Welcome to Our Newest PhD Students

The lab is getting bigger! Andrew Hunter {Chopper} and Ami Fadhillah Amir have just joined the lab to do their PhDs - Chopper on performance and Ami on conservation. Ami acquired a prestigious Malaysian scholarship for her work, so we don't know for sure if the following is applicable for her ... but for Chopper, at least, post-doc Sean Fitzgibbon put together a financial plan for his upcoming years of servitude:

"Chop, I have just looked at the conditions of your award and spoken with your accountant.

We offer the following:
Stipend $23,728 per annum (Tax-free) = $461/wk

Committed expenditure:
Mortgage $380/wk remainder $81
Utilities $28/wk remainder $53
Football subs $17/wk remainder $36
Groceries $23/wk remainder $13
Home brew $8/wk remainder $5

We suggest that you set-up a trust savings account to invest your weekly surplus income of $5. Based on my calculations, after your PhD you should be able to live off your savings (and interest - based conservatively on 6.2%) for approx. 2.1 days. This should really take the heat off when you are searching for a job post-hand-in

Welcome to the familia! Let me know if we can be of further assistance*." - S.F.

*this post is not meant to replace real financial planning and new PhD students should always consult a bona fide accountant for advice on saving vs. spending their income. If they can afford one.

Fieldwork, Groote Eylandt, NT

It was only a week ago we got back from Groote Eylandt. What a special place. Wild, and raw, and special. An island of contrasts, between a traditional culture and a modern mining industry. An island with a lot of crocodiles.

the GEMCO manganese mine

It was my first trip up, and Nelle came along. We met the Rangers and friends and family and Gavin and Kerry and the rest of the team and Alex-from-Stanford. We drank tea on the deck at the Ranger station, and packed up everything {but petrol} for a quoll-catching venture to the east side of the island. {Former labmate} Billy was appointed Ranger Coordinator. We learned our first Anindilyakwan words. We entertained Nelle, and learned the value of ABC for Kids downloads {and PhD students}.

On the deck with Jennifer and her niece; with Chopper; with MacBook Pro

We drove east to Umbakumba then headed into the bush on sandy tracks. We set up tents on top of a berm, feeling {relatively} safe from water-borne crocs and collected firewood from the beach. We watched a heavy moon pull itself up into the sky.

Picnic Beach, Groote Eylandt

Under Jaime's guidance, we set out traps for quolls, hoping to catch at least a few to obtain measurements and hair samples.

Jaime and Eddie set out, bait, and mark quoll traps

We caught 4. Plus a few bandicoots. It was good enough for Jaime to get her samples, and good enough for me - these were the first wild quolls I'd seen.

A quoll curled up in its very own, custom-made pillowcase

We were almost as successful catching fish ... the ocean here teems with them {apparently} but we didn't have much luck. Three fish only made it into our bellies.

That's ok. We had plenty of patience ... 

and potatoes. 

fishing for dinner

- written by Amanda Niehaus

Groote Eylandt, August 2012

Leaving Darwin, the propellers outside hummed loudly (reassuringly). We pressed our noses to the windows, looked out on the wild top coast of Australia. The fires lit by thousands of years of tradition. And then, we were there. Over the mines, into the red dirt.

Groote Eylandt.