyer here 

Title: Just deserts? Charitable organisations, geography and inequality in contemporary Britain

Presented by Professor John Mohan
Date: Thursday 12th March 12noon – 1pm
Venue: Ontology Lab
You can find the flyer

Unlocking the potential of terrestrial cosmogenic nuclides on tectonically active rock coasts

Aidan McLean

Wednesday, March 4th · 10am · Ontology Lab 302-551

Title: Is the concept of coastal resilience useful for coastal communities? A pilot study for England

Presented by Prof. Ian Townend, visiting from Southampton University 
Date: Wed 11 March 2020, 3pm
Venue: Coastal Lab, building 302, 4^th floor

Vision Mātauranga Wānanga sessions:

These sessions are provided by Kaiarahi Geremy Hema from UniServices.

March Session

Date and Time: Wed, 25 March 2020 10:00AM – 12:00PM, Location: Sir Owen G Glen Building: Case Room 4 / 260-009, Auckland

To register: https://www.eventbrite.co.nz/e/uniservices-vision-matauranga-monthly-wananga-march-2020-tickets-94718803491

April Session

Date and Time: Wed, 22 April 2020 10:00AM – 12:00PM, Location: Science Centre Building 303Room 101, Symonds Street, Auckland

To register: https://www.eventbrite.co.nz/e/uniservices-vision-matauranga-monthly-wananga-april-2020-tickets-92999450861

These sessions will cover:

• What VM seeks to achieve (beyond the words of the policy, advancement and protection of Mātauranga Māori)
• Engagement best practice, and
• Iwi expectations.

These two hour sessions will include:

• A one hour presentation
• 30 minutes Q&A
• Time to meet and greet other colleagues, Uni staff, and the UniServices team

Research and Funding Opportunities

Call for Scholarship applications

Doctoral Research Scholarship: Fostering Inclusion and Equity in Disaster Risk Reduction

3-year Doctoral Scholarship
The University of Auckland

The University of Auckland is awarding a 3-year PhD Scholarship from mid-2020 – 2023 as part of Resilience to Nature’s Challenges (RNC) research programme, Kia manawaroa – Ngā Ākina o Te Ao Tūroa. The scholarship is available to students of all nationalities. The starting date is any time from mid-2020. The successful applicant will be working with JC Gaillard (The University of Auckland) and relevant co-supervisors, with a preference for being located in Auckland.

Closing Date for Applications: 31 March 2020

Read more

---

Copy deadline for next edition of P-cubed: Friday 13th March, 1pm to Farnaz: f.sheikh@auckland.ac.nz

HeadSup

Kia ora koutou

There are some great seminars and activities coming up, as listed below. In addition,  Professor Ian Bailey and Associate Professor Wolfram Dressler are visiting from Plymouth and Melbourne, respectively, next week and will present a seminar on a topic of their choice in the broad area of Environmental Management. You are all welcome to attend these lectures and engage with each presenter.

• Professor Ian Bailey: 2.30-3.30pm Wednesday 26th February, 302-G20 (case room). Bio and abstract to be distributed presently.
• Associate Professor Wolfram Dressler: 9-10am Thursday 27th February 302-G053. See here for bio and abstract.

Note that the venues may change – I will send an email out closer to the scheduled times if this occurs.

We have a good morning in store for us at ENV Kaupapa 2020 (10.30-1.30 Wednesday 26 February), including short presentations on RSL experiences from those who have just arrived back from their time away. Please arrive at the Decima Glenn Room, 260-310 OGGB ahead of time so that we can make a good start.

Have a great couple of weeks in the lead up to teaching!

Ngā mihi

JR

---

Whakawhanaungatanga – communities

Please check the latest EAP flyer here:

• Tips on starting the day and feeling motivated
• Reflecting on 2019 with positive acknowledgment and thoughts
• Saying “Yes” when you want to say “No” and vice versa
• Learn about GRIT with the new EAP App

The Geography Auckland (NZGS Auckland) newsletter

The Auckland branch of NZGS promotes the activities of geographers and the development of the discipline in the Auckland region. It has proven an effective platform for hosting and sponsoring public seminars and workshops, and talks by prominent local and international geographers; running competitions for schools; providing opportunities for young geographers to attend conferences; and for bringing geographers together to discuss issues of public and disciplinary concern. Click here to read more.

