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APRIL 2011
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INTRODUCTIONS
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Professional Staff
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Postgraduate students
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Rodrigo Siqueira-Reis
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Rodrigo commenced a PhD with Prof Peter Waterhouse in March this year. His research will focus on plant virology, in particular on elucidating the mechanisms by which the viral protein, P0, is able to block plants' natural RNA silencing process. Rodrigo has come from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where he was studying the proteomics of bacteria for the purposes of bioremediation, in particular to clean up pollution caused by oil refineries.
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Luana Lins |
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Luana commenced a PhD with Dr Nathan Lo in 2011. She is studying a group of deep-sea crustaceans, the Asellota, which have great diversity in both family and species number. She will use molecular and morphological information to investigate the phylogeny and biogeography of the isopods. Originally from Brazil, Luana attended the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, where she had been studying the systematics of Asellota.
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Postgraduate Student Committee |
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David McElroy is the new president of the postgraduate committee. David will be assisted by a number of people who have volunteered for the other roles for the 2011 Student PG Committee:
- Louise Pastro (Secretary/Treasurer)
- Fran Van en Berg (committee member)
- Lindsey Gray (committee member)
- Will Armour (committee member)
- Tory Clarke (committee member)
The School warmly and sincerely thanks Will Armour, Tory Clarke and Miguel Bedoya-Perez for their excellent leadership and dedication to serving the postgraduate community in the Department.
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CONGRATULATIONS
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Student award for 'best paper' |
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Former honours student, Stephanie O'Donnell, has won the Southwood Prize for her paper about using conditioned taste aversion to teach endangered northern quolls to avoid eating toxic cane toads. The Southwood prize is awarded annually for the best paper in the Journal of Applied Ecology by a young author. Her award was featured in the Central Sydney.
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Scholarship for PhD student |
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Nathan Emmery has won the Valette Williams Scholarship from the North Shore Group of the Australian Plant Society for his PhD research, which will contribute to the knowledge of the ecology, conservation, or propagation of native plants in the Sydney and surrounding regions.
Nathan says the $1500 scholarship will be used to discover whether the observed differences among populations of flannel flowers (Actinotus helianthi) are due to local adaptation or environmental influences.
"Our knowledge of the underlying source of this variation can inform our decisions about how to manage and conserve native plant populations in the face of changing climates and will provide critical information for improving the propagation and performance of this species as a commercial cut flower," he says.
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FAREWELL
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Ray has won a position working at a Phuket university and will be leaving for Thailand at the end of April. Ray has had a strong relationship with the School spanning more than 30 years. Starting with a BSc (Hons) in 1977 followed by PhD with Prof Tony Larkum in 1984, Ray left the School soon after for postdoctoral positions, which took him to Cornell, University of British Columbia, Washington State and Scotland, after which he returned to the School to commence an ARC fellowship. Ray has continued to be part of the School, supervising a number of Talented Student and Advanced Biology projects. The School thanks Ray for everything he has contributed over such a long time and wishes him all the best in the new position.
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Susan Thomas
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Susan has left her role as Executive Assistant to the Head of School, which she held for almost four years and taken up a position at the Power Institute on campus. With her new role, Susan is excited to be returning to her background in art history and also remaining part of the University. We thank Susan for all she has contributed to the School and wish her all the best in the new job.
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SAFETY NOTICES
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Chief Fire Wardens
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Mark Ahern is responsible for Macleay (A12)
Matt Day is responsible for Heydon-Laurence (A08)
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First Aid Officers
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Michael Joseph is responsible for Heydon-Laurence (A08)
Malcolm Ricketts is responsible for Macleay (A12) and Edgeworth David (A13)
Weekend and out of hours first aid: contact security
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Safety showers and eye washers
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Please remember that these must be tested every week to ensure that they are fully functioning and clean in the event of an actual emergency.
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A12 glasshouse
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The 'bryophyte' glasshouse behind Macleay is being demolished and a sturdy concrete flooring will be laid down to provide a safe combined recreational and storage area.
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A08 renovations
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Heydon-Laurence is undergoing construction for a new roof, which explains the scaffolding currently surrounding the building. If all goes well, the outside of the building will also receive a new coat of paint in addition to a new roof.
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Remember to recycle paper
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People are reminded to regularly take out paper recycling from their office into the big blue bins. This job is the responsibility of School members and will not be covered by building custodians. While we encourage recycling, accumulation of large amounts of paper in offices is a fire hazard.
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