Events
Faculty of Fine Arts and Music at the University of Melbourne
Featured events
Could Australia have a better and fairer education system?
Professor Pasi Sahlberg will present the next Faculty of Education Dean’s Lecture:
Could Australia have a better and fairer education system?
Education systems around the world are facing a complex and persistent challenge. Despite a 20 percent increase in schooling expenditures over the last 15 years, educational performance has stagnated or declined across OECD countries—and Australia is no exception to this troubling trend.
In this free public lecture, Professor Pasi Sahlberg proposes three principles for a new educational paradigm to transform Australian schools:
- Empowering children and teachers to drive meaningful improvements;
- Building healthier relationships and deeper collaboration in and between schools; and
- Reintegrating Australia into international education policy discussions to learn from and contribute to the global dialogue on the future of education.
Register early to attend this special lecture. Registration is essential.
Please note: Due to the theatre’s limited capacity, please only register for a seated ticket if you are sure to be attending in person. A ticket type to receive a copy of the recording is available for those that are unable to attend. A link to the recording will also be sent those who register to attend in person, you will not need to register for this ticket as well.In the event that this lecture exceeds venue capacity we will require a change of venue within the University of Melbourne, Parkville campus. Keep an eye out for communications post registration.
ACCESSIBILITY
If you have any support requirements in order to participate fully, please let us know via educationevents@unimelb.edu.au to ensure that we can arrange any reasonable adjustments.
Smart Fertilisers: Fertile ground for sustainable agriculture
The 2024 School of Chemistry Public Lecture
Modern farming practices require nitrogen fertilisers, and their use is projected to increase by 70-100% by 2050. Unfortunately, approximately 50% of nitrogen fertilisers applied to agricultural systems is lost into the environment. These losses are not only expensive for farmers and consumers but, more importantly, the environmental impact is substantial: ammonia in nitrogen fertilisers is a precursor for particulate matter (PM2.5), while nitrate leaching causes excessive surface water eutrophication and groundwater pollution. Microbial processes also play a role, converting nitrogen fertiliser into gases including nitrous oxide, which has 300 times higher global warming potential than carbon dioxide. Thus, to lower the greenhouse gas footprint of agriculture, reduction of nitrogen losses has become an important goal. This seminar will present a selection of strategies to improve nitrogen management in soils to increase agriculture’s sustainability.