Newsletter May

NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION
Issue 4
NUPSA
Newcastle
University
Postgraduate
Students’
Association
May 2015
TYPE TAGLINE HERE
IN THIS ISSUE
Procrastination
NUPSA AGM 2015 Updated
Kellie Cathcart writes for us
ATTENTION: ONCE AGAIN DUE TO
UNFORESEEN CIRCUMSTANCES THE 2015
NUPSA AGM HAS BEEN POSTPONED TO
THURSDAY MAY 14. WE APOLOGIZE FOR
ANY INCONVENIENCE
Find out what you can do to support Nepal
Notice is hereby given that the 2015 NUPSA
Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held
on Thursday May 14, 2015, commencing at
12.00pm, at the HMRI
Building at the
John Hunter Hospital. This is part of our new
initiative of hosting the AGM at various
campuses and locations. Transportation to
HMRI can be arranged but is on a first come,
first served basis. You are also welcome to
take your own car as there is parking at HMRI
but you need to book in for access.
Alternatively, there is a direct bus route to
HMRI
The AGM will be preceded by the Semester 1
Free Lunch. An invitation is extended for
Postgraduate and Honours students to
attend.
You will have a chance to catch up with the
NUPSA Executive, make new friends and
establish contact with students in your area
of study, and also have an opportunity to find
out about NUPSA – YOUR
STUDENT
ASSOCIATION at Newcastle University
You are asked to confirm by Monday May 11
with
the
NUPSA
office
(email
[email protected]) if you will be
attending.
FOR THOSE WHO FORGET TO RESPOND,
ARE NOT CERTAIN BEFOREHAND IF THEY
CAN ATTEND, OR FIND OUT ABOUT THE
LUNCH AFTER MAY 11– YOU WILL STILL BE
ABLE TO ATTEND ON THE DAY, BUT THE
GUESTS WHO HAVE RESPONDED BY THE
TH
11 WILL BE SERVED FIRST.
Page 2
Support for Nepal
From the President’s Desk
Page 3
Hear from Lorna Katusiime
Page 3
Making friends - again
A piece from our GLBTI representative
Sink or Swim
Page 4
A piece from the Thesis Whisperer
Page 5-6
Attendees on the day will also receive a
NUPSA bag and pen.
Shut Up & Write
Join us at this workshop
PHD Movie
Page 6
Update on the PhD movie sequel
Page 7
PHD Comics
Need a laugh?
Page 8
NUPSA NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION | Issue 4
2
Procrastination
by Kellie Cathcart
other way.
Why do today what you can put off till
tomorrow!
If I am being entirely honest I never used to
be the kind of person that would put things
off until the next day. During High School I
was the annoying person in class who
handed her work in early. When I got to my
undergraduate days I again started work
early. Organised a study schedule to ensure I
would have enough time to do my work.
Whilst my grades were not that great I could
at least say I was organised. By the time I
started my postgraduate studies all hell had
broken lose and my assessments were
started the week they were due. It wasn’t
until I allowed myself just 4 hours to
complete an entire case study worth 60% of
my final mark that I realised I had become
that person who puts off today what they
can do tomorrow.
In reflecting on my own experience and in
the research I’ve done I have diagnosed
myself as a procrastinator. I would and still
do make lists of the tasks ahead of me. I
break it down into the immediate, short term
and long term tasks. But lists are not enough,
what I need is action plans. So I have 7
strategies or tips that might help you beat
the procrastination bug that seems more
common than not for postgraduate studies.
Don’t wait for the perfect time to do
something because it doesn’t exist. There is
no magical time to start reviewing your
lecture notes or writing an assignment.
Magic only happens in the world of Walt
Disney, or Harry Potter.
The saying ‘no strain no gain’ is rubbish. It
could be that the reason we feel like we work
better under stress, working hard against a
deadline is that we seriously haven’t tried it
any
It’s a time of great accomplishment in
other areas of your life. Well yes I can’t
really deny that when I was writing my thesis
my house hadn’t been cleaner. I did a lot of
other things to put off writing my thesis. In
doing them all I did was prolong my anguish
over writing my thesis.
Minimise the distractions in your
environment. Use your common sense.
