Five affiliates presented at our networking event last week using the fast and fun PechaKucha style format, and this was followed by a lively gathering where new connections were made. The event was opened by our Co-directors Jacqueline Beggs and Maria Armoudian and our Research Operations Coordinator Sharon Smith. Following this, the PechaKucha storytelling started in which each presenter showed 20 slides, each lasting 20 seconds on screen.
We learnt from Sandeeka Mannakkara (Civil and Environmental Engineering) how infrastructure projects could avoid maladaptation losses, and increase satisfaction, by consulting and partnering with local communities. William Sheard (Chemical Sciences), a Ngā Ara Whetū PhD scholar, talked about urban mining to retrieve precious metals, and the possibility of using Sulfur as a cleaner way to capture elements from electronic waste.
Daniel Kelly (Psychology) inspired us with the possibility of ‘alternative’ food systems, using different growing techniques, social and economic arrangements, and told us about his research with urban agricultural groups.
Jagdeep Singh-Ladhar (Commercial Law) invited us to consider alternative ways of finding environmental information where there were gaps in missing data, giving water monitoring as an example. Jagdeep proposed looking for references to floods or drought in songs, folk stories, creation mythology, or medieval theatre, and asked how we could make such alternative sources more useable.
Our final presenter, Richard O’Rorke (Biological Sciences), explained how insect populations can change due to climate or other factors, and introduced a surprising new way to measure insect distribution that involves swabbing car number plates for insect DNA.
Thank you to the presenters for their inspiring talks, and to our affiliates for joining this engaging session.
Ngā Ara Whetū Co-directors, Professor Jacqueline Beggs (Biological Sciences) and Assoc. Professor Maria Armoudian (Politics and International Relations)
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