HDR Update

October 2018

In this issue

• Campus wide HDR training calendar
• News & Events
• Opportunities for HDR students
• Roll of Honour

Welcome note

I hope you’re enjoying our milder spring weather and the spectacle of so many trees in bloom. It’s been a significant month with the launch of our face-to-face supervisor development workshops, led by Deputy Dean (HDR Supervision) Peter Kanowski and assisted by our new Early Career Fellow Dr Jacqui Hoepner. Jacqui is now a researcher and lecturer at the School of Archaeology and Anthropology, after completing her PhD in Science Communication in 2017. Her research explores attacks on academics and what they reveal about academic freedom, with a particular interest in why some lines of enquiry are considered unacceptable in contested fields.

The first workshop What it means to be a supervisor, was coordinated by me on 26 September. We had a lively group of supervisors from across the University and I was hugely impressed by their passion for this role and their care for their students.   Further events with various workshops leaders are scheduled for this month and continue into November. Please feel free to remind your supervisors of these opportunities!

For those of you nearing the end of your program the announcement that the HDR Thesis Submission and Examination project will be delivered in October should be very welcome! The Examinations and Graduations Office (EGAP) and the Service Improvement Group (SIG) have spearheaded the creation of digitalised and automated thesis submission and examination eForms. 

As a results of a collective effort of the HDR University community the new process has been stream-lined to allow for increased administrative efficiency and an all-together less stressful and faster submission and assessment process. The final stage of the project is expected to go live on 9th October 2018. Check out what the changes will mean for you here!

If you are at all interested in what it is like to be successful applicant for one of the many opportunities that are available to our HDR students, I suggest you go along to see Caroline Compton from the Law School talk about her experiences as a Fox International Fellow at Yale, later this month. Caroline’s talk is very timely (details follow in the body of the update) as Yale have just advised that the 2019/20 application season is now open, and you will be hearing more about what you need to do to apply in the near future.

Once again the #ANU3MT final earlier this month was a huge success, and as always a great opportunity for ANU to showcase HDR research to the world. As I was writing this the 2018 Asia-Pacific 3MT Competition at UQ was underway, and while our finalist, Ankur Sharma from CECS, wasn’t successful, he made a great showing in the final against a very competitive field. Well done again to Ankur and all our 3MT participants.

Professor Imelda Whelehan

Dean, Higher Degree Research

Dr Jacqui Hoepner

Early Career Fellow

Upcoming programs

October

Showcase

We want your feedback about the Three Minute Thesis competition. Complete this survey and you go into the draw to win a $50 gift card. Four cards to be won!

Opportunities

Conference Opportunity

The Collaboration across Boundaries 2018 Conference aims to create a space where early- and mid-career researchers (EMCRs) from ALL disciplines can explore opportunities that collaborations can create for their research.

The Collaboration across Boundaries Conference will be held on Tuesday 4 December 2018 and is open to researchers and representatives from universities, government and the private sector. Postgraduate and research students are also welcome to attend. The conference will be preceded by a skills development workshop on Tuesday 20 November.

For more information and to register, please visit the event website.

We would like your feedback on the HDR Update

Please take a few minutes to complete a survey on the usefulness and content of these monthly HDR Updates. The survey can be found here.

Academic Skills & Learning Centre

Want to learn more about writing up your research for publication or thesis submission? Take a look at the Academic Skills and Learning Centre Research Writing website.

Statistical Consulting Unit

The Statistical Consulting Unit (SCU) is located in the Computer Science/Mathematical Sciences Institute building (#145). Consulting support is available, free of charge, to Honours students with research projects, Higher Degree Research students (e.g. Masters, PhD) and staff in all parts of the University. If you would like to make an appointment or to find out more about the SCU please visit our website here.

ANU Library

Digital literacy training available – register via the online training calendar.

Beginning your research at ANU? Our free weekly workshops, Library Research, Digital Research and Internet Research will show you how to discover a range of information using the Library’s online catalogue, SuperSearch, scholarly databases, full text e-journal collections, ANU Press and ANU Open Research. Register online via the full event catalogue.

Using Word to write your thesis or EndNote to manage your research? Our free workshops will show you how to format efficiently and navigate long documents, understand section breaks and numbering and use templates to maintain consistency in your thesis. Register online via the full event catalogue or book a one-to-one consultation for assistance with advanced EndNote troubleshooting and formatting.

Publishing with LaTeX workshop – email digital.literacy@anu.edu.au to express interest in the next series (October or November).

Do you need to analyse and present your data? Join the SPSS workshops and you will learn these skills and much more.

News & links

HDR Examinations and Thesis Submission Release 3

The final three modules of the program will be released this month. Students will be able to submit their thesis online for distribution to external examiners, collection of examiner reports, payment of examiners and award of grade by Colleges.

Academic Skills & Learning Centre

Need some advice on writing up your research? Want some ideas on how to work more efficiently? Through one-to-one appointments a Learning Adviser can work closely with you to develop and improve your writing and writing habits. There are also extensive web resources on the Research Writing website. Additionally, ASLC is currently running writing programs in most of Colleges. Links are provided in the events list above and personal invitations have been sent to candidates with registration passwords included. For more information, contact academicskills@anu.edu.au. If your College or School does not currently have a program – contact ASLC to discuss tailoring a program for you. General workshops for all candidates can be found on their Eventbrite page.