The School of Environment Māori Masters Thesis Scholarship

Current application round extended until 20 February

As no applications for this scholarship were received by the original January closing date, this round has been extended until 20 February 2020.

Recent eligible Hons and PGDip graduates have already been contacted, but if you know a student from previous years, or from elsewhere, who is eligible and may be interested to undertake Masters thesis study in the School, please contact them urgently and encourage them to apply.

This Scholarship provides up to $5,000 plus compulsory fees, and may be awarded to Māori students enrolling in full-time or part-time study in a Master of Arts or Master of Science thesis in Geography, or a Master of Science thesis in Earth Sciences, Environmental Management, Environmental Science or Geophysics. The basis of selection will be academic merit, with a minimum GPA/GPE of 4.00 or above in the applicant’s most recent qualifying programme required for consideration for the Scholarship.

The Scholarship may not be held in conjunction with a University of Auckland Research Masters Scholarship or a University of Auckland Māori Postgraduate Scholarship, automatically granted to students with a GPA of 7.5 or above, and particularly targets students who do not quite reach that threshold.

For further details see: www.auckland.ac.nz/en/study/scholarships-and-awards/find-a-scholarship/school-of-environment-maori-masters-thesis-scholarship-674-sci.html

Staff training to work with Māori and Pacific peoples

Enabling cultural capability: building confidence, awareness and understanding for those working with Māori and Pacific peoples

This project will build the cultural capacity of the School of Environment staff to understand and work with Māori and Pacific knowledges and peoples.  Policies within the University and external organisations require staff to acknowledge the unique cultural attributes of Māori and Pacific peoples in Aotearoa New Zealand; however, staff often feel they lack the ability to do so. This project will provide staff with opportunities to redress this. In a series of meetings and workshops (facilitated by external cultural experts) throughout 2020, staff will be supported to transform their teaching and/or research practices.

This project will be relevant to those staff who are working with Māori and Pacific students, applying for external grants within Aotearoa New Zealand, engaged in fieldwork that is of relevance to Māori and Pacific communities, and those considering promotion/continuation, among others.

This project is funded by a University of Auckland Learning Enhancement Grant.

School of Environment Shared morning tea

Monday 16th March, 10.30- 11.30am, 302-6th floor

Please bring a plate of food to share which reminds you of home.

Kua takoto te mānuka – The challenge has been set!

The Aotearoa Bike Challenge is in full swing and the University of Auckland is currently leading the pack in Auckland!

 Sign up now

Register with the University of Auckland team and see if your department is already involved. If not, you can create a new profile for your department. By signing up you’ll be part of the University’s team competing with other workplaces in Auckland, but also in a “just for fun” challenge between departments. If you like, you can use the website all year round to log your cycling.

 Help us rack up the points

Users get points for kilometers ridden, the number of days ridden, and the number of people encouraged. Here’s how you get encourager points: when someone signs up and logs their first ride for the Challenge a prompt pops up and asks them to identify whether someone in particular encouraged them. If they identify you as their encourager, then you get points!
1km = 1 point
1 day = 10 points
1 existing rider = 50 points
1 new rider = 100 points

 Prizes

Simply logging one ride in February puts you in the draw to win a range of goodies! Check out the prizes page to see what is on offer, along with the details of exclusive discounts for bike challenge participants. As always, we also have some special prizes for University of Auckland participants. Log one ride and you will automatically go into the draw to win one of three 3-month memberships to the new gym facility at 70 Stanley Street. Encourage a colleague to ride and you will go into the draw to win an eco-hamper. To be eligible for this, you and the person you encourage must both log a ride during February and the person must nominate you as their official encourager on the website.

Prizes will be drawn on Monday 2 March.

 E-bike testing

Last year we had strong interest in e-bike rides and we hosted several trips on Te Ara I Whiti, the Lightpath. This year, we are working with Auckland Transport and e-bike suppliers to offer some similar events. One is scheduled to be held at Auckland Domain on Wednesday 19 February, and will be ideal for staff based at Grafton and Newmarket. We are about to confirm dates for tests on Grafton Gully cycleway and a potential event for Epsom Campus. Regardless, there will be limited places for these events, so get in quick! Register your interest by filling out this form and we will be in touch in due course.

