REANNZ 10th Anniversary Video - with special mention of the MGIS programme

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbKF_fmXlt8

Choosing the right tense for your journal article or thesis

I always seem to have trouble remembering what tense should be used for what section of a thesis or journal article (makes for interesting proof-reading of student work!).  I sat down this weekend, as part of an academic writing workshop to finally pull some resources together that I can refer to in future.

So...

1.  The AJE has produced a short PDF detailing tense expectations for Scientific Manuscripts: http://www.aje.com/en/arc/dist/docs/AJE-Choosing-the-Right-Verb-Tense-for-Your-Scientific-Manuscript-2015.pdf   Its useful but quite detailed.

2.  This overview from Scitable was very helpful:

'In your scientific paper, use verb tenses (past, present, and future) exactly as you would in ordinary writing. Use the past tense to report what happened in the past: what you did, what someone reported, what happened in an experiment, and so on. Use the present tense to express general truths, such as conclusions (drawn by you or by others) and atemporal facts (including information about what the paper does or covers). Reserve the future tense for perspectives: what you will do in the coming months or years. Typically, most of your sentences will be in the past tense, some will be in the present tense, and very few, if any, will be in the future tense.'

Past tense 

Work done 
We collected blood samples from . . .
Groves et al. determined the growth rate of . . .
Consequently, astronomers decided to rename . . .

Work reported 
Jankowsky reported a similar growth rate . . .
In 2009, Chu published an alternative method to . . .
Irarrázaval observed the opposite behavior in . . .

Observations 
The mice in Group A developed, on average, twice as much . . .
The number of defects increased sharply . . .
The conversion rate was close to 95% . . .

Present tense 

General truths 
Microbes in the human gut have a profound influence on . . .
The Reynolds number provides a measure of . . .
Smoking increases the risk of coronary heart disease . . .

Atemporal facts 
This paper presents the results of . . .
Section 3.1 explains the difference between . . .
Behbood's 1969 paper provides a framework for . . .

Future tense 

Perspectives 
In a follow-up experiment, we will study the role of . . .
The influence of temperature will be the object of future research . . .

New Data, cities, & futures in the making: GED Seminar 8 September

GED Seminar Series

Thursday 8 September 2016, 4-5pm

VUW Kelburn, Cotton 304

All welcome

New Data, cities, & futures in the making

Speaker: Agnieszka Leszczynski, School of Environment, University of Auckland 

Abstract: In this talk, I take up ‘big data’ as a material-discursive project of future-ing (Anderson 2010) - of anticipating, shaping and circumscribing the horizon of possibiltites. Specifically, I focus on the ways in which urban big data – digital content about city spaces from city spaces – needs to be understood not only in terms of practices of automated management in ‘actually-existing’ smart cities (Shelton, Zook and Wiig 2015), but also as implicated in regimes of speculating about cities-to-come. As (big) data enrolled within modes of urban governance actualize particular visions of urban futures, I address the question of what kind of city is actually being enviosioned and affected.

As the city is subsumed as an object/subject of the data-security assemblage, rather than anticipating a radically different urban as would be consistent with an understanding of the future as something that is organically open, urban big data cannot divest itself of urban inequalities and the persistence of their geographies, projecting these forward in time and space. Extant inequalities are abstracted into data flows, informing and propagating through the calculation of algorithmically anticipated urban futures. Using empirical examples of the management of individual urban mobilities via neighbourhood safety apps and the securitization of city spaces through sentiment analytics, I demonstrate that the anticipation of unequal urban futures can be discerned at two scales of digital praxis: that of the body, and that of the city itself.

Biography:

Agnieszka Leszczynski is a Lecturer in GIScience at the University of Auckland. Her longstanding research interests are in GIScience & Society, with current attention towards how geolocation is valued in emergent market sectors such as the variously designated sharing, last-mile, platform and gig economies.

What happens if I can't attend all the lectures or labs in your course?

