Alexander Von Humboldt might be the most accomplished scientist you have never heard of. The Enlightenment-era geographer and naturalist contributed immensely to the field of botanical geography (and was the first person to describe the phenomenon of human-induced climate change). While he is a household name in Europe, in Australia he enjoys only a fraction of the profile of similar visionaries such as Charles Darwin.

There is, however, one group of Australian academics who are very familiar with Humboldt’s legacy ­­– the Alexander von Humboldt Fellows (also known as ‘Humboldtians’).

Next month they will mark the 250^th year since his birth with the 2019 Biennial Symposium of the Australian and New Zealand Associations of Von Humboldt Fellows, to be held at Macquarie University.

Professor Ingrid Piller from the Department of Linguistics is among Macquarie’s Humboldt Fellows and is chair of the conference committee. She says the symposium ­­– which runs from 22-24 November ­– is a unique opportunity for staff to come together in the spirit of Humboldt, who had a fundamental belief that knowledge had to be shared to be meaningful.

“Together with Humboldt Fellows from around Australia and New Zealand and across multiple disciplines, we’ll be looking at the pressing contemporary challenges of research communication, dissemination and impact,” Professor Piller says. “There will be stimulating panels discussing the role of academic publishing, social and broadcast media, academic networks and industry, as well as linguistic and cultural diversity in research communication.”

Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Sakkie Pretorius – another of Macquarie’s Humboldt Fellows ­– says Macquarie could not be a more fitting host for the symposium.

“Humboldt was an incredibly forward-thinking researcher,” he says. “His quest for new knowledge and desire to share knowledge across discipline boundaries echoes Macquarie’s own aspiration – to open up new frontiers together and create leading-edge innovation through interdisciplinary collaboration.

“It is a real honour for Macquarie University to host this milestone conference and I encourage all research staff and HDR candidates to attend and benefit from the opportunities for collaboration.”

Register for the 2019 Biennial Symposium of the Australian and New Zealand Associations of Von Humboldt Fellows, 22-24 November at Macquarie University. 

We spoke to some other Fellows to find out how Humboldt inspires their work, and what they think are the biggest challenges for sharing knowledge as an academic today.

Bronwen Neil
Professor, Department of Ancient History

How does Humboldt’s legacy inspire or guide your work?

The most inspiring for me is Humboldt’s remarkable ability to cross disciplinary boundaries. Unlike many at the time, he was not bound by distinctions between humanities and the sciences – it was all “Wissenschaft” (scientific knowledge) to him.

I am also inspired by his philanthropic impulse, in setting up a fund that would bring scholars to Germany for cultural as well as academic exchange. Being a Fellow has opened up connections with German academics in my field, and given me access to the networks of other Fellows across the world.

What do you think is the biggest challenge for sharing knowledge as an academic today?

The financial challenges facing many scholars in the developing world make it difficult for them to travel and transmit their knowledge internationally, and this makes Western scholarship poorer. It is also getting harder to share local knowledge and cultural differences with the imposition of English as a lingua franca. The November symposium will support knowledge-sharing across national boundaries, without imposing a monolithic (or monolingual) cultural worldview.

Professor Neil will be chairing the Symposium panel ‘Sharing Knowledge between the Humanities and Sciences: Ethical treatment of the dead and dying’ on Sunday 24 November.

Simon Turner
Distinguished Professor, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences

How does Humboldt’s legacy inspire or guide your work?

I am inspired by his drive and curiosity to understand the planet and the fact that he never strayed from that vision. As a Humboldt Fellow I was able to spend six months in Germany in 2014, which was a wonderful and productive experience, and I am intending to return for another six months in 2020.

What do you think is the biggest challenge for sharing knowledge as an academic today?

Probably the sheer overload of publications, which makes it hard to keep up and to identify which material to read. On the other hand, smart phones mean you can scan journal content anywhere anytime – making good use of otherwise wasted time on a bus or train, for example.

Eight discipline areas have been divided into research fields, and for each field a leading researcher and institution is named. 

Thirteen Macquarie researchers have been honoured as Field Leaders, while Macquarie University is credited as the Leading Institution across five research fields. Read the complete list below.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Sakkie Pretorius also contributed to the magazine and demonstrated Macquarie’s real-world impact from seeking cures for devastating diseases to developing heat-resistant crops.

“There should always be a hunger and an aspiration to do more and do better, to push the boundaries and look for new frontiers, and that is what collaboration offers to a university such as Macquarie that embraces those ideals,” he says.

Read the full article on The Australian website, or read it on The Lighthouse here.

