Upcoming Student Events

The SRC have organised a friendly inter-campus competition: the WHO BLEEDS WINS Blood Drive. From now until the 31st of October, staff and students may visit their nearby Red Cross donation centre, and by registering their campus online, or in the Donor Centre when making the donation, Red Cross will be able to tally the total donations for each campus. Last year, Western students and staff saved just short of 300 lives with their donations. We have currently saved collectively over 110 people and we are only in week 3! For more information and to register your campus or make an appointment to donate visit the below website. And remember WHO BLEEDS WINS!

This is a cross campus challenge, last years winners, Penrith took home the prize. Can your campus knock them off the leaders board to secure the win?! Visit your local red cross service centre to donate, let them know about the challenge. Let's aim to save over 300 lives together!

The inspiration for our latest collection of artworks ‘Our Journey through Japan’ once again came from our school-wide program ‘Seven Countries in Seven Years.’ This program involves every student from Kindergarten to Year 6 undertaking study related to at least seven different Asian countries throughout their primary schooling. Students are involved in cultural studies as well as basic language programs and are given the opportunity to ‘travel’ through these countries. From language acquistion to art projects, history and geography, Asian studies are linking harmoniously into our curriculum. Choosing Japan this year was a natural progression from our previous exhibitions which included journeys through Asia, Indonesia, India and Thailand. From their initial experiences with our closest neighbour Indonesia, our students are ready to seamlessly move into the next chapter of their Asian adventure. ‘Our Journey through Japan’ celebrates the altering faces of this intriguing country through the beauty of its changing seasons. Each seasonal change is honoured for its splendour, admired for its kaleidoscope of colours and textures, and worshipped for its transience and nobleness. Spring is renowned for the gentle bloom of white and pink, soft-petalled cherry blossoms that flutter gracefully from their trees. Summer, for the hot, balmy days and the scorching sunsets that act as a backdrop for the fireworks that herald the beginning of many celebrations and festivities. Autumn, for the flush of luminous, red copper leaves that cascade across a landscape of ancient forests and drift in the wind to land at the feet of those who come to admire. Winter, for the pristine snow that dusts and blankets the peaked roofs of both ancient and modern Japan. Whatever the time of year, Japan is admired for its unique beauty. Our artworks are a snapshot of the soul of this great country that is known as the ‘Land of the Rising Sun.’

Public Astronomy Night: How to be a Cosmic Revolutionary Speaker – Dr Luke Barnes Our universe is a strange place, but have scientists made it a bit too weird? Expanding space? Curved space? Dark matter and dark energy? Redshift? Why do scientists think that the Big Bang is a good idea? I’ll explain the evidence for the Big Bang, and how you could try to do better. Includes presentation, short 3D movie, tour of the dome and viewing of the night sky through a range of telescopes (weather permitting). $18.00 Adult $12.00 Child/Concession (including all Western staff, students and alumni) $50.00 Family (2 adults + 2 children) Children under 3 years of age free. IMPORTANT: Parents/Carers are responsible for and must remain with their children at all times. BOOKINGS VIA OUR WEBSITE ESSENTIAL.

Australian Muslims are largely urban dwellers with an overwhelming majority living in Greater Western Sydney region where Western Sydney University is located. Muslims are also one of the fastest growing populations in Australia and their level of educational attainment compares positively with the total Australian population. Given their large presence in the Greater Western Sydney region and at the Western Sydney University, Muslim students are a great human capital that Western Sydney University can harness. The Postgraduate Islamic Studies Network Workshops are a vehicle for bringing Muslim and non-Muslim students at Western Sydney University and from other universities in Sydney working on Islamic and Muslim-focused research projects together for an in-depth analysis and discussion. The aim is to harness this resource and enrich it with skills and knowledge for the greater good of the Greater Western Sydney community and the larger Australian society. Last Thursday of each month from 5:00pm to 7:00pm at Bankstown campus a group of students, academics, and community members gather to take part in a panel discussion which concentrates on various aspects of Islam and the Muslim community both in Australia and overseas.

