2020 EDITION
EDITORIAL
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t’s with great pleasure, I write this editorial to welcome you to the 2020 edition of the PSA PostScript. The past few weeks have been both amazing, and stressful while putting the following together. The 2020 edition gives us a chance to see what some of our fellow postgrads have been up to. This year has been a tricky one. It has brought about some changes that none of us have ever imagined. It changed the way we pursue our education; the way we interact, and ultimately, the way we live. I’m happy to see how we, as a community, were resilient through these changes and pulled ourselves along to be where we are right now. I’m also happy to see the contributions of our current postgrads; what they have done and how they have handled things in these unprecedented times is commendable. Reading through it all, I take a bow to everyone who is doing their postgrad degree from all around the world.
A big thank you to our president, Rahul M S, for being supportive throughout the journey. A big hat’s off to all his achievements this year, particularly the ungraded pass/fail for postgrads, and organizing the research week. Not to mention, the amazing job he has done in representing the postgrad community around the campus and voicing out their opinions when important decisions were to be made. Last but not the least, a huge thanks to Xander Sinclair for all that he has done to make this magazine look as aesthetic as it does. I would also like to convey my thanks to all my fellow committee members and everyone who had contributed to PostScript 2020. If you have any feedback, good or bad, please forward it to psa-media@guild. uwa.edu.au and we’ll make sure to pass it on to the committee next year. It gives me immense pleasure to finally finish this and deliver it to you, I wish nothing but the absolute best for you all. Thank you and stay amazing.
Dilip Kotha 2020 PSA Media Officer
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CONTENTS 2.
Editor’s Note – by Dilip Kotha
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President – Rahul MS
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IPP – Alex Tan
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CAPA Report
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5 Things to keep in your bag – by Sarah Dart
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Committee (meet the team)
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UWA and around – by Dimuthu Wanasinghe
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Postgrad Profiles
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Winthrop Hall – by Dimuthu Wanasinghe
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PSA Awards
3-minute thesis winner – by Chayan Chatterjee
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3 – minute thesis runner – by Courtney Weber
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Drink Smart – by Dilip Kotha
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Spiced Carrot Cake chocolate truffle – by Emily Purvis
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Mental Health Checklist
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Art – By Sonali Suhane and Priya Kaluskar
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Memes to make your day
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PSA Gala 2020
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2020 - PRESIDENT’S REPORT Rahul M S
I still remember the day when Alexander Tan 2019 president asked me “are you interested in stepping up as the PSA President?”. It was when I was helping Alex Tan for August 2019 Committee meeting agenda as the inaugural PSA General Secretary. It is different from domestic students as I have to take several other decisions before involving myself into this role and contest for the president. I am involved in PSA since 2018 with all those experiences I decided to run for 2020 President. It is challenging ride for me from the start as a contestant for the president role till present day as the Postgraduate President. I can’t believe it’s already the time for me to write President report and start on handing over work for incoming president. If there is one thing I’ve taken to heart from time with PSA, is this: postgrads all are the same. It doesn’t matter whether you’re doing Master by coursework, Master by Research or PhD, if you been at university for 8 months or 8 years! We all are at university, doing the same thing- a professional degree, working towards a qualification in a specialised field. On December 1st, 2019, my first day as the president I had several ideas and plans which I should work on and achieve this year. I was fortunate enough to work with three different Vice Chancellor this year. 2020 was a challenging year for every postgraduate student and also for UWA. It was not a smooth ride for me as well. PSA was part of the GRS review on February 2020, which was initiated by the Dean of GRS, all the research representatives were involved in this and voicing students. Opinion. on behalf of all the students. During Pandemic PSA 2020 Committee worked really hard to advocate for postgraduate students in all the level from faculty meeting till university executive meetings. We worked on getting ungraded pass/fail for the postgraduate coursework students with university and took a survey for HDR students and presented it to UWA GRS (Graduate Research School) and CAPA(Council of Australian Postgraduate Association) which is peak student representative body for postgraduate student. We sent open letter to the state education minister to ask support for HDR students and for blanket extension for the state level scholarship. Recently we joined CAPA for a #valuepostgrads campaign for both coursework and HDR students.