Move away from TV’s, turn your phone off,
and if there is loud music coming from the
room next to you then try heading to the
library to study.
Break down the larger goals into smaller
more achievable goals. Instead of looking at
the year, look at the month, week or day if
you need to. Set yourself smaller goals that
contribute to the bigger goals. If you are
writing an essay start typing up your cover
sheet, make your footer and page numbers
as a way of starting. If you are writing a lab
report think of it in sections, introduction,
methodology, results, discussion. Tick them
off one by one across time so you feel you
are working toward the large goal of a lab
report. If you are studying for an exam focus
on just one area of revision as a time. If you
can forward plan then spend an hour of each
week making one sheet of key points that
you learned from each subject in a separate
notebook and use this to revise at the end of
the semester.
Reward your hard work and use the promise
of the reward to motivate you in completing
your goal. Think about setting different
rewards for different levels of achievement.
When you finish a reading or reviewing a
lecture then reward yourself with a small
chocolate, a quick walk or watching a TV
show. When you complete a chapter of your
thesis then take the night of and socialise
with friends. Make sure the reward matches
the effort that you gave when completing
the goal.
My final recommendation is to ask for help.
This could be help from a friend in joining
forces and studying together, checking
something with your supervisor or lecturer,
or seeking help from a counsellor* on your
struggles. It’s harder to procrastinate if you
have let someone know your goals and keeps
you motivated to achieve them.
I’m not saying that these are the only things
to help with procrastination, or that they will
all be true for everyone. Maybe you will try
one approach and it won’t work. Don’t give
up, try another approach. Don’t be afraid to
fail. It’s better to have tried and failed then to
regret never having tried.
*If you would like to chat with Kellie or
another counsellor either online or face-toface
visit
her
blog
http://uonblogs.newcastle.edu.au/onlinecou
nselling/ or phone the counselling service on
49215801
TO CONTACT KELLIE
Kellie Cathcart is the online Counseller at
Newcastle To contact her
EMAIL
[email protected]
SKYPE
UoNonlinecounsellor.
NUPSA NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION | Issue 4
3
SUPPORTING NEPAL
Lorna Katusiime 2015 NUPSA
President
Before: Nepal's Langtang Valley
As you are aware, Nepal recently suffered a
devastating earthquake with over 7,800 deaths
and with another 16,390 people injured. As well,
over 300,000 houses have been completely
damaged and over 200,000 partially damaged due
to 7.9 magnitude quake. The quake has also left
almost a million children without classrooms,
adding that almost 24,000 classrooms were
damaged or destroyed.
We have several postgraduate students at this
University who are from Nepal and they would like
to show their support for their friends and families
as well as all the other people of Nepal and have
started a collection of relief materials like
medicines, clothes, blankets, etc. If you wish to
help
contribute,
please
contact
Ritu
[email protected]. We are working
with Ritu to arrange for this to be sent to Nepal
and then delivered straight to the people who
need this.
We are also happy to report that two of our local
PhD students who were trekking in Nepal when
the quake hit were found safe and have recently
returned home. I know that some of their friends
and colleagues are also fundraising for Nepal.
Other ways that you can help:
The School of Mathematics & Physical Sciences is
hosting a gofundme campaign in support of one of
our Maths lecturers Bishnu Lamichhane who has
lost all his family’s homes. Or you can donate to
Oxfam https://www.oxfam.org.au/
The International office has also interviewed one
of our RhD students Raj Yadav, who was on the
phone with his nephew when the earthquake hit.
You can watch it here:
https://vimeo.com/126763763 or on one of our
Facebook pages. We also ask you to share this as
widely as possible to show your support for one of
our own students.
After Nepal's Langtang Valley
From the President’s Desk
by Lorna Katusiime
Hello all,
come along and have your say in your
student association as we reflect on our
achievements and set new targets.
I hope you are all ok.
Life can be surprising and not always in a
good way. In the space of a few short weeks,
our community has been rocked by two
natural disasters. The recent storm, the
largest in a decade to hit New South Wales,
and the earthquake that ripped through
Nepal have seen devastating loss of lives and
property. Our hearts go out to all of those
who have been affected. We all have family
and friends who are experiencing loss and
pain as a result of what has happened in
NSW and Nepal.
