Macquarie Matters » Getting Involved

2024 Graduate Outcome Survey (GOS) – November 2023 Round

Yue Zhang — Tue, 31 Oct 2023 22:30:26 +0000

Did you graduate in October 2023? Keep an eye on your email inbox for your unique invitation to participate in the Australia-wide Graduate Outcome Survey (GOS).

The GOS is a national survey being conducted for the Australian Government Department of Education, Skills, and Employment. Your feedback is important and will contribute directly to the experience of current and future students at Macquarie University. Results from the survey are used to gain insight and make improvements to teaching and learning, and services for students. Please see the highlights from the 2023 GOS and initiatives undertaken by the University.

All responses are confidential and aggregated for reporting purposes. Summary results from this national survey are published on the Compare Ed Website.

As an incentive for your participation, you will have the chance to enter the weekly prize draw to win a $1,000, or $500 or $250 pre-paid VISA gift card. Prize draws take place at the end of each week over the four-week survey period. Additional prize information, including terms and conditions, can be found on the GOS website.

We encourage you to participate and complete this important survey.

* Go to http://www.srcentre.com.au/qilt/gostcsb for prize draw term and conditions Results from previous Graduate Outcome Survey https://students.mq.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/1278973/Graduate-Outcomes-Survey-Nov2023.pdf

Alumnus Ambassador Brendan Berne strengthens Franco-Australian relations

Jackie Gent — Fri, 30 Aug 2019 02:54:01 +0000

Macquarie alumnus Brendan Berne (B Econ Hons 1993) is the Australian Ambassador to France, Algeria, Mauritania, and Monaco. Prior to his appointment in July 2017, he held a range of positions in Canberra including Ambassador for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and First Assistant Secretary, Investment and Economics Branch Division. He has served overseas as Deputy Head of Mission at the Australian Embassy in Seoul and as Deputy Permanent Representative at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris. More recently, Mr Berne was Chief of Staff for the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment. Prior to joining DFAT, Mr Berne spent several years as an Economist with the Reserve Bank of Australia. Brendan holds a Bachelor of Economics (Honours) from Macquarie University; and a Master of Economics from the Australian National University, received under a Reserve Bank of Australia Staff scholarship. Brendan grew up in the western suburbs of Sydney. Though he hardly travelled as a child, he was fascinated by one of the first books he was ever given, an atlas, and by the postcards he received from an uncle working overseas. He knew from a young age that he wanted to do something on an international level. He has made an impact in France, taking a modern approach to his role by being very media-friendly and accessible, and frequently posting on social media. He recently tweeted updates from the G7 Summit in Biarritz, where Prime Minister Scott Morrison attended along with French President Macron and other world leaders. “This is the first time ever Australia has been invited to the G7”, he said. “It’s an opportunity for our Prime Minister to share our priorities with France, including the free trade agreement between Australia and the European Union, and the future submarine program.” Also on the agenda was climate change, “an issue for which Australia has committed to very ambitious objectives under the Paris Agreement.” Last year Brendan spoke with Expatriates Magazine about the highlights of his tenure as Ambassador, citing accompanying President Macron on a visit to Australia, and to Sydney, his home town, as unbeatable. “It was a moment of great joy to be able to welcome him. It was a wonderful moment when he gave the Légion d’Honneur to three Australian veterans from World War II. He then gave a great speech standing on a naval vessel in Sydney harbour, in English; a wonderful speech about what Australia and France mean to each other and the new chapter in their relationship: a new access between France and Australia to defend what we call the ‘rules-based order’, to advance what President Macron calls ‘contemporary multilateralism’. I mean, as a diplomat, as an ambassador, I thought it doesn’t get any better than this!" Other highlights have included the launch of free trade agreement negotiations between France and Australia – a long-standing priority for Australia; the recent signing of a 32-billion euro production contract with a French shipbuilder for 12 new state-of-the-art submarines, and proposing marriage to his partner on Twitter just four hours after the Australian Parliament voted to legalize same-sex marriage. Macquarie alumni will have the opportunity to meet Brendan at the inaugural meeting of the France Alumni Network on 24 September, to be held at the Ambassador’s Residence in Paris. “I am delighted with the interest from our alumni in France in joining the network”, says network leader Sylvestre Mang. “The support of our Ambassador to France Mr Brendan Berne is a real boost to our network and we are looking forward to a rewarding collaboration and opportunity to connect and widen our professional networks.” Join the France Alumni Network LinkedIn Group. Words: Jackie Gent

