Macquarie’s robot drummer performed alongside bandmates at Arts After Dark
Professor Peter Greste hosted a dynamic panel discussion
Arts After Dark
Members of the public and Macquarie University recently came together for the inaugural Arts After Dark event, exploring the world of Artificial Intelligence and the vital role humans play as this technology advances. Guests were propelled into the fascinating world of AI and the need for humans to evaluate and analyse the decisions made by AI to ensure it serves the common good.
Dr Richard Savery, developer of artificial intelligence and robotics, kick-started the night with Keirzo, a drumming, rapping robot, before guests were led into an immersive panel discussion with some of the nation’s leading thinkers in film, culture and education. The discussion was hosted by internationally renowned journalist, Professor Peter Greste.
Journalist Gabrielle Chan addressed attendees at the Macquarie Food Symposium
Macquarie hosts food symposium
On 15 September, more than 70 researchers from Macquarie and other universities, industry experts and community activists, came together for the Macquarie Food Symposium – an interdisciplinary event tackling the complex challenges of modern food systems.
Hosted by Professor Cathy Sherry from Macquarie Law School, the Centre for Smart Green Cities and Centre for Environmental Law, the event aimed to bring together individuals working on food-related topics in disparate disciplines and to generate informed, robust discussion.
The event began with a keynote address from Gabrielle Chan, Rural and Regional Editor of Guardian Australia, leading into a series of six-minute pitches by researchers from all four of Macquarie’s faculties as well as industry professionals. Topics included the future of meat in Australian agriculture and diets, urban agriculture, food and environmental literacy, food labelling and traceability, food insecurity and a Macquarie food policy.
“People really enjoyed the mix of research that was presented at the Food Symposium and understood that the solutions to problems in modern food systems cannot be found in one discipline alone,” says Professor Sherry. “The symposium gave people in natural, human and health sciences, nutrition, marketing, actuarial studies, law, urban planning and geography, a chance to hear about each other’s research and foster connections. Most importantly, they had a chance to meet each other and begin the process of research collaboration.”
Sextember Success
‘Sextember’ is Macquarie’s annual sex-positive festival which embraces and educates our community on safe, healthy and respectful relationships with themselves and others. Held at the beginning of last month, this year’s Sextember festival included a sexual health clinic delivered by our MQ Health GP Clinic, an erotic-writing class and, of course, drag queen trivia at Ubar. Educating our student community about sexual health and wellbeing is very important to the University. Find out more about the resources we provide for students on our website.
Right to development a focus at 54th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva
Professor Surya Deva, from Macquarie Law School, recently presented his vision report on reinvigorating the right to development at the 54th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
The right to development is the right of every human being to participate in, contribute to and benefit from economic, social, cultural and political development. Professor Deva, who took up the position of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to development on 1 May 2023, called for a new model of ‘planet-centred participatory development’ as the current model of development is neither inclusive nor sustainable. He said the new model should leverage the role of multiple actors to contribute towards holistic development within planetary boundaries and ensure bottom-up participation of people in decision-making.
Professor Deva also proposed strategies to overcome several challenges, including conceptual confusion, limited capacities, polarisation, lack of participation and inequalities, which undermine the ability of states, businesses and other actors to realise the right to development.
“The right to development is a pathway to the fulfilment of all other human rights and fundamental freedoms,” said Professor Deva. The full media release can be accessed here.
Great Book Swap for Indigenous Literacy
To align with Indigenous Literacy Day on Wednesday 6 September, our Library held a ‘Great Book Swap’ from Tuesday 5 to Thursday 7 September. During the event, Library visitors had a chance to ‘swap’ a book from the display in the foyer for the price of a gold coin donation.
The event raised $672 for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation, a cause our Library has supported since 2010. Funds will go towards buying selected children’s books for remote communities. If you missed the event, it’s not too late to make a donation and help the Library reach its $1000 fundraising goal.
Macquarie Law School HDR Annual Conference
Higher degree research (HDR) students, academics and industry experts came together for the annual Macquarie Law School HDR Future Shaping Research Conference on 1 September. This conference provides a platform for emerging scholars pursuing a research degree to showcase their cutting-edge research to peers, academics and industry professionals.
Professor Simon Handley, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Graduate Research, delivered a welcome address, emphasising that the true legacy of distinctive and impactful research is about its potential to continue unfolding into the future. Twelve HDR students then presented on an array of research topics, including the legal rights of rivers, green hydrogen, ecovoltaics, intellectual property litigation, the rights of women in Afghanistan, fisheries law and AI in medical devices. Twelve industry and academic experts also provided valuable commentary on each presentation, offering important insights and feedback for students.
The Macquarie Law School Annual HDR Conference report can be accessed here.
International Society for Quality in Healthcare conference in Seoul
Professor Jeffrey Braithwaite, Founding Director of the Australian Institute of Health Innovation, hosted Ban Ki-moon, eighth Secretary General of the United Nations (2007-2016), at the International Society for Quality in Healthcare (ISQua) Conference in Seoul, Korea, in September.
Professor Braithwaite is President of ISQua, a member-based not-for-profit organisation for low-, middle- and high-income countries to promote improvement in the safety and quality of healthcare around the world. The ISQua network of healthcare professionals spans more than 70 countries.
During the conference, Ban Ki-moon complimented ISQua on the development of a green paper to guide health systems approaches to climate change.
“The healthcare sector needs to cope with an influx of new patients from the impact of climate change across the world, while simultaneously trying to reduce its own significant carbon footprint,” says Professor Braithwaite.
Research Directors Forum
In September, the Research Directors Forum held its third event of the year. Co-ordinated by the Research Grants and Awards team, these events keep the research community up to date with the latest developments in research funding opportunities and supporting teams, administration of research and researcher development at Macquarie, as well as updates to the policy landscape that help shape research support at Macquarie. At the most recent event, members from the Research Integrity, Research Ethics and Research Data Management Teams presented on a range of topics, including revisions to the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research and ongoing updates to the data management ecosystem at Macquarie.
“The event provides a platform to share insights and learnings to support our researchers and provide a regular forum to maintain strong ties with the research leaders across campus,” says Erin Semon, Director of Research Grants and Awards.
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