The community response in the aftermath of
these events is heart-warming. We extend
our thanks to students, staff and community
at large for support towards relief and
rebuilding efforts. Thankfully the Australian
government and the state of New South
Wales have disaster recovery mechanisms
and resources to ensure a quick recovery in
the aftermath of any natural disaster. The
university made every effort to ensure the
impact on student learning was not adversely
impacted by the storm and post disaster
clean up. Many students have asked us how
they can help in the wake of the earthquake
in Nepal. We encourage you to get behind
already available initiatives. A number of
student clubs, the international office and
community based organizations are already
running disaster relief campaigns for Nepal.
As you are aware, due to the storm, the
NUPSA AGM, originally scheduled for April
22, 2015 was cancelled. It has been
rescheduled and is now due to take place on
May 14, 2015 at HMRI. I encourage you all to
Also, the three minute thesis competition is
coming up and I encourage you all to
consider entering your faculty heat. Once
again, NUPSA together with Helen Thursby
have organised training workshops to help
participants prepare. Participating in the 3MT
provides an excellent opportunity to
consolidate ideas around your PhD and
showcase your research, as well as gain
external feedback and support. You will have
the opportunity to gain career enhancing
skills, meet students from across the
university, hear about their research, win
prizes and most importantly, have fun!
Please keep an eye out for other upcoming
workshop series.
I hope to see you around!
God bless,
Lorna
NUPSA NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION | Issue 4
4
Making friends, again
by Andi Deane, NUPSA GLBTI Officer
I told my mum that I was gay when I was 16;
she thought I was about to tell her I had
gotten someone pregnant, Surprise! Suffice
to say, she had no idea that I was a friend of
Dorothy, I had become the perfect little
straight actor.
I’d started to attend a gay youth group so
that I could meet other people like me, I met
my first boyfriend, and everything seemed
perfect. Unfortunately I was seen going to
this youth group by a delightful bunch of
people from school. The next school day was
a whole school photo, they only did them
every 5 years or so it was a big event. As my
year was gathering in the courtyard outside
the main school for our individual then year
photos, all 150+ of us, my cover was blown
and I was outed by a delightful girl called
Beth. “That’s him, there, that’s the Queer!”
She screamed with that foghorn mouth of
hers, pointing towards me. I froze, for what
seemed an eternity, with them all looking at
me. What was I going to do? Then a teacher
called my name and ushered me to the front
of the individual photo queue, the
photographer positioned me and took the
photos, I still remember my knees shaking
under my robes, and trying desperately to
hold back the tears as he took the photo. I
immediately left the room, but rather than
returning to the courtyard, I ran through the
deserted school and out the back gates and
headed home.
Over the next few weeks I began to
haemorrhage friends, specifically male ones.
Nothing too nasty happened, they just
distanced themselves, would never call or sit
with me at lunch or in class. I’d get called
names in the corridors and on the bus, the
lads would yell “bums against the walls”
when I walked past. Then one day, I walked
into the library and one of the rugby lads, the
cutest actually, jumped up and ran towards
me, grabbing me by the throat and pinning
me to the wall, yelling at me that he wasn’t
gay! Teachers eventually pulled him off me
and it transpired that people had been
teasing him, saying that I fancied him. Don’t
get me wrong, I wouldn’t have said no, but
that’s not how being gay works, I can’t simply
like someone, glance over at them and that
will make them gay! (If only!)
I would say losing friends like this hurt but in
truth it didn’t. I had been living a lie for so
long, fitting in, and playing it straight. I even
kissed a girl during a game of spin the bottle
at a house party once! Yuck!!! I was relieved, I
was finally able to express who I was what I
thought and I felt great. As I lost one set of
friends, I gained new ones, gay ones and of
course fag hags. It may seem odd to some,
and perhaps familiar to others, I have never
had a close straight male friend since losing
them at 16. All of my close friends are gay or
fully paid up fag hags.
When I moved to Newcastle from the UK, I
left my dear ones behind, and yes we keep in
touch, but being half a world away just isn’t
the same. I made plenty of friends when I
arrived, but not many gay ones. My partner
and I went to the local gay bar, the Gateway
hotel, a few times and tried to socialise, but
that got us nowhere fast, plus I loathe
Karaoke.
