HDR Update

September 2018

In this issue

• Campus wide HDR training calendar
• #ANU3MT2018 Three Minute Thesis final
• Roll of Honour

Welcome note

Thank goodness spring is nearly here and we can start to look forward to less chilly mornings to accompany the longer days. I am using the extra time to advantage: busily digesting contributions to the ‘Redefining the ANU PhD’ Green Paper so that I can start to write the White Paper, which will act as a blueprint for the redefined ANU PhD. Exciting times you’ll agree!

We are also starting to see our commitment to strengthening supervisor support and development bear fruit with the launch of an online program, Supervising Doctoral Studies and the roll-out of face-to-face supervisor events over the coming months. Deputy Dean (HDR Supervision) Peter Kanowski, is working on a range of events as I write and will shortly be joined by an Early Career Fellow to support the program.

As for opportunities I would like to remind you that applications for the Westpac Future Leaders Scholarship close shortly (on 5 September), while the application period for the Global Young Scientists Summit (GYSS 2019 has been extended and applications now close on 20 September 2018. The Parliamentary Library also offers two summer research scholarships for postgraduate students each year. You can download the information kit at: www.aph.gov.au/library, and applications are due by 23 September 2018.

And last but by no means least we are coming up quickly to the #ANU3MT final (in Llewellyn Hall, ANU School of Music, Wednesday 12 September 2018 from 6.00pm). This is one of my favourite events of the year and is a great opportunity for the ANU to showcase the work of its up-and-coming researchers to the wider public. If you haven’t booked a ticket already, do take the opportunity to come along and support your colleagues – on the night there will be 12 finalists competing for the #ANU3MT crown and a chance to represent ANU at the Asia-Pacific grand final. Well done to everyone who has already participated this year. Tickets are free, and you can register here.

Professor Imelda Whelehan

Dean, Higher Degree Research

Upcoming programs

September

Showcase

The ANU Three Minute Thesis final will inspire and entertain again this year. Catch a glimpse of the amazing research projects of ANU PhD candidates at the 2018 Three Minute Thesis (3MT) final 6 pm, 12 September, Llewellyn Hall. Tickets available here.

Heather is talking to the animals, David is listening to the music of gravity, Katie imagines Super-powered security, Tuukka is discovering more about our past with rice and Catherine is bringing back the Bettong. Come check out their research and many more exciting projects from our 12 leading game changers, and our musical guest, the soulful Cathy Diver and band. Bring your thinking caps as you are the judge for the People’s Choice prize, alongside six outstanding 3MT judges; Professor Mike Calford, Elizabeth Lee MLA, Professor Tom Calma, Lish Fejer, Dr Mathew Trinca, and Diane Kargas Bray AM.

Opportunities

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.

Research data management workshop will teach you essential skills for organising and managing research data.  Techniques such as: backups, version control, security, privacy, and sharing (archiving, publishing) of data. Issues relating to data are explained and various methods for solving problems with software tools and ANU services are discussed.

Manage and analyse qualitative data with NVivo – upcoming workshops are available on 3 and 10 September (cost $180).

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

News & links

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, Echo360, and using technology for teaching and learning. We offer: face-to-face sessions, monthly online coffee courses – where we discuss topical educational technologies in 15 minutes, or you can 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

The ANU Counselling Centre offers a range of group workshops in Semester 2, including a four week stress and anxiety management group. See this website for more details.

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

If you ever needed another excuse to pick up a book, we have two special reasons to read in September. Thursday 20 September is Australia Reading Hour, a national campaign that encourages everyone to pick up a book and read for one hour. The week of 23-29 of September is Banned Books Week, an annual celebration of the freedom to read. The ANU Library has a number of books in our collection that have been banned around the world, so pick one up and join us in celebrating the freedom to read!

We would like to invite you to visit the Art & Music Library to check out our latest exhibition: Layer, Paint and Stitch Textile Art. This exhibition showcases books in the collection together with unique works of art by students of the School of Art and Design.

Did you know the majority of the ANU Library collection is off-site? The ANU Print Repository houses around 80% of the ANU Library’s collection in 32km of shelves. ANU students and staff can request resources online through the Library Catalogue. A daily courier service delivers items to Chifley Library, while articles and chapters are scanned and sent by email. Watch this exciting new video to see the process from start to finish!

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.

Don’t forget to visit Part of the DNA: The John Curtin School of Medical Research and the ANU Library, a new exhibition highlighting the contribution of the ANU Library to the history and research of the John Curtin School of Medical Research. The exhibit includes photographs, historical equipment, building plans, line drawings, as well as books and research papers. Items are on display in the Menzies Library foyer August to October.  

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:

Carl Strehlow's 1909 Comparative Heritage Dictionary - This unique item of Australian cultural heritage is a large collection of Aranda, German, Loritja and Dieri to English entries compiled at the beginning of the 20th century at the Hermannsburg Mission in central Australia. Strehlow’s linguistic work represents the largest and most comprehensive wordlist of Indigenous languages compiled in Australia during the early stages of contact. This dictionary will prove to be of great use to both Indigenous people and scholars interested in language.

Road Pricing and Provision - This book seeks to advance the road reform agenda by presenting some of the latest thinking on road pricing and provision from a variety of disciplinary approaches – researchers, economists and public sector leaders. It stresses the need for reform to ensure Australians can enjoy the benefits of efficient and sustainable transport infrastructure as our population and major metropolitan cities continue to grow. The works presented here all point to the need for change – but we must act soon!

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.

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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