Learn more about Dr Sophie Chao, SEI Honours scholarships, and more. No images? Click here Acting Director's Note13 February 2024 Dear SEI community, A warm welcome to 2024. I hope that everyone found a way of reconnecting with the human and more-than-human relationships that nourish you during the break. Most of you will know that I am Acting Director of the Sydney Environment Institute while Prof David Schlosberg takes six months away from the fast pace of leading SEI as the Erkko Visiting Professor at the University of Helsinki. I’m very excited about this opportunity to work alongside the extraordinary SEI professional and leadership team to foster the collaboration, innovation, impact, and care for which our community is so well known. We are all intensely aware of the expanding and intensifying impacts of climate change and ecological destruction, but hopefully we are also all connected with, and feel part of, the brilliant and committed work that researchers, communities, and a range of organisations are doing to counter these trends and build a more just and ecologically stable world. Every year, the stakes become higher and the commitment deeper. 2024 will be no exception. I hope to see all of you at our events or in more intimate conversations through the year. Danielle Celermajer 2024 Iain McCalman LectureAs climate change intensifies and resource extraction erodes complex ecosystems, many people are experiencing profound grief over the loss of species, landscapes and their cultural connections. Join us for the 2024 Iain McCalman Lecture to hear from environmental anthropologist, Dr Sophie Chao, as she reflects on what we can learn from the Indigenous Marind People’s practice of ‘multispecies mourning’ as an act of resistance to ongoing ecological upheaval. Monday 11 Mar, 6.00 - 7.30pm Exploring multispecies mourningDr Sophie Chao is set to prompt grassroots-driven environmental discourse at the 2024 Iain McCalman Lecture. 2024 honours scholarshipsHonours Research Fellowship Program (closes 15 Feb) Iain McCalman Honours Research Award in partnership with the Chau Chak Wing Museum (closes 22 Feb) Safeguarding earth system functionsProf David Schlosberg is a key contributor to a significant new publication in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) on global environmental governance. Listening to earth installationJoin Dr Diana Chester, A/Prof Damien Ricketson, and Fausto Brusamolino for 'Listening to Earth' a sensory installation to connect to environment through sound. Register now | 13-18 Feb More events Sydney Agritech Meetup is hosting 'Real talk: Startup ups and downs in current markets' | 15 Feb, Register here Prof Danielle Celermajer will be presenting at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia on the impacts mankind has had on the climate and multispecies | 25 Feb, Register here Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute 2024 is offering interdisciplinary exploration on the origins, nature, and future of intelligences, held in St Andrews, Scotland (30 Jun-20 Jul) | Applications close 1 Mar, Apply here Other news SEI Advisory Committee member Prof Glenda Wardle was recognised in the 2024 Australia Day Honours list for significant service to science in the field of ecology and evolution. Dr Blanche Verlie was featured in Australian Financial Review article 'The people choosing not to have kids because of climate change' discussing the anxieties young people feel over climate change. People make Australia great, not resources - Prof Melissa Haswell and Prof Lisa Jackson Pulver write for the Canberra Times. Prof Danielle Celermajer and Dr Sophie Chao were recognised in the Council of Editors of Learned Journals 2023 Awards. They were awarded the runner-up prize for best ‘special issue’ for 'Multispecies Justice'. Dr Justin See is the lead author on a new journal article 'From absences to emergences: Foregrounding traditional and Indigenous climate change adaptation knowledges and practices from Fiji, Vietnam and the Philippines'. USYD's Indigenous Grasslands for Grain project is conducting research around the use of Australian native grains to improve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ health outcomes. In case you missed itThe Lake Macquarie Environmental Research Grants Program is offering up to $8,000 to support projects aiding in land-use practices, remedial works, and management strategies | Applications close 15 Feb, learn more The Macleay Miklouho-Maclay Fellowship is offering funding up to $12,000 for research based in the Macleay Collections at the Chau Chak Wing Museum | Applications close 1 Mar, learn more The NSW Decarbonisation Innovation Hub is offering PFHN Seed Grants up to $100,000 to support technology commercialisation | Applications close 11 Mar, learn more New funding (up to £2.5 million for 3 years) from Wellcome will support research projects that make the health impacts of climate change visible to drive policy action at scale | Applications close 3 Apr, learn more Become a memberInterested in joining our global network? Submit an expression of interest. SEI members receive opportunities to work with environmental scholars and practitioners from across disciplines to tackle the greatest challenges of our time. |