I teach a few GIS courses (GEOG 215, 315, 415 and GISC 403) at Victoria University of Wellington and at the start or just before the start of term, I am normally asked a particular question by one or two students.

I am unable to attend lectures on one or two days for the GIS course you teach - should I still do the course?  

Sometimes students ask if they should do the course if they can't attend particular weeks while others feel they cannot attend one or two days each week.

Unfortunately, I can't answer this question for you.

Research has shown that students who attend all the lectures are more likely to do well in the course (Gilbert 2016 in process).

Not attending is a disadvantage.  You will find it harder to follow the course content, new terms and concepts.

However, you are best placed to know if you can study independently, read the course literature and work ahead consistently.  For some students, their motivation to work independently changes from week to week (and can often start out very enthusiastic but deadlines and non-university related events can impact your motivation).

Many students like knowing the course lecture slides are available on blackboard - but frequently they do not consult them.  The slides are not designed to support independent learning - they are designed as an aid to classroom work.

Can you alternate between the other course (or other demands on your time) and this course?  So you don't miss a lot of course content for a single course?

Specific courses
GEOG 215: Lectures in this course run in weeks 1-8, three times a week.  So clashes may only occur in the first 8 weeks of term.  Think about prioritizing this course where possible. Labs are work ahead so you can complete these in your own time - but you will need access to the university labs as the software is only available on campus.  Working ahead in the labs will be very important and labs run from week 2 to week 12.

GEOG 315: Lectures in this course are twice a week for the full 12 weeks of term. The majority of the course is assessed via a group project and you are given time to work in groups during lecture time.  If you cannot make the lecture slots, this course will not be possible to undertake.

GEOG 415: Lectures in this course run in weeks 1-8, three times a week.  So clashes may only occur in the first 8 weeks of term.  Think about prioritizing this course where possible. Labs are work ahead so you can complete these in your own time and a version of the software will be made available to you.  Working ahead will be very important and labs run from week 2-12.

GISC 403: This course is run in conjunction with the University of Canterbury and AUT.  Attendance is expected at both the lecture and laboratory session.  If you cannot attend, you need to reconsider doing this course.

So you want a reference?

As a teaching academic, I get quite a few requests for references from current and former students (quite rightly too!).

I teach over 200 different students each year and get to know only a proportion of these well enough to give a detailed reference. What should you think about when asking me to be a referee?

Do I know you well enough to be a referee?
When potential employers phone to ask for a reference, they don't have a special category for 'lecturer' so I am expected to respond to all the questions they ask a previous employer.

I need to be able to answer questions about you, your skills, your ability to work independently and in teams, and your work ethic. The employers may also have other more directed questions too.

I can only answer what I know/have experienced. Otherwise, I will have to say I don't know.  A few "sorry, I don't know" answers are fine but if that's all I can say - am I really the best reference for you to showcase your ability to your potential employer?

Other than mentioning your grades, what can I say?

Depending on the courses you've taken with me, I can comment on whether you turned up to class, asked relevant questions, whether you paid attention, handed in your assignments on time, turned up to meetings with me on time and contributed appropriately.  Did you do a group project (team work) or present to the class (communication skills)?  These are normally key skills employers are interested in.

Were there any disagreements with other classmates or issues with the university regulations?  For example, did you try to resolve team difficulties with your team mates or did the issues go unresolved?  In giving a reference, you are relying on my professional reputation with different industry organisations. Its important for me to be as honest as possible as future students also need jobs!

How can you make it easier for me (and improve your reference too!)?
Send me your CV and job advert in the same email as the request for a reference. This means I have all the relevant information in one place when potential employers phone. Employers are interested in my opinion as to whether you can do the job you applied for - so specifics about the job itself are as useful as your CV.  And if I can't easily locate both of these things during a 15 minute conversation, wonderful things about you might not get said!  

I realise this will mean I might have lots of emails from you (as you apply for lots of jobs) but all the relevant information is in the same place so I can spend more time giving you a good reference (and know that you can follow instructions!).

