Brave Hearts, Bold Minds
The Scots College Research Office
  • About
    • Our story
    • Our team
    • Undertaking Research at Scots
  • News
    • Blog
    • Research Bites
  • Projects
    • Experiential Education
    • Action Research
    • Indigenous Education
    • Faith and Learning
    • Staff Research
  • Programs
    • ScotsIdeas
    • The Clark Lecture Series
    • Scots Conferences
    • Professional Learning Opportunities
  • Publications
    • Scots Research Papers
    • Scots Research Reports
    • The Scots Dictionary of Biography
    • Reading List
    • Links

Leading Academics Explore Sustainable Futures at ScotsIdeas

10/3/2016

 
Picture
Dr Hugh Chilton, Ms Sandy Burgoyne, Professor Chris Wright, Professor Steven Sherwood, Dr Laurie Marker, Mr Chris Metcalfe
Picture
On Thursday 3 March, The Scots College Research Centre and Faculty of Applied Science hosted a number of fascinating academics at the ScotsIdeas Sustainable Futures Forum, exploring conservation, climate change, corporate citizenship and the cities of the future.

Dr Laurie Marker, Founder and Executive Director of the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia, shared her insights into the necessity of rigorous research and collaborative solutions to help prevent the extinction of cheetahs. Dr Marker, who received her doctorate from Oxford and is an Andrew D White Professor-at-Large at Cornell University, has worked with cheetahs since 1974 and lived in Namibia for the past 25 years. She worked with the Smithsonian Institution's National Zoo to discover the cheetah's lack of genetic variation and has been recognised by Namibian authorities for her extensive work with local farmers to restore cheetah habitats and develop cheetah-friendly economic opportunities. In 2000 she was named one of Time magazine's Heroes for the Planet.

Dr Marker was joined by Professor Steven Sherwood, ARC Laureate Fellow and Director of the Climate Change Research Centre at the University of New South Wales. Professor Sherwood, who researches clouds and their relation to changing climates, described the consequences of continued global warming without radical action, such as Sydney having tropical summers and much of the tropics becoming uninhabitable. He also shared some signs of good news, such as the expansion of renewable energy technologies and the growth of business-led interventions.

These themes were developed by Professor Christopher Wright, who holds a chair in Organisational Studies at the University of Sydney Business School and leads the Balanced Enterprise Research Network. Professor Wright, whose latest book (with Daniel Nyberg) is entitledClimate Change, Capitalism and Corporations: Processes of Creative Self-destruction, spoke on the problematic logic of unrestrained economic growth without regard for the environment. He suggested the need for major regulatory intervention, renewable reinvention and social mobilisation to break 'the sanctity of consumption' and disrupt 'business as usual'.

Responding to these challenges by designing better cities was the focus of Ms Sandy Burgoyne, Director of the Future Cities Collaborative at the United States Studies Centre, University of Sydney. Ms Burgoyne highlighted the need for idea-sharing between local leaders around the world, and the possibilities for greener and more human communities by focusing on holistic strategies rather than piecemeal tactics.

As Dean of Applied Science at The Scots College, Mr Chris Metcalfe, said, "When our boys are empowered to design real solutions to these real and pressing problems, they come up with surprisingly creative ideas. Our task as educators is helping them understand the issues and embrace their responsibility to bring about real change."


Click here to watch a video of these talks and find out more about ScotsIdeas.


Comments are closed.

    Recent News

    May 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    September 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    February 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    June 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    July 2018
    June 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    August 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    November 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    May 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    November 2013
    October 2013

    Categories

    All
    Arts And Design
    Boys' Education
    Character And Care
    Clark Lectures
    Experiential Education
    Faith And Learning
    Great Teachers
    History And Heritage
    IBSC
    Innovation
    Literacy
    Motivation And Engagement
    Pedagogy
    Professional Learning
    Pyschology
    Research
    Research Bite
    Research Centre
    ScotsIdeas
    Sports Science
    Staff Research
    Universities
    Wellbeing And Mental Health

    RSS Feed

Picture
Locked Bag 5001 
Bellevue Hill
NSW 2023, AUSTRALIA

research@tsc.nsw.edu.au
tsc.nsw.edu.au
+61 2 9391 7600
CRICOS Provider Code: 02287G
All rights reserved  
© The Scots College 2021