 Yammer group

The UoA Bike User Group is one of the most active groups on Yammer. Administrated by Property Services, it is a discussion forum for all things cycling. If you would like to stay in the loop, join the group here.

 For queries, contact Charlotte Blythe from the Sustainability Office.

Meetings, seminars and events

Save the date:  ENV Seminar: 25th of February 1pm-2pm, 302-140.

Join us on Tuesday the 25th of February from 1pm to 2pm to learn about the fantastic research your colleagues do. All staff members and students from the School of Environment are warmly invited to attend this second School of Environment Seminar. We will run the seminars every three months and every time we will have three presenters from different disciplines from the School of Environment.

In the upcoming ENV Seminar, we will have three presenters who are new or relatively new additions to the School.

Volcanology, Geochemistry, & Petrology Research Group

The volcanology, geochemistry, & petrology research group (VGP) meets during the semester. Our meetings for the first semester of 2020 will begin on 10 March 2020 at 9 am in 303-G16. In the meantime, we would like to introduce our new webmaster David Farsky who is taking over now that Mai Sas has submitted. If you have any updates (including new students or projects) you would like to see on the website or would like to contribute a blog post, please email him (dfar197@aucklanduni.ac.nz). Sophia is in the midst of finalising speakers for the semester; please check the next P-cube edition for an announcement. (She is also delighted to receive offers of talks from potential speakers!) As always, everyone is welcome to attend our meetings. For more information, please see our website: vgp.blogs.auckland.ac.nz See you soon!

Earth Sciences Bickie briefing

Earth Sciences Bickie briefing is every Thursday morning at 10.30am in the Level 6 break out space. It’s a chance to share announcements, get updates on academic and research events and deadlines, and share highlights from the past week. All postgrads and staff welcome.

---

Ako – Teaching and Learning

Examiners’ Meetings

Please note that dates for Examiners’ Meetings may be found here:

·         Semester 1 Examiners’ Meetings

·         Semester 2 Examiners’ Meetings – note the changes since last posting, please remove the old dates and kindly add the new ones to your calendar

Ako Innovation Committee: Teaching & Learning Fund 2020

The purpose of this fund is to promote the development of innovative teaching and learning practices within the School of Environment which promote a culture of teaching excellence. These funds will be distributed in one contestable round, with grants of up to $6000. The total pool of funds available in 2020 is $12000. Grants to individuals or groups of teaching active staff will be used to fund small-scale teaching initiatives that have an impact on teaching practice for the benefit of learners.

 All applications should be received by 21/02/2020 by noon.

 See Ako Innovation Committee Teaching & Learning Fund: Grant Guidelines and 2020 Application Form for AKO Teaching and Learning Innovation Grant.

https://www.coursebuilder.cad.auckland.ac.nz/flexicourses/4101/publish/1/14.html

 Any questions please contact Mel Wall.

---

Rangahau – Research

Respecting River Diversity

Working at the interface between river science and management, Professor Brierley recently co-authored a short 

research communication on “Respecting River Diversity” for The Australian River Restoration Centre Magazine. Details can be found at:

https://arrc.com.au/respecting-river-diversity/

Meetings, seminars and events

Title: Regional to reservoir stress-induced seismic azimuthal anisotropy

Presented by Lisa Gavin, Woodside Energy, Perth, Australia

Date: Friday, 6 March
Time: 2 – 3 PM
Venue: 303 – G14

You can find the flyer here.

Title: Automating seismic data analysis and interpretation

Presented by Sergey Fomel, University of Texas, Austin, Texas, USA

Date: Monday, 30 March
Time: 12 PM
Venue: 303 – G16

You can find the flyer here 

Research and Funding Opportunities

Catalyst:  Seeding

Catalyst: Seeding facilitates new small and medium pre-research strategic partnerships with international collaborators that cannot be supported through other means.  Funding is for research exchanges, research activities, and expenses related to hosting workshops for new strategic research partnerships with international collaborators.

Value:  A maximum of $80,000 over 2 years

Deadline: Wednesday 15 April, 5 pm

Terms and conditions, and more information can be found here.  If you are interested in applying, please let your RPC know as you will need to register on the portal.