Social Sciences

Field Geography and Cartography
Field leader Richard Howitt

Field Early Childhood Education
Field leader Rauno Parrila

Field Special Education
Leading institution Macquarie University

Engineering and Computer Sciences

Field Computer Networks and Wireless Communication
Field leader Stephen Hanly

Field Medical Informatics
Field leader Johanna Westbrook

Field Microelectronics and Electronic Packaging
Field leader Karu Esselle

Physics and Mathematics

Field Electromagnetism
Field leader Karu Esselle

Health and Medical Sciences

Field Bioethics
Field leader Wendy Rogers

Field Child and Adolescent Psychology
Field leader Liz Pellicano

Field Otolaryngology
Field leader Richard Harvey
Lead institution Macquarie University

Field Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Field leader Karen Vickery
Lead institution Macquarie University

Humanities, Arts and Literature

Field Ethnic and Cultural Studies
Field leader Amanda Wise

Field Foreign Language Learning
Lead institution Macquarie University

Field Philosophy
Field leader Neil Levy

Life Sciences and Earth Sciences

Field Animal Behaviour and Ethology
Lead institution Macquarie University

Field Geochemistry and Mineralogy
Field leader William Griffin

(1) In a nutshell, my job is to…
To teach, research, and, as Director of the new Faculty of Human Sciences Multilingualism Research Centre, guide our team and make Macquarie University a recognised leader in research on multilingualism.

(2) The question I hear most often in my work is…
“Why is multilingualism important in this University?” A short answer is that Macquarie is situated in one of the most multilingual districts of Australia’s most multilingual city. Languages are everywhere we look, and a factor in every aspect of our lives.

(3) The thing I find most rewarding in my role is…
Learning more about the languages of Sydney and meeting the people who speak them.

(4) This year I want to…
It’s late in a busy year, so I am going to say, make it to the end!

(5) The bravest thing I’ve done is…
Sell up everything in Hong Kong five years ago and commit the last years of my career to Macquarie.

(6) A place that’s special to me is…
Manchester, where I grew up. I have been there only a few times since I left 40 years ago, but we now have a great collaboration going with the Multilingual Manchester research centre.

(7) My mother/father always told me…
My mother always told me to do whatever I wanted to do. I saw nothing unusual in that at the time, but now I know it had quite an impact.

 (8) My guilty pleasure…
Heavy metal gigs (said quietly).

(9) My hidden talent is…
I am a volunteer audiobook reader of public domain books for Librivox.org. I specialise in northern English dialect writing.

(10) I’m scared of…
What big business is doing to our climate.

Check out the Multilingualism Research Centre’s next event on Tuesday 8 October – Visual methodologies in multilingualism research – where Phil will presenting on how to conduct linguistic landscape research more systematically and discuss its significance for the study of multilingualism in urban life.

This week, we take a look at staff members from the Faculty of Human Sciences. 

Research

Associate Professor Paul Sowman
The Jim Piper Award for Excellence in Research Leadership

Over the last 10 years, Associate Professor Sowman has established an independent research program which uses cutting-edge neuroimaging methods to study neurodevelopment. The group has developed an international reputation for using Magnetoencephalography (MEG) to understand the developing brain.

“Our work, in both neurotypical and diverse groups, has defied the conventional wisdom that it is too difficult to do functional neuroimaging in pre-schoolers and with specific populations,” Paul says. “This program is making critical inroads into what has been referred to as the ‘missing neurobiology of development’.”

In acknowledgment of this expertise, Paul has secured over $1.5 million in research funding from ARC and NHMRC since 2009.

“I have been awarded both an NHMRC Fellowship and NHMRC Grant to investigate the neural mechanisms of disordered speech development in children. I have also secured an ARC Fellowship to examine the neural mechanisms of executive control in speech motor control.”

Dr Celia Harris
Excellence in Research: Five Future-shaping Research Priorities

 Dr Harris explains that we experience and reminisce about the events of our lives as part of social groups, within couples, families, groups of friends and colleagues. Such shared remembering may have benefits for cognition, relationships and wellbeing – especially when individuals need additional cognitive support.

“The possible ‘extended’ nature of cognition has been the subject of philosophical theory,” Celia says. “Within cognitive psychology however, the social nature of memory has received little attention, with a focus instead on single individuals.”

In her research, inspired by philosophical theory, Celia has extended experiential methods from cognitive psychology to study memory within its social context to look for evidence for benefits of shared remembering.

“Most impactful has been a series of studies with older couples that shows couples can remember more together than separately, especially for more personally-relevant information. This helps us to understand how memory can be supported as we age.”