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On social side, we planned and executed first ever Cruise with PSA but due to COVID-19 restriction the event was cancelled. I will encourage my successor to plan and run this event. During peak COVID-19 times we organised several online events. We had to cancel some of our PSA connect due to restrictions and there was changes in the connect during post COVID time. We also organised the first ever PSA Leadership workshop and student. To make up all loss with connect we have our annual Gala on October 23rd from 7pm – 10 pm which will be huge and entertaining with live performances and DJ. Last but not least, as I promised during the start of my role as the president, we are thrilled to organise PSA Research week event. This is dream project for the year and made it happen. PSA Research week is live because of my best research team. On this occasion I would like to thank my research team to make this happen. Research week is back to UWA after 3 years and is now bigger and better. Research Week is proudly sponsored by UWA Convocation Council, UWA GRS and Woodside. It has been a genuine privilege to serve for postgraduate students of UWA this year. Though I am looking forward for my retirement from UWA Student Guild as Postgraduate President and hopefully graduate by the end of 2020 and start hunting for Graduate roles. PSA plays an important role in postgraduate students at UWA. This is an association run by students for students. The then president Alex Tan used to say I will be called as COVID PSA President. I am not sure whether it is what you call me. It was pleasure serving and leading you all for the year 2020 during this the pandemic.
Rahul M S PSA President 2020
2020 - IPP REPORT Alex Tan
[Sean Connery voice on] Well hello there my fellow postgraduate, I would like you all to imagine this report is coming to you from an underwater resort in the Maldives where I am sipping something tropical and relishing in life after serving my term in 2019. Alas, I’m sure most of us have fought our own tough battles this year. It has certainly tested everyone’s ability to adapt and reimagine their daily routines. Before I go on I would like to say to you all, keep going, you’re doing great, and you’ve got so much more great things on the way. When I handed over the PSA to Rahul and the 2020 committee, I remember being extremely excited to see where they would take the organization from here, and what great initiatives they would bring to the table. Every year the brave incoming PSA committee that takes over signs up for the massive challenge of representing the postgraduates of UWA, providing support on many different facets, and most importantly enriching the student experience. Dealing with a global pandemic however, is generally not part of the challenge. I must admit that being a domestic Australian student, I have been fortunate enough to be able to stay on track with my studies amidst all the chaos albeit after having to adapt a little. The 2020 committee has done a brilliant job with ensuring that UWA postgraduates are supported throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. I have no doubt the committee members have worked extremely hard to roll out support for students, and I’m sure they wish they could have done more, but who doesn’t? A big thank you to the 2020 committee both for everything visible and everything behindthe-scenes they have managed to accomplish. I hear there are even more great things yet to come. Now with respect to all of you reading this, whether you’re a student, staff, or any other member of the UWA community, I would like to encourage and challenge all of you to not let this wild year deter your spirits. Work hard, enjoy your free time with you friends and loved ones, and make sure to block out time every day just for you to recharge…and kickback with a giant bowl of pasta (if you don’t crave pasta all the time like me then I am sincerely sorry that was completely unrelatable for you). Planning to have fun or relax is just as important as planning to work I reckon because yolo.
Warning, the following is a bunch of philosophical spiels that I promise sounded good at the time of writing and I sincerely hope they motivate you all rather than force you to reach for a bucket. Strive to go above and beyond your studies or your job, get involved with different communities, test your limits, and meet new people. The huge diversity of people with different backgrounds and insights connected to and within the UWA community is massive and there is so much to gain. Live in the ‘now’ and make every day count. Set your long-term goals, commit to a plan of attack and do it, but don’t keep stressing about getting there because it detracts from you enjoying the present. The future is so unpredictable as we have all seen and experienced this year so take every moment as it comes and live your best life. To the 2020 PSA Committee and all the readers: Be hungry to better yourselves, be grateful for everything, be patient with each other and this year, be proud of yourself, keep up the good work, stay safe, and best wishes for you and all your loved ones.
Alexander Tan 2019 PSA President P.S. I am not at the Maldives unfortunately.