Catalyst: Leaders

Catalyst: Leaders supports incoming and outgoing targeted international fellowships for exceptional individuals that cannot be supported through other means:

·         International Leader Fellowships: Supports exceptional individuals from any country outside New Zealand to catalyse science and innovation capability development in New Zealand for a minimum of 4 weeks per year for up to 3 years. 

Value:  Up to $50,000 per annum for 3 years

·         New Zealand – China Scientist Exchange Programme:  Supports the development of research linkages with China by enabling early or mid-career New Zealand researchers to visit Chinese research organisations for 4 weeks to collaborate in jointly agreed research fields

Value:  $3000 travel grant + daily allowance and accommodation/domestic travel in China

·         JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowships:  Supports excellent post-doctoral researchers to do research in Japan for 12-24 months.

Deadline:  Wednesday 15 April, 5pm

Terms and conditions, and more information can be found here.  If you are interested in applying, please let your RPC know as you will need to register on the portal.

Pacific Development and Conservation Trust

The purpose of the Trust is to promote sustainable development in the Pacific and New Zealand, while conserving the natural environment and cultural heritage of its people.  Projects must benefit people or communities of the Pacific countries or territories.

Value: Grants range from $2000 to $50,000 (there is no minimum or maximum, the trust has about $250,000 to give as grants each year)

Deadline: Monday 2 March 2020

Terms and conditions, and more information can be found here.

Te Tahua Taiao Ngā Taonga – Lottery Environment and Heritage grants

Lottery Environment and Heritage grants are available for projects that will help protect, conserve or care for our natural, cultural and physical heritage, or allow us to better understand and access these resources.

Value:  Small projects, where the grant requested is for less than $250,000 and large projects where the grant requested is for $250,000 or more

Deadline:  Monday 24 February, 5pm

Terms and conditions, and more information can be found here

New publications

1. Cardona, S., Wood, L.J., Dugan, B., Jobe, Z. and Strachan, L.J. (2020) Characterization of the Rapanui Mass-Transport Deposit and the Basal Shear Zone: Mount Messenger Formation, Taranaki Basin, New Zealand. Sedimentology, DOI: 10.1111/sed.12697.
2. Bull, S., Arnot, M.J., Browne G.H., Crundwell M.P., Nicol, A., Strachan, L.J. (2020) Neogene and Quaternary mass transport deposits from northern Taranaki, New Zealand: morphologies, transportation processes, and depositional controls. In: Submarine landslides: subaqueous mass transport deposits from outcrops to seismic profiles, Geophysical Monograph, 246, AGU, 171-180.
3. Cowan R. Nokes, Helen C. Bostock, Lorna J. Strachan, Mark Hadfield, Phil Barnes (2019) Sediment Dynamics of the North Canterbury Shelf, New Zealand. NZ Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research. DOI: 10.1080/00288330.2019.1699584.
4. Melissa J. Craig, Jaco H. Baas, Kathryn J. Amos, Lorna J. Strachan, Andrew J. Manning, David M. Paterson, Julie A. Hope, Scott D. Nodder, Megan L. Baker (2019) Biomediation of sediment gravity flow dynamics. Geology. DOI: 10.1130/G46837.1.

---

Classifieds

Job opening – REGIONAL COORDINATOR for Our Seas Our Future – AUCKLAND

Role type: Volunteer

Role scope: Regional Leadership

Role time requirement: 2 hours per
week

Regional Coordinator Role Description:

A challenging leadership role
designed to provide experience in building and coordinating teams, and project
management.

Purpose Statement: To lead and
coordinate environmental conservation events, projects, and volunteers on
behalf of OSOF within respective regional areas.

For a detailed role description
click here: https://bit.ly/2RVyWEj

About Our Seas Our Future:

Our Seas
Our Future is a 100% volunteer-run and non-profit marine conservation
organisation based in Aotearoa.

Mission Statement: Our Seas Our Future aims to protect New Zealand’s coastal and
marine ecosystems through advocacy, education, and environmental stewardship,
ensuring that they are managed sustainably and protected for future generations.

Contact:

If you are looking for a
challenging and rewarding leadership role, please contact Noel Jhinku at noel@osof.org
or info@osof.org with a CV and a cover letter outlining your interest.

