Monday, April 22, 2013

Life as a parent and PhD candidate

Life as a parent and PhD candidate by Trish Dowsett:

In May 2011 my mum handed me a column from The Weekend Australian which I pinned to the board above my desk and it is still there today. It’s called, ‘Giving birth or delivering a doctorate, they’re both labours of love’ by Emma Jane. Mum gave it to me because I had just started my PhD and my youngest child had just turned 1.
Emma Jane’s column draws two main conclusions: that studying, like parenthood, is at times, exhilarating and exhausting, and that education is ‘aerobics for the brain’ - while it hurts at the time it produces long-term benefits to intellectual and mental health. I hope so.
The same PhD challenges exist for candidates who are parents as for those who are not it is just that the balancing of time and commitments involves people who are dependant. Children and their needs are always the first priority and the combination of postgrad study and parenthood brings sacrifices which are not always pretty! My son is usually late to kindy, sometimes he hasn’t always got what he’s supposed to have (‘He had to bring his favourite toy? I thought that was next week!’), and I wear make-up a lot less often than I used to.
Time is at a premium and I have turned into one of those nerdy mature age students I resented as an undergraduate who started their assignments more than two days before they were due. But I get it now. I’m too tired to cram and can no longer pull an all-nighter if I’m behind. I also never know if I’ll find any more time to complete a task. As an example, do I watch tonight’s episode of My Kitchen Rules or do I make myself do some reading just in case a family crisis arises that will consume some of the time I had set aside for my study? You can see the dilemma.
When people ask me where I find the time to study, I usually say, ‘in the evenings when the kids are in bed’, but that’s not always true. Sometimes I am just too tired so the work just doesn’t get done, and sometimes, if do manage to grab an hour here and there, it is tricky getting into the headspace of my work as quickly as I need to, so I waste a lot of time too. I suspect this is a challenge for all PhD candidates.
I once had a conversation with two fellow PhD candidates I didn’t know very well. One was remarking on the fact that another PhD student he knew was managing a newborn baby and a research proposal – ‘that’s pretty amazing don’t you think?’ I nodded and smiled agreeing wholeheartedly but the other student snapped, ‘Not really. There are lots of postgrads who are parents.’ While I immediately thought her attitude a little abrasive it wasn’t long before I realised that this was good for me to hear. The more I think I’m doing something ‘special’, just because plenty of parents of young children are not studying, the more I’m distracted from getting on with my thesis. Plenty of parents work, and so do I. The challenge is that studying relies on a lot of self-motivation, on an obsession with one narrow area of research and with the need to be able to express yourself quickly and clearly in the limited awake time you have spare to write that chapter.
I return to Emma Jane who concludes the merits of studying for a PhD: ‘Will it leave you time to take a shower, do something fancy with your hair or interact with other actual grown-up humans? No, it will not. But, like making babies, it does make the world a far richer and more complicated place.’ Again, I hope so.

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Newsletter 18th of April


Happy Post-Prosh Day!

I hope you all enjoyed laughing at the undergraduates in their bizarre costumes, reminiscing about the days where you dressed up better (I painted myself green one year- that is real dedication- none of that ‘Oh I’ll just wear a fluro vest, that’s a costume’ stuff), and perused the Prosh paper.  I know, I know- its atrocious, the jokes aren’t even funny, and it makes fun of everyone- but it is for charity, and every year my grandma asks me for a copy and chuckles away at it- so I guess it can’t be too bad. That said if you have a complaint about Prosh- as I am sure many of you do- email prosh@guild.uwa.edu.au

So onto PSA things…. We currently have four (yes 4) nominees for the position of PSA Science Rep. In light of this, as I said last week, we are holding a by-election. Each of the nominees will be submitting this week a brief bio about themselves which will go up on the webpage: www.psa.guild.uwa.edu.au. Our nominees are; Natasha  Hulse, Benjamin Philip Goodall, Thomas Ansell and Hammad Khan. Voting will remain open until 5pm Wednesday the 24th of April. To vote for one of these people to be Science Rep please email Vanessa Caparas (our returning officer) at vanessa.mac96@gmail.com with the subject line UWA PSA ELECTION, and the name of who you are voting for in the body of the email.

Shoaib Memon has nominated to be the PSA Secretary. If you have any comments or issues on this position please email psa@guild.uwa.edu.au before the 24th of April.

Postscript (the PSA Postgraduate magazine) is coming around again.  We are currently looking for contributions for 2013. For more details on submissions check out here: http://www.psa.guild.uwa.edu.au/

As always- there are important notices below….check them out please…..
Gemma


Notices:

PSA News!
 PSA Committee:

The Following people have nominated to be the PSA Science Rep:

Natasha Hulse,
Benjamin Philip Goodall,
Thomas Ansell
Hammad Khan.