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CAPA Report
NATIONAL POSTGRADUATE ADVOCACY
THE YEAR IN REVIEW The CoVid-19 pandemic took us all by surprise. Postgraduate students have been affected in many ways, left facing great uncertainty and with no guarantee things will get better. No one can prepare you for a global pandemic, especially one on this scale. When things don’t go to plan or there’s great uncertainty about your studies and your future, it is nice to know there are other students who are going through the same thing. That is why it is more important now than ever, to stick together and have each other’s backs. At UWA that is exactly what the PSA is for. However, sometimes the issues are too big for any one organisation to solve alone. That is when CAPA steps in. The Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations (CAPA) represents over 450,000+ postgraduate students in Australia on a national level, speaking to decision makers within the sector about budgets, welfare systems, compliance and much more. The coronavirus set the tone for CAPA this year. But it only highlighted the precarious situation postgraduate students were already facing such as colossal tuition fees, exploitative research conditions, limited access to Centrelink study and/or CoVid-19 stimulus payments and serious mental health risks. On top of that we now face graduating during the biggest economic downturn in living history. Since the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared coronavirus a global pandemic, CAPA has consistently communicated to the government and various other stakeholders – through our campaign – that postgraduate students, have had their lives and studies seriously disrupted by CoVid-19. Leaving students to struggle with financial hardships and mental health problems without support will be a massive step backwards for Australia’s long-term economic growth, recovery and reputation. CAPA has launched two national campaigns, one directed at the government, one at the universities together with our members, including the PSA. The aim of the campaign to the government was to highlight the areas in which postgraduate, domestic and international students are affected, as a result of this pandemic. A number of stakeholders were engaged during the consultation period including Minister Tehan, Senator Mehreen Faruqui, Tanya Plibersek MP, the Department of Education, Skills and Employment (DESE), UA and TEQSA. As well as the Australian Council of Graduate Research (ACGR), who have worked with CAPA every step of the way, including promoting our university campaign to the UA, Go8, ATN, IRU, RUN and the DESE. Both Senator Faruqui and Tanya Plibersek wrote to Minister Tehan, asking him to support our campaign and it worked! Shortly after, the Minister announced a number of legislative changes including an amendment to the Research Training Program (RTP). The amendments to the Commonwealth Scholarships Guidelines (Research) 2017 and Other Grant Guidelines (Research) 2017 will enable universities to provide greater flexibility and support for research students that have had their candidatures adversely affected by the CoVid-19 crisis.
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We are pleased that the Department of Education has allowed: 1. The option for universities to temporarily extend RTP scholarships for doctoral and masters research degrees, for a maximum duration of 4 years and 6 months, and 2 years 6 months respectively. 2. Allowing more flexibility for universities to fund RTP scholarships for international students, by relaxing the current 10% RTP funding cap restrictions currently in place. 3. 60 days paid sick leave at the discretion of the higher education provider While these amendments are a welcome first step, we need more funding to support these changes. With finite funds, universities now face the stark choice between funding current students to completion and sustaining future enrolments. A once off payment to the Research Training Program, to support any students that require an extension in these trying times, will ensure universities can support their students rather than add further pressure to falling research funding. This is why CAPA, with the support of the (ACGR) and our members, will continue lobbying the government to secure more research funding, crucial to the recovery phase of this crisis. Alongside these changes, CAPA has welcomed various supports for domestic and international postgraduate coursework and higher degree by research students, which we campaigned for such as access to hardship funds, study-load, compliance, health cover and visa regulatory changes. A huge achievement for us this year, was the announcement by the Australian Department of Home Affairs, that visa extensions will be free of charge. These wins would not have been possible, without the support and dedication of our member organisations, such as the PSA. We still have a way to go however. For the remainder of the year, CAPA will focus on the quality of education for postgraduate students and the consequences of continued cuts to university funding. Universities have become reliant on highly volatile sources of income such as international student enrolments, philanthropy, fundraising, or return from investments and commercial revenue. All of which have fallen in recent months and will not recover for a while to come, when the true economic impact of the pandemic takes hold. It will be crucial to build on the progress we have made. Having now established strong working relationships with key decision makers such as UA, TEQSA, ACGR, opposition and the current government, a lot will depend on how we manage these relationships in the future. CAPA has grown in membership through this pandemic and it is only by working together, that we have been able to make a real difference. CAPA will continue fighting the good fight at a national level, to improve your university experience, just as the PSA does at UWA.