Professor Jennie Hudson
Excellence in Higher Degree Research Supervisor of the Year Award

 Professor Hudson has supervised 26 Macquarie PhD and Masters of research students to completion – 16 as primary supervisor – as well as 21 honours students, and 14 Masters of Clinical Psychology students. In addition, she is currently supervising an international Joint PhD student.

“I have introduced a number of strategies that have improved mentoring capacity within the Centre for Emotional Health and the Department,” Jennie says. “These include an international early career prize; student publication prize; regular meetings in which students are invited to present their work and practice conference presentations; as well as writing enhancement events for students and Faculty.”

Jennie’s supervision practice involves a regular, yet flexible schedule of contact that is aligned to the student’s needs and preferences. She works with the student to understand and develop their career aspirations and to develop realistic timelines and plans for how they can achieve their short-term and long-term goals.

“I provide support to allow them to develop independently as a researcher.”

Dr Miriam Forbes
Macquarie University Early Career Researcher of the Year (HASS)

Research on the empirical structure of psychopathology has been a growing field over the past 20 years as the limitations of our current methods for diagnosing and classifying mental disorders have become increasingly clear.

Dr Forbes explains that by statistically analysing the patterns in which mental disorders co-occur, robust dimensions of mental illness have emerged that cut across traditional diagnostic boundaries.

“For example, an individual who is depressed is likely to also experience symptoms of nervousness, worry, and/or panic,” Miri says. “Rather than labelling this individual with several traditional diagnoses to capture their symptoms (such as major depression, generalised anxiety, and panic disorder), we can represent their propensity to experience negative emotion and distress on an empirically derived dimension of ‘internalizing psychopathology’. This dimension does a better job than the diagnostic categories at predicting important outcomes like treatment utilisation and response.

“My current research focuses on analysing the detailed patterns of co-occurrence among individual symptoms of mental illness. This approach will extend our current model of the structure of psychopathology into a comprehensive and detailed empirical classification system, which is necessary for its application in translational research and clinical practice. My hope is that this work will pave the way for more robust and replicable research on the causes and treatment of mental illness.”

Dr Milena Gandy
Macquarie University Early Career Researcher of the Year (HASS)

Dr Gandy is a clinical psychologist, a Macquarie University Research Fellow (MQRF) and a senior member of the eCentreClinic at Macquarie University. The primary objective of her research program is to improve the mental health and psychological care of adults with neurological disorders, such as epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease and acquired brain injury.

“These disorders require ongoing self-management, have a considerable impact on health service utilisation, and result in significant disability,” she explains. “Two of the most common and problematic psychological co-morbidities experienced across neurological disorders are poor mental health and poor cognitive function. However, there continue to be numerous barriers preventing the adequate detection and management of these co-morbidities.”

The primary focus of Milena’s MQRF is the development and evaluation of a comprehensive treatment program, known as the Wellbeing Neuro Course, which innovatively tackles these barriers to improve patient care.

“The Wellbeing Neuro Course is the world’s first transdiagnostic internet-delivered treatment program that combines components of treatment for mental health difficulties with components of cognitive rehabilitation and can be delivered to people with various neurological disorders.”

Mr Nicholas Everett
Excellence in Higher Degree Research (HASS)

Methamphetamine is a highly addictive psychostimulant which potently activates the brain reward system. Mr Everett explains that individuals who use methamphetamine recreationally may transition to an addicted pattern of drug use, characterised by escalated, motivated, and compulsive drug seeking despite experiencing adverse consequences to their social, psychological, and physical health.

“Sadly, relapse to drug taking is the norm in 90 per cent of individuals despite seeking treatment,” he says. “Australia has the highest rates of methamphetamine addiction in the world, costing $54 billion per year. As such, there is clearly a need for treatments for these treatment-seeking individuals to prevent relapse and enable them to re-engage with society.”

Unlike for other drugs of abuse, there are no approved pharmacotherapies for treating methamphetamine addiction. Using translatable rodent models of methamphetamine addiction, it has been identified that the brain peptide oxytocin may be an effective addiction pharmacotherapy.

“However, oxytocin is rapidly metabolised by the body, and poorly penetrates the blood-brain barrier, making it less than ideal for human clinical use.

“Therefore, the objectives of my PhD were to uncover the brain mechanisms by which oxytocin exerts its anti-addiction effects, and to better understand the therapeutic potential of oxytocin, to inform the clinical utility of oxytocin as an addiction therapy, and to guide the development and discovery of novel oxytocin like drugs.”