Please also circulate this email to
others who may be interested in this opportunity. 

Website:
www.osof.org.nz

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OurSeasOurFuture/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ourseasourfuture

---

Copy deadline for next edition of P-cubed: Friday 28th February, 1pm to Farnaz: f.sheikh@auckland.ac.nz

HeadSup

Kia ora koutou!

JR is out of town for a couple of weeks but the School continues to rise from its summer repose, and this edition of P-Cubed is packed with details of seminars, events and announcements. Please read on.

In the interest of brevity I would like to direct your attention to two matters in particular:

1.       Unless you have been seriously off-grid you will be aware of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak. Please note the item in Whakawhanaungatanga below – but most importantly please read the University’s emails on this since it is a rapidly-developing situation.

2.       The second matter is more local and directed at academic staff. The new Assessment Policy may necessitate changes to your courses so please take notice.

Finally, thanks to our colleagues who have been teaching Summer School courses.

Best wishes,

David Hayward

---

Ako – Teaching and Learning

Assessment – New Policy – Course Coordinators please note

The University’s Policy for in-course assessment has been refreshed – and in particular, 9 principles have been identified. This is likely to result in a change of assessment for some courses. You can find these online but here are a some specific points to keep in mind.

Assessment design

15. The timing of assessment components, where possible, must consider student workloads, coherent learning progression, and provide sufficient opportunities to utilise feedback/feed-forward. Students must have the opportunity to complete an early appropriately-weighted or formative assessment exercise, which may vary in scope and type across discipline or class size.  Feedback/feed-forward on this exercise must be received in time to assist students in preparing for their first substantive assessment in the course.

• It doesn’t define “early” but for a regular, 12-week course we recommend a small assignment (rule of thumb – under 5%) around week 3 or 4, that is marked quickly and returned with helpful feedback before their next assessment in order to allow students time to incorporate this feedback (ideally by the end of week 5).
• In effect, this distinguishes between formative and summative assessment: those that are primarily intended to aid learning; and those that evaluate learning.
• According to the Definitions section:

Formative assessment means any assessment practice carried out early enough in a course with the purpose of providing students feedback that enables them to develop their learning… Formative assessment may be weighted or unweighted.

16. Assessment tasks must ensure that students with disabilities are provided with appropriate opportunities to demonstrate their achievement of learning outcomes.

• In ENV this is often an issue with field trips and labs, and especially those where a certain level of physical ability is presumed for tasks or for minimising the risk of harm. Please consider the accessibility of these activities. Collectively, the School has had quite a bit of experience in this and so do seek advice.

19. Tests which count toward the final result for a course will be conducted under examination conditions

• Pretty self-explanatory, but please note that you may need to book a second venue to ensure that students have sufficient spacing to deter cheating. Also, you must have at least 2 staff invigilating in each Test room. Tutors can assist, or enlist colleagues.

22. Tests with a weighting higher than 20%, including take-home tests, must not be conducted in the final week of teaching, unless justified by the distinctive requirements of the course.

• In particular, summative Tests should not be scheduled for the convenience of staff. If they are the final assessment in a course then they are an exam, and must scheduled in the exam period.

Feedback on coursework

30. Feedback must be provided in a timely manner and no later than three weeks after the day the assessment was submitted, or sooner when the feedback is required to prepare for subsequent assessments.

Note: this clause does not apply to the early assessment requirement described in s.15

• The turnaround time for marking and feedback is often a concern for students. For staff it is of course a workload matter; however, remains the responsibility of Course Directors/Coordinators to plan for this and design assessments with this in mind.

Advice to students

• 33.  Detailed information about assessments for each course must be available in the Canvas course outline and published no later than two weeks prior to the start of teaching.  This will include:

o   the intended learning outcomes to be assessed

o   an assessment table, with: (i) a description of the assessment tasks (ii) the weighting of items; (iii) the due date for submission or testing; (iv) the mode of examination (digital or paper-based); (v) the conditions under which the examination will be sat (if relevant) and (vi) information about minimum pass requirements and plussage, where applicable

o   the conditions for extensions of time (if any)

o   penalties for lateness or violation of assessment specifications (e.g. length)

• Digital Course Outlines will be loaded into Canvas and appear as a separate menu item (tab). We strongly recommend that you continue to put the key information such as learning outcomes and contact details on the Syllabus page, as before…
• …and that you ensure that assignments are set-up in Canvas – including weightings and due dates.

