Executive Dean’s Message - June 2023
Dear colleagues,
Well, it is certainly quiet on campus now that the bulk of examinations have finished and students have received their grades. Many staff are also away at conferences, reconnecting with colleagues, or enjoying a well-deserved break after a busy semester. For those remaining, I hope you can enjoy a quieter time over the next couple of weeks.
It's been a busy month in the Faculty of Science, with lots of preparations and the ultimate launch of our two new Schools, the School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability (AGFS) and the School of the Environment (SENV). It's great to see the new signage in place at both Gatton and St Lucia, and our new websites for AGFS and SENV, which makes it real! This has been a massive team effort and I thank everyone for their contribution. A big shout-out to the Heads of BIOL, SAFS and SEES for their insight and resilience, our Faculty Executive Manager Patrick Testa for leading the implementation process, and the amazing Chantel Veldhoen for supporting the steering committee and T&L changes during this process.
Another big activity has been the finalisation of semester 1 grades. It was a privilege to review and sign off on these this week and enormous thanks go to the very many academic and professional staff who contributed to this process, including Karyn Johnson, Louise Kuchel, Julie Baglot, Azrin Basiran, all our Directors of Teaching and Learning, chief examiners and everyone who participated in school examiners meetings.
Congratulations
Congratulations to Paul Young (SCMB) for his leadership and contribution to the partnership between UQ, Emory University, and QIMRB focussing on vaccine development and translation, signed by VC Debbie Terry at the Bio conference in Boston the week before last.
Congratulations also to the School of Mathematics and Physics for the renewal of their Pleiades Silver Award, which recognises their commitment to inclusion, diversity, and equity in astronomy. And a special commendation to Jacq Romero and Sarah Sweet for leading the SMP submission.
Congratulations to Steve Chenoweth (BIOL) for being appointed to the role of Head of the School of the Environment. To SEES for their successful field-work emergency planning day at Pinjarra Hills, great work! And to Barb Mejias and Marce Walker (Faculty of Science) for running an event during reconciliation week, in which the Student Experience team provided a native tea and biscuit station in the Science Learning Centre.
Events
Last week we were delighted to celebrate the establishment of our two new schools at St Lucia and Gatton, hosted by the Vice Chancellor, Debbie Terry and Provost, Aidan Byrne, respectively, with speeches and an opportunity to meet and greet during afternoon tea.
The week prior, the Faculty of Science hosted the Board of the Australian Science Media Centre (AusSMC). The AusSMC supports the accurate reporting of science in the media and has occupied this critical space at the front line since 2005. They have a particular passion for evidence-based reporting and protecting the community against misinformation. The board meeting was followed by a lunch in the UQ Art Museum, at which we were thrilled to have Tamara Davis (SMP) as our guest speaker to share the wonders of dark energy and dark matter. Thanks to La’a Dunstan, Donna Biddle, Julian Pearce, Kylie Roots, and colleagues for supporting this important event.
We also held the Semester 1 Faculty All Staff meeting in June. Thanks to everyone who attended and for the great questions about important matters including scholarships for international students, the Universities Accord process, and the casual academic conversion element of the new Enterprise bargaining agreement. Head to SharePoint for slides with more information and school reports. Thanks to the Faculty executive, our Schools and to Rebecca Miller and colleagues for their support.
Opportunities
Nominations for the 2023 UQ Awards for Excellence close today! Please nominate a colleague or team for one of the many awards in this scheme
Please see many research funding opportunities, resources and events in the Faculty of Science Research Mailer.
Other news
National reports for the 2022 Student Experience Survey have just been published on the QILT website. The main fieldwork period for this survey was conducted in August last year. UQ’s overall score improved significantly from #17 to #9 in the country, with notable highlights including being ranked #4 in teaching quality, with a satisfaction rating of 83.8% and #5 in learning resources, but more work to do in the student support area (#26).
Overall, this is excellent and uplifting news. Congratulations to all the staff who have contributed to this outcome!
Kind regards,
Professor Melissa Brown
Executive Dean - Faculty of Science