Upcoming Lectures at JCU Cairns

The Cairns Institute

Transitioning to Sustainability: The role of education

Inaugural Professorial Lecture of Professor Bob Stevenson, The Cairns Institute

Given that current practices are unsustainable, we are faced with the complex and difficult challenge of moving to more sustainable communities and societies. Yet there is extensive uncertainty and enormous divisions among the public about how to make a transition.

The transition itself will be a learning process whose success will depend on the wide engagement of current and future citizens. Professor Stevenson will discuss the need for and types of participation and learning that can contribute to environmental sustainability.

Drawing on his extensive experiences in environmental/sustainability education research, policy and practice, Professor Bob Stevenson will discuss such issues as:

What are people’s beliefs about how we transition to sustainability?
Why does education need to involve more than just providing information and developing awareness?
Are current educational policies and practices adequate for addressing the sustainability challenge?
What are some educational approaches that offer hope for a sustainable future?

Details:

Date: Thursday May 26, 2011

Time: 5:30 PM

Location: Rydges Esplenade Resort, Cairns

Register here: https://alumni.jcu.edu.au/SSLPage.aspx?pid=475

Contact: Elena Rhind, 07 4042 1887, elena.rhind@jcu.edu.au

James Cook University - Faculty of Science and Engineering

Public Lecture Series Invitation

New light on the dark depths: Great Barrier Reef and the Coral Sea

By: Dr Robin Beaman

The undersea landscape of the deep Great Barrier Reef (GBR) and adjoining Coral Sea comprise of seabed habitats very different from the more familiar shallow coral reefs. Mapping this undersea landscape is a challenge but advanced 3D mapping techniques and new bathymetry surveys are revealing greater detail about the location and extent of key geomorphic features. This talk will reveal the methods used to map the deep GBR and Coral Sea, and take a virtual tour across the Coral Sea to reveal preliminary science results about the associated deep-water marine life. This knowledge helps inform marine managers about potentially vulnerable marine ecosystems, and improves the vital datasets used by scientists to understand the oceanic environment.

Details:

Date: Thursday 26 May, 2011

Time: 5:30 PM for wine and cheese, 6 PM lecture start

Place: Crowther Lecture Theatre, James Cook University, Cairns

Please RSVP Sue Kelly by Tuesday 24th May on susan.kelly@jcu.edu.au