Eventually I made a few gay friends here in
Newcastle, all outside bars and clubs, and
indeed university. They all had the same
problem; they were sociable and outgoing,
but found it hard to make gay friends here.
We decided to try to grow our group of
friends but where to find them?
I
downloaded the Grindr and Growlr apps and
began to chat to local people; unfortunately
most are not looking for “friends” per say,
and the group meet ups are NSFW.
Eventually we came up with the idea of using
MeetUp, and have formed a group for LGBTI
people in the hunter region. We called the
group Newys-out-friends. This has proved
very successful, and to date 106 people have
joined us. We have held 3 events in the last 2
months, a BBQ, lawn bowling and a social
event in a bar.
We are meeting up for drinks again this
Saturday in town if any LGBTI students, staff
or friends want to join us please feel most
welcome to. The membership is diverse and
friendly. Details are available here
http://www.meetup.com/Newys-OutFriends/, everyone is welcome to join the
group, it’s free and more events will follow.
If you have any ideas or suggestions for
events or know of any GLBTI related events
please get in touch need my email is
[email protected]
Hope to see some of you on Saturday
Oh and don’t forget IDAHOT on May 15
International Day Against Homophobia,
Biphobia and Transphobia
Friday 15 May
11am
Newcastle Library, Laman St Newcastle.
Free music, morning tea, photo booth, tree
wrapping, other activities, Outing Disability
exhibition and more....
NUPSA NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION | Issue 4
5
Sink or Swim
by Victoria Graham and Michelle Redman-MacLaren
Anyone who has swum for exercise will know
it can be gruelling. We are talking about lapswimming-in-a-pool for exercise here (not
long, leisurely strokes in the warm Pacific
Ocean for example). Both of us love to swim
(well, ‘love’ might be a stretch for Michelle)
and at the end of a recent #ShutupandWrite
session, we talked about our respective
progress with our swimming. During the
discussion, we realised there are many
parallels between swimming and writing a
research thesis. So let’s jump in:
It is hard to get started and warm up, even
with instructions and lanes to follow
When you first jump in the pool, there is a
sense of both excitement and duty. You
know a challenge lies ahead. The first few
laps are the hardest as your body adjusts to
being in the water. It is a struggle to regulate
breathing as you adjust to the underwaterworld. Swimming with limited breath can
sometimes feel scary, but once you slow
down and let yourself flow into the rhythm,
you gradually unwind and take control. You
recall the coach’s instructions and
concentrate on the lane markers below –
eyes pinned to floor. Focus, focus, focus, turn
– and now onto the second lap.
Getting in the flow is pure joy
Like starting a research thesis, getting
started is often the hardest part of the swim.
The initial wobbliness is forgotten as you use
your stroke to find rhythm. Perseverance is
as essential to swimming laps as it is to
writing a thesis. Gliding through the water
without a worry in the world can be like the
initial drafting of the thesis. Once you really
discover what your research question is and
better still, you think you know how to
answer the question, writing can be pure
pleasure. Maybe you will contribute
something towards solving that biggest of
environmental (or social) dilemmas of the
21st century.
Sometimes it hurts after a big session and
you just need to rest
Usually after a big swim you feel exhausted.
Goals have been set and attained. However,
thinking about how challenging that swim
was and how much you have yet to
overcome is scary. Like in swimming, ‘thesis
triumphs’ are short-lived as you realise this
was only one day out of one thousand and
ninety-five (365 x 3 years). The Imposter’s
voice starts, “Maybe I should get out now
while I can” and “What was I thinking taking
this on?” Do not entertain said Imposter.
Instead of swimming that extra lap (or
writing for just one more hour), finish your
session on a high and leave yourself wanting
more. The next day your body will thank you.
Remember, if you finish a session feeling
defeated rather than exhilarated, it makes it
that much harder to start-up again next time.
Sometimes there is no time to rest (and the
coach won’t let you)
Rest in short breaks and rest in moderation.