To vote for one of these people to be Science Rep please email Vanessa Caparas (our returning officer) at vanessa.mac96@gmail.com with the subject line UWA PSA ELECTION, and the name of who you are voting for in the body of the email.

Voting will remain open until 5pm Wednesday the 24th of April

Shoaib Memon has nominated to be the PSA Secretary. If you have any comments or issues on this position please email psa@guild.uwa.edu.au before the 24th of April.

The PSA is still looking for people to fill the following positions:
Education Faculty Representative
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Officer

For more information on these positions and what the rest of the PSA committee does check out: http://www.psa.guild.uwa.edu.au/available_2013_committee_positions/position_info

Please let us know at psa@guild.uwa.edu.au if you are interested

PSA QUIZ NIGHT, 23 MAY 2013! GET YOUR TICKETS!

Hey Postgrads. Do you love prizes? Are you a smartie? Well, bring it to the Tav on May 23rd for the PSA Quiz night!

WHERE: The Tav at UWA
WHEN: Thursday, 23rd May 2013, 7-10.30 pm
HOW MUCH: $15 per person or $100 for a full table of 8 (buy a wad of raffle
tickets for a change to WIN MORE PRIZES!)
TICKETS: Tickets are now available for purchase from the PSA Office (room 1.03 Guild South Wing) 1-4pm Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. To purchase tickets outside of this time please email psa@guild.uwa.edu.au

We have almost $1000 worth of prizes for the night!

Head on to the PSA blog at http://uwapsa.blogspot.com.au/, Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/uwapsa, @UWAPSA on Twitter or email psa@guild.uwa.edu.au for more info.

Get your friends together for a table!

Network!

ACSPRI Winter Program : ACSPRI winter program is coming to UWA in July
ACSPRI is coming UWA this July and course bookings are now open! The Australian Consortium for Social and Political Research Inc (ACSPRI) is a not-for-profit organisation that has offered short courses in research methods, predominantly for staff and HDR students at its member institutions, for twenty-seven years. These courses are a valuable learning experience and networking opportunity for a wide range of researchers; from areas including social sciences and humanities, health sciences, nursing, epidemiology, medicine, law, marketing, geography and beyond.
Eight of the most popular five-day ACSPRI courses will be held at UWA from 15th – 19th July as part of the 2013 ACSPRI Winter Program. As a long-time ACSPRI member organisation, all UWA staff and students are eligible for significant discounts on course bookings. Further early bird discounts are available for bookings that are completed and paid for by 8th May, 2013. Up until this day, full time post graduate students pay only $1000 per course and other students and staff pay $1560, compared with the full rate of $3130. Program information, a list of courses, prices, FAQs and the on-line booking system are available at www.acspri.org.au/winterprogram2013.
Program Coordinator, Marty Lynch on winter2013@acspri.org.au.
Location Faculty of Arts Computer Labs (03 8456 6520)
Start Mon, 15 Jul 2013 - End Fri, 19 Jul 2013


New Unit on Drugs, Policy and Public Health – presented by the National Drug Research Institute.
A one-week intensive unit gives postgraduate students the historical and epidemiological background to alcohol and other drug use and policy in Australia  The aim is to provide participants with a framework to improve integration of research into drug policy formulation at local, state, national and international levels.

DATE: Monday 22 - Friday 26 July 2013
TIME: 9am - 4.45pm
VENUE: National Drug Research Institute, Curtin University Health Research Campus, Shenton Park
Enrolment and further information: http://ndri.curtin.edu.au/students/dpph500.cfm

Participants required!

Advance science in your spare time!!
Nobel laureate Prof. Barry Marshall is seeking healthy volunteers for a clinical trial investigating the use of Helicobacter bacteria as an edible transport system for vaccines and other agents. Remuneration will be provided. For more information please see the attached poster, or contact Jim (Clinical Trial Co-ordinator) on 0488 159 419 or Jim.Blanchard@health.wa.gov.au

Would you like to take part in a study examining male fertility?
The School of Animal Biology are currently recruiting both couples and men for two PhD studies investigating male fertility.
ñ You must be a heterosexual, Caucasian male or couple aged between 18 and 35 years old.
ñ You will attend a one-off visit to Animal Biology to complete some questionnaires and receive instructions.
ñ You will provide a semen sample in the comfort of your own home.
ñ All data is completely confidential.
ñ A contribution of $10 (men) or $20 (couples) will be made towards expenses incurred by you.
ñ Find out important information about your semen quality free of charge!
For further information, please email Samantha Leivers at: 20880986@student.uwa.edu.au. This research has full approval from the UWA Human Ethics Research Committee (Project number: RA/ 4/1/5012).
Participant Recruitment to research the lived experiences of PhD students in Australia
Wanted: a diverse cohort of PhD students – domestic and international, different stage of PhD, varying age groups, gender and research discipline - to explore ‘what the lived experience’ of a PhD student in present day Australia actually is.
Participation takes approximately 1 hour per month
Anyone interested in participating can contact me directly on:
Angele Jones, avjones@swin.edu.au or 0409 833688


Talks!

