Macquarie Matters » Media/Communications/Marketing

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

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

2018 Macquarie University Alumni Awards

David Han — Thu, 14 Jun 2018 05:02:55 +0000

[caption id="attachment_3371" align="alignnone" width="743"] 2018 Macquarie University Alumni Award trophies[/caption] Macquarie University Alumni Awards recognise and celebrate the achievements of alumni, and provide an opportunity to share their inspirational stories with the University and the wider community. Our alumni are a source of pride and motivation, and they embody the University’s association with excellence. The award categories ensure alumni from all areas of the community are recognised for their local, national, and international achievements. Congratulations to our alumni award recipients.

Arts and Culture - Adam Hills
Education - Dr Anthony Field AM, Dr Greg Page AM, Dr Murray Cook AM
Environment - The Hon Dr Rob Stokes MP
Innovation and Enterprise - Matt Barrie
International Achievement - Bruce Gosper
Medicine and Health - Professor Alan Mackay-Sim
Public and Community Service - Dr Andrew Scipione AO APM
Rising Stars - Jennifer Star and Shaun Star
Science and Technology - Dr Abigail Allwood
Sport - Liz Ellis AO

ALUMNI AWARDS 2019 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

Discover ‘You to the Power of Us’ – Macquarie’s new ad campaign

Jeff Hargrave — Thu, 14 Jun 2018 02:39:47 +0000

[caption id="attachment_3405" align="alignnone" width="743"] You to the Power of Us[/caption] If you've visited the cinema or checked your social media feeds recently, you might see some familiar faces pop up on the big screen, with some of Macquarie’s notable researchers featuring in the University’s new advertising campaign. Focusing on the power of human collaboration to achieve outcomes and impact, the campaign launch is a major milestone in the University’s ongoing ‘Shared Identity’ project, which aims to improve Macquarie’s distinctiveness in the higher education sector. The new brand campaign highlights Macquarie’s research impact, particularly how the collective power of business, research and academia can solve real-world problems. The research stories that feature in the brand campaign demonstrate how Macquarie is a place of collaborative innovation:

Additional impact collaborations will highlight unique elements of the Macquarie learning experience, including PACE and the global exchange program. ‘You to the Power of Us’ campaigns will be shown in cinemas, digital and outdoor for the remainder of the year. Let us know what you think below.

Winners are grinners: Macquarie’s Sport Scholars bring home medals from the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games

Jeff Hargrave — Thu, 10 May 2018 05:37:37 +0000

Macquarie University Sport Scholars have bagged two gold medals, one silver and one bronze at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. Sport Scholar Esther Qin (pictured above right ) won a gold medal at the women’s three-metre board synchronised diving event (with Georgia Sheehan, pictured above left) and a bronze medal in the women’s one-metre springboard final. Esther and Georgia stepped up and nailed an inward two-and-a-half somersault to score 71.10 for a total of 284.10, which proved enough to win gold in the synchronized event. The gold was Esther’s second at a Commonwealth Games, as she won the three-metre springboard event in Glasgow four years ago. Tom Craig and the Kookaburras (our men’s hockey team) continued their extraordinary 20-year Commonwealth Games gold medal streak with a punishing 2-0 win over New Zealand in the final. MQ Sports Scholar, Dominique Du Toit, and the Women’s Rugby 7’s team won silver against New Zealand who got their revenge claiming gold at the Commonwealth Games in an epic contest that had to go to extra time. The trans-Tasman rivals couldn’t be separated at full time with both teams locked at 12-12 in front of a packed house at Robina Stadium on the Gold Coast. It took until the end of the first passage of extra time for New Zealand to claim a 17-12 victory, with Kelly Brazier producing a length-of-the-field effort to score. Fellow Sport Scholar Lachlan Anderson and the Men’s Rugby 7’s team finished fifth following a 26-0 win over Scotland. Congratulations also to Sport Scholar James Boyer who represented Australia at the games as a basketball referee. Read more about Macquarie University’s elite sport scholarship program.

