GRASP

GRASP Newsletter Issue 1, 2026

February 11th, 2026, by Karen Miller and Claire Hulcup Tag(s): GRASP Newsletter

Hi everyone,

Welcome to the first newsletter of 2026! We hope your year has got off to a good start. If you are a newly enrolled HDR student, an extra special welcome to you.

For those who don’t know, GRASP is the Graduate Research Advanced Skills Program run by the Curtin Library. We offer a range of workshops, services and events to support you at all stages of your research journey.

As we start the new the year, here’s some information about some of our upcoming events.

In brief

  • GRASP workshops start next week
  • Thesis Blasts in March - Register now
  • Thesis Bootcamps in April - Register now
  • Shut Up and Work starts 16th Feb
  • Consultations
  • What’s new in the GRASP Ideas Hub blog
  • Just for fun

GRASP workshops start next week

We run many different workshops throughout the semester, which are mainly held online. If you can’t attend on the day, you can still register, and we will send you a recording of the workshop and slides.

The workshops are grouped into the following series:

Thesis Blasts in March - register now

The first Thesis Blasts for 2026 (our one-day ‘mini’ Bootcamps) are on March 17th (online) and March 18th (in person).

This year, for both Thesis Blast and Bootcamps we will be sharing the screen/timer during the in-person events, so if you are unable to attend in-person you are very welcome to join online. However, please note there won’t be any facilitation of the breaks/check-ins by Library staff although you are encouraged to do that yourselves within the Teams environment.

Pleaser register for Thesis Blast by Friday 6 March

Thesis Bootcamps in April - register now

The next Thesis Bootcamp is open for registration. The dates are:

  • 30 Mar - 1 Apr 2026 (Online)
  • 14 - 16 Apr 2026 (In person)

Please register your EOI for Thesis Bootcamp by 6 March

For more information on Thesis Bootcamps, see the GRASP website.

Shut Up and Work starts 16th Feb

If you would like to increase your focus and productivity on a regular basis then join our daily 2-hour online Shut Up and Work sessions for independent, silent working alongside others.

Our SUAW facilitators provide timed sessions, check-ins, and some doses of encouragement. This semester we are trialling an all-day (10am - 4pm) hybrid session (online and in-person) on Wednesdays, starting on 25th Feb

Register for SUAW here

Consultations

Our Research Services team offers in-person and online consultations in: academic writing; data collection and analysis; ‘expert searching’; research data management; research metrics and impact; strategic publishing; and copyright. You can book with the relevant team member using the link below.

Book a consultation here

What’s new in the GRASP Ideas Hub blog

The Ideas Hub blog, written especially for Curtin HDR students, has been posting regularly, so do check out our latest posts listed below. We were delighted to recently publish our first post written by a Curtin HDR student, Maggie Shambrook (thanks Maggie!). And yes, we would love to include more HDR-authored posts (email karen.miller@curtin.edu.au with your idea).

Just for fun

Do you envy those computer-nerd colleagues who create code at breakneck speed on dark screens, making them look super smart and mysterious? You can impress your colleagues in the same way without needing to get a computer science degree. With Hacker Typer just tap on the screen and away you go.😊

Thanks for reading this newsletter. If you have any questions or suggestions about GRASP, or would like to unsubscribe from the newsletter, please get in touch using one of the email addresses below.

Warm wishes

Karen Miller (karen.miller@curtin.edu.au)

Claire Hulcup (c.hulcup@curtin.edu.au)