IAS Talks:

The History of Education and the Values of Cultural Heritage by Ian Reid, Adjunct Professor,  English and Cultural Studies UWA
16 April, 6pm, Webb Lecture Theatre UWA, Free, but RSVP essential.
Bookings: www.ias.uwa.edu.au/lectures/ian-reid or RSVP toias@uwa.edu.au  or 6488 1340

Probation worker responses to turbulent conditions by Anne Worrall, Professor of Criminology, Keele University, UK, Honorary Professorial Fellow, Law School, UWA.
17 April, 6pm, Social Sciences Lecture Theatre UWA, Free, but RSVP essential.
Bookings: www.ias.uwa.edu.au/lectures/worrall
Blue Forests for Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation by Nuria Marba, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Institut Mediterrani d'Estudis Avancats (UIB-CSIC) and 2013 Gledden Visiting Fellow at UWA
18 April, 6pm, Social Sciences Lecture Theatre UWA, Free, but RSVP essential.
Bookings: www.ias.uwa.edu.au/lectures/marba


Endnote!

The latest version of the citation management software EndNote (X6) is now available for UWA staff and students to download. To learn more and download the program, visit: http://guides.is.uwa.edu.au/endnote.

Questions? Please ask us.

Caroline Clark caroline.clark@uwa.edu.au
Workshops and Seminars!

Research and Academic Writing:
Online registration for Research Skills and Academic Writing workshops for Masters by Research and PhD students is now open at http://www.postgraduate.uwa.edu.au/students/resources/workshops.
Research skills workshops topics: Kickstart your Research; Writing your Research Proposal; Managing and Reviewing the Literature
Academic Writing topics: Write a Better Thesis; Principles of Academic Writing; Academic Writing in Practice.

Conference!
Limina Conference 2013

Exclusivity: Boundaries of Difference

To celebrate the launch of volume 19 of LIMINA: A Journal of Historical and Cultural Studies the Collective is pleased to announce that:

The Limina Conference will be held on Friday June 14, 2013 at the University of Western Australia. This conference will explore notions of exclusivity with Professor Jane Lydon, Future Fellow at the University of Western Australia, as keynote speaker. The conference aims to foster a supportive environment in which current post-graduates and early career researchers can present their own research whilst investigating the complexities of exclusion.
For more information please visit our website http://limina.arts.uwa.edu.au or contact us at liminajournal@gmail.com. The final submission date for abstracts has been extended to April 30, 2013.

Teaching and Learning Research Colloquium 2013
Date: Thursday 6th June 2013 Time: 8:45-12:00. Venue: University Club, Seminar Rooms 1 and 2
You are invited to disseminate your research in Teaching and Learning at UWA. We are calling for expressions of interest from anyone who is actively engaged with the scholarship of teaching and learning at UWA and would like to share their research with others in a presentation to your colleagues.Please submit an Expression of Interest in the form of an abstract by Monday 8th April 2013 to rashmi.watson@uwa.edu.au
Any questions please do not hesitate to contact Rashmi Watson rashmi.watson@uwa.edu.au

Employment Law Australia Masterclass

28 May 2013. Sydney, Australia
30 May 2013, Perth, Australia
Register by 8th Mar 2013 to enjoy 200 AUD off

Overview:

Employment law is constantly evolving and it is a challenge to keep up with the changes. This Masterclass looks at the current hot topics which those involved in HR face on a daily basis

Grants!

UWA Student Guild - Co-Op Textbook Grants for Students

There are Guild Textbook Grants in the form of Co-Op Textbook vouchers of up to $250 for students who are finding it difficult to purchase essential textbooks.

For further information please see the following link -http://www.guild.uwa.edu.au/welcome/support/finance or feel free to contact either of us; Emmaline Turley emmaline.turley@guild.uwa.edu.au or Jessica Toon jessica.toon@guild.uwa.edu.au


News from IT!

Student IT Support in 2013
Need IT help? Use askUWA or go to your subject library.

.
Reminders:

Check your student email!! Your student email is where the university communicates with you.

Check that and Student Connect at least once a week to ensure that you don’t have any outstanding fines, fees, milestones which might lead to an encumbrance – this would prevent the automatic re-enrolment of research students! Bad times for everyone.


Do you want to put a notice in the newsletter? You should email me! I’ll plug most things related to postgrads, professional development, and activities. Newsletter day is currently Wednesday, so email two sentences and any links to psa@guild.uwa.edu.au  by 9am on Wednesday to be included!
Twitter: @UWAPSA
Internal Mail: M300
Phone: (08) 6488 3194
Office: Guild South Wing, First Floor, Office 1.03
Lounge: Guild South Wing, First Floor, Room 1.05

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Newsletter 11th of April


Aloha,

I hope you are all surviving well this week. I have a couple of PSA specific announcements.