Win a double pass to Archibald Prize 2018

David Han — Mon, 25 Jun 2018 01:03:34 +0000

"Is a selfie the modern-day self-portrait?" For your chance to win one of thirty double passes to the Archibald Prize 2018, post a creative selfie of yourself with #mqalumni on our Facebook post and like our page by midnight Friday 13 July AEST. Prize winners will be judged and notified via private messenger.

Conditions apply. Please refer to terms and conditions: mq.edu.au/connect/alumni/faqs

It’s the same campus, just not as you know it

David Han — Thu, 14 Jun 2018 06:40:57 +0000

To prepare for the next 50 years of growth, we are investing heavily in our campus with two major projects – the Central Courtyard Precinct and the Arts Precinct. Within the Central Courtyard Precinct, the University is building state-of-the-art facilities for staff and students. Designed by leading design studio Architectus, the new buildings will serve a variety of functions, delivering social and educational infrastructure to the very heart of the campus. Existing structures will be redeveloped to be lighter and brighter than their predecessors, creating vibrant and dynamic spaces for all to enjoy. Significantly, new accommodation for students will be created right at the heart of the campus. Macquarie is also investing in a new Arts Precinct. This transformational project will consolidate 10 of 12 departments, highlighting the unique nature and focus of each. In addition, the project will deliver a new building with offices, showcase areas and a museum. PART OF THE PLAN Both projects are part of Macquarie’s Campus Development Plan, which is helping future-proof the University by building a dynamic, sustainable world-class campus. “The University’s Campus Development Plan is connecting people and enhancing their collaboration, as well as learning and research outcomes, so that Macquarie continues to play a leading role as a place-maker, education provider, research institute and employer, both now and into the future,” says Professor S Bruce Dowton, Vice-Chancellor. The overarching plan includes several other projects focused on improving convenience, connectivity and accessibility, green spaces and sustainability. Some are already complete, such as the Macquarie University Incubator, which opened in 2017 and promptly received four awards at the Australian Timber Design Awards. Created for students, researchers, staff, small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), entrepreneurs and start-ups who are working on research or ideas that can be commercialised, a number of concepts have already been nurtured at the Incubator through to the commercialisation stage. The Macquarie Active Zone Experience (MAZE) also opened for business and is now the new hub for student clubs and societies, with the purpose-built space above the Macquarie University Spatial Experience (MUSE) featuring a number of large areas, as well as a variety of smaller meeting rooms and event spaces. Removal of buildings C9A and C10A (the former Campus Hub) also began at the end of 2017 to make way for an innovative new learning and teaching building, food and beverage outlets, and the first two of five student housing buildings. In place of the Campus Hub is the Campus Common, an exciting new social precinct in the centre of campus, where it will become the epicentre of student life over the next few years. Law School of the future Plans to redevelop the Macquarie Law School that will re-imagine the University’s campus by establishing a new purpose-designed Law School building at its centre were announced in November 2017. Construction on the new building is anticipated to begin in early 2020, with completion in 2022. “This venue will provide unparalleled facilities for contemporary modes of learning and teaching,” explains Professor Dowton. “The Law School has a rich history of contribution to Macquarie University, the lives of its students and alumni, and the legal profession. This new facility will provide a home for the Law School to ensure its trajectory as an Australian leader.” The new Law School building will be known as the Michael Kirby Building in recognition of the contributions the Honourable Michael Kirby AC CMG has made to the University, and his commitment to advancing social justice both in Australia and around the world. He served as Macquarie University Chancellor from 1984 to 1993 before going on to serve as a Justice of the High Court of Australia from 1996 to 2009. Both the Macquarie Law School and Michael Kirby are committed to social justice as a key component of legal education, and the new Law School building will house the Macquarie Social Justice Clinic, a new initiative that allows law students to partner with public interest legal practices to service pro-bono cases, helping the most vulnerable in society.

