Sydney Ideas

Associate Professor Muireann Irish, School of Psychology and Brain and Mind Centre at the University of Sydney, gives a fascinating overview of her work exploring autobiographical memory and future thinking across various dementia syndromes. She highlights the cognitive mechanisms and neural networks that need to be functional to support these sophisticated cognitive processes and the devastating effects of losing these uniquely human functions. Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia 2017 Paul Bourke Lecture A Sydney Ideas event co-presented with the School of Psychology in the Faculty of Science, and the Brain and Mind Centre. Presented as part of the Sydney Ideas program on 16 May, 2017 http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/2017_paul_bourke_lecture_muirann_irish.shtml

The extraordinary growth of the past thirty years is due to unprecedented globalisation and accelerating technological change. Connectivity has been associated with rising creativity and accelerating change. The speed, scale and complexity of this integration has far-reaching implications for business and for individuals and societies. Professor Ian Goldin (Oxford University Professor of Globalisation and Development) identifies the drivers of global growth, showing why emerging markets are likely to continue to grow at high levels for the coming decades. Rising life expectancy and collapsing fertility around the world has dramatic consequences for pensions, retirement, dependency and employment patterns. Meanwhile, advances in artificial intelligence and robotics is transforming the nature of work and has the potential to replace significant numbers of jobs and widen inequality. Held as part of the Sydney Ideas program on 15 May 2017: http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/professor_ian_goldin.sht

Pain is both personal and global and despite all that we know about its origins and treatments, countless people live with chronic pain. In this health forum, University of Sydney experts will highlight new treatments and share insights that are changing people’s lives for the better, especially for those experiencing pain linked to chronic diseases such as arthritis, cancer, injuries, and brain disorders. Held as part of the Sydney Ideas program on 10 May, 2017 http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/health_forums_2017.shtml

With an audience of over 180 million viewers each year, the Eurovision Song contest is one of the longest running and most watched television events in the world. Since its inception in 1956 it has been used as a vehicle to unite Europe, but throughout its history Eurovision has also highlighted deep divisions in the European project. With this year’s theme ‘celebrate diversity’, politics threatens to loom larger than ever. Will Brexit mean ‘nul points’ for the United Kingdom? Will tensions between Russia and this year’s host country, the Ukraine, derail the contest? Has Eurovision contributed to the rise of populism? Why exactly is Australia competing? Anika Gauja and Julia Zemiro take us behind the glitter and glamour to reveal what Eurovision can teach us about identity, power and conflict in Europe today. Presented by Sydney Ideas on 9 May 2017: http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/eurovision_european_project_forum.shtml

Part of the 21st Century Medicine Lecture Series. Professor Guy Thwaites, an academic infectious diseases physician and clinical microbiologist, whose research interests focus on severe bacterial infections, including meningitis and Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection, and tuberculosis, gives lecture on antimicrobial resistance and the misuse of antimicrobials. Presented by Sydney Ideas on 3 May 2017 http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/21st_century_medicine_2017.shtml

From 1799 to 1804 Alexander von Humboldt made an extraordinary trip through Spanish America, a trip that resulted in a scientific and an aesthetic vision of the terrestrial globe. Fascinated by the exuberant vegetation and wildlife he encountered in the tropics, he investigated how they varied with the specific physical conditions of different regions. Humboldt carried with him an impressive array of the latest scientific instruments that he used to measure the physical parameters of the environments through which he travelled. He also regarded his own body as an instrument through which to register these varying conditions, recording his own sensations alongside the readings of his physical apparatus. These corporeal perceptions were further tied to his aesthetic perceptions as a part of a cultivated sensibility. Physical instruments, bodily sensations and aesthetic perceptions together afforded total views of regions of the Earth, of the interplay of physical powers and landscapes, and of their characteri

Early in her life Chido Govera realised the importance of food to community. Mushroom farming enabled her not only to feed her family in Zimbabwe and attain independence, but to create a healthier environment through managing food waste. For many years Chido has shared her unique skills and experiences with women throughout Africa and globally as an educator and mentor. Chido joins Sydney Ideas for a conversation with University of Sydney researcher Alana Mann to discuss how engagement in small scale agro-ecological methods of farming can empower women, benefit the environment, and contribute to food sovereignty and food security. Presented by Sydney Ideas on 2 May 2017: http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/food@sydney_series_2017.shtml