Its also really good to include a photo too! There's lots of students asking for references so make sure I don't mistakenly confuse you with the slacker in the class or I might not remember your name but when I see a photo realize you were the one asking relevant and insightful questions in class!

So remember...

When you ask me for a reference please send a single email with both your CV and the job advert in the same email.   when it counts, I have all the relevant information at my fingertips!

Reflecting on my internship: Sandra Koenigseder

Sandra Koenigseder started an internship at the GIS lab in September 2015 and finished her stint at VUW in December.  During this time, Sandra was involved in a number of research projects and reflects on her experience below.

Sandra hard at work in the GIS lab

This summer in New Zealand, I worked as a Research Assistant intern at the GIS laboratory in Victoria University of Wellington (VUW) under the supervision of Dr Mairead de Roiste. The internship gave me the opportunity to work on different projects and gain a better understanding of data collection, mapping and network analysis. I was also involved in meetings associated with different research projects and worked with students from the university.  

I was motivated to do the internship after finishing my Masters to gain some work experience in GIS, to get to know a research environment and to figure out if a GIS career is for me, as well as improving my English. 

I started the internship with GIS tutorials to refresh my knowledge of ArcGIS. One of my first tasks was to create a thematic map of the university showing the food locations for the GeoSciences 2015 conference. This mapping project helped me to get to know the university buildings and was a good way start of my internship. 

I also worked on a project using data from ‘The Great Kereru Count 2015’ with the School of Biological Sciences and Wellington City Council (WCC).  I joined Mairead at the very first meetings and got to see the start of a research project. My tasks for this project were to collect the data including preparing the metadata as well as attending all project meetings to contribute my knowledge and ideas. I passed on this project to a summer scholarship student who continues to work with WCC and VUW. It has been interesting to see the project develop and some of the preliminary results. 

Another piece of work was to clean up data from a project already completed and update the project maps. The research was a participatory GIS project. It was interesting to note that the customer’s wishes and cartographic integrity are not always compatible but that it is also important to find an adequate way to combine both.  

In addition, I helped my supervisor with some administrative work which is also part of the duties of a researcher and which showed me a wider view of academic work. I also wrote an article about ‘Studying Cartography in Germany’ for the news webpage of the New Zealand Cartographic Society.  

The final project, I worked on, uses Network Analysis to assess the spatial accessibility of aged residential care facilities in New Zealand. My aim was to repair the existing road network by using Network Analyst in ArcGIS and to examine the data files to figure out which data already exists and what would be needed to finish this project. As a student is directly involved in this project and the work is ongoing, I interacted and communicated with him around what was needed and shared my results.  

During my internship, I communicated with different people (e. g. professional staff, students, researchers from university or other institutions by email or in person) and was able to improve my communication skills. As a result, I learned and adapted to cultural differences between New Zealand and Germany! 

As I am also interested in plant ecology, I was able to go on a biology one-day field trip concerning the flora of New Zealand – an opportunity that I might not have again.    

Over the internship, I learned how important it is to manage my time and structure tasks to ensure they can be done on time. I learned to be open to new software and had to adapt fast! I also improved my English which was an important goal of mine and am now much more confident of working in an English speaking environment.   

People were respectful of each other, welcoming and helpful and open to my questions. I appreciate that my supervisor introduced me at the meetings and made me feel part of the GIS department. This department is a small unit within a much larger organisation but, as GIS is used for many different disciplines, cooperation with other departments and organisations is essential. As a result, it was simple to find connections to colleagues at the university which made me feel a part of this multidisciplinary environment.  

The internship helped me to get a perception of work within a research environment within GIS and give me the motivation to pursue an academic career. I had the chance to use different software, work with different disciplines and broaden my mind. My supervisor encouraged me to solve problems on my own and helped me to develop a structured working style.  

My time at the GIS laboratory of the VUW helped me finding my strengths and interests and I gained new knowledge and skills.