Ms Cathleen Taylor-Rubin
Excellence in Higher Degree Research (HASS)

Being able to speak is something we take for granted, but an unusual dementia syndrome – Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA) – insidiously robs individuals of their ability to speak.

Ms Taylor-Rubin explains that in the early years, the brain diseases that cause the syndrome, almost exclusively affect the parts of the brain that support speech and language. “Other brain functions such as memory, reasoning and judgement, personality and ability to focus and pay attention remain relatively unaffected. PPA often commences when people are less than 65 years of age.”

The baby boomer bulge in the population has resulted in growing numbers of individuals presenting with PPA. Unfortunately, there are currently no drugs to slow or stop the condition. There is, however, evidence that behavioural treatment can help people with PPA.

“My research aims to further the evidence base for effective behavioural treatments and thereby help people with PPA, and their families, maintain the best quality of life for as long as possible.”

Dr Lina Teichmann
Excellence in Higher Degree Research (HASS)

In everyday life, our senses are bombarded with information from the world around us. Dr Teichmann explains that to perceive all of this information in a meaningful way, we have to be able to integrate stored knowledge with incoming sensory input.

“Throughout my HDR candidature, I worked on understanding how this integration process works,” Lina says. “There is evidence that our brain stores concepts of things around us that contain multiple features. For example, the concept of a banana contains information about its colour, shape, texture, and taste. In my work I focused on visual conceptual features – such as the yellow of a banana – and tested whether activating them from memory involves neural mechanisms similar to those evoked when seeing those features.

Using brain imaging methods, paired with novel analysis techniques, Lina’s work gives important insights into how knowledge about the world dynamically interacts with what we see.

Learning and Teaching

Associate Professor Tiffany Jones
Vice-Chancellor’s Learning and Teaching Student Nominated Award

Associate Professor Jones is the convenor for EDST100, a new unit introducing the sociology of education. Tiffany’s unit challenges students to consider all four orientations to social issues in education: conservative, liberal, critical and post-modern.

“To engage students in these stimulating debates, my lectures use statistical findings, thematic analyses and vocal recordings from my 2018 survey of 2,500 Australians on their schooling experiences of the four education orientations,” she says.

“I provide consistent online and offline motivation aid, FAQs and assessment scaffolds, extensive webpages of public advice and quick turnaround on private advice via ilearn. To inspire understanding, I use different methods for different learners (instructions, modelling, analogies, visuals) and maintained warm, non-judgemental enthusiasm.”

Associate Professor Naomi Sweller
Vice-Chancellor’s Learning and Teaching Student Nominated Award

 It is no secret that statistics classes in psychology are rarely popular, explains Associate Professor Sweller. To overcome this challenge, Naomi has adopted a collaborative, student-focused approach to enhance her students’ statistical engagement and learning.

“To empower students to learn, simply presenting information is insufficient,” she says. “Rather, we must effectively engage students, producing graduates with excellent critical thinking, research and communication skills, who have a firm foundation of discipline-relevant expertise. My teaching philosophy revolves around the key goal of collaboratively empowering my students to take control of their learning, with the ultimate ambition of guiding them towards appreciating the importance of statistics to psychologists.”

Naomi acknowledges that while statistics is crucial for psychological thinking, few students enter psychology with intrinsic interest in statistics.

“My ability to convey my fascination with the topic is therefore crucial, and students are highly receptive to my enthusiasm. By making the content accessible and enjoyable, students regularly report that I have empowered them to navigate very complex subject matter.”

Ms Lauren Ehrenfeld
Vice-Chancellor’s Learning and Teaching Sessional Staff Award

Ms Ehrenfeld believes that to be the best support to students, one must be compassionate and approachable. Understanding that some students require additional assistance, Lauren implemented one-on-one 15-45-minute consultations for students.

“In Session 1 2019, I conducted over 60 consultations for PSY348 students,” she says. “These are open to all students, with genuine care placed towards equity, and supporting the individual student needs. This additional contribution of time was particularly important for one student who, after withdrawing from COGS101 three times due to personal circumstances, was able to complete the unit and received an outstanding grade.

“I have a profound belief in making myself available to students, and in fostering attempts or desires of students to actively engage with the material. If a student is willing to put in additional time and effort, this is something I am always willing to match.”

Associate Professor Matt Bower
Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Teaching Excellence

Associate Professor Bower successfully utilises technology to motivate the pre-service teachers under his instruction. Using cutting edge learning activities involving augmented reality, 3D printing, mobile technologies, virtual reality and robotics, he provides a curriculum that is connected to the latest trends and techniques.