First up we recently received several applications for the PSA Faculty of Science Representative position. In light of this we will be holding a by-election electronically for all vacant PSA Committee positions. If you have been thinking about nominating for an open PSA committee position now is the time to do it.

We currently have four positions open: Secretary, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Officer, Education Faculty Representative, and Science Faculty Representative. More information on all of these positions and general committee commitments can be found here: http://www.psa.guild.uwa.edu.au/available_2013_committee_positions/position_info

Nominations will be open until the 17th of April. Please email psa@guild.uwa.edu.au to nominate yourself for a position.

Connect is today at the Uni Club between 5 and 6. Drinks will not be served before 5. The GRS Orientation is also going on today. Hopefully I will see some of you there.

Next up: tickets for the Quiz night will be on sale today at Connect. If you can’t make it to connect tickets will be on sale at the PSA Office (room 1.03 Guild South Wing), between 3.30-4.30pm. Tickets are $15 per person or $100 for a whole table of 8 people. We have had a lot of interest in tickets already. I think they will sell out very quickly- so get in quick.

Happy Thursday,
Gemma

Notices:

PSA News!
PSA Committee:
The PSA is still looking for people to fill the following positions:
Secretary
Science Faculty Representative
Education Faculty Representative
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Officer

For more information on these positions and what the rest of the PSA committee does check out:http://www.psa.guild.uwa.edu.au/available_2013_committee_positions/position_info

Please let us know at psa@guild.uwa.edu.au if you are interested

PSA QUIZ NIGHT, 23 MAY 2013! GET YOUR TICKETS!

Hey Postgrads. Do you love prizes? Are you a smartie? Well, bring it to the Tav on May 23rd for the PSA Quiz night!

WHERE: The Tav at UWA
WHEN: Thursday, 23rd May 2013, 7-10.30 pm
HOW MUCH: $15 per person or $100 for a full table of 8 (buy a wad of raffle
tickets for a change to WIN MORE PRIZES!)
TICKETS: Tickets are available for purchase on 11 April at PSA Connect!

Tickets will be on sale at the next PSA Connect (University Club Terrace) on April 11th. Prizes include Co-op Vouchers, a bottle of 12-year old Glenfiddich, a free dental scale and clean, Gold Class movie tickets, a variety of Lush products, a family pass to Scitech and more!

Head on to the PSA blog at http://uwapsa.blogspot.com.au/, Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/uwapsa, @UWAPSA on Twitter or email psa@guild.uwa.edu.au for more info.

Get your friends together for a table!


TIME & DATES: April 11th, 12th and 13th, 7:30PM
VENUE: Dolphin Theatre, UWA

COST: $10 for UWA Guild members, $12 for everyone else

TICKETS: Book by emailing uwapanto@gmail.com, or look for the panto stall on the Oak Lawn between 12-2pm, March 21st - 29th.

Network!
What do you get if you cross speed-dating with the three minute thesis? Date my Thesis’
Share your thesis topic, ideas, and thoughts with your peers in a non-threatening and social environment. Listen to what others are working on and build a network of potential allies for your future academic career. The event is open to all postgrads from the Humanities and Social Sciences.

Date: Thursday, 18th April
Time: 4-5 pm
Venue: PSA Lounge
Open to all postgraduate by research students. RSVP, for catering purposes, to Claire liminajournal@gmail.com by 11thApril.

ACSPRI Winter Program : ACSPRI winter program is coming to UWA in July
ACSPRI is coming UWA this July and course bookings are now open! These courses are a valuable learning experience and networking opportunity for a wide range of researchers; from areas including social sciences and humanities, health sciences, nursing, epidemiology, medicine, law, marketing, geography and beyond.
ACSPRI courses will be held at UWA from 15th – 19th July as part of the 2013 ACSPRI Winter Program. Program information, a list of courses, prices, FAQs and the on-line booking system are available at www.acspri.org.au/winterprogram2013.
Program Coordinator, Marty Lynch on winter2013@acspri.org.au.
Location Faculty of Arts Computer Labs (03 8456 6520)

2013 Masterclasses in Focus Groups and Interviews at Curtin University
UWA students are invited to attend Research Methods Masterclasses to be presented by Dr Josephine Muir at Curtin University. There is a charge of $50 per Masterclass.   If you are interested in participating in one of these Masterclasses, please reply to graduate.studies@curtin.edu.au requesting for a registration form.
Focus Groups: Masterclass, Monday, 15 April and Wednesday, 17 April (9.30 - 1:00pm)
A 3.5 hour interactive workshop dedicated to focus groups. This workshop addresses the design, implementation, analysis and write-up of focus group data, using DVD footage of a focus group to bring the theory to life. The workshop is designed so that participants can bring in their own research for discussion, allowing time for discussion guides to be piloted within the group

Indepth Interviews: Masterclass, Tuesday, 16 April and Thursday, 18 April (9:30-1:00pm)
A 3.5 hour interactive workshop focusing on indepth interviews. This workshop summarises the definition, key features, when to use indepth interviews and how to conduct interviews but also allows participants to draft and reflect upon interview questions and pilot techniques for staying on track during interviews. The workshop is designed so that participants can bring in their own research for discussion. The workshop adopts Kvale’s (1996) schema as a benchmark for writing up interview data and evaluates a range of analysis techniques including NVivo.