Roles and Responsibilities

Clauses 1-9 refer to these. Please not that every course has at least a Course Director and an Assessor; and most courses have two or more Examiners. You are all collectively responsible for all aspects of the course and assessment design, the assessing (i.e., marking), and the grades in each course.

Key contacts for advice:

• Head of Academic Operations, David Hayward
• Chair of AKO Innovation Committee, Mel Wall (on Annual Leave until 19/2/20)
• Group Services Administrator, Alex Soudlenkova

Ako Innovation Committee: Teaching & Learning Fund 2020

https://www.coursebuilder.cad.auckland.ac.nz/flexicourses/4101/publish/1/14.html

The purpose of this fund is to promote the development of innovative teaching and learning practices within the School of Environment which promote a culture of teaching excellence. These funds will be distributed in one contestable round, with grants of up to $6000 with preference given to initiatives completed by August 2020. The total pool of funds available in 2020 is $12000. Grants to individuals or groups of teaching active staff will be used to fund small-scale teaching initiatives that have an impact on teaching practice for the benefit of learners.

All applications should be received by 21/02/2020 by noon.

See Ako Innovation Committee Teaching & Learning Fund: Grant Guidelines and 2020 Application Form for AKO Teaching and Learning Innovation Grant.

https://www.coursebuilder.cad.auckland.ac.nz/flexicourses/4101/publish/1/14.html

Any questions please contact Joe Fagan.

Changes to courses for 2021

Breaking news – as of this morning! The timeline for making changes to course titles and prescriptions, adding new courses, deleting courses and changing programme regulations is much shorter this year. These should be discussed by Disciplinary Groups and then sent to the Head of Academic Operations (David Hayward) by Thursday 19 March.

Referencing

Please note that the University has transitioned from APA 6th to APA 7th. Changes are noted here

https://www.cite.auckland.ac.nz/2/files/apa_6th_and_apa_7th_key_changes.pdf

---

Whakawhanaungatanga – communities

On December 16-17 last year, the School’s multi-purpose lab played hosted to an international research symposium, titled ‘Bringing life’s work to market: A symposium on practices and spaces of marketised social reproduction’). Organised by Tom Baker, it attracted around 50 attendees and 25 presentations from academics in Australia (U Sydney, U Melbourne, Monash U, U Wollongong, U Western Australia, Macquarie U), Canada (Queen’s U), USA (Penn State U, U Minnesota, Clark U, UC Davis), UK (Birkbeck U), Switzerland (U Zurich), Germany (Kassel U) and NZ (VUW, Waikato U, U Canterbury). Plans are currently underway for a journal special issue, based on presentations at the symposium. The organisers gratefully acknowledge the support received via the School’s PBRF fund.

Coronavirus

The University has a webpage that is regularly updated, and email updates are arriving daily. A Faculty of Science briefing this morning identified some specific areas of concern for us:

1.       Overseas travel – restrictions are in place and you should anticipate these increasing further. Please reassess all overseas travel, seek guidance as necessary and keep up-to-date with requirements.

2.       As of this morning non-NZ citizens/residents are prohibited from returning if they travel through mainland China. This could affect many of you and so please take note. Also, consider any visitors you have planned, and advise them accordingly.

3.       Students – it is anticipated that many international students may be unable to arrive in time to commence Semester 1. Course Coordinators should ensure that all resources and lecture recordings are available on Canvas – since some students may be forced into a distance learning mode.

Outreach help requested for high school field trip to Mangere Mountain

One of our former geology students, Laura Ward, now teaches high school at Howick College. She has requested help from our Earth Science staff or post-graduate students to join her class on a field trip to Mangare Mountain. The class consists of Year 13’s of mixed academic ability, and they will be sitting a standard on dating geological features (radiometric and relative dating techniques). Laura says, “we thought it would be cool to try to get a real scientist to come along to help explain features of the volcano and reinforce some dating techniques.” 

