News and Events

June 2008: Vic hosts successful E-Research Symposium

Victoria University of Wellington hosted a successful E-Research Symposium on 11 June. More than 50 research staff and students from Victoria attended, along with colleagues from Crown Research Institutes and government agencies.

Read the report of the symposium

**Deadline extended to 14 July** E-Research Professional Development Awards

Three awards of up to $3,000 each are available to encourage Victoria staff and PhD students to attend an international e-research event, such as eResearch Australasia or the UK e-Science All Hands Meeting.

We want Victoria staff and PhD students to have the opportunity to attend international e-research events, but we know that it can be hard to find time and funds for activities not directly related to your academic discipline. These awards are to encourage staff and students to explore how advanced information and communication technologies are changing the way that research can be done.

Any Victoria University staff member or PhD student can apply. Applications from the Faculties of Science, Architecture and Design, and Engineering are especially encouraged.

Details of eligibility, selection criteria and the application process are available in the Victoria E-Research Professional Development Awards leaflet.

The closing date for applications is: 5 pm, Monday 30 June. Applications should be attached to an email and sent to Sam Searle.

E-Research Symposium in June

VUW is hosting an E-Research Symposium from 1.30pm on Wednesday, 11 June.

The symposium will be held in the Digital Media Design Lab, 4th Floor, Wigan Building, School of Design, Te Aro Campus. The event is aimed at staff and research students in the faculties of Science, Architecture and Design and Engineering.

Guest speakers include:

• Mark Gahegan, Director of e-Research, University of Auckland: Mark is a Professor in the School of Geography, Geology and Environmental
  Science at the University of Auckland. His research interests cover GIS, visualisation, philosophy of science, semantics and pragmatics, analysis, Voronoi diagrams, spatial databases and algorithms and spatial reasoning. Mark has been involved with GEON, the Geosciences Network, for seven years, and will talk about the implications of initiatives such as GEON, SCENZ-GRID (a collaboration between Landcare and GNS Science) and AuScope.
• Neil Gemmell, Director of the Centre for Reproduction and Genomics, University of Otago: Neil has recently taken up a position at the University of Otago, having been Professor of Genetics at the University of Canterbury. Neil's research blends genomics with ecology, population, conservation and evolutionary biology to examine hidden relationships in biology. Neil has been a contributor to the BeSTGRID project and led the development of the NZ BioPortal.

VUW staff will also showcase projects and initiatives from MCS, SOAD, SGEES, SCPS and the MacDiarmid Institute.

Flyers and posters are being distributed to schools in the Faculties of Science, Architecture and Design, and Engineering. Further programme and registration details are available in the symposium flyer, or from the E-Research Development Coordinator, Sam Searle.

New visualisation lab for VUW

The 2008 budget included funds for a new visualisation facility. Our facility will be four screens wide by three high, and will be put together by SMSCS for use by University researchers.

-- sam - 14 May 2008