Next Week In Focus

The University of Auckland | 1

Weekly newsletter for University staff | 24 March 2014

Diary Tuesday 25 March Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology seminar Professor Anna Huttenlocher, Vilas Professor, Departments of Medical Microbiology and Immunology and Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin-Madison: Imaging cell migration and EMT in Zebrafish: Implications for human disease. 3.30pm, Room 501.505, Level 5, Building 501. Professor Anna Huttenlocher is a physician scientist who sees patients with autoimmune disease and primary immunodeficiency disorders. She is Director of Pediatric Rheumatology and Director of the Medical Scientist Physician Training Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr Huttenlocher’s research focuses on understanding the basic molecular mechanisms that regulate directed migration of cancer cells and the chemotaxis of leukocytes using both in vitro and in vivo model systems with zebrafish. She will discuss recent progress imaging cell migration in zebrafish with a focus on epithelial to mesenchymal transition and the role of the tumor microenvironment. Queries to r.mcdonald@auckland.ac.nz Department of Mathematics seminar Dr Markus Haase, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands: Renewal sequences and convergence rates in ergodic theorems. 4pm, Room 303-412. Von Neumann’s ergodic theorem from 1931 originates in statistical mechanics and lies in the intersection of functional analysis and probability theory. Abstractly, one takes a linear contraction T on a Banach space X and considers the arithmetic means A_n of the first n powers of T: A_n := 1/n (T + T^2 + ... + T^n) Then the Mean Ergodic Theorem states that if X is reflexive then A_n(x) converges for each x in X. In general, the convergence can be arbitrarily slow, ie, no uniform convergence rate for all x in X can be expected. However, identifying x’s with particular convergence rates leads to applications to strong law of large numbers with rates and central limit theorems for

Markov chains. Deriennic and Lin raised the question whether (weak) convergence of certain power series in T on a vector x can ensure a rate for the convergence of A_n(x). In particular, they asked whether one has logarithmic rate for A_n(x) when x lies in the domain of the “ons-sided ergodic Hilbert transform” of T. In recent work with Yuri Tomilov and Oleksandr Gomilko (Torun) we developed a general approach to the matter and could answer the posed problem. In our work, power series whose Taylor coefficients form a so-called renewal sequence play a prominent role. All welcome. Easy Listening talk Gabriel Lester, Elam International Artist in Residence, 2014: Cineast: An artist introduction to his enthusiasm for cinema and visual languages in general. 6pm, Auckland Art Gallery Auditorium, Lower Ground Level, Corner Kitchener and Wellesley Streets. Gabriel Lester’s practice is cinematographic without necessarily employing film or video. Lester offers a fragmented and atmospheric exploration of the powerful narrative qualities of light and sound. Using film techniques like editing, cutting, repositioning and perspective, his works create tension, suspense and drama. Often architecturally experimental, Lester’s practice has presented frozen cinematic moments in architectural space. Often minimalistic, his works propose ways to relate to the world and highlight the mechanisms and components that constitute our perception and understanding of it. Lester will participate in the 19th Biennale of Sydney and will be further developing a number of projects during his residency at Elam School of Fine Arts. Easy Listening Talks in Art and Culture is a collaborative project by ARTSPACE, Elam School of Fine Arts and Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki. Free. All welcome. Choreographic Research Aotearoa Erica Stanton: Speaking performance #2: What’s going on in a dance technique class? 6-7.30pm, Studio 820-212, Kenneth Myers Centre, 74 Shortland Street. Erica Stanton discusses current issues for dance technique classes emerging from her research in the UK through the Limón Project. She will

explore how the infusion of somatics, inquiry-based learning and the emphasis of the first person experience of dancing have opened up new possibilities for the practice of dance technique and for the content of movement classes. The transfer of “ownership” of the class from the teacher/facilitator to the students raises some interesting questions about who is doing what to whom and why? Erica Stanton teaches Limón based technique, dance composition and choreography at the University of Roehampton where she leads the MFA Choreography programme. Her study of Limón technique began with Martha Partridge and continued with Ruth Currier and Clay Talliaferro. Recently, Erica worked with Alan Danielson on a project which culminated in a website for practitioners interested in the Limón legacy and its contemporary relevance: http://roehamptondance.com/limonproject Erica is visiting Auckland as part of the Dance Department, Roehampton University, London and Dance Studies, University of Auckland staff exchange. Queries to s.foster-sproull@auckland.ac.nz