The trip is scheduled for 13th February, we will be visiting Mangere Mountain in the morning (9:00am – lunch)

Please let Kathy know (ka.campbell@auckland.ac.nz) if you are interested in leading the group for this outreach event. 

Geoscience-related posters:

Important and relevant Geoscience-related posters have been compiled by the Geological Society of London. These should be useful for staff when articulating to students (and potential students and their parents) why the Geosciences are such important subjects and careers for people to pursue. The link is here:

https://www.geolsoc.org.uk/Posters

Two posters in particular are important:

1. The “Geoscience for the Future” poster outlines how Geoscience is crucial in meeting society’s future challenges through policies to avoid dangerous levels of climate change, to protect the environment and to ensure the availability of vital resources for all. The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are also listed in the top right.
2. The “Minerals in a Smartphone” poster describes the incredibly broad range of minerals that are required to produce a smartphone; this highlights how Geoscience is important for meeting today’s and tomorrow’s technological advances.
   Both can be printed at up to A1 size.

Updated City Campus Map

The University has renamed a number of its buildings. We now have a Social Sciences Building, Humanities Building, and Cultures Languages and Linguistics Building. Please check for any changes in the updated City Campus Map https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/on-campus/our-campuses/campus-maps.html

Meetings, seminars and events

Save the date:  ENV Seminar: 25th of February 1pm-2pm, 302-140.

Join us on Tuesday the 25th of February from 1pm to 2pm to learn about the fantastic research your colleagues do. All staff members and students from the School of Environment are warmly invited to attend this second School of Environment Seminar. We will run the seminars every three months and every time we will have three presenters from different disciplines from the School of Environment.

In the upcoming ENV Seminar, we will have three presenters who are new or relatively new additions to the School.

Māori accounts of disaster recovery

Speaker: Xavier Forsman
Date: Wednesday 5 February
Time: 12-1pm
Venue: Whare wānanga, Level 2, Central City Library, Lorne St
You can find the flyer here.

RISE (Research Industry Sustainable Engagement) Programme: Introduction

Please come along to the introduction to UniServices annual RISE programme which intended to raise the skills and practice of working of researchers with external stakeholders. It will consist of a formal training programme and a series of subsequent workshops beginning in January 2020 and ending in April of 2020.

Introduction session: Wednesday 5 February 1-3pm.  Register by clicking this link: https://www.eventbrite.co.nz/e/90732209481

Earth Sciences Bickie briefing

Earth Sciences Bickie briefing is every Thursday morning at 10.30am in the Level 6 break out space. It’s a chance to share announcements, get updates on academic and research events and deadlines, and share highlights from the past week. All postgrads and staff welcome.

---

Rangahau – Research

Publishing: Article Processing Charge Waivers

 Libraries and Learning Services often get queries about Article Processing Charges (APCs) for making research papers open access. Although we can’t provide assistance in paying for your APCs when you are publishing your articles, we do have agreements with some publishers.  Publishers either waive APCs or give UoA authors a discount because of our current journal subscriptions. You might want to see if this covers any journals that are relevant to you.

 APC Waivers:

Biochemistry Society

Microbiology Society

Open Access APC Waiver:

IGI Global

Open Access APC discounts (15% discount applied automatically):

The Royal Society of Chemistry

BioMed Central

SpringerOpen 

 Also don’t forget that most journals have a “Green” open access policy where you can upload a preprint version of your article into Research Outputs and the UoA ResearchSpace repository, giving you an OpenAccess version that is then accessible to those outside the journal paywalls.

For more information see our OA guide or contact a research adviser through the AskUs

APA 7th now on QuickCite

 You may be aware that the APA (American Psychological Association) have released the style guide for their newest version of their referencing  style – APA 7. APA 6 has been in very wide use as a citation and referencing style across many research disciplines.  We have recently added examples of the APA 7th referencing style to the QuickCite online guide.

 Print copies of the publication manual are also available in the Library.  

 We recommend that all students and researchers who use APA adopt the 7th edition style.

 Advice for teaching staff.

We recommend all teaching staff using APA update their teaching materials to adopt APA 7th and refer students to QuickCite.

Advice for students writing a thesis or dissertation

Students who are part-way through a thesis or dissertation, should ask the advice of their supervisor as to whether they should continue using APA 6th or change to APA 7th. We will continue to provide guidance for APA 6th on QuickCite for 2020.