Romana Begicevic CAPA National President
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THINGS TO KEEP IN YOUR BAG TO HELP YOU BE GREENER ON CAMPUS! By Sarah Dart
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Keep cup - wash and reuse throughout the day as needed
Water bottle - fill up at any of the free water stations on campus
Utensils (fork, spoon, chopsticks, reusable straw) - say no to the unncessary ones that come with your food
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Cloth napkins & handkerchiefs - save the trees and take home your dirties to be washed
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Zero-waste deodorant & perfume - freshen up whenever you need, and refill, reuse or recycle the containers when empty.
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MEET THE TEAM Executive
President Rahul M S
VP Coursework Aishwarya Banavathu
VP Research Netramani Sagar
VP Social Hannah Santhosha
General Secretary Vinod Raja
Opperational Office Bearers
Equity Officer Sonali Suhane
International Students’ Officer Abhijith Harikumar
Media Officer Dilip Kumar
Off-Campus Officer Lizeth Orozco
Faculty Representatives (Research)
Faculty of Arts, Business, Faculty of Engineering & Faculty of Health & Medical Law & Education Rep. Mathematical Sciences Rep. Sciences Rep. Emily Purvis Dimuthu Wanasinghe Sarah Dart
Faculty of Science Representative Rep. Max Davidson
Faculty Representatives (Coursework)
Faculty of Arts, Business, Faculty of Engineering & Faculty of Health & Medical Law & Education Rep. Mathematical Sciences Rep. Sciences Rep. Amlan Majumder Jiaqi Huang Rohan Sachdev
Faculty of Science Representative Rep. Priya Kaluskar
Ordinary Comittee Members
Jerin Paul
Srivathsan Sudharshan
Joel Kidman
Immediate Past President
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Alex Tan
Caitlin Tilsed
Photography by: Dimuthu Wanasinghe
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LAUREN HENNESSY 2ND YEAR PHD
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I’m currently a second year PhD candidate, working with a new form of brain stimulation known as ‘low-intensity repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation’, in order to treat depression. This technique is painless, non-invasive, and can be used to help patients that do not respond to medications or therapy. My research aims to improve upon the current method already being used in clinics to make it as effective and accessible as possible for patients, and to help us understand more about how it works on a biological level. Outside of my PhD, you can always find me baking, sewing, practising Dutch and German language with my family, and discovering the best Italian restaurants across Perth.
DAVID GREEN
MASTER OF BUSINESS ANALYTICS
Tell us a little about your coursework My coursework focuses on the collection and usage of data to transform it into meaningful and insightful information for businesses. What are you passionate about? I am passionate about outdoor recreation and sport as I love the competitiveness it brings and the social aspect it provides me. What do you hope to do when you graduate? Once I graduate, I hope to move over east and gain experience working in the banking and financial sector as a business analyst. I am always open to pursue other opportunities if they are to present themselves. Experience as ECOMS postgraduate director My experience as ECOMS postgraduate director has provided me with the opportunity to meet many new people and develop lifelong friendships with committee members. The fulfilment of running and being apart of events has been a great learning experience from which has helped shaped the person I am today.
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Photography by: Dimuthu Wanasinghe
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photo credit: Nicholas Pattinson
PSA Award
FIELDWORK REPORT I am really grateful for the financial support provided to my overseas data collection. This is my second PhD year, and I have spent six months (September 2019 - March 2020) in the South African Kalahari desert investigating how heat stress may impact cognition in wild animals. Cognition is an animal’s ability to process and respond to information from the surrounding environment. Animals’ survival, reproductive success, and adjustment to environmental changes can depend on their cognitive performance. As temperatures are rapidly increasing, understanding the effect of heat stress on cognition has become crucial. In the Kalahari, I study a wild population of Southern pied babblers (Turdoides bicolor) that has been habituated to close human observation. Every day in the field I localize a group of babblers, approach them to weigh all the individuals (they jump on a scale to access a small food reward), perform behavioural observations and cognitive testing. To assess how hot temperatures affect cognitive performance, I test the same individual under a non-heat stress and a heat stress condition (identified from the display of heat dissipation behaviours, such as panting - you can see two individuals panting at the bottom left in the photo!).