New Unit on Drugs, Policy and Public Health – presented by the National Drug Research Institute.
A one-week intensive unit gives postgraduate students the historical and epidemiological background to alcohol and other drug use and policy in Australia  The aim is to provide participants with a framework to improve integration of research into drug policy formulation at local, state, national and international levels.

DATE: Monday 22 - Friday 26 July 2013
TIME: 9am - 4.45pm
VENUE: National Drug Research Institute, Curtin University Health Research Campus, Shenton Park
Enrolment and further information: http://ndri.curtin.edu.au/students/dpph500.cfm

Participants required!
Participant Recruitment to research the lived experiences of PhD students in Australia
Wanted: a diverse cohort of PhD students – domestic and international, different stage of PhD, varying age groups, gender and research discipline - to explore ‘what the lived experience’ of a PhD student in present day Australia actually is.
Participation takes approximately 1 hour per month
Anyone interested in participating can contact me directly on:
Angele Jones, avjones@swin.edu.au or 0409 833688


Talks!
IAS Talks:

The History of Education and the Values of Cultural Heritage by Ian Reid, Adjunct Professor,  English and Cultural Studies UWA
16 April, 6pm, Webb Lecture Theatre UWA, Free, but RSVP essential.
Bookings: www.ias.uwa.edu.au/lectures/ian-reid or RSVP toias@uwa.edu.au  or 6488 1340

Probation worker responses to turbulent conditions by Anne Worrall, Professor of Criminology, Keele University, UK, Honorary Professorial Fellow, Law School, UWA.
17 April, 6pm, Social Sciences Lecture Theatre UWA, Free, but RSVP essential.
Bookings: www.ias.uwa.edu.au/lectures/worrall
Blue Forests for Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation by Nuria Marba, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Institut Mediterrani d'Estudis Avancats (UIB-CSIC) and 2013 Gledden Visiting Fellow at UWA
18 April, 6pm, Social Sciences Lecture Theatre UWA, Free, but RSVP essential.
Bookings: www.ias.uwa.edu.au/lectures/marba

Are you currently teaching at UWA?
Please join us at the 2013 UWA Sessional Staff Development Day.
Date: Saturday, 13 April
UWA recognizes and values the role of its sessional teachers in delivering quality learning experiences to its students.
Whether experienced or new to teaching, attendance promises to be worthwhile and enjoyable!
More information and free registration available at: http://www.catl.uwa.edu.au/pd/workshops/teaching/sessional

Endnote!
The latest version of the citation management software EndNote (X6) is now available for UWA staff and students to download. To learn more and download the program, visit: http://guides.is.uwa.edu.au/endnote.

Questions? Please ask us.

Caroline Clark caroline.clark@uwa.edu.au
Workshops and Seminars!
Research and Academic Writing:
Online registration for Research Skills and Academic Writing workshops for Masters by Research and PhD students is now open at http://www.postgraduate.uwa.edu.au/students/resources/workshops.
Research skills workshops topics: Kickstart your Research; Writing your Research Proposal; Managing and Reviewing the Literature
Academic Writing topics: Write a Better Thesis; Principles of Academic Writing; Academic Writing in Practice.

Teaching:

Music Faculty presents International Research Seminar Series:
16 April 2013:  5.00pm – 6.15pm: Kristin Bowtell (returning Court Music Fund award-holder): The Embodied Score: Conductors' Interpretive Decision-Making

Conference!
Limina Conference 2013

Exclusivity: Boundaries of Difference

The Limina Conference will be held on Friday June 14, 2013 at the University of Western Australia. This conference will explore notions of exclusivity with Professor Jane Lydon, Future Fellow at the University of Western Australia, as keynote speaker. .
For more information please visit our website http://limina.arts.uwa.edu.au or contact us at liminajournal@gmail.com. The final submission date for abstracts is April 10, 2013.

Teaching and Learning Research Colloquium 2013
Date: Thursday 6th June 2013 Time: 8:45-12:00. Venue: University Club, Seminar Rooms 1 and 2
You are invited to disseminate your research in Teaching and Learning at UWA. We are calling for expressions of interest from anyone who is actively engaged with the scholarship of teaching and learning at UWA and would like to share their research with others in a presentation to your colleagues.Please submit an Expression of Interest in the form of an abstract by Monday 8th April 2013 to rashmi.watson@uwa.edu.au
Any questions please do not hesitate to contact Rashmi Watson rashmi.watson@uwa.edu.au

Grants!
UWA Student Guild - Co-Op Textbook Grants for Students

There are Guild Textbook Grants in the form of Co-Op Textbook vouchers of up to $250 for students who are finding it difficult to purchase essential textbooks.