“I use technology to create innovative spaces that enable connected experiences for students from any location,” Matt says. “For instance, I created the world’s first ‘Blended Reality’ tutorial class where students in a virtual world interacted with students in the face-to-face class to conduct real-time collaborative activities.

“My innovative learning designs have been selected to feature in a NSW Educational Standards Authority review of technologies in initial teacher education, and on the website of other universities such as Drexler University. The quality of my learning design scholarship was recognised with the 2018 The Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) Design and Development Outstanding Book Award.”

Celebrate with your colleagues
Don’t forget to register your attendance for the event today!

The Academic Staff Awards will be held on Monday 18 November from 3pm to 5.30pm in the Graduation Hall (14 Sir Christopher Ondaatje Avenue).

Here Melissa explains why cutting the clutter at work is good for you – and your productivity.

In any given situation, our brain attempts to selectively attend to information that will help us achieve our goals and to suppress information irrelevant to our goals. Being bombarded with a lot of irrelevant information makes it harder for us to focus our attention on what matters. Thus, for example, having a cluttered workspace or home may not only make it harder to find the information and the things we need, but it may also make it harder to complete a task.

Tackling the build up

The best way to avoid clutter is reduce how much we acquire. The second-best option is to set aside time each week to tidy up our office space. If you currently have stuff piled up in your office because your shelves, file cabinets, and cupboards are full, it might be time for a clean-out.

Depending on the level of clutter that has accumulated, you might need to set aside a few hours or a few days to get it done. Scheduling big chunks of time to declutter will be most efficient.

If you’ve set aside time to declutter, but find it difficult to part with your possessions, you may be experiencing some (or all) of the following thoughts:

• I will feel bad if this possession goes to waste
• I might be making a mistake if I get rid of this possession
• I’m afraid I might later need this need possession
• If I hang onto this possession, I might be able to give it to someone else
• If I hang onto this possession, it will help me remember the past
• Other people will like me if I hang onto this possession
• Hanging onto this possession will encourage others to respect me
• I will be able to use this possession to calm myself when anxious
• This possession will help me be satisfied with myself

When we think about discarding our possessions, even when we no longer use them, it is common to experience thoughts and feelings that discourage us to discard. If we buy into these thoughts and/or believe that we need to avoid uncomfortable feelings, we will end up saving items that we do not need. Best case scenario, this makes it a bit hard to focus our attention. Worst case scenario, we are putting ourselves and others at risk for falls, fires, or other health hazards.

To learn two different strategies that may help you get past these barriers, come along to my lunchtime workshop, “Declutter your life and take control of your stuff!” on Wednesday, 9 October from 12-12.30pm. As this is a learn-by-doing workshop, you’ll need to bring along 10 possessions that have limited or no monetary value, are not currently in use, and are items that for whatever reason you have saved, despite believing that most other people would have thrown these items away.

Register for the decluttering workshop on the Staff Wellbeing Month website.

Other upcoming seminar topics include how to incorporate exercise into your routine, managing anxiety, mindfulness, and helping children overcoming fear and worry.

All Wellbeing Month seminar attendees have the chance to go in the draw for a great range of prizes.

(1) In a nutshell, my job is to…
Discover aspects of how children aged 0 to 5 years learn to listen and speak the language(s) of their caregivers. My job is also to share the ins and outs of our theories and methods with students undertaking undergraduate, Master of Research, or PhD studies.

(2) The question I hear most often in my work is…
“Why is it so easy for a child to learn a language, while it’s so difficult for me?” One little piece of the puzzle may be that children spend a lot of time listening to infant-directed speech, whereas adult learners focus on speaking and don’t get the help from this special register.

(3) The thing I find most rewarding in my role is…
Helping students become independent researchers.

(4) This year I want to…
Sleep a minimum of eight hours every night (which is working wonders) and be able to do a full chin-up (which still requires a lot of practice).

(5) The bravest thing I’ve done is…
Move to Australia.

(6) A place that’s special to me is…
Amsterdam – where I was born, did all my growing-up and studies, and lived until I was 29. The longer I’m away, the more special it becomes.

(7) My mother/father always told me…
To eat well. In Dutch: “je moet goed eten”.

(8) My guilty pleasure…
Listening to Dutch pop music (in Dutch: “meezingers”, literally: sing-along-ers).

(9) My hidden talent is…
Doing little dance choreographies in lectures to give students extra mnemonics. I’m quite happy that the lectern recordings are audio only!

(10) A moment I’ll always remember…
When Katherine Demuth (my wonderful research mentor) asked me to become deputy-director of the Child Language Lab. It’s a great group of researchers and contributing to shaping all aspects of the lab is a very rewarding experience.