A special presentation by leading human right scholars, Emeritus Professor Gillian Triggs, President of the Australian Human Rights Commission and Professor Samina Yasmeen, University of Western Australia, with Professor Shahram Akbarzadeh, Deakin University They discuss the topic of human rights today in the face of rising Islamophobia for the launch of the Australian Association of Islamic and Muslim Studies (AAIMS),an inter-disciplinary network of scholars at Australian universities. Hosted by Assoc Professor Lily Rahim, University of Sydney Presented by Sydney Ideas on 28 April 2017: http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/human_rights_rise_of_islamophobia_AIMMS_launch.shtml

Uncertainty, like insecurity, is as much a subjective state of mind as it is an objective condition of reality, raising new and troubling questions for those trying to assess its global impact. Are uncertainty, volatility and precarity actually on the rise? Do repeated efforts to measure, record and represent uncertainty only amplify the condition? Is uncertainty the result of a single person or state, or more of a global trend in politics and the media? Who benefits from and who is harmed by the spread of uncertainty? A diverse group of leading international security scholars address the topic from their own unique perspectives and research areas. - Professor Rita Abrahamsen, University of Ottawa - Professor Thomas Biersteker, Graduate Institute of Geneva - Professor Lene Hansen, University of Copenhagem - Professor Michael Williams, University of Ottawa Presented by Sydney Ideas on 27 April 2017: http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/CISS_global_forum_2017.shtml

From building walls, to stopping boats, to attempts to ‘trade’ refugees between countries, we are witnessing unprecedented efforts by national governments to externalise their borders, absolving rich countries of their international obligations, and often shifting the burden to poorer countries. Our panel will examine the current policies of the United States and Australia and offer observations about the implications of such policies – for those who cannot move, for those who remain unprotected, and for those who try to respond. The panel will be preceded by a photography exhibition featuring the work of Syrians living the ‘Trapped In/Pushed Out’ experience, curated by Maher Jamous, a Syrian producer and filmmaker who fled Syria in 2012. SPEAKERS: - Professor David FitzGerald, Professor of Sociology, University of California San Diego
 - Graham Thom, Refugee Coordinator, Amnesty International
 - Michelle Peterie, PhD candidate (Sociology), University of Sydney
 - Behrouz Boochani, journalist, currently i

On September 14, 2015, scientists from the LIGO Scientific Collaboration and the Virgo Collaboration observed the collision and fusion of the two black holes by directly measuring their gravitational waves. This detection came 100 years after Einstein developed the general theory of relativity that predicted gravitational waves, and 50 years after scientists began searching for them. This discovery has truly profound implications, and opens a new window on the cosmos. Gravitational waves provide unique information on the most energetic astrophysical events, revealing insights into the nature of gravity, matter, space, and time. David Reitze talks about how they made the detection and discusses how gravitational astronomy promises to change our understanding of the universe. SPEAKER: David Reitze, Executive Director of the LIGO Laboratory at the Caltech and a Professor of Physics at the University of Florida Presented by Sydney Ideas on 11 April 2017: http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/david_re

North Korea has survived the end of the Cold War, massive famine, numerous regional crises, punishing sanctions, and international stigma. Why is it still here? In this talk, Associate Professor Justin Hastings, of the University of Sydney, explores the puzzle of how the most politically isolated state in the world nonetheless sustains itself in large part by international trade and integration into the global economy. SPEAKER: Justin Hastings, Associate Professor in International Relations and Comparative Politics at the University of Sydney Presented by Sydney Ideas on 10 April 2017: http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/assoc_professor_justin_hastings.shtml

Sydneysiders have just sweltered through the hottest summer on record. According to the Bureau of Meteorology, the mean summer temperature in the city was about three degrees above average. As Sydney’s population expands in the next few decades, how can we protect and promote health in this changing climate? What are the options for managing the heat, and how will this influence the choices we make in the future? PANELLISTS: - Dr Tony Capon, Professor of Planetary Health, Sydney School of Public Health, Researcher of Climate Adaptation & Health Project Node, Charles Perkins Centre - Dr Adrienne Keane, Director, Master of Urbanism, Urban Planning and Policy, Sydney School of Architecture, Design and Planning - Dr Ollie Jay, Thermoregulatory Physiologist and Director of Thermal Ergonomics Laboratory, Faculty of Health Sciences; Lead Researcher of Climate Adaptation & Health Project Node, Charles Perkins Centre - Dr Jennifer Mae Hamilton, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Gender and Cultural Studies

