Snapped on (and off) campus | This Week At Macquarie University

Kiss Goodbye to MS
To launch MS Research Australia’s ‘Kiss Goodbye to MS’ campaign on 1 May, MS research teams around Australia, including Macquarie’s Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Group (pictured above) swapped their white lab coats for red ones and shared their photos on social media. Dozens of posts appeared on Twitter (and other social platforms) from multiple sclerosis researchers around the country, showcasing the amazing people who dedicate their time to finding a cure for multiple sclerosis, and other neurodegenerative diseases.

Mr Das, Vice-Chancellor Professor S Bruce Dowton and Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Wilkinson discuss the recent achievements of MBIT.

Indian students receive $1 million scholarship boost
The Vice-Chancellor, Professor S Bruce Dowton, met with Mr Amit Kumar Das last week. Mr Das was instrumental in the establishment of the Moti Babu Institute of Technology (MBIT) in India. In this capacity, Mr Das has made a $1 million pledge in support of scholarships that encourage high-achieving MBIT undergraduates to undertake an early career Masters program at MGSM. Read more on the VC’s blog.

Austral Ark book launch_FEATURE — Associate Professor Adam Stow with Faculty of Science and Engineering Executive Dean Professor Barbara Messerle and Senator Christine Milne.

Austral Ark Book Launch
Last Monday saw the launch of Austral Ark: The State of Wildlife in Australia and New Zealand. Edited by Macquarie’s Adam Stow, the book highlights Australia and New Zealand’s many historical and contemporary environmental differences as well as commonalities, providing an insight into the threatening processes occurring worldwide as well as the unique conservation problems faced in this region. The event was attended by a number of staff, including Faculty of Science and Engineering Executive Dean Professor Barbara Messerle. Also in attendance was Senator Christine Milne, leader of the parliamentary caucus of the Australian Greens.

Bangladesh NSU Delegation_FEATURE — Professor Sherman Young with members of the North South University (NSU) of Bangladesh delegation.

Bangladeshi relations strengthened
On Friday 24 April, a delegation from the North South University (NSU) of Bangladesh, led by Professor Amin U. Sarkar, Vice-Chancellor, and Mr Benjir Ahmed, Chairman & Founder, visited Macquarie University. NSU is a leading private university in Bangladesh which provides quality undergraduate and Master programs. A collaboration MoU was signed to mark the establishment of formal partner relationship between Macquarie and NSU. The delegation was met by Pro Vice-Chancellor (Learning, Teaching & Diversity) Professor Sherman Young, and senior staff members from Faculties of Arts and Business & Economics, and Macquarie International.

Movies at Macquarie
The E7B Courtyard came alive with bean bags, cheap eats and a great night of entertainment for all involved at the first instalment of the newly-revamped Movies at Macquarie. The event featured a screening of The Dish, a film celebrating the space era and the exciting role Australia played in bringing the first Moon landing to audiences around the world. Following the film, Dr Lee Spitler from the Department of Physics and Astronomy led an insightful and engaging panel discussion, featuring astronomers and other experts who use the Parkes telescope. Check out what’s up next for Movies at Macquarie.

Filex presentation for one of our group fitness gurus
Leisl Klaebe, Group Fitness Team Leader from the Sport and Aquatic Centre travelled to Melbourne earlier last month to present a lecture to her industry peers as part of ‘Filex’, the largest fitness convention in the Asia Pacific region. Leisl spoke about creating ‘tribes’ within the group fitness workplace and provided fellow delegates with a ‘tribal toolkit’ with tips and tricks to take back to their clubs and encouraged managers to embrace inspirational and motivational leadership, transparent management, teamwork, authenticity and empowerment of their tribes. As well as presenting, Leisl also joined hundreds of group fitness professionals in learning new Les Mills group fitness choreography.

Nepalese Student Society raises much-needed funds
In response to the devastating Nepal earthquake, the Macquarie University Nepalese Student Society has been working to fundraise for the relief effort, teaming up the Campus Engagement team and with other student societies including Los Latinos and the Thai Laos Student Association. Last Thursday, the groups hosted a barbecue to raise funds for the Red Cross Nepal Region Earthquake Appeal. With some delicious food, music, megaphones, and a strong community spirit, the team raised $4300! The Nepalese Student Society will be continuing their work to raise funds and awareness for the relief campaign, and donation boxes for the appeal will remain around the Campus Hub. Donations can also be made online directly to the Red Cross.

Dr Philip Chappell (Department of Linguistics), Richard Stewart (Head of Centre English Language Centre) and Professor Phil Benson (Department of Linguistics).

English PD Fest at Macquarie
Last Saturday 2 May, the English Language Centre was proud host to the University English Centres of Australia (UECA) biannual PD (Professional Development) Fest. The theme of the PD Fest was ‘Creative People – Creative Spaces’, and was attended by over 170 English language teachers from various ELICOS Centres in New South Wales and interstate. There were 16 workshops conducted throughout the day, followed by a closing keynote delivered by Sue Blundell, the Executive Director of English Australia.