THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS A LOOK BACK AT THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE WEIRD FROM THE PAST DECADE AT MQ. It’s the beginning of a new decade and a new start for Macquarie as the highly (un)anticipated MQ2020 program kicks off. While we’re all scrambling to figure out all the new unit codes and program changes, why don’t we take a stroll down memory lane and look back at the past ten years. Momentous changes have occurred over the past decade, that had a part in shaping the culture and identity of the Macquarie University we know today. Let’s start with the good, and end with the bad, and hopefully it’ll help you answer this question: is a university education even worth it when an incurable disease is on the loose? One with Nature
One of the many changes that marked the beginning of the last decade was the Macquarie University Arboretum. In 2010, the only campus based arboretum (botanical garden) in Sydney was launched to commemorate hundreds of years of botanical land use. From occupation by the Darug people, through to the development of market gardens, and the present day park-like landscape of the university campus. The Arboretum celebrates the past and builds on the core research and education priorities of Macquarie through its
14 || NEWS
areas of native vegetation, tree landscapes and themed teaching gardens. The Arboretum aims to provide a resource which enhances learning, protects endangered ecological communities and facilitates biodiversity on campus. There are a range of different walks around the Arboretum. If you haven’t already, you can book a guided tour or download the notes for a series of self-guided walks from the Macquarie University website. Winners are Grinners
In 2018, the Macquarie University Team won the Champion Identifiers Trophy and came 5th in the Spotters list, at the University bioQuest. This is an international competition against other universities in recording sightings of native plants and animals, held every year in April. The Macquarie team had submitted sightings from the Macquarie Arboretum, and as such it seems like there is more use to it than just harvesting deadly spiders.
