Join your Students Association and OU researchers for a fascinating panel discussion on the environment and sustainability. Panel Chair, Lou Robinson (VP Engagement and Co-Chair of the Association's Environmental and Sustainability Working Group) will lead the discussion, with short talks from panellists on their research followed by opportunities to ask questions. There will be a short break in the middle of the session.
Here are our confirmed panellists:
Dr Kevin Collins (Senior Lecturer in Environment & Systems)
Systems & Sustainability: Developing skills in systems thinking and practice:
Sustainability requires new ways of thinking to help make sense of the complex and messy world we live in. Kevin Collins will introduce some basic ideas and skills in systems thinking and briefly explore how systems diagramming can help you gain new insights into improving environmental situations. Examples are drawn from Kevin’s undergraduate teaching and sustainability research.
Ramla Khan (PhD Student: School of Environment, Earth and Ecosystem Sciences (EEES))
Ramla’s research is focused on looking at the effect of temperature on urban trees. To achieve this, the study is divided broadly into three parts. Firstly, looking at the overall pattern during the last five years through satellite data. Secondly, collecting data on field site using Fluorometer to look at the leaf level changes with changing climate, and lastly, performing a controlled study to assess the resilience and tolerance of common urban tree species.
Dr Marcus Badger (Senior Lecturer in Earth Sciences)
Marcus will be talking about how we can use the rock record to understand the Earth’s climate system. We know from instrumental records that atmospheric CO2 has been rising for the past 60 years, but how do we find out what happened before that? Marcus will talk about how we can use a combination of ice and rock to understand how atmospheric CO2 has changed over the last 60 million years.
Dr Leslie Mabon (Lecturer in Environmental Systems in the School of Engineering and Innovation)
There's no such thing as a natural disaster: climate change adaptation and resilience:
The recent extreme weather the UK has seen is a reminder that climate change is already happening. Leslie Mabon will talk about how climate change is affecting the UK now, and about some of the skills we need globally to reduce the impact of climate change on our daily lives. This section will also explain how our place in society can affect the extent to which we are at risk under a changing climate.
Join on Microsoft Teams (You will first be taken to a forum where the direct link for the session will be posted. You will need to login with your OU login details to get into the forum. You do not need an MS Teams account to access the meeting - just join as a guest.)
Please note that this session will be recorded for use on our website and YouTube channel and by attending you agree to this. If you don't want to be in the recording, please keep your camera off/use the chat box rather than your microphone.
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