For further information please see the following link -http://www.guild.uwa.edu.au/welcome/support/finance or feel free to contact either of us; Emmaline Turley emmaline.turley@guild.uwa.edu.au or Jessica Toon jessica.toon@guild.uwa.edu.au


News from IT!

Student IT Support in 2013
Need IT help? Use askUWA or go to your subject library.

.
Reminders:
Check your student email!! Your student email is where the university communicates with you.
Check that and StudentConnect at least once a week to ensure that you don’t have any outstanding fines, fees, milestones which might lead to an encumbrance – this would prevent the automatic re-enrolment of research students! Bad times for everyone.

Do you want to put a notice in the newsletter? You should email me! I’ll plug most things related to postgrads, professional development, and activities. Newsletter day is currently Wednesday, so email two sentences and any links to psa@guild.uwa.edu.au  by 9am on Wednesday to be included!
Twitter: @UWAPSA
Internal Mail: M300
Phone: (08) 6488 3194
Office: Guild South Wing, First Floor, Office 1.03
Lounge: Guild South Wing, First Floor, Room 1.05

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To subscribe or unsubscribe from the postgrad mailing list, please follow the instructions at: http://maillists.uwa.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/postgrad

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Newsletter 3rd of April 2013


Buenas tardes! (Spanish for good afternoon- according to my good pal Google)

Hope you all celebrated Holi/Easter/Passover/the long weekend in style. As many of you know this week is study week. For those of you that didn’t realise that it is study week- that is why there is suddenly parking at campus.

First up- there is no connect this Thursday, it is next Thursday the 11th to coincide with the GRS Orientation for new Research Students. Are you a new research student and haven’t heard about the GRS Orientation? Contact the GRS by emailing Michael, Jo or Krys- there details are here:  http://www.postgraduate.uwa.edu.au/students/resources/officers

Tickets to the PSA Quiz night will be on sale at the Connect on Thursday the 11th of April. Tickets are either $15 per person or $100 for a complete table of 8. In addition to our previous prizes we now also have a: Family Pass to Scitech, a $100 Coles/Myer Gift Voucher from High Wycombe Pharmacy, four movie passes to Cygnet Theatre, as well as donations from Tactics, White Dwarf and Lush.  Just so you all know: Prizes are awesome, Quizzes are Awesome, people who participate in a Quiz with prizes are therefore awesome. Hence, it is only logical that postgrads who participate in our quiz night which prizes will be awesome. Yeah…..I just logic-ed you all.

The PSA International Students Officer Jenny had a fantastic time with several of you celebrating Holi last Friday. The new cover photo on the PSA Facebook page is of Jenny and several postgrads at Holi. Speaking of Facebook…. I often ask questions, give updates on information, look for feedback on the PSA Facebook page- I understand Facebook is not for everyone- but it is an easy way to hear about what is going on. I encourage you to ‘like’ our Facebook page- www.facebook.com/uwapsa

The due date for all applications for the PSA Casual Assistant position close this Friday. The position is for 4 hours a week on either a Tuesday or Wednesday. This position will involve assisting the PSA President and Committee members with general administration tasks which include filing, taking and making phone calls as well as other administrative duties. Successful candidate will have attention to detail, exceptional written and verbal communication skills and be able to work as a team or autonomously when required. If you are interested in applying, or would like further information on the position please contact the Guild’s Human Resources Officer, Jenny, at jenny.ophel@guild.uwa.edu.au.

Finally- Did you know that the Reid Library has extended their opening hours? They are now open from 8am till 2am on Weekends and until 2am on Fridays. In conjunction with this they will be open 24/7 for the 3 weeks which span the exam period (one week study break and two weeks exams) at the end of semester- which means we can study ALL the time now! Yay!   
Over and out,
Gemma

Notices:

PSA News!
Represent!
PSA Committee:
The PSA is still looking for people to fill the following positions:
Science Faculty Representative
Education Faculty Representative
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Officer

For more information on these positions and what the rest of the PSA committee does check out:http://www.psa.guild.uwa.edu.au/available_2013_committee_positions/position_info

Please let us know at psa@guild.uwa.edu.au if you are interested

Employment Opportunity!
Are you looking for an employment opportunity that will fit in around life and study? The UWA Postgraduate Students’ Association is seeking a Casual Assistant for 4 hours per week (Tuesday or Wednesday preferred) to assist the PSA President and Committee members with general administration tasks which include filing, taking and making phone calls and other administration duties. Successful candidate will have attention to detail, exceptional written and verbal communication skills and be able to work as a team or autonomously when required.

