A Message from the Library about the Scholars Centre

Dear Postgraduate Students

As you may know Information Services is planning some upcoming changes to the Reid Library for implementation in February 2014.

The refurbishments are part of an overall plan to transform the Reid Library to better meet the needs of students.  The first stage of this transformation (in 2012) was the creation of the collaborative study zone on the ground floor and the provision of 24 hour access.  The next stage is the creation of a new postgraduate area on the first floor of the Reid Library.  This new area will significantly expand the facilities available to postgraduate research students.  Access will be via UWA student card based on enrolment type with two distinct areas within the facility; for silent study and collaborative work.  The silent area which will be totally sound-proofed will include 153 ergonomically designed desks and chairs with power available at each desk.  The second area will include 30 informal spaces, student lockers, printing and computing facilities and a dedicated bookable meeting room with technologies for collaborative student work.   The new location will be adjacent to the main help area on the first floor with convenient access to student IT assistance and subject librarian and research support.

When the new area opens (anticipated February 2014) the current Scholars’ Centre on the second floor will close.  Desks in the new facility will be available to all postgraduate research students and the current desk and carrel allocation system will cease.  This will provide more equitable and flexible access to all postgraduate research students across UWA, and will alleviate the unmet demand for what is currently limited available desk space in the Scholars' Centre.   Lockers will be available for storing books and other belongings in the new facility.  Consultation via the Postgraduate Student Association, including student meetings with the Architect responsible for design, have already occurred and it is expected that these will continue as more detailed decisions are made (eg. design and partitioning of desks, size and number of lockers, and the style of furniture).

Information Services will work with the Graduate Research School and faculties to transition the current students using the Scholars’ Centre to the new space and more information about the transition will be provided soon.

For further information or to view the plans for the new space please contact Roz Howard, Assistant Director (Arts, Business, Law), Information Services – roz.howard@uwa.edu.au.

Many thanks

Jill

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Jill Benn | Associate Director (Research and Learning Support)

Information Services

The University of Western Australia M209

35 Stirling Highway CRAWLEY WA 6009

Ph: +61 8 6488 2341   

jill.benn@uwa.edu.au

www.is.uwa.edu.au

Achieve International Excellence
CRICOS Provider Code 00126G

Changes to the Scholars Centre

Dear Postgraduate Students,

There have been several rumours circulating about changes to the Scholars Centre in the Reid Library. The following information is what has been told to the PSA from the Library Executive.

During the current renovation and relocation of the Scholars Centre in the Reid Library the current plan is to no longer offer permanent desk space to honours and postgraduate students. The Library have noted that it is not the responsibility or a requirement for the Library to provide permanent desk space for postgraduate students as this responsibility lies with the Faculties. In the new refurbishment there will be up to double the desk space provided for postgraduate and honours students in the Scholars Centre, with the inclusion of group working areas. However, none of this desk space will be assigned. Lockers will be provided in the scholars centre for students wishing to leave books, laptops, etc there.

The library has assured the PSA that they are currently consulting with the Faculty of Arts and other Faculties on the issue of desk allocation. The Library have guaranteed us that they will be flagging this change with the Faculties to warn them of the increased pressures that will be placed on existing desk space.

I realise that this is not news that postgraduates in the Scholars Centre will want to hear. The library has told me that they will be informing all of the affected individuals of what is happening as soon as the plans are finalised. For more information or up to date information I encourage affect postgraduates to contact the library. http://www.uwa.edu.au/people/jill.benn

As the PSA is informed of more information we will update the postgraduate community.

Thank you,

Gemma Bothe

2013 PSA President. 

PSA Travel Award Report- Nathalie Collins

AMS-WMC 2013: Melbourne

The Australian Marketing Science Academy World Marketing Congress was held in Melbourne in 2013. With the support of the PSA I was able to attend and give two papers which I had authored and had been accepted. One paper was on authenticity in marketing; the other was on consumer religiosity (when people treat a the consumption of a product like a religion). 

The conference was held in the centre of Melbourne in a hotel that was so expensive ($240/night conference rate) I could never have afforded it. So I stayed in St Kilda, a tram ride away for about $100/night on average. However this meant that I needed to wake up extra early, because (that's right folks) BOTH my papers were on first thing in the morning!

I was able to re-encounter academics from around Australia who I had seen at other conferences. I noted their names so that I could run them past my supervisor as potential examiners. One lady from South Australia had been to three of my talks over the last 4 years! I was impressed. I was also able to intro duce myself to other early career researchers and some very established names in the field.

The outcomes (besides gaining a kilo or two from all the mini-cupcakes they served for morning and afternoon tea):

- I am in discussions with an American academic who is editing a series of short, business oriented marketing books about authoring one on authenticity;

- My head of department was there and attended one of my talks (and seemed to like it) so I was able to engage him in my research;

- A session on industry engagement with academia was very interesting, and demonstrated methods and roadblocks to companies and universities working together from a variety of perspectives. Although this was not immediately useful to me, I did earmark the information for future use.

Thank you PSA for helping me out. It made a BIG difference.