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During this field season, I performed 226 cognitive tests, monitored 41 nests, and ringed 47 new individuals for identification in the study population. This is more than twice the data that I collected during my first field season, and it has been possible mainly thanks to the additional help of my two field assistants, Lina PeĂąa-Ramirez and Grace Blackburn. The PSA Fieldwork Travel and Data Collection Award has been fundamental to cover the flight costs for a field assistant. Now I am closer to answer my research question, which I hope will contribute to our understanding of how wild animal populations might adjust to climate change and inform mitigation actions.
Camilla Soravia PhD student Centre for Evolutionary Biology www.babbler-research.com
PSA Conference
TRAVEL AWARD REPORT Earlier this year, just before the world began to understand the impact that Covid-19 would have on everyone, I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the Lorne Conference on Protein Structure and Function in Melbourne. This conference is Australia’s most prominent annual academic event for protein biologists such as myself. The hot topics revolved around research outputs resulting from recent advancements in cryo-electron microscopy, a technique that allows scientists to see the intricate structures of proteins and other biomolecules. I discussed my research on understanding why a particular protein undergoes a unique shuffling in its amino acid sequence, a phenomenon not observed in any other protein in nature. Like the human tailbone, this modification was thought useless and has therefore been largely ignored by most protein scientists. My research turns this 30-year-
old assumption on its head, reminding us yet again that we should always be prepared to be proven wrong in science. Having worked on my project for what felt like three long years, it was invigorating to be amongst a group of people who were not only interested in the work that I have done but also positively excited at the potential questions that my research could answer. As this was my first time attending a major conference, I was pleasantly surprised at how supportive the environment is for early career researchers and PhD students, as accomplished researchers were eager to share their life experience both on- and off-stage. The amount of exposure that I received has left me eagerly anticipating the next potential meeting. Perhaps the complete, high-resolution structure of the coronavirus responsible for Covid-19 will be one of the highlights then, on top of the surf lesson that the organisers arrange for participants every year!
Samuel Nonis
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MY 3MT
EXPERIENCE By Chayan Chatterjee
concepts to familiar things like “ripples in a pond”, “ruler”, “sounds of the universe”, which proved to be really effective and was admired by the judges. I was ecstatic to find my name featured among the eleven finalists the day before the competition, albeit a bit nervous at the same time at the prospect of performing in front of a live audience in the final. The final was held on 10th September at the Social Sciences Lecture Theatre with eleven finalists and an audience of around one hundred, with many more watching online through live stream. My talk was at the very end, and while I was sitting in the hall, nervously waiting for my turn, I was mesmerized by the amazing stories everyone had to tell. It was certainly a grand confluence of many diverse fields: from artificial intelligence to cancer research, from psychology to environmental science. It was truly inspiring to listen to the state-of-the-art research at UWA from the amazing people undertaking them.
“An 80,000 word PhD thesis would take 9 hours to present. Their time limit…3 minutes.” The tagline above, for University of Queensland’s Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition perfectly summarises both the essence and the formidable challenge posed by the contest to participating PhD students! Three Minute Thesis, first started in 2008, has now become a tradition, not only in UWA, but in universities all over the world. The idea is to cultivate students’ research communication and presentation skills and to uphold their capacity to effectively explain their research to a non-specialist audience in three minutes. Participants are only allowed to use one supporting slide (with no transitions or props) to support their talk. This year, due to COVID restrictions, UWA hosted a virtual 3MT in the semi-final round, in which students from numerous departments submitted video recordings of their talks for selection to the finals. I had started my PhD in Physics in February this year, and having a keen interest in science communication ever since high school, I was extremely eager to participate in this competition. Prior to the semi-finals, the Graduate Research School, led by Krystyna Haq and actor Lily Newbury-Freeman organized several workshops to train participants in the art of 3MT and public speaking, in general. It was through these workshops that I learnt the significance of voice modulations and correct body language in delivering an engaging speech with effect and conviction. I came to realize that the idea behind 3MT, first and foremost, is to tell a compelling story. Instead of technical detail and nuance, the audience must be told, why, of all things, they should care about our research, which in my case, was locating signals from ringing space time produced by colliding black holes! I was told that the secret to a good 3MT presentation was clever analogies. Therefore, while preparing my script, I thought of the best metaphors that could explain the complex ideas in my research. I drew parallels with the everyday world, relating astrophysical
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In the end, I felt extremely lucky to be adjudged both the winner of this year’s 3MT and the winner of the People’s Choice award. It was a truly surreal moment for me. Along with the award came the honour of representing UWA at the Asia-Pacific 3MT and the Matariki Network of Universities 3MT (with first and second runner up, Courtney Weber and Olivia Johnston respectively) which I am extremely proud of and will cherish forever. I encourage all PhD students to participate in 3MT during their candidature. It is a unique learning experience, unlike any other!
