Part of the 21st Century Medicine Lecture Series. Professor Guy Thwaites, an academic infectious diseases physician and clinical microbiologist, whose research interests focus on severe bacterial infections, including meningitis and Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection, and tuberculosis, gives lecture on antimicrobial resistance and the misuse of antimicrobials. Presented by Sydney Ideas on 3 May 2017 http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/21st_century_medicine_2017.shtml

Early in her life Chido Govera realised the importance of food to community. Mushroom farming enabled her not only to feed her family in Zimbabwe and attain independence, but to create a healthier environment through managing food waste. For many years Chido has shared her unique skills and experiences with women throughout Africa and globally as an educator and mentor. Chido joins Sydney Ideas for a conversation with University of Sydney researcher Alana Mann to discuss how engagement in small scale agro-ecological methods of farming can empower women, benefit the environment, and contribute to food sovereignty and food security. Presented by Sydney Ideas on 2 May 2017: http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/food@sydney_series_2017.shtml

A special presentation by leading human right scholars, Emeritus Professor Gillian Triggs, President of the Australian Human Rights Commission and Professor Samina Yasmeen, University of Western Australia, with Professor Shahram Akbarzadeh, Deakin University They discuss the topic of human rights today in the face of rising Islamophobia for the launch of the Australian Association of Islamic and Muslim Studies (AAIMS),an inter-disciplinary network of scholars at Australian universities. Hosted by Assoc Professor Lily Rahim, University of Sydney Presented by Sydney Ideas on 28 April 2017: http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/human_rights_rise_of_islamophobia_AIMMS_launch.shtml

Uncertainty, like insecurity, is as much a subjective state of mind as it is an objective condition of reality, raising new and troubling questions for those trying to assess its global impact. Are uncertainty, volatility and precarity actually on the rise? Do repeated efforts to measure, record and represent uncertainty only amplify the condition? Is uncertainty the result of a single person or state, or more of a global trend in politics and the media? Who benefits from and who is harmed by the spread of uncertainty? A diverse group of leading international security scholars address the topic from their own unique perspectives and research areas. - Professor Rita Abrahamsen, University of Ottawa - Professor Thomas Biersteker, Graduate Institute of Geneva - Professor Lene Hansen, University of Copenhagem - Professor Michael Williams, University of Ottawa Presented by Sydney Ideas on 27 April 2017: http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/CISS_global_forum_2017.shtml

From building walls, to stopping boats, to attempts to ‘trade’ refugees between countries, we are witnessing unprecedented efforts by national governments to externalise their borders, absolving rich countries of their international obligations, and often shifting the burden to poorer countries. Our panel will examine the current policies of the United States and Australia and offer observations about the implications of such policies – for those who cannot move, for those who remain unprotected, and for those who try to respond. The panel will be preceded by a photography exhibition featuring the work of Syrians living the ‘Trapped In/Pushed Out’ experience, curated by Maher Jamous, a Syrian producer and filmmaker who fled Syria in 2012. SPEAKERS: - Professor David FitzGerald, Professor of Sociology, University of California San Diego
 - Graham Thom, Refugee Coordinator, Amnesty International
 - Michelle Peterie, PhD candidate (Sociology), University of Sydney
 - Behrouz Boochani, journalist, currently in detention on Manus Island - Dr Omid Tofighian, Senior Project Officer, National Centre for Cultural Competence, University of Sydney
 Presented by Sydney Ideas on 12 April 2017 http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/border_politics_US_Australia_forum.shtml

On September 14, 2015, scientists from the LIGO Scientific Collaboration and the Virgo Collaboration observed the collision and fusion of the two black holes by directly measuring their gravitational waves. This detection came 100 years after Einstein developed the general theory of relativity that predicted gravitational waves, and 50 years after scientists began searching for them. This discovery has truly profound implications, and opens a new window on the cosmos. Gravitational waves provide unique information on the most energetic astrophysical events, revealing insights into the nature of gravity, matter, space, and time. David Reitze talks about how they made the detection and discusses how gravitational astronomy promises to change our understanding of the universe. SPEAKER: David Reitze, Executive Director of the LIGO Laboratory at the Caltech and a Professor of Physics at the University of Florida Presented by Sydney Ideas on 11 April 2017: http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/david_reitze.shtml

North Korea has survived the end of the Cold War, massive famine, numerous regional crises, punishing sanctions, and international stigma. Why is it still here? In this talk, Associate Professor Justin Hastings, of the University of Sydney, explores the puzzle of how the most politically isolated state in the world nonetheless sustains itself in large part by international trade and integration into the global economy. SPEAKER: Justin Hastings, Associate Professor in International Relations and Comparative Politics at the University of Sydney Presented by Sydney Ideas on 10 April 2017: http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/assoc_professor_justin_hastings.shtml

Sydneysiders have just sweltered through the hottest summer on record. According to the Bureau of Meteorology, the mean summer temperature in the city was about three degrees above average. As Sydney’s population expands in the next few decades, how can we protect and promote health in this changing climate? What are the options for managing the heat, and how will this influence the choices we make in the future? PANELLISTS: - Dr Tony Capon, Professor of Planetary Health, Sydney School of Public Health, Researcher of Climate Adaptation & Health Project Node, Charles Perkins Centre - Dr Adrienne Keane, Director, Master of Urbanism, Urban Planning and Policy, Sydney School of Architecture, Design and Planning - Dr Ollie Jay, Thermoregulatory Physiologist and Director of Thermal Ergonomics Laboratory, Faculty of Health Sciences; Lead Researcher of Climate Adaptation & Health Project Node, Charles Perkins Centre - Dr Jennifer Mae Hamilton, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Gender and Cultural Studies, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Presented by Sydney Ideas on 6 April 2017: http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/hot_in_the_city.shtml

What has happened to the bipartisan consensus on the importance of protecting public health and the environment with environmental law in the United States? P Robert L Glicksman from the George Washington University Law School, updates us on what is happening in the US. SPEAKER: Professor Robert L Glicksman is the J B & Maurice C Shapiro Professor of Environmental Law at the George Washington University Law School, is an authority on environmental, natural resources, and administrative law. Presented by Sydney Ideas and the Australian Centre for Climate and Environmental Law, Sydney Law School at the University of Sydney, on 4 April 2017: http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/professor_robert_glicksman.shtml

Professor George Sugai is a world leader in positive behaviour support (PBS), a behaviour management system used to understand what maintains an individual's challenging behaviour, and establishing goals for change. For this presentation he outlines how PBS is just one part of prevention-based multi-tiered systems approach that can be used to support the academic and social behavioural goals of schools. SPEAKER: Professor George Sugai, Center for Behavioral Education and Research Neag School of Education, University of Connecticut. Presented by Sydney Ideas for the University of Sydney School of Education and Social Work Dean's lecture series on 4 April 2017 http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/ESW_deans_lecture_series.shtml