Alumni Authors

Jeff Hargrave — Thu, 10 May 2018 05:14:39 +0000

Welcome to the MQ Matters series showcasing the books and articles written by Macquarie alumni to add to your reading stacks. From fiction, biographies, non-fiction, children’s literature or articles, Macquarie alumni are researching, writing and publishing thought-provoking, insightful and entertaining books to enjoy and share. If you have a book or article to share with your Macquarie University alumni friends and peers, please contact the Alumni Relations Office (alumni@mq.edu.au or p: +61 2 9850 1380) This month’s Alumni Authors are:

Please Don’t Argue With Me, Okay?

Michael Lafontaine (B Arts 2003, PC Creative Writing 2008, M Arts 2010)

The characters in these sixteen stories inhibit a world where alcohol and anti-depressants are a fundamental part of daily existence. A world full of the deepest depths of loneliness, anxiety, confusion and depression. These stories are dark yet hopeful, where a man can try to commit suicide in a bathtub and yet still find joy where you least expect to find it. Michael Lafontaine writes honestly about relationships and the struggles of everyday ordinary people. His intuitiveness to empathise with his characters even in the most insignificant of moments resonates with startling potency. Please Don't Argue With Me, Okay? is a stunning debut by a writer with an original and compelling voice. For more information....

Business and Competitive Analysis (2nd Edition)

Babette Bensoussan (MBA 1992)

A definitive how-to guide for business and competitive analysis. Transform raw data into compelling, actionable business recommendations. Answer the questions executives ask - What? So What? and Now What?. It discusses today's 24 most valuable techniques: how to choose them, how to use them. It is for everyone who performs analysis: managers, consultants, functional specialists, and strategists. It is a completely new book by the authors of the popular Strategic and Competitive Analysis. Business success begins with deep clarity about your competition and your business environment. But, even as data gathering has improved dramatically, few business professionals know the state-of-the-art techniques for analyzing their data. Now, there's a comprehensive, immensely practical guide to today's best tools and techniques for answering tough questions and making actionable recommendations. For more information...

Cyborg – how to optimally integrate human and machine investment decision-making

Simon Russell (M Applied Finance 2005)

What can asset managers learn from Deep Blue's triumph at chess, or from Watson's victory at Jeopardy, or AlphaGo's win at Go, or from machine learning's success at language translation, or from the analysis of Google search terms to predict the spread of the flu? What do these examples from the rapidly evolving world of artificial intelligence teach us that is relevant for an analyst forecasting corporate earnings, or for an asset manager's strategy team deciding which new product to launch, or for their HR manager thinking about what skills to recruit for, or for a client engagement team seeking to influence prospective clients? In a world of powerful algorithms and intelligent robots, of passive and factor-based strategies, what is the future role for humans in the investment management industry? This book leverages unique insights into the strengths and weaknesses of professional investment decision-making that have been gained from the author's role as a specialist behavioural finance consultant and trainer. By combining concepts from behavioural finance and artificial intelligence this book identifies ways investment professionals can create "cyborgs": decision-making processes that integrate individual, team and machine thinking. When designed appropriately, cyborgs can perform better than humans or machines alone. With cyborg decision-making, improved risk-adjusted returns, greater client engagement, and more sustainable value propositions are possible. For more information...

Gentle

Cate Dunn (Creative Writing Distance Education)

It is Easter at The Retreat in a fertile valley on the east coast of Australia. Old Jack waits patiently for his invited guests. They have no idea of his true intent and Jack has no idea of the power of reunion and redemption that awaits them all. The secret to be revealed is palpable. Told from the perspectives of each of the main characters, this powerful story of finding healing in the natural world and in our own essential nature, will carry you along with the river that Jack fights to protect. For more information.... The research, views and opinions of the publications included in this article are those of their respective authors. Macquarie University does not endorse or share the views included in these publications.

