Sydney Ideas

The world has traditionally relied heavily on the 'business as usual model' of industrial food production and supermarket-oriented consumption. However, this system is not sustainable if we’re to secure a healthy future for people and the planet. Hear from Hilal Elver, UN Special Rapporteur on Right to Food; OzHarvest founder Ronni Kahn and Mario Herrero from CSIRO, as they share insights into how...

Climate change, resource extraction and increasing levels of extinction present unprecedented challenges. How can the humanities and social sciences help us to respond to the biodiversity crisis in a more just way, which transforms how we protect the foundations of life on our planet? This podcast was recorded on Thursday 19 June 2019 at the University of Sydney: https://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion...

Humans' contribution to climate change is an important prompt for us to consider other global injustices that we may not immediately connect to this hotly-debated topic. Hear from internationally renowned scholars Petra Tschakert, Maan Barua and Makere Stewart-Harawira, as they respond to this question of justice. The discussion was chaired by University of Sydney's David Schlosberg. This podcast...

How does language determine what we know or how we experience the world? As the online realm increasingly converges with our offline experiences, it raises an important question: whose knowledge dominates these new spaces? Whose voices are missing, and what are the consequences of these inequities? This podcast was recorded on Wednesday 12 June at the University of Sydney: https://sydney.edu.au/ne...

Language is sometimes viewed as a window on the mind, but it is equally a tool, a weapon, or perhaps most accurately: a remote control device. Are we controlled by language? Content warning: this podcast contains course language and discusses violence. Listener discretion is advised. This podcast was recorded on Thursday 6 June at the University of Sydney: https://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/sydney...

Insights from the past to transform our environmental future Archaeology can help us understand how climate and environmental change in our recent and distant past shapes our future. Join us as we delve into the little-known world of environmental archaeology, during National Archaeology Week. This event was held on Wednesday 22 May at the University of Sydney https://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/sy...

As part of Seymour's Centre's premiere season of 'Made to Measure' by Alana Valentine, this special Sydney Ideas event explores the role the arts has to play in investigating major public health issues. Following a performance of the play, writer Alana Valentine, University of Sydney's Professor Stephen Simpson and dressmaker Santina Porpiglia, had a discussion about art and science working togeth...

When a rare medical condition (limb girdle muscular dystrophy) struck Monkol Lek in his early twenties, he took matters into his own hands and retrained in human genetics at the University of Sydney at Westmead. Monkol is now at the forefront of genetic research at Yale and his findings so far have the potential to be game changing for a number of diseases. Hear him share insights into his incredi...

Student activism in China dates back 100 years, but since their emergence as a political force in 1919, students have influenced and inspired landmark protests across the 20th century and beyond. On 4 June 1989 the world watched on in horror as the Beijing spring protests by Chinese students were brutally repressed by military intervention. The foundation for that momentous and tragic event was la...

This year marks the 150th birthday anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, whose vision and leadership led to the independence of India against British colonial rule more than 70 years ago. Join us to reflect on the life, learnings and legacy of Gandhi in this event with Gandhian scholar Dr Shobhana Radhakrishna and University of Sydney's Professor Elizabeth Hill and Professor John Shields. Learn more: htt...

How we can better understand the conflict between scientific and Indigenous knowledge? For more than 60 years the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC had stolen ancestral remains in its collection. It was only recently that the bones were repatriated. This story kicks off our conversation for this event, which focuses on the roles of film, history and culture in advancing the repatriation deb...

University of Cambridge Professor Herbert Huppert leads this insightful conversation on how global temperatures in the earth's atmosphere has increased over time and what we can do to stop potential calamity. With climate change being a very real and looming threat, this talk offers insights into the science behind what’s happening and how we can deal with such challenges through individual, colle...

What is nano 3D printing, and how will it transform our lives? In this talk, world-renowned nanotechnology expert Professor Martin Wegener from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology will give an introduction into one of science's most exciting and rapidly evolving technologies. Professor Wegener was joined by University of Sydney Professor Hala Zreiqat, whose work is focused on using this technology t...