If you are interested in applying, or would like further information on the position, please contact the Guild’s Human Resources Officer, Jenny, at jenny.ophel@guild.uwa.edu.au.  Applications close on Friday 5 April 2013.

PSA QUIZ NIGHT, 23 MAY 2013! GET YOUR TICKETS!

Hey Postgrads. Do you love prizes? Are you a smartie? Well, bring it to the Tav on May 23rd for the PSA Quiz night!

WHERE: The Tav at UWA
WHEN: Thursday, 23rd May 2013, 7-10.30 pm
HOW MUCH: $15 per person or $100 for a full table of 8 (buy a wad of raffle
tickets for a change to WIN MORE PRIZES!)
TICKETS: Tickets are available for purchase on 8 April at PSA Connect!

Tickets will be on sale at the next PSA Connect (University Club Terrace) on April 11th. Prizes include Co-op Vouchers, a bottle of 12-year old Glenfiddich, a free dental scale and clean, Gold Class movie tickets, and more!

Head on to the PSA blog at http://uwapsa.blogspot.com.au/, Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/uwapsa, @UWAPSA on Twitter or email psa@guild.uwa.edu.au for more info.

Get your friends together for a table!

Network!

What do you get if you cross speed-dating with the three minute thesis? Date my Thesis’
Share your thesis topic, ideas, and thoughts with your peers in a non-threatening and social environment. Listen to what others are working on and build a network of potential allies for your future academic career. And if you are thinking of entering the three minute thesis competition this is a great place to practice your pitch! The event is open to all postgrads from the Humanities and Social Sciences.

Date: Thursday, 18th April
Time: 4-5 pm
Venue: PSA Lounge
Open to all postgraduate by research students. RSVP, for catering purposes, to Claire liminajournal@gmail.com by 11thApril.

New Unit on Drugs, Policy and Public Health – presented by the National Drug Research Institute.
A one-week intensive unit gives postgraduate students the historical and epidemiological background to alcohol and other drug use and policy in Australia  The aim is to provide participants with a framework to improve integration of research into drug policy formulation at local, state, national and international levels.

DATE: Monday 22 - Friday 26 July 2013
TIME: 9am - 4.45pm
VENUE: National Drug Research Institute, Curtin University Health Research Campus, Shenton Park
Enrolment and further information: http://ndri.curtin.edu.au/students/dpph500.cfm

Participants required!

Participant Recruitment to research the lived experiences of PhD students in Australia
Wanted: a diverse cohort of PhD students – domestic and international, different stage of PhD, varying age groups, gender and research discipline - to explore ‘what the lived experience’ of a PhD student in present day Australia actually is.
Participation takes approximately 1 hour per month
Anyone interested in participating can contact me directly on:
Angele Jones, avjones@swin.edu.au or 0409 833688

Tutors needed!

St Catherine's college is looking for tutors for the following units:
ITAL1403
POLS1101
IMED3340/3342 (as one tutorial)
ANTH1001

We offer $55 per hour and the tutorials run for 1 hour a week. Most of the tutorials will be done in small groups instead of one-on-one tutorials. If anyone is interested, please e-mail directorofstudies@stcatherines.uwa.edu.au with your interest as well as some information regarding your experience with the unit that you are applying for. Thank you!

Write!

The PSA is featuring in the Guild's Centenary publication! The PSA has had two primary goals since its establishment to provide a voice for UWA postgrads, and to help postgrads from different departments and faculties interact with each other.
We want to include how you feel about these goals - has PSA done this for you? Send a couple of lines with your views about the PSA to Stephanie at19818478@student.uwa.edu.au

Talks!

IAS Talks:

Are Seagrasses Drowning or Being Poisoned? Worldwide diebacks of seagrass ecosystems by Ole Pedersen, University of Copengagen and 2013 IAS Professor-at-Large.
9 April, 6pm, Webb Lecture Theatre UWA, Free, but RSVP essential.
Bookings: www.ias.uwa.edu.au/lectures/pedersen or RSVP to ias@uwa.edu.au  or 6488 1340

The History of Education and the Values of Cultural Heritage by Ian Reid, Adjunct Professor,  English and Cultural Studies UWA
16 April, 6pm, Webb Lecture Theatre UWA, Free, but RSVP essential.
Bookings: www.ias.uwa.edu.au/lectures/ian-reid or RSVP toias@uwa.edu.au  or 6488 1340

Are you currently teaching at UWA?
Please join us at the 2013 UWA Sessional Staff Development Day.
Date: Saturday, 13 April
UWA recognizes and values the role of its sessional teachers in delivering quality learning experiences to its students.
Whether experienced or new to teaching, attendance promises to be worthwhile and enjoyable!
More information and free registration available at: http://www.catl.uwa.edu.au/pd/workshops/teaching/sessional

Endnote!