From Conception to RE:Conception

David Han — Thu, 14 Jun 2018 06:40:19 +0000

The widely acknowledged father of Conception Day was pioneer alumnus Phil Gibbs (Bachelor of Arts, 1977). “We had a bit of an inferiority complex back in 1969 because of our moonscape campus and the lack of a student muck-up day to rival UNSW’s Commemoration Day or Sydney’s Foundation Day,” says Gibbs. According to Gibbs, they looked at different dates to hold a celebratory event, but every official date was at the wrong time – in the holidays, for example. “We couldn’t use Lachlan Macquarie’s birthday because it fell during exams, but at a drunken party we joked that we could have it nine months earlier and call it Conception Day. Unfortunately, someone got the date wrong and it ended up in September.” A SPIRITED BEGINNING The first Conception Day was a half-day event involving rain, flour fights and a student band on the roof of the union building that upset the academics. Although they weren’t quite as upset as the hardworking students who wanted to spend the day studying – and had the fire hoses turned on them for their lack of festival spirit. The following year, organisers decided they needed to lift the bar, and the great gnome hunt was initiated on the eve of Conception Day. (See the 2015 edition of Sirius for Dr Brian Spencer’s account of the evening.) “The gnome hunters exceeded their brief and stole everything not nailed down,” Gibbs reminisces. “In the end, it was a mass heist of garden kitsch. Initially we tried to hide them in the forest, but only their heads stuck out, so we decided they would line the path between the library and the union building. They provided a 1000-strong guard of honour that greeted students for the main event.” Gibbs says the gnomes were transported to Eastwood and Epping police stations where they were categorised according to type – frogs, storks, statues and hundreds of pouting gnomes. There were so many they had to move the police bikes out, and little old ladies argued vigorously over which concrete frog belonged to them. “I was made to go to the police station and apologise formally on behalf of the gnome-nappers to the very stern sergeant on duty,” says Gibbs. Things did not end there though. THE CAMEL OF CONCEPTION In the interest of creating a memorable festival, the organising committee had decided to hold an old-fashioned colonial garden party to formally mark Conception Day. It was felt that a camel would lend the right tone to the event, so one was hired from a local farm. “The deal was that we had to look after Egypt the camel for two days, and we planned to keep her at the rugby house behind the university,” Gibbs says. “Unfortunately, boys being boys, the rugby team decided to give the camel some celebratory drinks and cheese, so in the middle of Conception Night we had to rescue Egypt and take her to a safe house further along Epping Road. “There’s no easy way to make a drunken camel go where you need it to. In the end, I decided to ride her along Epping Road and past El Rancho, now known as The Ranch, where earlier that day students were offering moonshine brewed in a toilet they called the ‘seat of learning’ to truck drivers who stopped at their roadside stall.” As Gibbs inconspicuously plodded along on the inside lane, he was spotted by a police car that ordered them to pull over. “When I eventually managed to stop the camel, who should emerge from the car but the same police sergeant that I’d had to apologise to about the gnome hunt. He was not amused.” RE: INVENTED The night of mayhem marked the beginning of a much-loved tradition. “In the years that followed, there were religious statue hunts, conducted with all the irreverence you would expect from a bunch of larrikin students, and gala balls with very non-PC prizes awarded to Mis Conception, Mis Hap and Mis Behaviour,” Gibbs says, adding that to celebrate Conception Day’s 40th anniversary in 2009, he was invited to give a talk about the festival’s history. “I thought I would be speaking to a genteel audience, but it was more like Woodstock – 10,000 students were in a range of levels of sobriety, impatiently waiting for the next act, Wolf mother, to hit the stage.” Conception Day ran until 2014. It became Australia’s longest-running music festival, with a record of producing great line-ups and attracting huge crowds to the three stages around the lake. Over the years there were mass streakings, while in 2003 more than 1000 festival goers broke the world record for the most tequila shots in a row. Unfortunately, owing to concerns about increasing drug and alcohol abuse, Conception Day had to be stopped in 2015. It has since been replaced with RE:Conception Day, an event that still features a great musical line-up, just without some of the other excesses. “I’m just so grateful to the University for keeping my baby alive all these years,” Gibbs says. “Even now, students and alumni approach me and tell me how great it is.” What's your favourite MQ moment? Share it with other alumni at awc.alumni.mq.edu.au/experiences

