Staff Newsletter 27 October 2023
- Annabel Jackson (Deactivated)
Good afternoon everyone! Lots of important information this week and there's just one week left to nominate someone for a Making the Difference Award - click here to fill in the form!
Have a fantastic weekend 🌳
Annabel Jackson - PA / Admin to EGLT
NEW! DEG Letterhead Template 🖋️
I recognised the need for colleagues to have easy access to a departmental Letterhead Template document, ensuring consistency and professionalism.
Therefore we have created a brand new DEG Letterhead Template! This is for all staff to use/download and attach to emails when sending letters.
Click here to make a copy of the brand new DEG Letterhead Template.
This update is documented on the department's 'General admin support and guidance' Wiki page in the 'Updates: October 2023' box.
Please bookmark the above page/document for your reference.
Athena Swan Culture Survey
The Athena Swan Culture Survey has been extended and will now close on Friday 3rd November at 5pm. More details on the survey can be found on our website The Athena Swan Culture Survey.
The survey will provide evidence of our progress in Gender Equality and support our uplift to a Silver Award. We need a strong response from the survey, so we can capture different views. Please complete the survey and encourage others to do so.
New provider for Virtual Desktop Service
IT Services have recently completed work to set up a new provider for the Virtual Desktop Service (VDS).
Staff who need to access the VDS should now do so using the Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD).
The VDS lets staff and students access certain apps which are usually only available on on-campus devices, switching to this new provider will allow us to offer a more stable service.
There are some differences between using AVD and our old provider Parallels, the main one being that when you log in to AVD it will display a list of apps rather than logging you into a full desktop. This means you only need to open the apps you want to use and can easily switch between the virtual desktop and your laptop or PC desktop.
Guides on using AVD can be found at the link below:
Please note that the existing service (Parallels) will be removed on 8 December. If there is something missing from our new provider which prevents you from working on the VDS as required, please email itsupport@york.ac.uk.
Launch of the NTFS and CATE awards 2024
The University has been invited to submit nominations for both the 2024 Individual National Teaching Fellowship Scheme (NTFS) and the 2024 Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence (CATE) awards. The schemes are run by AdvanceHE and celebrate excellent practice and outstanding achievement in learning and teaching in higher education. Further information on both awards is available on the AdvanceHE website: NTFS and AdvanceHE website: CATE
Over the last few years we have had success in both award categories which is testimony to the excellence and innovation in teaching and learning across the Institution, and we are keen to continue to showcase in 2024. Find out more about our previous award winners.
The NTFS recognises, rewards and celebrates individuals who have made an outstanding impact on student outcomes and the teaching profession, and we are able to nominate up to three individual members of staff who teach and/or support learning.
The CATE recognises and celebrates a team that has had a demonstrable impact on teaching and learning and enabled a change in practice for colleagues and/or students at an institutional or discipline level, and we are able to nominate one team.
For further details on the process, timeline and submission of expressions of interest.
Expressions of Interest should be submitted by noon on Monday 11 December 2023.
To support those interested in applying we are holding lunchtime workshops which will outline the internal process and the support that's available to candidates together with the University's nomination process and timelines.
The workshop for NTFS is to be held on Wednesday 15th November, 12.30 - 14.00. Please sign up for the session via this form, and if you have any questions contact Dr Duncan Jackson, Head of Academic Quality and Development.
The workshop for CATE is to be held on Thursday 16th November 12.30 - 14.00. Please sign up for the session via this form and if you have any questions contact Cecilia Lowe, Assistant Director - Learning Enhancement.
QS Academic Reputation Survey
The University are making efforts to improve their Qs World University ranking. This league table is important, perhaps more than any other, for international student recruitment. Most international students apply to Top 100 universities and York needs to be among those (we are 167th). Qs rankings are based on surveys of academics around the world. Every academic in the university is now asked to provide at least one academic contact by 3 November. Contacts provided must be external academics, active in their field and preferably based overseas (an international nomination has almost 6x the value of a domestic nomination). To provide a contact please complete this short QS google form.
Faculty Data Science Lead - Now open for applications
Applications are invited for a Data Science Lead in the Faculty of Sciences. This post is open to academics at Senior Lecturer level and above with expertise in teaching and research in data science.
The successful candidate will work with the Faculty Associate Deans for 'Teaching, Learning and Students', 'Research' and 'Partnerships, Engagement and International' to lead on the development of initiatives aimed at growing our research and teaching strengths in data science. The successful candidate will have a proven ability to work across a range of stakeholders from within the Faculty, wider University and industry, evidence of successful strategic leadership, and an up-to-date knowledge of developments in data science and the wider HE sector. The role is available at 0.2 FTE part-time role for a period of 1 year. The appointed candidates will be bought out from their departmental duties for the duration of the appointment.
The role commences at the earliest opportunity subject to the appointee's availability and reports to the Associate Dean for Learning, Teaching and Students (as line manager).