MY 3MT
EXPERIENCE By Courtney Weber
When I heard that the 3MT entries had opened, I was excited. The 3MT was something that i knew about even before I started my PhD (in 2018!). But, being a typical university student, I had totally forgotten about it until there was 2 weeks before the entry was due. I put my heart and soul to work, and started to create an at least vaguely entertaining story that encapsulated all things cardiovascular, statistical, and data-linkage based. Turn out, this was hard work. To make my research engaging, I needed to approach this talk from a completely different angle. I didn’t know anyone in the School of population and global health, where my research resides, that had previously done this competition. I had very limited examples that I could build from. So, I discussed my ideas with my partner, family members, supervisors’ and friends. About 1 week before I had to submit my video, I had two different storylines that I just could not decide upon. One was entertaining and engaging, but did not cover all the content that I wanted to. The other was more technically correct, but just wasn’t as engaging as my first idea. I recorded both ideas on my phone. 24 hours before I had to submit my video, I still hadn’t made a decision about what I should do. And that was when I realised. There was no way I could cover everything in my PhD. But creating an idea about how the symptoms of falling in love are just like some of the symptoms of atrial fibrillation and heart failure, the two conditions I research within my PhD, was an idea I had to go with. Even though I turned some cardiologists in their grave, as falling in love is very much not like heart disease, it was entertaining and successfully communicated what my research was about. So I submitted that video. To say I was beyond joyous when the email popped up in my inbox, saying I was a finalist, is an understatement. My poor friends and family had to deal with my non-stop talking about, every day until
the final’s night. On the 10th September, I arrived at the lecture theatre 3 hours early. I spent that time standing at the front of the stage, to take in what I was about to do. By the time the event started, and after listening to so many interesting projects and research questions, I was ready. I cannot tell you how my talk went. When I am nervous, and in front of people, My short term memory stops working all together. I do not remember being on stage (but theres a video so I definitely did do it) What I do remember is feeling incredibly proud of myself for having a go. I could have walked home right then and would’ve been extremely happy. To then be chosen for the TEDxUWA award and runner up overall was a wonderful addition. The thing is, this competition is not about awards, or winning. The experience you gain, and the ability to explain your PhD to anyone is more than enough motivation to participate. The guidance from Krystyna Haq and Lily Newbury-Freeman was beyond helpful in building my ability in public speaking and confidence in my ideas. My favourite moment of the whole competition? Finally having an answer to that age-old question, “so what is your research about and when are you going to finish? I may not know when I’m going to submit my PhD, but I can now explain it everyone without boring them to death.
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DRINK SMART KIWI AND KALE SMOOTHIE 1 tbsp flaxseed meal 1/2 cup kale washed and tightly packed 1 ripe kiwi peeled and diced 1 ripe banana 1 cup unsweetened almond milk 1 tsp raw honey, optional
PINK POWER BEET SMOOTHIE 1 tbsp flaxseed meal 1 small raw beet, peeled and quartered 1 cup strawberries 1 banana 1 cup unsweetened almond milk 1 tsp raw honey, optional 1 scoop vanilla protein powder, optional
BLUEBERRY MUFFIN PROTEIN SMOOTHIE 1/4 cup rolled oats 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon 1/3 cup blueberries 1 banana 1 cup unsweetened almond milk 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 1 scoop vanilla protein powder, optional 18
SPICED CARROT CAKE CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE Prep 15 minutes | Cook 45 minutes | Total 1 hour | Serves: 20 truffles Store in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze for a couple of weeks. These delicious truffles have a beautiful flavour - I think the carrot, cinnamon, orange and chocolate is a divine combination.
