Hannah Neuman building

Student support

Student Support Team

The MSI student administration team consists of one Undergraduate Administrative Officer, a Senior Postgraduate Administrator and a First Year Coordinator. They will be able to assist you with any questions or support you might need during your studies. You can meet them for study advice, or for help and support if things are not going as well as they should. 

We recommend checking the MSI Community Forum for general updates, discuss maths in general and receive advice about studying at MSI.

Respectful Relations at MSI

The MSI community is committed to providing a safe, respectful and inclusive culture. We expect every student, staff member and visitor to uphold our values and engage all relationships with respect, courtesy and kindness. If some interaction made you feel uncomfortable, please let us know, even if you think it is not a big deal. 

Disclosing incidents

For disclosure or reporting of sexual misconduct, please contact the Respectful Relationships Unit. If you have been aggrieved or involved in an incident and are seeking to lodge a complaint, the following MSI staff are here to support, guide and provide information on what actions can be taken next. All complaints received will be taken seriously, confidentially and investigated in a timely manner.

MSI Executive and Professional Staff

Name  Role Contact Email
Jim Borger Associate Director of Education (ADE)

Room 4.54
+61 2 6125 3750

james.borger@anu.edu.au

Andrew Hassell Associate Director of Research (ADR)

Room 2.67
+61 2 6125 4141

Andrew.Hassell@anu.edu.au
Mandy Gordon School Manager

Room 3.60
+61 2 6125 2957

Mandy.Gordon@anu.edu.au
Cecilia Zhang Senior Administrator (Education - HDR Coordinator)

Room 2.88
+61 2 6125 0723

Cecilia.Zhang@anu.edu.au
Natalie Azzopardi Administrative Officer (Education)

HN Room 1.59,
+61 2 6125 2908

Natalie.Azzopardi@anu.edu.au
Josh Robinson Administrative Officer (Marketing, Conferences and Events) Room 2.88
+61 2 6125 2897
Joshua.Robinson@anu.edu.au
Aarti Kare Administrative Officer (Education & Executive Support)

Room 2.52
+61 2 6125 4887

Ea.msi@anu.edu.au
Macarena Rojas Communications & Outreach Coordinator (Co-Lab)

Room 3.88
+61 2 61259616

Macarena.Rojas@anu.edu.au
Lilia Ferrario MSI Director Room 2.76
+61 2 6125 0346
lilia.ferrario@anu.edu.au

 

Technology and equipment support 

As a student at MSI, we assume you will have: 

  1. Computer  
  2. Writable electronic device
  3. Smartphone 
  4. Good internet connection 

However, we understand that these circumstances don’t apply to everyone, so if your financial circumstances or learning adjustment requirements create a barrier to full participation, you can request a reconditioned Samsung Galaxy tablet from the MSI as a loan. If you would like to access these tablets, please fill out the form below. 

Application for loan of an electronic device

Please note that in order to access the form, you will need to log into the MSI Intranet.

These tablets are managed by the MSI admin team, and will be loaned on a semester basis, for the period of your enrolment. If you have any further questions about this initiative, please contact admin.teaching.msi@anu.edu.au  
 

The ANU Maths Society 

 The ANU Mathematics Society (ANUMS) is an association for maths students, and anyone with an interest in mathematics. They organise social activities, talks and workshops for students to get together and discuss mathematics in a relaxed atmosphere. To sign up as a member, simply join their page on OrgSync. 

 

Maths drop-in sessions

Maths Drop-in help is now available five days of the week!
 
The Maths Drop-In Help Centre will be staffed from 2 pm to 4 pm AET every weekday during term time, starting in week 2.  Visit in person, or via zoom, to ask questions concerning the material in any first- or second-year mathematics course.  The Help Centre is staffed by demonstrators who know their stuff.  While they cannot complete homework assignments for you, they can help you understand the material in your courses and work through examples that illustrate key ideas.
 
Get help in person
 
The drop-in help will run in HN 1.55 (located on the ground floor of the Hanna Neumann Building---walk in the front door, turn right and continue past the workshop rooms). The Maths Learning Space (MLS) is the space just outside HN 1.55.  The MLS has tables, chairs and even a chalkboard to work.
Why not sit in the MLS to do some work, enjoy the general maths vibe and take advantage of the drop-in help if you need it?
 
