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POSTGRADUATE NEWS October 2005

CONGRATULATIONS

Stuart Boucher (SGES PhD graduate) for winning the 2005 Sidney Plowman Travel and Study Award of the Victorian Department of Primary Industries. The Award recognises significant contributions to the reversal of land degradation on farmland.

CONFIRMATION OF CANDIDATURE WORKSHOP

Friday 7th October between 12.30 and 2.00pm in S119 We are holding a special SGES in-house workshop to discuss the Confirmation of Candidature process and provide important advice on the structure and analytical material that needs to be addressed in the document and the presentation.

All HDR students intending to go through their Confirmation of Candidature process between November 2005 and August 2006 are required to attend this workshop. Other interested candidates are welcome to attend. A light lunch will be provided to all participants in the workshop.

Please RSVP to Bianca by 30th September to assist with catering.

ROUND 2 SGES TRAVEL GRANTS

The School of Geography and Environmental Science has some limited funds available to graduate students to assist with travel and research costs.

The deadline for round 2 this year is 10th October. Applications forms can be downloaded from: http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/ges/pgrad/travel.html

SCHOLARSHIPS

2006 Scholarship Kits are available from Bianca.

MONASH POSTGRADUATE EXPO

Tuesday 4 October, Melbourne Town Hall (Swanston Hall), Corner of Swanston St and Collins St, Melbourne, 12 noon - 7.30 pm

For more information and registrations visit:
http://www.monash.edu.au/postgraduate/

CONFERENCE

STUDY AT UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA FAIRBANKS

Kenichi Kurioka

In July I went to the University of Alaska Fairbanks for about two weeks to learn about TEM (Terrestrial Ecosystem Model), which I am using in my research. TEM is a process based global scale eco-system simulation model that incorporates components of carbon and nitrogen cycle at a monthly time step. I went to see my co-supervisor Prof. David McGuire the creator of TEM, and Dr. Eugenie Euskirchen who is working with him

I flew to Fairbanks via Tokyo and Seattle. It was very hot and humid in Tokyo and I had the opportunity to meet my one month old first niece. On the way to Fairbanks, I had the longest day in my life because of the time difference and flight connection. When I arrived at Fairbanks airport at about 10:30 PM it was still bright.

I stayed at the University dormitory on campus. The campus is very large with buildings sparsely scattered around, with large forested areas with walking trails, which in winter become ski trails.

My daily schedule was to walk from the dormitory to the faculty in the morning which took me about five minutes. Meeting with Dr. Euskirchen in the mornings and then having a session with Prof. McGuire in the afternoons. I went back to the dorm usually around six, had dinner and had a walk in the woods. I did not have the opportunity to see a Moose (it seems that they like it cold and it was too hot for them), but I saw many squirrels, a fox, a pair of snow owls, ate some wild raspberries, got lost and had many mosquito bites.

As the university campus was situated at an elevated location, I was able to see the McKinley mountain ranges on the way to the faculty. But during my two weeks stay, there was only one day when I was able to see the mountains clearly. Some days it was hazy and one could smell smoke from the bush fires. Bush fire is very common in Alaska in summer because it is very dry and depending on the wind direction you get the smokes.

I learned to run a few different versions of the TEM model during my stay. I learned what input variables are required and how they are structured in data files and how to post process the output data. The trip helped me to clarify and concretize my research questions, thus also clarifying the methods (what field data I need to collect) which will be employed. It was great to meet my co-supervisor Prof McGuire in person and Dr. Euskirchen. I look forward to running the model after I have gathered all the data.

SEMINARS

Sustainability Forum Wednesday 12th October, 5-7pm in R7

"Meeting the Energy Sustainability Challenge: The Monash Response?"

Guest Speakers:

For more details go to:
http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/ges/about/sustforum.html

RSVP by October 7th to assist with catering:
Email: Bianca.Roggenbucke@arts.monash.edu.au

Tricks of the Trade TUESDAYS 5-6.30pm in E457
4 October 2005 - Beyond the PhD
18 October 2005 - Thesis Writing and Examination

SGES Lunchtime Seminars WEDNESDAYS 1-2pm in SGO2
5 October 2005 - The future of Australian temperate forests under a changing climate: An investigation of coupled carbon, water and energy exchanges from hourly to centennial timescales
Jason Beringer
12 October 2005 - GRINGOS AND TROPICAL REFORESTATION: privatized land investment and forest conservation
Christian Kull

Details of other research seminars in related disciplinary areas can be
found at:

BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
http://biolsci.dbs.monash.edu.au/seminars/departmental.html

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