Join us for our second public event in the Faculty of Science's exciting new series, The Impact Factor!
Nature is a wondrous thing. It provides us with food, clean water and air, medicines, materials for shelter, and a place to pause, take a breath and recharge. Nature doesn't just sustain us physically; it enriches our lives, communities and sense of connection to the world around us.
From the smallest microbes to the largest whales, everything is interconnected. Yet we are losing species every year and placing increasing pressure on the ecosystems that support us. We know we need to do more to protect the natural world, but the scale of the challenge can sometimes feel overwhelming. While no one person can solve the biodiversity crisis alone, everyone has a role to play in addressing it.
Join three leading scientists whose work spans the breadth of Earth's incredible biodiversity. From using cutting-edge genomics to help save threatened species, to uncovering the fascinating behaviours of insects that keep ecosystems functioning, to exploring the marine environments and coral reefs facing a changing climate, our panellists will share stories from the frontlines of conservation and scientific discovery. Together, they'll reveal how science is helping us better understand and protect the interconnected web of life.
Don’t miss the latest event in The Impact Factor series, hosted by academic and science communicator Professor Alice Motion.
| When | Thursday 22 October, 6–7:30 pm. Doors open 5:45 pm. |
| Where | York Theatre, Seymour Centre, Cnr City Road and Cleveland Street, Chippendale NSW 2008 |
| Accessibility | Visit Seymour Centre website for more information |
| Entry | Free and open to all with registrations essential |
Carolyn Hogg has been working on the conservation of threatened species for over thirty years both in Australia and overseas. Carolyn is currently the co-lead for the Australasian Wildlife Genomics Group, Professor in the School of Life & Environmental Sciences, , and the Science Lead for the Threatened Species Initiative. Working closely with both academic and conservation management partners Carolyn is developing better tools and technologies to integrate molecular genetics into real-time conservation management decisions with a suite of Australian species such as Tasmanian devils, koalas, bilbies, orange-bellied parrots and more.
Tanya Latty is an entomologist and professor in the School of Life and Environmental Sciences with a special interest in insect behaviour and ecology. She has a Bsc in Biology and Environmental Science from Trent University (Canada), and a PhD in insect ecology from the University of Calgary (Canada). Her highly interdisciplinary work involves local and international collaborations with researchers in a broad range of fields including mathematics, computer science, forestry and operations research.
Will Figueira is currently the director of One Tree Island, a unique, world-class research station with invaluable access to protected coral reefs. He’s held a number of leadership roles in the peak body for marine scientists – the Australian Marine Science Association (AMSA) – including as national president and as vice president.
Professor Figueira is broadly interested in the population ecology of marine fishes and conducts research on this theme across the spectrum from small-scale demographic studies to large-scale metapopulation and ocean connectivity projects. His work focuses on establishing mechanistic linkages between an organism's environment, its behaviour and ultimately its demographics. This work takes place in tropical and temperate habitats and includes consideration of impacts such as climate change and urbanisation on populations.
Alice Motion is Professor of Science and Culture at the School of Chemistry, University of Sydney, where they lead the Science Communication, Outreach, Participation and Education (SCOPE) Research Group.
Alice's research and practice explores science democratisation through open-source drug discovery, citizen science, and exploring intersections between science and culture as creative methods for science communication.
Alice was awarded the Australian Museum's Eureka Prize for Promoting Public Understanding of Science in 2020. They have written a monthly column, Citizen Chem, for Chemistry World Magazine since 2019, are the creator of Live from the Lab, founder of the Breaking Good citizen science initiative, and regularly produce and host creative science content for the public in live venues and across the media.