Alongside their colleagues in the Department of Cognitive Science, Dr David Kaplan and Dr Matthew Crossley spends their days investigating one of the most complex systems in the known universe – the human brain.

We sat down with them to learn more about the cognitive science behind multi-tasking – that seemingly essential job skill that comes easily to some (hello parents!), but can be a struggle for others.

We’ll start with the obvious question. Is being good at multi-tasking something you’re born with, or is it a skill that can be learned?

Matt: Whether cognitive ability is innate or learned is an instance of the classic – and often controversial –nature versus nurture debate.

Although it’s reasonable to suppose that some aspects of cognitive ability may be innate, the overwhelming story in cognitive science is that the brain has remarkable plasticity – that is, it has a remarkable capacity to change. This means that the opportunities for new learning, memory, and corresponding skill acquisition is immense.  From this point of view, it seems likely that nearly all people are capable of learning just about anything.

Having said that, it’s clear people have individual characteristics and preferences ­– just because the brain is plastic and is likely capable of learning just about anything, that doesn’t mean that it won’t be predisposed to learn some skills over others.

‘Ability to multi-task’ and ‘ability to focus on a single task’ are two ­– ­seemingly opposing – skills that often feature in job ads. Do people usually have a strong tendency to one or the other, or is the human brain flexible enough to switch ‘modes’? 

Matt: This relates to the area of cognitive science that is called cognitive control. Cognitive control research aims to understand how the brain supports flexible and goal-directed plans and actions.

People can certainly multi-task, but it is often unclear how much of this is truly parallel processing versus rapid switching between different tasks. Whatever the case may be, it seems clear that doing one thing with focus will usually result in better performance than dividing attention between many things.

Is there any way to get better at multi-tasking?

Matt: There are several things people can do to facilitate multi-tasking performance. They usually involve making the context and switching cues as salient and distinct as possible.

For instance, a computer programmer might have to program a remote machine from their desktop machine, switching back and forth between the two. Because the two machines might be set up differently, it’s easy to make an error by using the syntax appropriate for one machine while interacting with the other machine. One way to reduce errors would be to make the context of these two consoles as distinct from each other as possible – for example, making the desktop background colours different on the two machines.

So, we can do things differently to re-wire our brain.  But what if we’re an ‘old dog’? Is it true we can’t be taught new tricks?

David: Although cognitive development occurs specifically during infancy, early childhood and adolescence, various forms of learning and skill development occur across the entire lifespan.

Researchers are increasingly appreciating that different plasticity mechanisms are effective at different periods during our lifetime. Some types of plasticity mechanisms only operate during early development — during so-called critical or sensitive periods. Human vision is a good example – if a child is born with a cataract that remains uncorrected for the first few months of life, the child will suffer permanent vision loss in that eye, even if the cataract is eventually removed. This is because the critical connections between that eye and the brain never get properly formed. By contrast, if an adult with normal vision develops a cataract and has it removed, their vision will typically be fully restored, regardless of how long they wait to undergo the surgery. Since the critical developmental window has already passed, no detrimental effects on wiring between eye and brain will occur.

 Yet other plasticity mechanisms operate throughout life, including adulthood (although there is a growing body of research suggesting some of these might start to deteriorate as we age). So, the saying “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” is likely not true based on the current science. While it may be more difficult, it should not be impossible to do so.

 What about all those ‘brain training’ apps? Do they work?

David: The idea of a brain training app is obviously highly appealing – play a quick, simple game on your phone on a routine basis and you’ll improve your memory, attention, or other cognitive skills.

Unfortunately, as good as this sounds, the evidence suggests otherwise. Researchers have consistently found that repeating a cognitive task — such as reacting to objects on a screen as rapidly as possible — will (unsurprisingly) improve performance on that trained task. But it doesn’t transfer to general performance gains in memory or attention, or other cognitive capacities in everyday life.

In a nutshell, there aren’t any short cuts or simple interventions for enhancing general cognitive performance that are backed by evidence from cognitive science or neuroscience.

So, no hacks then?

David: There is one very easy and simple thing you can do. Decades of research have established that sleep has important benefits for memory consolidation and retention. During sleep, newly encoded memory representations in the brain are repeatedly reactivated and this helps to consolidate them and protect them from future forgetting.

So, if you want to enhance your cognitive skills at work, the best thing you can do is stop playing that brain training app in bed, and go to sleep!

And although we might grumble through the late-night book parade costume creation, we also stop to appreciate the importance of reading and the transformative power of books throughout our lives – as reflected in this year’s Children’s Book Week theme, ‘Reading is my secret power’.