Special Guest Lecture: Horizons of Care: The Future of the Social Organisation of End-of-Life Care Presented by Associate Professor Klaus Wegleitner, Dept of Public Care, University of Graz, Austria Friday, 11 October 2019 11:00am to 12:30 pm (followed by lunch until 1:30pm) Parramatta City Campus - Room 01.4.23 Western Sydney University Urgent questions are raised by the major challenges of our “ageing” societies’ organisation of care: frailty, dementia, social isolation, families’ decreasing capacity to care, care migration, disappearance of social infrastructure in rural regions, digitalization, and controversial political and social-ethical orientations: * How can we ensure social participation in all phases of life, especially by marginalised people? * How can we arrange wise inter-linkages between informal and formal care? * What are the potentials and risks involved in new care technologies? * What are the implications of the “commodification” of care for caring cultures? * How can we enable dying in familiar environments? * How can we create (gender) fair job, family and care work roles? The “caring-answers” of our institutions and professions, centred on modern industrial societies, are reaching their limits. While novel “caring ways of life” are beginning to evolve, an appropriate “policy of care” has not yet begun to emerge. Dr Wegleitner will reflect on the upcoming challenges for the social organisation of aged and end-of-life care. Drawing on his experience of promoting caring communities and current interdisciplinary care discourses, his presentation should enable a critical discussion of ideas and future prospects for the social-ethical and political preconditions of a caring society. BIOGRAPHY: Klaus Wegleitner has studied sociology, social sciences, philosophy and political science and teaches applied ethics for Masters and Doctoral students. His research addresses developing and transforming health care systems and social care networks for older people and end-of-life care. His interests include end-of life care and public health perspectives, questions of social justice, the democratisation of care and sustainability. A major aspect of his research promotes and develops cultures of care in organizations and regions and strengthens community and citizen-led end-of-life care through Caring/Compassionate Communities. RSVP Dr Alison Rahn at a.rahn@westernsydney.edu.au by 30 September.

At the start of my academic career I had many reasons both personal and professional to be loyal to my original discipline of psychology. However, my first research position in the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research had already convinced me that my political values and commitment to research could work together. Thus I saw the psychological theories and methods as just one set of tools among many that could be applied to social issues. I was delighted to come and work at this University where others are committed to using research to empower people in Western Sydney. After hearing about social capital for the first time from Eva Cox’ Boyer Lecture in 1995, I immediately saw the concept's potential for examining the power of social groups and community development. I aligned myself with Third Sector Research (on not-for-profit organisations) where I interacted with researchers from economics, political science, management, sociology and development studies, but I could see that my psychological knowledge added value from both the pool of knowledge on groups and their rigorous quantitative methods. Working for the CSIRO on interdisciplinary environmental sustainability projects brought new insights and challenges. They had figured out that many of the obstacles to implementing their elegant scientific findings were human induced. However climate scientists, hydrologists, modellers, etc. often cannot comprehend a world of knowledge beyond traditional scientific methods so integration was slow but we had made progress. It was there I discovered social network analysis – a method in search of a theory – which has the potential to bridge disciplines. Returning to this University I have continued my interdisciplinary route through positioning myself in the Sociology and Anthropology group and the University-wide Environmental Sustainability Research Theme. Now the pendulum has swung again: we have leaders to promote disciplines and a separation of psychology from the social sciences. Still I maintain my belief that research which aims to address real-world problems needs to consider the full range of knowledges and skills that might be brought to bear and they are unlikely to be within one discipline. In this lecture, I will argue that we need to recognise that the subjects of our research in all the disciplines of the social sciences and psychology are the same species and almost all our research insights are correct at some level. So how can we identify the theories, concepts, and methods that will help us to bridge discipline boundaries, provide a richer deeper understanding of what it means to be human, and facilitate the forms of human activity that constitute a progressive social agenda? BIOGRAPHY: Professor Rosemary Leonard is Chair in Social Capital and Sustainability in the School of Social Sciences and Psychology. Her research career started in the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research and then the Cumberland Disability Education Program. From a PhD at Macquarie University in developmental social psychology, she came to UWS in 1991 to lecture in human communication and researched issues facing older women. She was instrumental in forming the School of Social, Community, and Organisational studies which later became the School of Social Sciences. In 2000-2004, she was Chair of Australian and New Zealand Third Sector Research and then Editor of their journal Third Sector Review. After 4 years as leader of the Social Justice Social Change Research Centre, she went to CSIRO to work on the social dimensions of tackling environmental sustainability returning as CSIRO-Western Sydney Joint Chair in Social Capital and Sustainability in 2016. RSVP a t SSAP-research@westernsydney.edu.au by 2 October 2019.