Wednesday 26 March University Challenge 12noon-1pm, OGGB5. Fingers on buzzers… The ultimate quiz challenge is back! Have you got what it takes to be on our “University Challenge” team and take on other NZ Universities on national TV? Trials are being held. If you think you have the smarts then come along and put your knowledge to the test. Also on 27 March, 5-6pm at OGGB4. Hosted by Campus Life. Queries to whatson@auckland.ac.nz Visit www.auckland.ac.nz/universitychallenge School of Chemical Sciences seminar Professor Peter Butko, Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Japan: Water, water everywhere... and its effect on biomolecular interactions. 2pm,104-G53, Old Choral Hall. Water molecules redistribute and reorient around objects immersed in water. This rearrangement, in turn, may influence the shape or structure of the immersed objects and

The University of Auckland | 2

the interactions between them. When the objects are large biopolymer molecules, for example ion channels or enzymes, we will find that water may have an unexpected but decisive role in control of many important biological processes. The lecture is quite interdisciplinary, bridging physics with chemistry and biology, but at the same time it is very accessible and does not presuppose much specialised knowledge. School of Environment seminar Professor Gary Brierley: The use of the River Styles Framework as a tool to assess what is realistically achievable in river rehabilitation. 3-4pm, HSB 429. An intriguing paradox is evident in emerging scientific framings of complexity and inherent uncertainties in the character, behaviour and evolution of river systems and reductionist managerial quests for simplicity and functional efficiency. The ways in which these dilemmas are played out have profound implications for society and the environment. This presentation argues that we have reached a key transition point in shaping river futures. Do we seek to lock a river into a particular morphology shaped by a particular suite of formative processes (re-restoration based upon some image from the past)? Or, do we adopt a future focus wherein we create scenarios based on a range of current and expected future conditions, and promote river adjustments and adaptations in context of these conditions? Queries to a.bartos@auckland.ac.nz Communiqué Esa Laaksonen: Alvar Aalto’s Maison Carré / Archetypal architecture. 6.30-7.30pm, Design Lecture Theatre, Conference Centre, 22 Symonds Street. Alvar Aalto’s French masterpiece, was completed in 1959 at Bazoches-sur-Guyonne, between Paris and Chartres for the wealthy art dealer Louis Carré. The villa is a total work of art where Finnish design and craftsmanship are put to the fore. The interiors were constructed to accomodate Carré’s extenisve collection of Modern art and remain exceptional within the Aalto oeuvre. Alvar and Elissa detailed the house with their purpose-built, now famous furniture, fittings, lamps and textiles. Visitable since 2006, the Maison Carré is owned and is being restored by the Association Alvar Aalto en France. Esa Laaksonen will detail the design process of the Maison Carré, one of Aalto’s few single-family projects. Esa Laaksonen is a Helsinki architect who has been Director of the Alvar Aalto Akatemia since 1999. The AAA iis renowned for a prestigious annual design conference, alternately practitioner and scholar focused, at the University of Jyväskylä in central Finland which was designed by Aalto. Laaksonen has taught architecture at Aalto University School

of Arts, Design and Architecture (formerly Aalto’s Otaniemi-Helsinki University of Technology) since 1983. He has also edited Arkkitehti and taken the role of exhibition director at The Finnish Museum of Architecture in Helsinki. His latest book Alvar Aalto Architect. 5: Paimio Sanatorium 1928-32 was published in 2013. Hosted by the School of Architecture and Planning. Queries to events-archplan@auckland.ac.nz Visit www.creative.auckland.ac.nz/communique

Thursday 27 March Communiqué Jeremy Treadwell and Yun Sun: Rebuilding Tāne Whirinaki: A digital projection. 12noon-1pm, Design Lecture Theatre, Conference Centre, 22 Symonds Street. The great whare Tāne Whirinaki was built by the Ngatira chief Hira te Popo at Waioeka in 1874, to restore the iwi’s mana following the illegal land confiscations imposed after the killing of the German missionary Carl Völkner. Tāne Whirinaki became implicated in ominous prophesies by Te Kooti. This association and disturbing events on the marae led to the house’s acquisition of frightening tapu. Demolished in 1930 and unable to be rebuilt, the whare carvings have been in storage since that time. In 2010 the School of Architecture began a collaborative project with Ngatira to look at reconstructing the whare. This lecture is the story of the first stage of that project; to reconstruct the house as a walk-through digital model to provide this generation of the iwi with their first view into Tāne Whirinaki. Jeremy Treadwell is a senior lecturer at the University of Auckland School of Architecture and Planning. Jeremy is engaged in doctoral studies investigating the structure of the large 19th century Māori meeting houses. Yun Kong Sung graduated with a Master of Architecture (Professional) at the University of Auckland. His current work encompasses archaeology and conservation using 3D scanning, automation of prefabricated single living units, and building visualisation through augmented reality. Hosted by the School of Architecture and Planning. Queries to events-archplan@auckland.ac.nz Visit www.creative.auckland.ac.nz/communique Retro 60s afternoon tea 3.30pm, Maclaurin Chapel Hall. Email rsvp@auckland.ac.nz As part of the Maclaurin Chapel 50th Anniversary celebrations, a Retro 60’s afternoon tea will be held at the Maclaurin Chapel Hall. Spaces are limited, if you are interested in attending please RSVP.