It is no good swimming flat out until you
can’t swim anymore and then taking a long
break. When you return to swimming after
getting out of routine, it is harder to achieve
your goals. Sometimes there are deadlines to
be met “10 x 100 metres in 20 minutes”, and
your coach is watching. Remember you
approached your coach (or someone
approached them on your behalf) because
you knew you could achieve this goal with
some support, so you had better listen to
what they say. In the beginning, the coach
will explain the finer details – lift your arm
higher out of the water more, pull your
stroke right through…but as you improve
and grow in confidence, you will need your
coach less. This also holds for doing a
research thesis- enjoy your supervisor’s
interest in your progress (and the cheering as
you earn it) because it will not last forever.
Swimmers around you may not be
swimming at your pace – swim your own
race
All swimmers need to swim at their own
pace. If you start too slow, you feel left
behind. But if you start too fast, you risk
peaking too early. Swimming is less about
intensity as it is about patience and
perseverance. The first two laps always feel
hard, not matter how fit you are. But get
through them and you fall into a languid,
fluid stroke. Just like swimmers, graduate
researchers need to swim their own race.
Sometimes you feel productive and
awesome, other times you feel overcome.
However, persevere, set your own goals and
do not compare yourself to those around
you. This is your race.
You need to sprint at the end – it’s the only
way to make it on time
Most PhD students in the ‘final-lap’ of their
thesis are sprinting. You know the research
thesis is a marathon not a sprint, but like any
good marathon swimmer, you know you
need to sprint the final lap. You want to bring
it home strong. The final lap is the best lap
and you swim your best time on the home
stretch. Once you reach your final lap,
everything has crystallised. You have relaxed
into your stroke, got your breathing pattern
under control and you feel like you could
keep going forever. In the final-lap’ of the a
research thesis, you know what you are
talking about and better still have the ability
to express it up clearly. The end stretch
needs to be focused for you to finish on a
high.
So what have we learnt and what can we
do differently:
Accountability is key – be it your peers, your
family or friends. Writing goals are shortlived if you have no-one to be accountable to
and worse still, no one to share your
successes with (note the use of the plural
here, because there will be many).
NUPSA NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION | Issue 4
6
Michelle is an Australian social worker/public
health researcher who has worked in rural, remote
and international settings for over 20 years.
Passionate about the Pacific, Michelle currently
facilitates research capacity strengthening in PNG
and Solomon Islands and is completing her PhD
about HIV prevention with women in PNG. You
can read about Michelle’s research here.
Perseverance is essential. You have
probably heard it said a research thesis is
10% intelligence and 90% perseverance.
Don’t force yourself into going too fast at the
beginning; remember it is a marathon, not a
sprint. Make sure you leave enough energy
for your final lap. You will definitely want to
sprint then!
Remember; try not to finish each session
feeling exhausted. Always, reserve a bit of
energy for what’s around the corner.
Does our swimming metaphor resonate for
you? Do you participate in a sport that has
taught you something about writing a
postgraduate thesis? Do you disagree? We
would love to hear from you. Post your
thoughts on twitter using the hash tag
This was originally posted on the Thesis Whisperer
website. NUPSA regularly prints articles found
here and would recommend you check them out if
you are looking for inspiration or distraction from
your studies.
The Thesis Whisperer
Just like the horse whisperer – but with more
pages
#sinkorswim
This post is the joint effort of Victoria Graham and
Michelle Redman-MacLaren, both of James Cook
University.
Save your energy. When you are feeling
worn down after a big session, be kind to
yourself. Rest and regain your strength.
Victoria is passionate about conservation biology
and has dedicated the last four years studying just
this. She loves to write and is currently completing
an MPhil at James Cook University investigating
the potential of a carbon incentive scheme for
mitigating climate change and conserving forests
in Southeast Asia. You can read about Victoria’s
research here.
Shut Up & Write
As referred to in the Thesis Whisperer article,
NUPSA also does Shut Up & Write sessions
as part of its support for postgraduate
students.
We are hosting the weekly Shut Up & Write
Sessions throughout the Semester on
Thursdays in HA 158 (Hunter Meeting Room,
Hunter Building.