The gift of reading

David Han — Thu, 14 Jun 2018 06:25:02 +0000

Most of us take the ability to read for granted, but it’s something too many school children have difficulty with – and something their parents cannot always afford to change. It’s heartbreaking to see children struggling with something so fundamental to achieving in all areas of life. At the Macquarie University Reading Clinic, experts know what these children need and what works – evidence-based assessment and treatment, and support for parents and carers in partnership with schools. “The Reading Clinic provides assessments and treatment for children, adolescents and adults with reading and spelling difficulties to help improve educational, emotional and vocational outcomes,” says Dr Saskia Kohnen, Deputy Director, Macquarie University Reading Clinic. “About 15 per cent of the child population have severe difficulties in literacy. Unfortunately, compared to their peers, children with dyslexia are four times more likely to drop out of school, show lower academic achievements and have poorer long-term vocational outcomes,” adds Kohnen. Experts at the clinic assess each child individually and, with the child’s family and teachers, develop a tailored program that delivers life-changing improvements for children like William. Two years ago, William came to the clinic unable to read. “He went from not reading at all – not willing to even try – to giving it a go and actually reading,” says his mother, Carolyn. While it’s been a long road, Carolyn adds, “It has definitely been worth it. In fact, it’s been the only thing that has ever worked to get him to read. He doesn’t feel as excluded at school and can join in more in class. It’s given him hope that he can achieve something.” In William’s own words, he went from “lonly and mishroboll” to “happy and confident” with help from the clinic. The Macquarie University Reading Clinic is not restricted to face-to-face assessments. Children with poor literacy who live far away from literacy specialists and are unable to access high-quality interventions are not only disadvantaged but also more likely to remain poor readers. The clinic’s team of experts recognise these difficulties and deliver internet-based interventions via programs such as Skype. The clinic is in the early stages of delivering these assessments and services, and is conducting detailed research to optimise the effectiveness of live-stream versus standard face-to-face intervention for children with poor literacy skills. Reading seems so simple and is a gateway to so much. Yet, it is out of reach for some children. The clinic and its committed team want to change that – even for just one child. The Reading Clinic Scholarship Fund supports children whose parents or carers cannot afford treatment. To make a donation, visit mq.edu.au/connect/reading-clinic For more information about the clinic, visit mq.edu.au/about/campus-services-and-facilities/hospital-and-clinics/reading-clinic

Fighting cancer on the beaches

David Han — Thu, 14 Jun 2018 06:20:04 +0000

In 2017, Fight on the Beaches chose Macquarie as one of two research beneficiaries of funding to find a cure for one of the world’s greatest killers. Macquarie’s Professor Gilles Guillemin from the Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, is the lead researcher benefiting from the extraordinary support of Fight on the Beaches. Professor Guillemin, an acknowledged world leader in the study of causative links of cancer, will use the charity’s support to validate a new therapy treatment to stop the spread of breast cancer. “Despite vast improvements in primary breast cancer treatment, options for breast cancer patients whose cancer has spread to other parts of the body, known as metastasis, remain limited and largely ineffective. Hence, metastasis remains the underlying cause of death in the majority of breast cancer patients,” says Professor Guillemin. Professor Guillemin’s research proposal will explore a different treatment approach for metastatic breast cancer, based on modulating a key biochemical pathway known as the kynurenine pathway (KP). Although this pathway produces essential energy for the body’s daily functions, tumour cells can hijack the KP to escape immune detection and metastasise. Blocking the activity of the first KP enzyme (IDO1) in animal cancer models has already shown to improve anti-tumour immune detection and reduce tumour growth, but most breast cancer patients do not show enhanced IDO1 activity. Instead, preliminary clinical data showed that it is the second KP enzyme (KMO) that is activated in the majority of tumour samples from breast cancer patients. This data suggests that the KMO may play a more important role than IDO1 in breast cancer. “Collectively, our research proposal is a unique study with the potential to develop a new therapy that will slow down breast cancer growth and metastasis.” Guillemin adds, “My research team and I are very grateful to have Fight on the Beaches as a lead supporter of our cancer research here at Macquarie. “Macquarie is doing some groundbreaking cancer research, and this can be very expensive, but through community support from Fight on the Beaches, we will find the next breakthrough and save lives.” Christmas in July Charity Ball Fight on the Beaches will host its annual Christmas in July Charity Ball at Miramare Gardens in Terrey Hills on Friday 27 July 2018. Join more than 700 guests and 100 volunteers to find a cure for cancer. Honour those who have been lost to cancer, those who are currently fighting, and those who have fought and won. Tickets are on sale now and include a fabulous three-course meal with refreshments throughout the evening. Guests will enjoy hearing moving personal cancer stories, live music, prizes, auctions and raffles, and there will be more than 400 gifts under a massive Christmas tree to ensure a great night is had by all. For more information or to make a donation, visit fightonthebeaches.com