METHOD Raw carrot cake filling 1. P lace the carrot in a food processor and finely grate (if grating by hand you need to use the absolute finest side of the grater). Thermomix 10 seconds, speed 5. 2. A dd the almond meal, sweetener, cinnamon, vanilla, orange zest (or oil) and coconut oil and mix until well combined. Thermomix 10 seconds, reverse speed 3. 3. F old in the walnuts. Thermomix 5 seconds, reverse speed 2. 4. R oll into balls and place on a tray lined with a baking sheet. If the mixture is too wet to roll into balls, either add a little more almond meal or chill in the fridge to firm. It is a moist mixture (not sticky), but should be able to be formed into small balls (approx. 20). 5. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes or until firm.
Chocolate coating 1. T o make the chocolate coating, bring a small amount of water to boil in a small pot, then turn off the heat. Place a bowl over it and add half the chocolate. Stir to melt then add the coconut oil. 2. A dd the remaining chocolate and stir until completely melted.
ASSEMBLE 1. Remove the carrot balls from the freezer. 2. T o assemble the truffles, use two forks to toss the carrot balls in the melted chocolate until coated and place back on the lined tray. 3. O nce they are all coated, pop the tray into the fridge for 5 minutes to set. If you’d like, you can drizzle any remaining chocolate across the truffles (as pictured).
INGREDIENTS Raw carrot cake filling • • •
1 50 g carrot/s -peeled and chopped into pieces 165 g almond meal (1½ cups) 85 g rice malt syrup or honey (¼ cup)
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1 ½ tbsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp vanilla -powder, extract or essence 1 orange/s -zest (just the orange part, no bitter white pith). You can alternatively use one drop of wild orange essential oil (this adds a gorgeous flavour) 2 tbsp coconut oil -melted 75 g walnuts (¼ cup) chopped
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Chocolate coating • •
200 g dark chocolate -70-85% cacao, broken into pieces 1 tbsp coconut oil
ASSEMBLE 1. Remove the carrot balls from the freezer. 2. T o assemble the truffles, use two forks to toss the carrot balls in the melted chocolate until coated and place back on the lined tray. 3. O nce they are all coated, pop the tray into the fridge for 5 minutes to set. If you’d like, you can drizzle any remaining chocolate across the truffles (as pictured).
VARIATIONS Dairy-free - Make raw chocolate to coat or use a dairy-free chocolate. Nut-free - Sub the almond meal with sunflower seeds, toasted and ground to a meal. Sub the walnuts with whole sunflower seeds. Coconut-free - eplace the coconut oil with ghee or butter. Fructose-friendly and vegan - Choose rice malt as your sweetener. Recipe from: https://wellnourished.com.au/carrot-cake-truffles/ 19
5 MINUTE MENTAL HEALTH CHECKLIST Have I spent time outside in fresh air?
Have I eaten regular meals?
Have I connected today with someone I love?
Have I showered?
Have I been comparing my real life to other peopls highlight real?
Have I moved my body today?
Have I been getting enough sleep?
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Have I been getting enough sleep?
Source: @georgiethenaturopath
Image supplied By: Priya Kaluskar
Image supplied By: Priya Kaluskar
Image supplied By: Sonali Suhane
Image supplied By: Sonali Suhane
Image supplied By: Sonali Suhane
Image supplied By: Sonali Suhane
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P S A
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M E M E S Postscript did not create nor own the memes above.
Medieval
23rd Oct | 7-10pm | The University Club Cocktail attire STEP BACK IN TIME TO THE ERA OF KINGS, QUEENS AND KNIGHTS AND IMMERSE IN A NIGHT OF DANCING, MUSIC AND FOOD AND DRINKS THIS OCTOBER. TO WIND UP 2020, THE POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION INVITES YOU TO JOIN OUR LARGEST EVENT OF THE YEAR - PSA GALA.
UNLIMITED FOOD AND DRINKS INCLUDED !! TICKETS: $46 FOR PSA MEMBERS $56 FOR NON-MEMBERS (LIMITED) SCAN THE QR CODE TO GET YOUR TICKETS NOW FOR MORE INFORMATIONG GO TO: HTTP://BIT.LY/PSAGALA2020
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SPECIAL OFFER Mention Postscript 2020 and receive a $25.00 voucher for the Club Café and Bar.* *Postscript promotion cannot be used in conjunction with any other membership offer or promotion. The special offer applies to the Postgraduate category of Membership.
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