CAUL Hub News and Research Updates
CAUL Hub News and Updates
Dear ,
Happy #WorldEnvironmentDay for last week and we hope you are settling into winter well.
It has been an exciting year so far for the CAUL Hub. Amongst many research developments we have welcomed new steering committee members, which you can find out about it in the new edition of Urban Beat.
To replace Julia Cleghorn who finished last week, Mika Zollner has started as CAUL’s new Communications Officer. Mika will be leading CAUL’s general communications work from her current base in Wellington, New Zealand.
We also welcome Zena Cumpston to the team as our new Communications and Research Officer. Zena is a Barkindji woman who will be working on several projects within CAUL’s Indigenous engagement strategy. She is also the editor of the upcoming NAIDOC Week Urban Beat.
Please read on for more information about what has been going on in the CAUL Hub. If you have any questions or comments, please don't hesitate to get in touch at mika.zollner@unimelb.edu.au. To stay up to date with what is happening in the Hub between newsletters, please like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter.
All the best,
Mika Zollner
CAUL Hub Communications Officer
New CAUL Hub video
Urban Beat Issue 6 out
The sixth edition of Urban Beat is available online here, please share and enjoy!
Issue 7 of the newsletter, edited by Zena Cumpston, will be coming out for NAIDOC Week in July this year. The theme for this year is "Because of her, we can!"
Panel Discussion
For National Science Week 2018, CAUL Hub is collaborating with four other NESP hubs to host a panel discussion on Indigenous perspectives on environmental science. The two events will be co-hosted by and held at Questacon in Canberra on the 15th August. Invitations and final event details are currently being prepared. Maddi Miller, co-chair of CAUL Hub's Indigenous Advisory Group, is curating this event with other Indigenous representatives of NESP. If you’d like an invite please email cathy.oke@unimelb.edu.au.
Banner artwork: Dixon Patten
Workshop
The CAUL Hub is hosting a series of Horizon Scanning Workshops on future urban forests. The workshops allow practitioners and researchers to openly forecast and discuss potential challenges and opportunities for our urban forests over the next 100 years. Valuable insights into future research needs have come from the Melbourne and Canberra workshops, and the Perth session will happen on the 27th July.
If you’re interested in attending or want to hear more – please contact cathy.oke@unimelb.edu.au.
Media
People in parks are more positive
CAUL Hub analysis of 2.2 million tweets has found people in parks are more positive, and around areas like major transport hubs, more negative. Researchers Dave Kendal and Kate Lee combined social media and big data analytics, tied to real time and place, to develop an understanding of the well-being benefits of city parks.
Media
How a pot plant or five is good for you
The virtual greening app Plant Life Balance, created using research from the CAUL Hub, won a Webby Award earlier this year. CAUL research found that 5 or more indoor plants can lead to improved mood and concentration. The app is described in a Pursuit article featuring CAUL researchers Dominique Hes and Marco Amati.
Conference
Liveable Cities Conference, 16-17 July
Hub leader Kirsten Parris will be speaking at the NESP Business Leaders breakfast for the 2018 Liveable Cities Conference. The breakfast will look at how science can be used to make better decisions for more sustainable, biodiverse and resilient cities. Billie Giles-Corti from CAUL will also be speaking at the conference.
Media
How tree bonds can help preserve the urban forest
Tree bonds have recently been proposed by Stonnington City Council as a way to stop trees being destroyed in Melbourne’s southeastern suburbs. An article in The Conversation by CAUL researchers looks at what they are, and their advantages and limitations to protecting our urban forest.