2018 Macquarie University Alumni Awards – Dr Andrew Scipione AO APM

David Han — Thu, 14 Jun 2018 05:09:20 +0000

CATEGORY: PUBLIC AND COMMUNITY SERVICE Servant first, leader second. It may not have been the most popular leadership style, but it was a natural fit for Dr Andrew Scipione – one that he was challenged to define while studying the Master of Management at Macquarie. Prompted to consider what underpinned his management style, Scipione says, “There are different ways of engaging people – my studies led me to a servant leadership style. I was a Christian before I was a leader, and this style of leadership was consistent with my values.” Scipione undertook his masters as part of a development program with NSW Police – an organisation he dedicated four decades of his life to – and the congruence between his values and purpose, which is evident in both his personal and professional life, shines through his conversation. “We are all called to be leaders”, says Scipione. “Whether that is within our families or within our professional lives, there are people who are looking to us. It is important to be part of an ongoing commitment to excel, and this style gave me the direction to do better. And it allowed me to invest in those working alongside me so that they could achieve their best too.” Scipione found his masters to be invaluable in his work as time went on, yet he acknowledges the huge commitment it entailed. “I couldn’t have done it without my wife and children, and I will be forever grateful to them.” Scipione also recognises former NSW Fire and Rescue Commissioner Greg Mullins (Master of Management, 2000), with whom he has a lot in common. While he describes the award as an honour, he is quick to recognise others who, like him, have worked exceptionally hard and says this award is shared with them. Always a humble servant. Dr Andrew Scipione retired in 2017 after a lifetime of police service and nearly 10 years as NSW Commissioner of Police. His time as Commissioner was one of unprecedented change across police operations. His contribution was far-reaching, and his leadership style was highly respected. Scipione graduated from Macquarie with a Master of Management (1998) and Doctor of Literature (Honoris Causa) (2013). View other 2018 Macquarie University Alumni Awards winners here Alumni Awards Macquarie University is extremely proud of every one of its 184,000 graduates – their achievements and their contributions in our local and global communities. Our alumni are a source of pride and motivation, and they embody the University’s association with excellence. The Macquarie University Alumni Awards recognise and celebrate the achievements of alumni. The awards provide a platform for sharing their inspirational stories with other alumni, staﬀ, students and the wider community. We are now accepting nominations in the following award categories:

Arts and Culture
Education
Environment
Innovation and Enterprise
International Achievement
Medicine and Health
Public and Community Service
Rising Star (aged 30 years under)
Science and Technology
Sport

Nominations close 31 October 2018. Nomination forms and details are available at mq.edu.au/alumni/awards