Professor George Sugai is a world leader in positive behaviour support (PBS), a behaviour management system used to understand what maintains an individual's challenging behaviour, and establishing goals for change. For this presentation he outlines how PBS is just one part of prevention-based multi-tiered systems approach that can be used to support the academic and social behavioural goals of schools. SPEAKER: Professor George Sugai, Center for Behavioral Education and Research Neag School of Education, University of Connecticut. Presented by Sydney Ideas for the University of Sydney School of Education and Social Work Dean's lecture series on 4 April 2017 http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/ESW_deans_lecture_series.shtml

What has happened to the bipartisan consensus on the importance of protecting public health and the environment with environmental law in the United States? P Robert L Glicksman from the George Washington University Law School, updates us on what is happening in the US. SPEAKER: Professor Robert L Glicksman is the J B & Maurice C Shapiro Professor of Environmental Law at the George Washington University Law School, is an authority on environmental, natural resources, and administrative law. Presented by Sydney Ideas and the Australian Centre for Climate and Environmental Law, Sydney Law School at the University of Sydney, on 4 April 2017: http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/professor_robert_glicksman.shtml

Dr Duncan Green of Oxfam joins Sydney Ideas to share the ideas in his latest book How Change Happens, exploring the topic of social and political change from the perspective of international development. SPEAKER: Dr Duncan Green is Oxfam Great Britain’s Senior Strategic Adviser. He teaches on international development at the London School of Economics, where he is a Professor in Practice. His blog is one of the most widely read on international development, From Poverty to Power blog (http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/). Presented by Sydney Ideas on 3 April 2017: http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/duncan_green.shtml

Corruption in the post-Tiananmen era exhibits distinct characteristics not found in the 1980s, such as astronomical sums of money looted by officials, their family members, and their cronies in the private sector, large networks of co-conspirators, and the sale of public office. By examining the evolution of Chinese economic and political institutions since the early 1990s, we can trace the emergence of crony capitalism to two critical changes in the control of property rights of the assets owned by the state and the personnel management of the officials the ruling Communist Party. The insights from a sample of 260 prosecuted cases of corruption involving multiple officials and businessmen suggest that crony capitalism in China has evolved into a decentralised kleptocracy with its own market rules and dynamics. SPEAKER: Professor Minxin Pei, Claremont McKenna College, US Presented by Sydney Ideas and the China Studies Centre on 29 Mar 2017: http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/professor_minxin_

The Dawkins reforms to higher education in the late 1980s roused passions at many universities across the nation, over fears for the academic enterprise and Australia’s system of free, public university education. What was the impact of the Dawkins reforms, particularly at the University of Sydney? SPEAKERS: - Emeritus Professor Deryck Schreuder, 4th Challis Professor of History at The University of Sydney during the era of the Dawkins White Paper, and then Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Macquarie University, Vice-Chancellor of UWS and a Member of the new Australian Research Council, during its implementation. He was later Vice-Chancellor of the University of Western Australia, President of the Australian Vice-Chancellors’ Committee and Chair of the ‘Australian Universities Quality Agency’. He is now an Emeritus Professor and writes about history and higher education. - Julia Horne was a PhD student during the implementation of the Dawkins reforms. She is now Associate Professor of History and University Histor

A Sydney Ideas conversation co-presented with the Sydney School of Entrepreneurship A serial entrepreneur, Ryan Holmes started his first business in high school, ultimately opening a string of ventures - from a pizza restaurant to a digital media agency – before starting Hootsuite in 2008. As founder and CEO, he has helped grow Hootsuite into the world’s most widely used social relationship platform, with 15-million-plus users, including more than 800 of the Fortune 1000 companies. Ryan Holmes is in discussion with Nick Kaye, Chief Executive Officer, Sydney School of Entrepreneurship. Presented by Sydney Ideas on 23 March 2017: http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/ryan_holmes.shtml

Professor Pavel Pevzner from the University of California, San Diego, shares the concerns about the quality of early, primitive MOOCs, which have been hyped by many as a cure-all for education. At the same time, he believes that much of the criticism of MOOCs stems from the fact that truly disruptive educational resources have not been developed yet. He proposes to transform MOOCs into a more efficient educational product called a Massive Adaptive Interactive Text (MAIT) that can prevent individual learning breakdowns and even outperform a professor in a classroom. For this special Sydney Ideas event, Pevzner argues that computer science is a unique discipline where this transition is about to happen and describes the first steps towards transforming a MOOC into a MAIT that has already outperformed teachers. Introduction by Associate Professor Uri Keich, School of Mathematics and Statistics, Faculty of Science, University of Sydney. A Sydney Ideas event on 23 March 2017 http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/l