ANU Online Wattle, Turnitin & Echo360 training

ANU Online provides training on Wattle (Moodle), Turnitin, ePortfolio, Echo360 ALP, and using technology for teaching and learning.
We offer:

• Face-to-face training 
• Self-paced online training on Wattle Basics, Turnitin, ePortfolio, or Echo360 ALP.
• Monthly online coffee courses – where we discuss topical educational technologies in 15 minutes
• or join the conversation about education technology with our ANU Online Community.

We also have a monthly newsletter with news, upcoming events and tips – see the latest version here. For more information on Wattle please contact wattle.support@anu.edu.au, or for training please contact EdDesign@anu.edu.au.

ANU Qualitative Research Network

QRN Forum: Qualitative research at the margins: case studies of innovative methods

Centre for Higher Education, Learning &Teaching

Are you a PhD student who has tutored at ANU? Learn about new ideas and practices. Are you interested in gaining new skills to improve your effectiveness as a tutor/demonstrator? Principles of Tutoring and Demonstrating (PTD) is an intensive 10 module program, designed to help you develop teaching strategies, apply effective lesson planning principles, offer practical help with marking and examples of how to give feedback to your students.

Registrations essential.

Counselling Centre

A new Mindfulness Short Course is now available on the ANU Counselling Centre website along with a whole range of talking tips on common student issues.

Ethics training

Twice monthly Human Ethics Training sessions

HDR Administration Support Project

The University is committed to identifying improvements for administration and support functions that affect the HDR student experience. Under the direction of the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research) the ANU Service Improvement Group has a project in progress aiming to identify effective ways of delivering significantly improved HDR Administrative Support outcomes. 

To read the most recent news from the project, click through to the update. For more information on the HDR Administrative Support Project please visit the web site or contact the Project Managers: Kailee Fisher (PM for the Admissions component) and Megan Easton (PM for the broader body of HDR work).

Library

Chifley Library has a display on Frankenstein to celebrate its 200th anniversary! We’re showcasing our collection of works relating to Mary Shelley and her novel – biographies, criticisms, translations, adaptations, films – which show the depth and breadth of the influence of Frankenstein in modern academia, culture, and society. Come to the Chifley Library in October to check out the display and borrow a novel from our Gothic Book Stand.

The ANU Library is preparing to expand its 24/7 access to include Hancock Library. This will ensure students and staff have access to additional safe and comfortable study areas on campus. In response to student feedback, and as part of ANU Library’s focus on improving services, the decision was made to expand 24/7 access to Hancock Library. This is set to become available in Term 4, and we will keep you updated on the Library website, Facebook and Twitter.

Just a reminder that the ANU Library provides you with free access to the Springer & Palgrave eBook Archives for titles published before 2005. This gives you access to over 66,000 titles in 19 subject collections to help with your studies, and importantly, includes a lot of the materials lost in the Chifley flood.

A free shuttle to the NLA departs on the hour from 10am to 5pm, Monday to Friday from Hancock to the National Library of Australia. Look for the yellow and blue bus at Biology Place, the road next to Hancock Library. The ANU Campus Traveller bus can be tracked in real time using the ANUOK app.

ANU Press

New this month from the ANU Press:

Read till it shatters: nationalism and identity in modern Thai literature – This book introduces readers to modern Thai literature through the themes of modernity, nationalism, identity and gender. ‘Read till it shatters’ is a Thai phrase instructing readers to deconstruct texts. In this text, author Thak Chaloemtiarana challenges the Thai literary canon from the margins and suggests ways of expanding and enriching it.

Landlock: paralysing dispute over minerals on Adivasi Land in India – this text explores the consequences of political controversy over a bauxite mining and refining project on constitutionally protected tribal lands in Andhra Pradesh. Long-running support for Adivasi (or tribal) land rights motivated many to block project implementation, while project supporters proposed workarounds which prevented its outright cancellation. The resulting ‘landlock’ is argued to be characteristic of India’s wider inability to deal with conflicts over land matters.

All titles can be purchase or download for free from the ANU Press website.

Statistical Consulting Centre

Consulting support is available, free of charge, to Honours students with research projects, Higher Degree Research students (e.g. Masters, PhD) and staff in all parts of the University. Request a consultation here.

ANU Technology Transfer Office

Do you have a question about the commercialisation of your research? Not sure where or how to get started? Come and chat to a specialist from the Technology Transfer Office. No bookings necessary, just come along to one of our upcoming sessions around campus:

• Wednesday 3rd October, 11am-12pm: Coffee Grounds, adjacent to the Sports Hall
• Wednesday 17th October, 11am-12pm: RSPE Tea Room, Oliphant Building
• Wednesday 31st October, 11am-12pm: Atrium, RN Robertson Building
• Wednesday 14th November, 11am-12pm: Technology Transfer Office, Level 6, 121 Marcus Clarke Street (enter via Childers Street entrance)

Postgraduate & Research Students' Association (PARSA)

Shut Up and Write (SUAW) where you come together in a supportive environment to work on your thesis using the Pomodoro Technique, and enjoy a hearty meal courtesy of PARSA.

SUAW is held at the Molly Huxley Room at University House. Day sessions include lunch, and dinner is provided in the evenings.

As part of the SUAW program, PARSA also runs Shut Up and Write (SUAW) Coffee Sessions. Join our SUAW Coffee Sessions every weekday, in cafes around campus.

For more information, and to register for the SUAW Sessions and SUAW Coffee Sessions, visit the PARSA website.

From the Thesis Whisperer

Roll of Honour

Warm congratulations to these following students who have been recently approved to graduate from their PhD or MPhil. Well done all!

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