We asked some well-known Macquarie staff to share (1) a favourite childhood book and (2) a book on their shelf that gives them ‘secret power’.

Professor S Bruce Dowton
Vice-Chancellor

The Magic Pudding. The combination of Norman Lindsay’s wonderful story and his enduring illustrations including on the cover is indelibly imprinted as a childhood memory. In reflecting over the years on why this is so for me, I think it is the combination of the quintessentially Australian characters, a storyline of going out in search of adventure in a wider world, the repeated attempts to thwart the travellers’ progress and eventual achievement to a state of personal satisfaction.

Lanterns – Mentors in My Life by Marian Wright Edelman. In this treasured volume, the African-American lawyer and founder/CEO of the American organization, the Children’s Defense Fund (a Washington DC based organisation established to lobby for and defend the rights of children in American society, as they do not vote) details her early life experiences with her mentors. For me, this frames the absolute importance of how the small number of mentors have helped me along my own personal and professional journey.  I remind myself regularly of her writings when I contemplate the notion of personal gratitude and when I step into a role of being a mentor for Macquarie students and staff.

Professor Dominique Parrish
Pro Vice-Chancellor (Learning and Teaching)

The Naughtiest Girl in the School series by Enid Blyton. I think I loved the restorative justice that was portrayed, with students helping a very spoilt, naughty, only child to flourish in a boarding school and become an exemplary student who ends up as a school monitor.

Developing Emotionally Intelligent Leadership in Higher Education. It’s a book that I have had published, so most of the secret power comes from the sense of achievement that I finished this endeavour! It reminds me that Emotional intelligence (EI) is strongly linked to effective leadership in the higher education setting. And that there is a link between EI, leadership and job satisfaction so making the effort to be an emotionally intelligent leader can enhance job satisfaction.

Professor Marc De Vos
Dean, Macquarie Law School

Jules Verne and Karl May – their books transported me to another time and into many adventures.

Biographies of Winston Churchill – resilience, grit, never give up. Whenever you think life is hard, think about life then and about the challenges he, and humanity, faced back then.

Jennifer Bremner
Manager, Library Planning and Administration

As a teenager, I loved The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley.  I loved it because it was a bit forbidden – when I borrowed it, the librarian made sure my Mum knew I had it and that it was ‘a bit racy’.  I also loved it because it was the first book for me that challenged an established story – the Arthurian legend – and presented gender and religion in ways that, at 14, I had never considered.  I still have a copy today and it is the only library book I have ever been tempted to steal.

Mindfulness in Plain English by Henepola Gunaratana. This book has refreshed my meditation practice and gives me ‘secret power’ by reminding me that mindfulness, compassion, focus and kindness are achievable even in a hectic life.

My mantra about books and the secret powers they hold is: “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” – Dr. Seuss

The reading experts

Every day, Macquarie is helping children and adults discover the power of reading. The Macquarie University Reading Clinic is transforming lives by providing intervention for people with reading and spelling difficulties, while researchers in the Macquarie University Centre for Reading are making new discoveries about how we learn to read, and how we can treat reading disorders.

Professor Genevieve McArthur
Director, Reading Clinic and Organisational Director, Macquarie University Centre for Reading

The Secret Garden by Frances Burnett. I liked this book because it was a rags-to-riches kind-of story, but with happiness instead of money. Two young children and a garden ­­– all neglected and lonely – who found each other and discovered that the best way to happiness is by supporting others, and letting them support you.

The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday. It provides modern interpretations of the teaching of the ancient Stoics who aimed to improve people’s lives by reflecting on what is (and is not) important, and what should (and should not) be acted upon, and how. It was thousands of years ahead of all the self-help books that people buy today.

Distinguished Professor Anne Castles
Scientific Director, Macquarie University Centre for Reading

Read Anne’s recent interview in the Sydney Morning Herald: ‘New chapter in teaching children to read’

I loved Heidi by Johanna Spyri. Unlike many kids, I was never interested in fantasy books as a child – I wanted to read stories about real families, relishing in simple pleasures. I loved the detailed minutae of Heidi’s daily life in the Swiss Alps with her grandfather. And of course, when fresh mountain air and lots of bread and cheese made a girl in a wheelchair get up and walk again, that was the icing on the cake!

Oliver Sachs’ The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat inspired my interest in the mind and brain and I still pick it up quite often. I am continually fascinated by the way the mind works and ­– in the cases of neurological disorders covered in the book – the very specific ways in which it breaks down. Although in some ways these cases are sad, I nevertheless find the book empowering: it reminds me of the wonder of what I do for a living, and of how fortunate I am to be able to learn more about the mind every day and use that knowledge to help others.

