UNSW Centre for Ideas UNSW Centre for Ideas

Considering the multitude of benefits nature provides cities, why is it so hard to add more green to our urban fabric?

Linda Romanovska is a PhD candidate with UNSW Built Environment. Her research explores the best ways to assess the full value of living green infrastructure to optimise its many benefits to urban communities. Romanovska advises the European Union and other international, national and local agencies on adaptation to climate change planning, funding and implementation.
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2020 tested our resolve, and saw our lives change profoundly. If we take heed of these lessons, can we improve our lives for the better and hold onto the things we value most? These lessons can be the silver lining to all this disruption – and can help us thrive, not merely survive in challenging times.

In this series, hear from nine UNSW researchers as they explore what we can learn during this time of isolation and change.

Hosted by Rob Brooks.

Poverty, equity and the drivers of health.

Decolonising global health means a dismantling of privilege and the structural barriers to health, both across countries and within. In a world where everyone’s health matters, whose knowledge do we value? Whose voice is loudest and how do we shift the dial?

Sabina Faiz Rashid, a distinguished scholar in global health, works at the coalface of public health in Bangladesh. Hear her in conversation with UNSW Sydney’s Rebecca Ivers as they discussed Sabina’s research in Bangladesh, and unpack what it will take to achieve true change.

Imagine a world where each of us knew how to listen, respond, and be present for each other during times of crisis. Where each person understands that emotional health is important and provides the necessary care for people close to them.

Sandersan Onie is a post-doctoral fellow in suicide prevention with the Black Dog Institute. His current research aims to reduce suicide at known hotspots using machine learning. Dr Onie has been a passionate campaigner for mental health reform in Indonesia and is a strong advocate for open science. He was recognised for his leadership in this area as finalist in the inaugural Emerging Thought Leader Prize.
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2020 tested our resolve, and saw our lives change profoundly. If we take heed of these lessons, can we improve our lives for the better and hold onto the things we value most? These lessons can be the silver lining to all this disruption – and can help us thrive, not merely survive in challenging times.

In this series, hear from nine UNSW researchers as they explore what we can learn during this time of isolation and change.

Hosted by Rob Brooks.

Conventional wisdom is clear – teamwork, collaboration and diversity lead to better learning and decision making, but what happens when teamwork doesn’t make the dreamwork?

Christopher Jackson is a Professor of Business Psychology at the UNSW Business School. His main area of research is on personality and learning – from mavericks in the workplace to survivalists – and he has published extensively on this and many other areas. Jackson is passionate about making research relevant to the wider business community and beyond.

2020 tested our resolve, and saw our lives change profoundly. If we take heed of these lessons, can we improve our lives for the better and hold onto the things we value most? These lessons can be the silver lining to all this disruption – and can help us thrive, not merely survive in challenging times.

In this series, hear from nine UNSW researchers as they explore what we can learn during this time of isolation and change.

Hosted by Rob Brooks.

How have the planet’s minerals evolved?

If we want to understand the origins of life on earth, and how early life developed, we need to understand the earth itself and what it was made of. When US mineralogist Robert Hazen was asked if he knew what minerals existed on early Earth, he started a research journey that led to a new idea – mineral evolution – a theory that proposes that the mineralogy of terrestrial planets and moons evolves because of the varied physical, chemical, and biological processes that lead to the formation of new minerals. 

Join Robert Hazen in discussion with UNSW Sydney geologist and astrobiologist Martin Van Kranendonk as they discuss the story of Earth, mineral evolution, where carbon fits into all of this, and the rich challenges of doing science and being able to study nature.
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The Centre for Ideas’ new series of international conversations brings the world to Sydney. Each digital event brings a leading UNSW thinker together with their international peer or hero to explore inspiration, new ideas and discoveries.

Anzac biscuits are a symbol of survival and resilience – making them the ideal comfort food for Australians and New Zealanders in challenging times.

Lindsay Kelley is an artist and lecturer at UNSW Art & Design. Kelley’s work in the kitchen explores how the experience of eating changes when technology is being eaten. Kelley has exhibited work at the Powerhouse Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences and currently holds a Discovery Early Career Researcher Award from the Australian Research Council.
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2020 tested our resolve, and saw our lives change profoundly. If we take heed of these lessons, can we improve our lives for the better and hold onto the things we value most? These lessons can be the silver lining to all this disruption – and can help us thrive, not merely survive in challenging times.

In this series, hear from nine UNSW researchers as they explore what we can learn during this time of isolation and change.

Hosted by Rob Brooks.