Regards,

Nathalie Collins

PSA Travel Award Report

PSA  Travel Award Report

Marina Borges Osorio, PhD student – School of Plant Biology

With combined funding from the PSA Conference Travel Award and the GRS Travel Award, I attended the BIONUT Summer School held in Gargnano (Italy) last June. The event is part of the Marie Curie Initial Training Network, an initiative involving nine renowned European research centres, such as Rothamsted Research and the John Innes Centre in the UK, and the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Plant Physiology in Germany.

During the Summer School I learned about different aspects of plant mineral nutrition in a challenging and stimulating atmosphere. The scientific program was spread over three full days and included lectures from twenty first-class experts on plant nutrition, followed by short presentations from sixteen selected students with free-flowing discussion periods after each talk. I was among a group of eight guest students who had been selected to speak. The other eight student speakers were from the BIONUT network. In total, about seventy postgraduate students took part of the school.

In my talk I explored the connections between plant nutrition and pathogen defence in plants. This topic is a central aspect of my PhD research that focuses on how phosphite protects plants against Phytophthora, the pathogen that causes dieback and is devastating native ecosystems across southern Australia, including the internationally recognized biodiversity hotspot in southwestern Australia. My talk was a great opportunity to showcase the research carried out at UWA and discuss with the European community an issue that not only affects Australia, but which is also relevant worldwide.

Most of the participants were hosted at Palazzo Feltrinelli, a beautiful venue for the summer school and also the place we gathered for meals. The meals were in fact an added attraction, firstly for giving us a taste of the best Italian cuisine and secondly for being a great opportunity to network with experts and students in a very casual and friendly environment.

Overall, the knowledge gained, the connections made and the venue visited made this event a memorable experience that greatly contributed to my professional and personal growth. 

Students ready for the last dinner of the Summer School

View from Palazzo Feltrinelli, Gargnano

Need Some Help Researching? The Library Can Help

Here is an outline of services that Business School PGs can access. Some of these services are available through the Reid Libary- so anyone can access them!

PSA Conference Travel Award Report

PSA Conference Travel Award Report

Last March 2013, I was awarded a PSA Conference Travel Award to attend the ‘National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Mitochondrial Biology Symposium 2013’, in Washington DC, USA and present my work on RNA Processing in Human Mitochondria. As a PhD student in the last year of this graduate journey, this was a fantastic opportunity and I am grateful to the PSA for contributing towards my travel expenses. Attending the conference opened my eyes to a world of research in my field that I could have never encountered in local or national conferences, as the mitochondrial research field is still in its early stages in Australia. I was able to chat with some of the world experts in my area of research and I even felt confident enough to question some of the results presented. The presentations I attended were of great quality and also provided me with some ideas for experiments for my own project. Finally, I had the opportunity to visit Washington DC, which I found surprisingly clean, multicultural and interesting, with a multitude of museums and art galleries. Tulips were blossoming all around the city, welcoming spring and although I had a vague sense of being constantly watched, as security is obviously tight all around the city, I would recommend a trip to anyone.

Thanks PSA for making my trip possible!

- Maria Lopez Sanchez 

Jenny Tung's Must Knows for International Students' Switching from a Coursework to Research Degree

Jenny Tung's Must Knows for International Students' when applying for admission to UWA Masters Research and currently enrolled in UWA Coursework Masters

International students – What you need to know about enrolling in a Masters by Research when you are currently enrolled in a Master by Coursework 

1.      You need to complete your first year of master acquiring certain prerequisite grades (usually above 70%).

2.      Choose a research topic and identify supervisors in the field. The topic of research is decided on and refined by both the student and supervisor, so ensure that you have discussed with your supervisors before you decide to switch.

3.      VISA! When you switch from Coursework to Research, you will need to apply for a new Student Visa (this is because research degree falls into a different visa subclass – higher education vs. postgraduate research) and buy a new OSHC (e.g. your existing OSHC expires in March 2014, but your new visa valid until Nov 2014, you will need to buy another 8 months of OSHC).

Ø  It may be helpful in the decision making process to factor in these fees before you decide on switching.

4.      Lodge an application with the International Student Application Form, the Supplementary Form and a Research Outline.

5.      If you are applying for International Postgraduate Research Scholarships (IPRS), Scholarships for International Research Fees (SIRF) and UWA China Scholarships you should complete the online application form on the Scholarships website.

6.      Allow for up to 3 months of processing your application.

Ø   Your application is handled mainly by the International Centre, as well as the Student Administration and Graduate Research School (GRS).

Ø   It is better to hand in your application personally, to the International Centre. Documents can get lost, which is why you should keep a copy of your application yourself, and (or) a copy with your school/centre.

Ø   Know the staff that handles your application to keep track of the progress.

7.      Prepare for the worst – if your application is not yet approved when uni starts:

Ø   Your originally enrolled course will be discontinued.  Consequently à

Ø   Your library account may be disabled.

Ø   Your Transperth SmartRider may cut your full-time student discount.

Ø   You may not be able to access your laboratory, or school with your student card.

Ø   You may need to chase around between the International Centre, Student Admin and GRS, to see where or why your application got stuck.

Nonetheless, undertaking a research degree offers you a rewarding and exciting learning experience.

l   Explore an issue in real depth independently, and enjoy the challenges that come with it.

l   Develop generic or transferable skills – project and personal management skills; ability to think independently and critically; effective problem solving and communication skills.

l   Graduates from higher degree by research programs are highly employable, across all fields of study.