2018 Macquarie University Alumni Awards – Dr Abigail Allwood

David Han — Thu, 14 Jun 2018 05:07:44 +0000

CATEGORY: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Is there life on Mars? It’s a question many ponder, but few are qualified or engaged to answer this timeless question. That is, unless you are Dr Abigail Allwood, first female and one of seven principal science investigators to lead NASA’s next mission to Mars, scheduled for 2020. She will also be the first Australian to lead a NASA team searching for signs of life on Mars, and she hopes that this exceptional achievement will light a path for other women. To be part of NASA’s next mission to Mars, Allwood and her team pitched the inclusion of the Planetary Instrument for X-ray Lithochemistry, or PIXL for short, a NASA-funded instrument that scans rocks for chemical signatures of life. To Allwood and her team’s delight, she was accepted. PIXL will be operated remotely from Earth and will be able to analyse specimens in greater detail than ever before. But Allwood is no stranger to Martian life. As an early-career academic, she explored Australia’s Pilbara for signs of life from Mars. It took three years, but she and her husband identified seven different-shaped fossil stromatolites that date back 3.4 billion years. Given the number and range of specimens, even those most sceptical were in no doubt of the validity of her discovery, and it is still the oldest – and most widely accepted – record of life on Earth. But this was not the end of the story. Allwood won a coveted position at the California Institute of Technology, where working under geologist John Grotzinger (lead scientist for the 2014 Mars Curiosity rover) would become a key link in her own Mars expedition. Allwood began developing PIXL by reducing the size of a similar instrument used in the Pilbara and waited for her dream to be confirmed – PIXL would be going to Mars. One small step for PIXL. One giant leap for womankind. Dr Abigail Allwood, astrobiologist and co-leader of NASA’s Mars 2020 rover mission, has a strong interest in the early Earth, microbial sediments, evaporites and the oldest record of life on Earth, and has been outspoken on the need to invest in – not cut – funding for the sciences in Australia. Allwood graduated from Macquarie with a PhD in Earth Science (2007). View other 2018 Macquarie University Alumni Awards winners here Alumni Awards Macquarie University is extremely proud of every one of its 184,000 graduates – their achievements and their contributions in our local and global communities. Our alumni are a source of pride and motivation, and they embody the University’s association with excellence. The Macquarie University Alumni Awards recognise and celebrate the achievements of alumni. The awards provide a platform for sharing their inspirational stories with other alumni, staﬀ, students and the wider community. We are now accepting nominations in the following award categories:

Arts and Culture
Education
Environment
Innovation and Enterprise
International Achievement
Medicine and Health
Public and Community Service
Rising Star (aged 30 years under)
Science and Technology
Sport

Nominations close 31 October 2018. Nomination forms and details are available at mq.edu.au/alumni/awards

2018 Macquarie University Alumni Awards – Liz Ellis AO

David Han — Thu, 14 Jun 2018 05:06:47 +0000

CATEGORY: SPORT Liz Ellis’ reputation as one of Australia’s greatest netball players often precedes her academic achievements and other interests. You may not know that she has a double major in Ancient History and Politics – and is a history buff. “I still love it”, Ellis says. A happy pastime and relic from her time as a student is devouring history books and downloading podcasts. In light of the load of her law studies, she says “history kept me sane”. Although it has been 20 years since she left university, she says she is still grateful to the passionate lecturers and tutors who shaped her brain. “What I was taught didn’t give me answers; it showed me multiple ways of coming to an answer. “When I analyse an issue, I try to bring another perspective. Things aren’t always black and white; there’s a whole lot of grey.” It would seem the combination of history, law and politics complemented each other, and held her in good stead for the work she now does in general and with government. “I have an understanding of how things work, the mechanics behind the political process and the critical thinking skills to analyse a situation.” Of course, all sports people have to prepare for life after the game, and Ellis has found that her studies have informed her media work too, where she is able to “look at an audience, see what’s being said, and pick up on what others might be missing.” It would seem that all the threads of her life so far are now coming together. Happily ensconced in northern New South Wales, Ellis says of the award, “I am humbled. It’s a real honour for your old university to still want to claim you and continue the relationship.” Former Australian netball captain and champion, broadcaster and media commentator, Liz Ellis was awarded the Officer of the Order of Australia for her ‘distinguished service to netball as an elite player and coach, through support and advocacy for young women, as a contributor to the broadcast and print media industries, and to the community’ in 2018. Ellis graduated from Macquarie with a Bachelor of Arts with Bachelor of Laws (1997). View other 2018 Macquarie University Alumni Awards winners here Alumni Awards Macquarie University is extremely proud of every one of its 184,000 graduates – their achievements and their contributions in our local and global communities. Our alumni are a source of pride and motivation, and they embody the University’s association with excellence. The Macquarie University Alumni Awards recognise and celebrate the achievements of alumni. The awards provide a platform for sharing their inspirational stories with other alumni, staﬀ, students and the wider community. We are now accepting nominations in the following award categories:

Arts and Culture
Education
Environment
Innovation and Enterprise
International Achievement
Medicine and Health
Public and Community Service
Rising Star (aged 30 years under)
Science and Technology
Sport

Nominations close 31 October 2018. Nomination forms and details are available at mq.edu.au/alumni/awards