Executive Dean’s Message - October 2021
Dear colleagues,
The jacarandas are back in all their glory, which means it’s almost the end of semester, exam marking time, T&L Week and time for our Faculty Board Meeting! The blooms seem to be especially spectacular this year, although I think I probably say that every year.
Last week, I had the great pleasure of attending the UQ Excellence Awards. It was wonderful to see that the great work of Lynette Cowan, recognised by a commendation for excellent service. Lynette has assisted thousands of students over many years, most recently with the Faculty of Science where she has worked incredibly diligently in student administration for more than 20 years. She has an exceptional ability to manage and embrace change – something that has been a constant due to the immense technological advances during her tenure. Lynette has always maintained a student-focussed approach to her work and has received heartfelt thanks from many students over the years. Lynette’s contribution to the UQ community is a rarity and something to be celebrated!
On Saturday I had the privilege of attending The Moreton Bay Foundation’s ‘Day by the Bay’ lunch on Minjerribah/North Stradbroke Island. It was especially great to see so many of our early career researchers communicating the importance of their research to members of the public. Well done all!
Congratulations also to Alice Twomey (BIOL), who was recently announced as a 2021 Queensland Fresh Scientist. And to Dan Watterson (SCMB) for being awarded a highly prestigious CSL Centenary Fellowship.
Congratulations to Kirsty Short (SCMB) for being one of the developers of a new risk assessment tool developed for calculating the risk of contracting COVID-19 in various settings, the chance of dying if you contract COVID-19, and the chances of getting and dying from an atypical blood clot. Just put in your age, gender, vaccination status, the current level of community transmission, and away you go!
Thank you to everyone who contributed to UQ Giving Day last week. UQ raised over $2 million to support a range of scholarships and research projects. Well done to the Science Advancement team for their contribution!
If you’re interested in citizen science, applications are now open for the Qld Chief Scientist’s Engaging Science Grants. Applications close at 1pm on Monday 15 November 2021.
Welcome back to Melanie Gunn who has commenced as the new School Manager in BIOL and congratulations to Sue Lowrey and Lara Atzeni for their appointments as school managers of SEES and SMP respectively
October has been another busy month which much time spent planning our 2022 budget. A huge thanks to the almost-100 people involved in this process, including Faculty and school leadership and finance teams. Budget planning has been especially challenging this year given the ongoing uncertainty about 2022.
Thanks also to everyone who completed the recent UQ Pulse survey. We are looking forward to receiving the results and sharing them soon. Thanks also for your patience with the new Workday HR system and a big shout out to Leanne Le for her excellent troubleshooting!
November will be another action-packed month! I am particularly looking forward to attending the Faculty of Science Teaching Innovation Showcase 2021 on 5 November and to seeing you all at our Faculty Board Meeting on 12 November.
Kind regards,
Professor Melissa Brown
Executive Dean