More Databases and Journal Access for Alumni at the MQ Library

Jeff Hargrave — Wed, 14 Mar 2018 02:39:02 +0000

The Macquarie University Library has expanded its suite of databases, journals, ebooks and borrowing rights to alumni. Alumni membership to the Macquarie Library continues to be ‘free for life’ and alumni can now access 42 databases across 20 platforms. These provide alumni with over 19 000, 5 000 ebooks and 7 000 videos. Additionally, alumni can now access over 350,000 other documents, surveys, reports, and historical material like playbooks, postcards, posters, letters, and more (please note that the nature of some of this material could be a single page or less). The Macquarie University Library also have over 1.3 million books available for borrowing from the North Ryde campus. To activate your Macquarie University Library Alumni access:

Online
MQ Library Chat Room (9am-5pm, Monday to Friday)
Phone: 1800 300 753 or +61 2 9850 7500
Visit Us: 16 Macquarie Walk, Macquarie University

Macquarie University Library App

The Macquarie University Library has developed LibMQ – a Library app available for MQ alumni. The Alumni Resources tile will directly link Alumni users to the canned search in MultiSearch for alumni resources (including open access). For further information, or to download, visit the Macquarie Library app

Master of Research – making a difference through research

Jeff Hargrave — Wed, 07 Mar 2018 02:15:03 +0000

Have you ever considered that you could make a greater impact in your field through postgraduate research? Master of Research Graduate and PhD candidate, Joshua Pate (M Research 2017) currently works for NSW Health as a Senior Pain Physiotherapist and has chosen this pathway with Macquarie for exactly that reason. “Ultimately, it means I can help more patients than I can practising as a physiotherapist,” he said. “My Master of Research focused on children born with short or absent bone in their leg, a condition called Longitudinal Fibular Deficiency. I was specifically looking at how these children perceive their knee and ankle function. It’s quite a rare condition, but one where parents must face many complex decisions about treatment for their child. It was my clinical work as a physiotherapist led me to choose this area of research. My research project was in conjunction with The Children’s Hospital at Westmead where I was able to commence working with experts in the field. This allowed me to experience and learn what is involved in undertaking a significant piece of research. It helped me to decide whether I should pursue my research further, whilst also getting a qualification. It seemed like a great way to get started in the research world and that has turned out to be true for me. For me, the most value aspect of the program was working with my supervisors, Verity Pacey and Mark Hancock. They have significant research experience behind them, and throughout the program I was learning new skills all the time. In addition, I had the privilege of presenting at the Rehabilitation Medicine Society of Australia and New Zealand Conference in Melbourne. Another great aspect of the program was the opportunity to get involved in local Macquarie University events. For example, I won the 3 Minute Thesis competition (3MT) in our faculty and really enjoyed the challenge of condensing all my work into a short, easy-to-understand script. Overall, I relished the whole learning experience of the Master of Research,” Joshua said. Macquarie was the first university in Australia to adopt the internationally recognised ‘‘Bologna model’’, offering a two-year Master of Research program. The Master of Research provides intensive research training, preparing students for PhD study. “The Master of Research was very effective in preparing me to undertake a PhD and really did provide that stepping stone towards a research career. I learnt how to work in a team of researchers, particularly the logistical steps involved; from coming up with a research question, all the way through to publishing a manuscript. I was confident of my ability to finish things in a timely manner, and started my PhD with much better research questions than I would have without completely the Master of Research as preparation,” said Josh. The program is available in all of Macquarie’s research areas, allowing students to access a variety of disciplines to construct a program relevant to their specific interests. The first year of the Master of Research comprises advanced coursework units including the study of research frontiers in the chosen area of study. Students who successfully complete the first year and choose not to continue, may exit the program with a Bachelor of Philosophy. The second year is a masters-level postgraduate research training program specialising in research preparation and a focus on a specific research topic. Josh is inspired to make a difference through his research career, “I would like to continue researching to help people with chronic pain, and It would be great to make tangible impacts in this area of healthcare. I am really looking forward to the years ahead!”