Director's Message

Dear Colleagues,

I encourage you to check out and get involved in what’s happening around ANU for Reconciliation Week http://www.anu.edu.au/news/all-news/anu-reconciliation-week-2018. The ANU Reconciliation Week website will also give you an idea of the new ANU web style which the School will be upgrading to early 2019.

Steve

GRACE Follow - on Satellite launch

The GRACE Follow-On satellites were launched at 12:47 pm on 22 May (California time), and deployed into orbit 11m33s later, over the Pacific Ocean. Communications have been established with each of the satellites, so all appears to be working as planned.

 The launch was watched live (at 5:47 am) by a small but dedicated group of interested scientists, who enjoyed hot coffee and croissants for breakfast. The prototype of components of the laser ranging interferometer system (developed by ANU scientists in Physics) was on display.

 It is expected that the collection of science data will commence in 2-3 weeks, at which time the team in Earth Dynamics at RSES will have access to the data and will start producing gravity field estimates.

 A big thank you to all who attended the launch webcast, in particular to Herb, Sebastien, Simon and Julia for helping to organise the event.

Regards,

Paul

Hales Medal

Rhodri Davies was presented with the Hales medal of the Australian Academy of Science this week. You can read more here or watch here

Welcome New PhD students

Flash back (OHB when it was a hospital)

OHB back when it was a hospital between 1914 and 1942 - this would be very interesting for the newsletter given the rich history of the building. The source of the photo is the National Archives (https://mildenhall.moadoph.gov.au/rephoto/195).

 Some information on the OHB building (from National Archives of Australia, 2018: http://guides.naa.gov.au/records-about-act/part2/chapter11/11.1.aspx)

Canberra's first hospital – located in Balmain Crescent, Acton – was completed in May 1914. The hospital was a small affair consisting of a few wards, administrative facilities, and a kitchen, with an operation block and laundry detached. There were no obstetric facilities; obstetrics patients had to travel to Queanbeyanhospital.

The hospital closed in August 1917 due to restricted funding, and also following the negative comments of the Royal Commission into Federal Capital Administration, which found the hospital's operating costs excessive.288 It reopened in late 1921.

At first, the hospital was the responsibility of whichever department administered the Territory, but following the establishment of the Federal Capital Commission in 1925, it assumed responsibility. By the mid-1920s, the hospital comprised three general wards for medical and surgical cases, and an isolation area consisting of two wards, each having three beds, together with a few tents. Under the direction of the commission, the hospital underwent considerable expansion. By 1928, two additional wards, each consisting of 20 beds, had been constructed, as well as a 20-bed obstetrics ward. In addition, a nurses' training school was introduced in 1928.

In its 1927 annual report, the commission noted that the new facilities were of a temporary wooden-framed nature, the reason being that 'the hospital is not on the site indicated for that institution in the approved City plans'. Somewhat prophetically, the commission noted that the hospital 'will remain for a considerable number of years in its present location'.289 Although not remaining in its 'present location', a Canberra hospital did remain within the Acton vicinity until 1991.

With the abolition of the commission in 1930, control of the hospital passed to the Department of Health.

by Jessica Lowczak

2018 Photography Competition

We’d like to invite everyone at RSES to submit photographs into the 2018 Photography Competition!  The deadline is May 31st.

This year we have four categories:

RSES in the Field - Highlighting the range of field activities, we undertake at RSES for both education and research

RSES in the Lab - A look at the lab facilities, machines and people at RSES

RSES samples -Thinsections, SEM images or anything looking at the samples we investigate at RSES

RSES on Holiday - Photos of the exciting geological, climatological, or environmental places we visit on holiday.

To enter your photos please upload them along with a short description on our Google Drive: Here

As with last year, all photos will be displayed in the J1 foyer and then used in RSES marketing (for example, on TV screens around the school, the website, and in print materials).  The winners will be announced at the Student Conference on Monday June 4th.

If you have any questions please email rses.stu.con@gmail.com

RSES Student Conference Photo Competition and for students to sign up for a talk or Bake Your PhD.

There are four categories for the Photography Competition

- RSES in the Field

- RSES in the Lab

- RSES samples

- RSES on Holiday

Max five photos for person entering the competition. 

RSES Photography Competition 2018

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1GGw5FFYJelvFadbSg3eXTda1JV6qUmCbHYYIstjpkPI/

Sign up for a talk or Bake Your PhD entry

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1SZ336wqbMPbTTR4glH5MeBoy498Af4NBfYEnivB6wgQ/

Winter Intensive Tutoring Program

Starts O Week Monday 16 July

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.

This program is offered during O Week to PhD students who have some tutoring experience. Another PTD program is scheduled for semester 2 and is more practical for those participants new to tutoring. Dates for the ‘new to tutoring’ program released in mid-June.

Winter Intensive Program

Modules T1 & T2 – Monday 16 July

Modules T3 & T4 – Tuesday 17 July

Modules T5 & T7 – Thursday 19 July

Module T8 – Friday 20 July

Module T9 – Monday 23 July ( fully online)

Module T6 – Monday 30 July (Peer Observation with online reflection, participants to organise)

Module T10 – Tuesday 31 July

Registrations essential at https://services.anu.edu.au/training/principles-of-tutoring-and-demonstrating (On the webpage click top right – Register Now button).

If you have completed a tutor training program in your College you can gain credit in PTD for the modules you have completed (please indicate in your registration what modules you have completed – you will need to provide a certificate or evidence of the completion of these modules).

All modules, except Peer Observation (T6) & Evaluation and Reflective Practice (T9), will be held in the CHELT Seminar Room, Chancelry 10T1.

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