Highlights

Australia’s Active Volcanoes: When Will The Next Eruption Be?
Dennis Johnson Library, Stanhope Garden
8 August, 7.30 – 8.30pm

The last volcanic eruptions in mainland Australia took place around 4,500-5,000 years ago – are we overdue for an eruption?

Associate Professor Heather Handley explores Australia’s rich volcanic history and addresses how likely a future eruption is, what the warning signals might look like and how much time we will have to prepare should we detect signs of activity.

The Science of Hoarding
Metcalfe Auditorium, State Library of NSW
8 August, 11am – 12pm

Australians spend over $10.5 billion annually on goods and services that are never or rarely used. Five per cent of the population hang onto these unused items with such tenacity that their homes become dangerously cluttered.

Join Associate Professor Melissa Norberg to learn why we are motivated to acquire and save possessions we do not need.

Are smart phones making us dumb?
Barry O’Keefe Library, Mosman
12 August, 7pm – 8pm

Professor Mark Williams explores the idea: are smart phones making us dumb? Discover how our use of digital devices may be affecting our brains and therefore the reality we ‘see’.

From Reef to Harbour: The Hidden Wonder of NSW Corals
Sydney Institute of Marine Science – Building 19
10 August, 6 – 8pm

Explore the underwater wonders of the coral reefs up and down the NSW coast with leading researchers at the Sydney Institute of Marine Science.

As you walk along the Chowder Bay foreshore, be virtually transported along the NSW coast from the Solitary Islands near Coffs Harbour, out to Lord Howe Island, down to Sydney Harbour, and along the South Coast through videos, interactive displays, coral samples and replicas and artwork. Then join in discussions with researchers including Professor Jane Williamson about the management of these precious marine resources.

The Other Side of Cannabis
Creator Space Chatswood Library
7 August, 7pm – 8pm

Increasingly, cannabis is viewed as much more than a recreational drug. Join Michael Udoh, a molecular pharmacology PhD candidate, to discover another side of cannabis. Find out medicinal purposes for cannabis and how its chemicals might affect areas of the body to combat chronic health conditions like epilepsy.

More Macquarie academics at National Science Week

ABC Science Live on Stage – Ockham’s Razor
Dr Kate Selway
Sheila Pham

Unlocking the Cosmos with Light
Nuria Lorente
Simon O’Toole
Tayyaba Zafar
Angel R. Lopez-Sanchez

Aquatic Systems: A Look Under the Microscope
Giulia Filippini

Shells – How beach ecosystems respond to the environment
Matt Kerr

“Is bigger always better?”
Professor Richard de Grijs

Exploring medical brain research
Dr Lindsay Parker

Citizen Science – science needs you!
Dr Koa Webster

Young people and e-cigarettes
Dr Samia Amin

Synthetic Cannabinoids: new psychoactive substances
Shivani Sachdev

Green building for the sea
Kate Dodds

Indigenous science experience – family fun day
Joanne Jamie

Annabelle is interested in contributing to a better public understanding about the nature and power of language. She has been interviewed on commercial and public radio, and has contributed a number of articles to The Conversation. 

 (1) In a nutshell, my job is to…
Inspire people to understand how central language is to every part of their lives.

(2) The question I hear most often in my work is…
Why can’t you give me simple rules for understanding grammar? Short answer: because grammar is the custodian of our cultural metaphysics (meaning ‘beyond physics’). This makes ‘rules’ completely the wrong metaphor for describing patterns in language.

(3) The thing I find most rewarding in my role is…
When students start to see how beautiful, how fascinating, and how powerful grammar is.

(4) This year I want to…
Read more poetry and fiction – literature is where we see the aesthetic potential of language. I’m also putting more time into improving my Spanish.

 (5) The bravest thing I’ve done is…
Giving birth. Honestly, it is not for the faint-hearted.

(6) My mother/father always told me…
My father always told me “the perfect is the enemy of the good”.

(7) My guilty pleasure is…
I don’t feel guilty over the things that give me pleasure. But like most working mothers, I am prone to feeling guilty about my children. I try not to indulge this cultural reflex – ever noticed we never speak of “working fathers”?

(8) I’m scared of…
The influence of big money in our political system.

(9) My hidden talent is…
I’m learning how to use my knowledge about language to be a good conversationalist with family members suffering dementia. (Linguistics comes in very handy!!)

(10) A moment I’ll always remember is…
When Colm Halbert (our former Faculty Research Manager) told me I’d been awarded an MQ Research Fellowship. It was a life-changing experience for me.