 More information

You can read more about the 7th edition on the APA Style blog.

Links

QuickCite

Publication manual of the American Psychological Association

If you have any questions about APA 7th, please Ask us.

Meetings, seminars and events

Title: Hydrothermal vents or hydrothermal fields: Where can life begin?

Speaker: David Deamer
Date: Friday 7th February
Time: 12-1pm
Venue: 302-G20

You can find the flyer here.

Title: Chemical, mineralogical and sorptive characteristics of Biogenic Iron Oxides (BIOS)

Speaker: Danielle Fortin
Date: Thursday 13th February 
Time: 12-1pm
Venue: 303-G14

You can find the flyer here.

Research and Funding Opportunities

Annual PBRF Funding. Round 1.

Please see the below links. Notice the change in the deadlines.

2020 Application Form for ENV PBRF

Guidelines for PBRF applications for 2020

L’ORÉAL-UNESCO FOR WOMEN IN SCIENCE 2020 Climate Edition

The purpose of these awards are to support the fight against the current climate emergency, whilst also continuing to address the underrepresentation of women in science. Guidelines can be found on the following webpage.

Grant value:  $25,000 for a one year project

Internal Deadline:  Thursday 20 February

International Central Networks and Partnerships Grant (ICNPG)

ICNPG provides outbound mobility funding to both professional and academic staff who wish to develop international links and supports three types of strategic activities with the University’s network and strategic partners:

·         Research collaboration opportunity investigations

·         Attending network-sponsored workshops and conferences (APRU, U21, WUN)

·         Visiting fellowships to multiple partners

Further info and guidelines can be found on the website.  Interested applicants are encouraged to familiarise themselves with criteria and eligibility information and attend the ICNPG information session on 19 February 2pm – 3pm, please sign up through Career Tools.

 Grant value:  up to $5,000

Deadline:  Monday 9 March

Te Hiranga Rū QuakeCoRE – Proposal Development Grants

Grants are available for early-career researchers toward research-related costs for the development of contestable external research proposals targeting specific contestable funding programmes.  The aim of the grant is to provide seed funding to enable miscellaneous data collection, analysis, proposal team building for the purpose of preparing strong proposals in competitive NZ public funding rounds.

Further information can be found here.

Deadline:  Friday 14 February

Grant value:  between $5,000 – $10,000

ARC Linkage grant

Professor Gary Brierley is a Chief Investigator in a recently awarded ARC Linkage grant that examines the role of riparian vegetation as an agent in the recovery of river systems in Australia.

The project ($600k over 3 years) is the second largest in the country in the Earth Sciences and Environmental Sciences fields of research (10 projects funded), and is the 6th largest in the country as a whole.

Anyone interested in further details of this award should contact Gary.

Australasian Hydrographic Society

The Australasian Hydrographic Society offers an Annual Education Award of AUD $ 3,500. The award is open to students studying or researching in maritime disciplines. 

Applications open: 1 February – 31 March annually

Download  detailed information and the application form using this link 

For further info please contact education@ahs.asn.au

New publications

1. Maintaining a long-standing interest in playful titles of research papers, Gary is co-author of a recently published paper on the Tongariro River (with former PhD student at UoA, Helen Reid, and visitor to UoA, Richard Williams) in JGR:Stuck at the bar: Larger‐than‐average grain lag deposits and the spectrum of particle mobilityWilliams, R. D., Reid, H. E., & Brierley, G. (2019). Stuck at the bar: Larger‐than‐average grain lag deposits and the spectrum of particle mobility. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface,124, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JF005137.
2. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/24694452.2019.1696664

---

Classifieds

Job opening – Senior Advisor (Environment)

Applications for this position close on Sunday 9 February 2020

There is a job opportunity at Maritime New Zealand. The primary function of this role is using evidence & science to provide policy, enforcement and technical advice. Specifically this is for the regulation of the maritime industry for the purpose of minimising the pollution of the marine environment from shipping. https://maritimenz.qjumpersjobs.co/jobs/details/1003580

---

Copy deadline for next edition of P-cubed: Friday 14th February, 1pm to Farnaz: f.sheikh@auckland.ac.nz