Diabetes is arguably one of Australia's greatest health challenges and fastest-growing chronic conditions. But landmark research shows that type 2 diabetes could be preventable at any life stage - whether you are still young, starting a family, or middle-old age. PREVIEW is a landmark study in diabetes prevention and weight loss management. In this talk, leading researchers from the study will dra...

From ending poverty to climate action, reducing inequality and ensuring quality education — the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) are a collection of 17 global goals set by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015. The aim is to set the agenda for 2030 with a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity, now and into the future. Where does Australia sit with this plan now, almost five years sinc...

What are the pathways to cultural change? How do we initiate, nurture, but most importantly, entrench cultural change? The University's Vice-Chancellor, Dr Michael Spence, gender equality advocate Elizabeth Broderick AO and journalist Sarah Ferguson explored the most important factors in cultural change movements, and the positive impact for individuals, organisations and society. This event was h...

How is hate shaping society? And what must we do about it? Political philosopher Tim Soutphommasane, reflects on race relations and multiculturalism in Australia and beyond, and what it means for democracy worldwide. In his new book, On Hate, Tim Soutphommasane analyses the troubling rise of nationalist populism and the return of race politics. This event was co-presented with Sydney Policy Lab an...

Hear from women’s rights champion, Tina Tchen, who delivered a keynote address as part of the University of Sydney’s celebrations for International Women’s Day on Friday 8 March, 2019. Sydney Ideas has partnered with the University’s Diversity and Inclusion team to welcome Tina to our Camperdown campus. She is a leading global voice on issues of gender inequity, sexual harassment, and diversity at...

What is the cost of cashing in on global surveillance? Surveillance has become an unavoidable presence in our everyday lives - it's embedded in our culture. As corporations profit from its rapid growth, inevitable questions about the impact on our society and ethics must be addressed. This Sydney Ideas discussion includes a talk from David Lyon the Director of the Surveillance Studies Centre and P...

Are brain and mind conditions such as dementia a case of luck of the draw, or are our body clocks and sleep cycle integral for keeping our brains healthy? Hear from Professor Sharon Naismith, whose research explores sleep and dementia prevention. This talk includes a welcome from Dr Michael Spence AC, Vice-Chancellor and Principal at the University of Sydney, and a keynote address from Professor N...

As many as one million Uyghur people and other Muslim minorities in China have reportedly been detained indefinitely in "re-education camps" since 2017. Why is it happening and what are the political ramifications for us all? This Sydney Ideas discussion explores these issues from a range of perspectives. Erkin Sidick, a Uyghur scientist, offers his analysis of the crackdown in Xinjiang. David Atw...

How post-truth politics is wrecking public discourse Hear from Don Watson, award-winning author and former speechwriter for Paul Keating, as he decodes political language and reveals its influence on democracy and civil debate. This Sydney Ideas conversation between Don Watson and Benedetta Brevini considers how post-truth, bullshit and management speak have taken over and fundamentally undermine...

How much do governments and private corporations really know about our online history? Hear from Ron Deibert, digital detective and founder of Citizen Lab, as he reveals the hidden surveillance systems used to spy on civil society. Ron is joined by Sydney Cybersecurity Network co-founder Aim Sinpeng and James Der Derian, Director of Centre for International Security Studies. This event was held on...

To mark International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2019, the University’s Westmead Initiative hosted a discussion about the achievements of women in the field and their ongoing challenges. This was held in collaboration with Westmead Research Hub. Hear from Dr Christina Adler, Professor Nadia Badawi AM, Professor Jenny Gunton, Associate Professor Ruby Lin, Professor Phil Robinson and Elizabet...

We commemorate United Nations World Soil Day with a discussion about how we can ensure that our soils provide food, biodiversity and healthy ecosystems well into the future. This event was held on December 5 at the University of Sydney. https://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/sydney-ideas/2018/soil-security.html