Friday 28 March Lunchtime concert Piano and brass students. 1.05-1.55pm, Music Theatre, School of Music. Free. A series showcasing School of Music students in both individual and ensemble settings. Queries to concerts@auckland.ac.nz Philosophy seminar Jussi Haukioja, Norwegian University of Science and Technology: From reference to essence. 3-5pm, Pat Hanan Room 501, Arts 2. Causal theories of reference for natural kind terms are widely agreed to play a central role in arguments for the claim that theoretical identity statements such as “Water is H2O” are necessary, if true. However, there is also fairly wide-spread agreement, due to the arguments of Nathan Salmon (in Reference and Essence) that causal theories of reference do not alone establish such essentialism about natural kinds: an independent, non-trivial essentialist premiss is also needed. In this paper I will question this latter agreement. I will argue that there is an independently attractive explanation of why such identity statements are metaphysically necessary, if true: an explanation which relies only on assumptions about the semantics of natural kind terms, general philosophical assumptions about reference, and philosophically unproblematic empirical assumptions. Argos Aotearoa: Journal launch and exhibition 5.30pm, George Fraser Gallery, 25a Princes Street. Argos Aotearoa is a new publication about politics, people and place. Its first issue, entitled ‘The University Beside Itself’, concerns the university itself - its atmospheres, affects and deficits. The journal launch follows a week-long exhibition at the gallery, featuring works by Afakasi baby, Kelley Malone and Makyla Curtis, Alex Jespersen and Pritika Lal. The exhibition welcomes all university workers, students, teachers and staff to use and enjoy its rooms, in the spirit of creative collision, and encourages you to express your views of the university by leaving responses of whatever kind in or on the gallery. Walls and materials are supplied for this purpose. 200 Years of Sax 7.30-9pm, Music Theatre, School of Music, 6 Symonds Street. Free. Hanumi present a musical journey celebrating the 200th anniversary of Adolphe Sax, inventor of the saxophone. Music covering the complete history of the instrument from some of the earliest music, jazz and contemporary music all help to tell the story. Hanumi Saxophone Quartet was formed in 2007 in Enschede (the Netherlands) and gained almost immediate success, winning 3rd prize in the Selmer-Paris Concours within 6 months of its formation. The group went on to

The University of Auckland | 3

perform in numerous festivals, and was featured on Dutch television as part of the Middelburg Chamber Music Festival. The quartet has always sought to bring new life to the saxophone quartet repertoire, arranging existing music, commissioning new works and including other instruments in their concerts. Michael Jamieson – soprano saxophone Harmke Seinen – alto saxophone Miriam Kötter – tenor saxophone Lukas Stappenbeck – baritone saxophone. Hosted by the School of Music. Queries to l.vangent@auckland.ac.nz

Saturday 29 March Made in Auckland: Parkour taster Organised in association with the NZ Parkour Association, put your body to the test as you negotiate our obstacle course. Part of the Made in Auckland adventure sports programme. $25 for University of Auckland students. Queries to eventservices@auckland.ac.nz Visit www.madeinauckland.org.nz Brain Day 2014 9.15am-4pm, Owen G Glenn Building, 12 Grafton Road. The theme is ’Your Sense-ational Brain’ focusing on the brain’s role in our senses. Minute by minute our five senses bring us information about our world and allow us to experience our environment. Enrich your world at Brain Day 2014! The full programme of speakers, discussion panels and activities can be seen at www.fmhs.auckland.ac.nz/faculty/cbr/brainweek/default.aspx Hosted by the Neurological Foundation of New Zealand.

Sunday 30 March Doctor of Musical Arts recital Abigail Sperling (flute). 6-7pm, Music Theatre, School of Music. The first performance of a specially prepared new edition of the Flute Quartet in D minor by Ferdinand Ries will be paired with Friedrich Kuhlau’s Sonata in A minor. Between these virtuosic romantic works we will journey to a multi-channel electronic sound world complimenting the soloist in an interactive work by NZ composer John Elmsly. Free. Queries to concerts@auckland.ac.nz