🏆 ONE WEEK left to submit your Making the Difference Award nominations! 🏆.jpg?version=1&modificationDate=1698405014000&cacheVersion=1&api=v2&width=375&height=250)
The University recognises and values the hard work, commitment and achievements of all staff. The 'Making the Difference' awards are intended to provide recognition to any member of staff whose contribution on a one-off or short-term basis has been exceptional or outstanding and is worthy of particular note. The scheme provides staff, managers and colleagues with the opportunity to nominate an individual or a team for a recognition payment worth up to £250 per person (subject to normal pay deductions, e.g. PAYE). (The university also recognises and values outstanding contribution of a sustained nature. Staff should refer to details of the 'Rewarding Excellence' scheme for information about awards of that kind.)
For more information about MTD awards, including the criteria, all past nominations and winners, please visit our Making the Difference Wiki Page. Please note that nominees must have been in post for a minimum of 6 months to be eligible to win an award.If you would like to nominate someone for a Making the Difference Award, please click here to fill in the form.
Deadline for nominations: Friday 3rd November 17:00
No Seminars next week - Consolidation Week 🎓
Please note that there is no DEG external seminar on Tuesday 31st October. The next seminar takes place on Tuesday 7th November. More information about this will appear next week.
-Dave Rippin
Tropical Ecosystems Network event: Identifying the Most Pressing Questions for NbS in the Tropics - Weds 13 December
Wed 13 December 2023, 1 - 4pm, D/L/036, Derwent College, Campus West
Join YESI for the 14th Tropical Ecosystem Network (TEN) meeting where we will kick-start a collaborative process to identify the most important practical or research-focused questions that, if answered, would have the greatest positive impact on ensuring successful Nature-based Solutions (NbS) in the tropics.
More information on the TEN meeting.
Ask the Author: 101 Curious Tales of East African Birds (open to all)
Wed 15 November 2023, 13:00 - 14:00 online
Join YESI for the first installment of our new "Ask the Author" series, where you'll have the opportunity to engage directly with authors discussing their recently published papers or books from the University of York.
In this event, Professor Colin Beale will be delving into his recently released work, "101 Curious Tales of East African Birds." This book is an exciting and educational read, enriched with striking photographs and concise narratives exploring the captivating world of East African birds. Offering an easily digestible introduction to tropical ornithology, each tale unveils unique insights and observations about avian life, ranging from unraveling the mysterious movements of flamingos to unraveling the mysteries of why duck feathers repel water.
IGDC Annual Lecture 2023
Towards Decoloniality and Justice
Speaker: Professor Uma Kothari
Date and time: Tuesday 28 November 2023, 4pm to 5pm
Location: In-person only
Audience: Open to staff, students, the public
Our wonderful Director for Students, Samarthia Thankappan is back with her weekly audio messages for students. Click the links below to listen to Samarthia's messages:
- S1 Week 1 Message from DfS
- S1 Week 2 Message from DfS
- S1 Week 3 Message from DfS
- S1 Week 4 Message from DfS
- S1 Week 5 Message from DfS
Congratulations to Emilie Stokeld and her supervisors for publication of an article that forms one of her PhD chapters, in Journal of Cleaner Production: Stokeld E, Croft S, dos Reis TNP, Stringer LC, West C. 2023. Stakeholder perspectives on cross-border climate risks in the Brazil-Europe soy supply chain. Journal of Cleaner Production.
Sarah Bridle attended Defra strategy team away day to give a talk on food and climate change.
Chris Malley and Johan Kuylenstierna worked with an international team of partners to support Thailand's Pollution Control Department to develop an assessment of how Thailand could achieve its climate change and air quality goals simultaneously.
On 17 October, Ioan Fazey and Sam Buckton co-facilitated the third and final Three Horizons workshop with representatives from North Yorkshire Council and its stakeholders, to support the development of the Council's new food strategy. Rebecca Newman also participated.
Bryce Stewart presented a seminar on the future management of UK seas to the Whitby Naturalists Club at the Whitby Museum.
Well done everyone on your fantastic achievements 👏
Open Research Coding club event - Weds 1st Nov
The first Research Coding Club session of the semester is happening next Wednesday 1st November from 1pm to 4:30pm, in-person in PC Room AEW/004 and it's all about Making your MATLAB Code faster.
Do you write MATLAB code and wish it went a little faster? In this hands-on workshop, you will learn a range of techniques in how to make MATLAB go faster including modern MATLAB programming techniques, GPU and parallel computing. For more information, please visit the sign-up form.
Winter 2023 funding: Laura Bassi Scholarship
The Laura Bassi Scholarship was established in 2018 with the aim of providing editorial assistance to postgraduates and junior academics whose research focuses on neglected topics of study, broadly construed. The scholarships are open to every discipline and the next round of funding will be awarded in Winter 2023.
Application deadline: 30 November 2023
Results: 11 December 2023
All currently enrolled master’s and doctoral candidates are eligible to apply, as are academics in the first five years of full-time employment. Applicants are required to submit a completed application form along with their CV through the application portal by the relevant deadline.
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