The idea is simple: We will get together for a
regular writing session at a convenient
location possibly the library but somewhere
with power points and coffee if needed. After
introductions, each person sits quietly and
writes. It doesn’t matter what you write, just
as long as you
How it works:
Every Thursday
Arrive 1.00pm - settle in, turn off electronic
devices and start writing
1.05pm door is locked
1.25 pm – stop writing, have a break and grab
a coffee/tea. There will be free coffee and tea
available or you can pop over to the Bites
café and grab a “real” coffee.
1.30pm start writing again
2.00pm – finish .session 1 Commence session
2
2.05pm door is locked
2.25 pm – stop writing, have a break and
grab a coffee/tea. There will be free coffee
and tea available or you can pop over to the
Bites café and grab a “real” coffee.
2.30pm start writing again
3.00pm – finish .session 2
If this session is not suitable, please let us
know and we will see about other times.
NUPSA NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION | Issue 4
7
The PhD Movie – an update
In 2011, an independent comic strip writer
took huge risk and did something that had
never been done before: an independently
produced movie adaptation of an online
comic. The PHD Movie, based on Piled
Higher and Deeper Comics (phdcomics.com),
that we include each month in our newsletter
and featured real grad students and
scientists in many of the lead roles (including
producer and director), and was screened at
over 500 Universities and Research Centres
worldwide (including Antarctica!) during its
release. In December 2011, NUPSA became
one of those locations, holding a screening of
The PhD Movie and was one of the first
Universities and the first regional University
to screen it in Australia. Filmed on location
at the California Institute of Technology, the
movie followed four graduate students and
their struggles with teaching, love and
getting their research to work.
'Piled Higher and Deeper (PHD)' is a liveaction adaptation of the popular web comic
strip by Jorge Cham. With humour and heart,
the film follows the personal journeys of two
graduate students as they struggle to find
their place in the confusing (and often
hilarious) world of high-stakes Academic
research. Along the way, they learn that the
academic journey is as much about finding
truth in books and experiments as it is about
finding truth in you. Filmed on location at the
California Institute of Technology (Caltech),
the film features real scientists and
researchers (including two MacArthur
'genius' award recipients).
In 2014 Jorge Chan decided to create a film
that follows up on the characters from the
first movie and tells more hilarious and heartfelt stories from the front lines of Academic
research. Whereas the first movie was about
creativity and passion, the theme of the
second movie will be the Quest for
Significance (significant results, feeling
significant). The general plot finds Cecilia
about to submit and defend her thesis.
Expect lots of jokes about the agony of
writing, dealing with your committee, more
jokes about being a Teaching Assistant and
overcoming
the
dreaded
Impostor
Syndrome.
NUPSA again decided to be involved with
this and contributed to the kickstarter
fundraiser for this movie with the aim of, not
only screening it here but also being actively
a part of the movie. (To find out how, you will
need to wait until the screening) Due to the
interest in this fundraiser, the goal of a 30
minute movie was exceeded and has become
an 1 hour and 15 minute movie - The PHD
Movie 2: Still in Grad School To watch the
trailer go to http://phdcomics.com/movie/
They are currently in post-production for this
film and are planning screenings for later this
year and NUPSA will certainly be screening
this. We are thinking of screening Movie 1 on
week and Movie 2 the next week. We are also
planning to screen at other locations – just
let us know if you are interested. So watch
this space for details or send as an email for
suggestions on screening order and
locations.
Email
us
at
[email protected] and keep an eye
on our Facebook page and twitter feed for
updates.
NUPSA NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION | Issue 4
PhD Comics
NUPSA
Newcastle
University
Postgraduate
Students’
Association
How to contact us
The NUPSA office is located in Room HA150 (opposite Huxley Library)
Hunter Building, Callaghan Campus.
The office is open Monday to Friday from 8.30 am to 4.30 pm.
Telephone number is (02) 4921 8894
email - [email protected]
Check out the NUPSA web site - nupsa.org.au
Follow us on twitter - @Your_NUPSA
Or join our Facebook page
HA 150 Hunter Building
Callaghan NSW 2308
https://www.facebook.com/NewcastleUniversityPostgraduateStudentsAssociation
Contact us
4921 8894
[email protected]
nupsa.org.au
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