Get help via Zoom:

Zoom details are publicised on your course Wattle page.
 

Information about WebAssign

The online WebAssign platform will be used for some of the assessment in each of MATH1003, MATH1013, MATH1014, MATH1113, MATH1115, MATH1116 and MATH2305. Access to the WebAssign platform is provided to you by the Mathematical Sciences Institute: you do not need to pay for access yourself.

Information concerning the details of how WebAssign is used in your course will be provided on your course Wattle page.

To login to WebAssign, go to: https://www.webassign.net/wa-auth/login

Then:

(a) If you have previously used WebAssign with a linked Cengage account that was setup with your ANU email address as its username, then you can login with your username of the form uXXXXXXX@anu.edu.au and your old password. If you have forgotten your password, see (b).

(b) If you are new to WebAssign then you do not know your password (it is not the same as your ANU password) and you need to go through the password reset process. This also applies if you have never used WebAssign with a linked Cengage account, or if you have forgotten your Cengage account password.

From the page: https://www.webassign.net/wa-auth/login

(i) Click the 'Forget?' link next to the Password box.

(ii) Then enter your ANU email address, of form uXXXXXXX@anu.edu.au and follow the instructions. You will need access to your ANU email address. Use a secure password that you do not use for anything else.

(iii) After you have chosen a new password and clicked the Reset Password box, you will be taken to a page on the cengagebrain website. Log out of that page immediately after you have reset your password without doing anything else: DO NOT enter any further information once you have been logged into your Cengage account. In particular, do not give any payment information.

(iv) Then go back to:

https://www.webassign.net/wa-auth/login

and use your new password, with username uXXXXXXX@anu.edu.au, to log in.

If you have any questions, it is best to post them in the forum on your course's Wattle page, so that other students can see the answers given. You can also email us: admin.webassign.msi@anu.edu.au
 

Zulip

This group aims to support female individuals in different stages of their careers and to connect young students to experienced, professional women who have succeeded in achieving their professional goals.

The purpose of the virtual platform is to provide a welcoming and inclusive community where everyone feels comfortable participating. We encourage everyone to actively participate in the group’s conversations, ask questions, suggest topics, and share relevant stories or articles that will contribute to the discussion.

To join Zulip, please submit your interest here: https://maths.anu.edu.au/form/request-women-mathematics-zulip-access
 

Additional Support and resources 

Additional support is available from outside the Mathematical Sciences Institute from many university services, including the: 

  • ANU Respectful Relationships Unit: The Respectful Relationships Unit is a significant part of ANU’s ongoing work in seeking to prevent sexual assault and sexual harassment before it occurs and to respond appropriately in instances where it does happen. They have several key responsibilities. These include running education and training programs for the ANU community, supporting survivors of sexual assault and sexual harassment, collecting and reporting unidentified data about instances of sexual violence in the ANU community, and developing policies around sexual assault, sexual harassment and gender equity. They also coordinate the ANU Ally Network, which promotes understanding and awareness of issues in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) community, as well as being a network of support for people who identify as LGBTIQ. 

  • ANU Counselling: is a free, confidential and non-diagnostic service available to all currently enrolled ANU students.  No referral or Mental Health Treatment Plan from a General Practitioner is required to attend appointments. It also has a range of helpful resources, such as Mental Health ResourcesTalking Tips, and Mindfulness course. Visit the Health, Safety & Wellbeing page for more information.  

  • Access & inclusion: The A&I office will assist you to participate fully in your program of study by minimising the impact of disability and disadvantage on learning. 

  • Academic Skills: At ANU Academic Skills, they help students to develop the key academic skills and communication strategies that are foundational to all academic activity. You will have access to peer writing drop-ins, workshops, research writing and much more.  

  • The Dean of Staff: provides confidential and impartial advice, information and assistance and support to all academic and professional staff, in relation to workplace experience. The Dean of Staff may assist to resolve problems by acting as an intermediary through confidential, independent and informal early intervention, advocacy or mediation to achieve fair and equitable outcomes. 

  • The Dean of Students: provides confidential, impartial advice and can help to resolve problems by acting as a neutral intermediary between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University.

  • How to give a mathematics seminar (199KB, PDF): This document provides mathematics students tools and recourses to use when preparing to give a mathematics seminar.