The latest version of the citation management software EndNote (X6) is now available for UWA staff and students to download. To learn more and download the program, visit: http://guides.is.uwa.edu.au/endnote.

Questions? Please ask us.

Caroline Clark caroline.clark@uwa.edu.au
Workshops and Seminars!

Research and Academic Writing:
Online registration for Research Skills and Academic Writing workshops for Masters by Research and PhD students is now open at http://www.postgraduate.uwa.edu.au/students/resources/workshops.
Research skills workshops topics: Kickstart your Research; Writing your Research Proposal; Managing and Reviewing the Literature
Academic Writing topics: Write a Better Thesis; Principles of Academic Writing; Academic Writing in Practice.

Teaching:
Presentation Title: 'Online teaching and workload'
Date: Thursday 11 April 2013
Time: 10am – 1pm
Venue: Watersports Complex, UWA Crawley Campus

This seminar will present the results of an ALTC/OLT-funded project into the workload implications of blended and online teaching.

The research involved interviews with 88 staff, reporting on their perceptions of the disparity between workload allocations for teaching, and the actual 'lived reality' of the additional work, and changes in teaching tasks and activities, consequent on greater use of Learning Management Systems and student expectations of a 24/7 'service' education. 
Presenter: Professor Yoni Ryan, Adjunct Professor of Higher Education at QUT.

RSVP: catl@uwa.edu.au by Thursday 4 April 2013.

Music Faculty presents International Research Seminar Series:
9 April 2013:  5.00pm – 6.15pm: Andrew Sutherland: Principles for designing an effective, post-compulsory Music curriculum suitable for Western Australia
16 April 2013:  5.00pm – 6.15pm: Kristin Bowtell (returning Court Music Fund award-holder): The Embodied Score: Conductors' Interpretive Decision-Making

Conference!
Limina Conference 2013

Exclusivity: Boundaries of Difference

To celebrate the launch of volume 19 of LIMINA: A Journal of Historical and Cultural Studies the Collective is pleased to announce that:

The Limina Conference will be held on Friday June 14, 2013 at the University of Western Australia. This conference will explore notions of exclusivity with Professor Jane Lydon, Future Fellow at the University of Western Australia, as keynote speaker. The conference aims to foster a supportive environment in which current post-graduates and early career researchers can present their own research whilst investigating the complexities of exclusion.
For more information please visit our website http://limina.arts.uwa.edu.au or contact us at liminajournal@gmail.com. The final submission date for abstracts is April 10, 2013.

Teaching and Learning Research Colloquium 2013
Date: Thursday 6th June 2013 Time: 8:45-12:00. Venue: University Club, Seminar Rooms 1 and 2
You are invited to disseminate your research in Teaching and Learning at UWA. We are calling for expressions of interest from anyone who is actively engaged with the scholarship of teaching and learning at UWA and would like to share their research with others in a presentation to your colleagues.Please submit an Expression of Interest in the form of an abstract by Monday 8th April 2013 to rashmi.watson@uwa.edu.au
Any questions please do not hesitate to contact Rashmi Watson rashmi.watson@uwa.edu.au

Employment Law Australia Masterclass

28 May 2013. Sydney, Australia
30 May 2013, Perth, Australia
Register by 8th Mar 2013 to enjoy 200 AUD off

Overview:

Employment law is constantly evolving and it is a challenge to keep up with the changes. This Masterclass looks at the current hot topics which those involved in HR face on a daily basis

Grants!

UWA Student Guild - Co-Op Textbook Grants for Students

There are Guild Textbook Grants in the form of Co-Op Textbook vouchers of up to $250 for students who are finding it difficult to purchase essential textbooks.

For further information please see the following link -http://www.guild.uwa.edu.au/welcome/support/finance or feel free to contact either of us; Emmaline Turley emmaline.turley@guild.uwa.edu.au or Jessica Toon jessica.toon@guild.uwa.edu.au


News from IT!

Student IT Support in 2013
Need IT help? Use askUWA or go to your subject library.

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Reminders:

Check your student email!! Your student email is where the university communicates with you.

Check that and StudentConnect at least once a week to ensure that you don’t have any outstanding fines, fees, milestones which might lead to an encumbrance – this would prevent the automatic re-enrolment of research students! Bad times for everyone.


Do you want to put a notice in the newsletter? You should email me! I’ll plug most things related to postgrads, professional development, and activities. Newsletter day is currently Wednesday, so email two sentences and any links to psa@guild.uwa.edu.au  by 9am on Wednesday to be included!
Twitter: @UWAPSA
Internal Mail: M300
Phone: (08) 6488 3194
Office: Guild South Wing, First Floor, Office 1.03
Lounge: Guild South Wing, First Floor, Room 1.05

Phone: 6488 3194
Twitter: @UWAPSA

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