What are our global challenges? Why are we talking about sustainability? Why does it matter? What does this mean for you? What does this mean for the future of Western Sydney? The on campus event is the final stage of the 21C Project Curiosity Pod: The Sustainability Bootcamp. Learn concepts of Sustainable Development and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030 through this online, interactive, curiosity pod. The case studies profile inspiring local initiatives and research across Western Sydney that contribute to addressing our global challenges. Then come along and join us for the on campus event! --How to get involved-- Step 1 - Register yourself online to enrol into the Bootcamp by 10th October - westernsydney.edu.au/bootcamp Step 2 - Complete the online Sustainability Bootcamp 21C Curiosity Pod on vUWS. Step 3 - Join us on campus for a fun, hands-on event to investigate urban heat.

What are our global challenges? Why are we talking about sustainability? Why does it matter? What does this mean for you? What does this mean for the future of Western Sydney? The on campus event is the final stage of the 21C Project Curiosity Pod: The Sustainability Bootcamp. Learn concepts of Sustainable Development and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030 through this online, interactive, curiosity pod. The case studies profile inspiring local initiatives and research across Western Sydney that contribute to addressing our global challenges. Then come along and join us for the on campus event! --How to get involved-- Step 1 - Register yourself online to enrol into the Bootcamp by 10th October - westernsydney.edu.au/bootcamp Step 2 - Complete the online Sustainability Bootcamp 21C Curiosity Pod on vUWS. Step 3 - Join us on campus for a fun, hands-on event to investigate urban heat.

Those whose needs are well-articulated and reflected in the city’s broader policy ambition are likely to be included in future planning policy. The needs of others considered ‘less valuable’ to the socio-economic sustainability of a locality may, in turn, be forgone’ (Morrison, 2013) In this presentation, Professor Nicky Morrison explains how the above contention about the UK planning system led her to investigate this question in numerous international settings thereafter. Who are the winners and losers of planning decisions and outcomes? Not only has this quest motivated her academic career but also her advocacy work on behalf of local community groups that have the least voice in planning and housing systems over the world. In 2019, the Royal Town Planning Institute commended Professor Morrison for her leadership and significant contribution to the planning profession. Showcasing her previous work (in the UK, China, and Ghana), Professor Morrison will highlight the challenges that urban planners face in managing economic, social, and environmental priorities and how they reconcile competing stakeholder expectations and conflicting interests. Despite different historical, cultural, and political contexts, she will demonstrate why a common narrative prevails. Speculation over land and real estate opportunities along with rent seeking behaviour that uses the political planning processes to seek private gain are rife in all urban land markets. At the same time, planners are not neutral nor value free. Politics and planning are very much intertwined. Planning rules embody power relations, privileging certain positions and courses of action over others. The stroke of a Planning Minister’s pen and rezoning of land use creates immediate land value uplift, with financial windfalls bestowed on certain stakeholders, whilst others lose out. Professor Morrison will draw on examples of the way that planning policy is used to accommodate the needs of powerful landowners, why economic imperatives invariably take precedence over social and environmental interests, and suggest how academics can advocate for inclusive growth for all. She will offer salient lessons for Western Sydney as it undergoes extensive urban transformation, and explain why this challenge has become her new and critical area of research. BIOGRAPHY: Nicky Morrison is Professor of Planning at Western Sydney University and a Senior Visiting Fellow at Cambridge University. She is a leading academic authority on overcoming barriers to securing affordable housing through the planning system and ways to deliver sustainable communities and inclusive growth through participatory planning practices. Nicky has over 27 years of experience working with interdisciplinary teams on high impact international and UK planning and housing research projects, attracting major competitive external funding from the European Commission, Norwegian, German, UK and local governments, Shelter Homeless Charity and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. She has acted as a strategic advisor to Chinese Ministers as they implemented China’s first Public Housing Act and Amnesty International ‘Housing rights live here’ programme in Africa. Nicky is passionate about developing truly collaborative planning through effective partnerships between government, the private sector, NGOs, and community agencies. She was a long-serving Board member of a UK community housing provider. Nicky serves on Habitat International Editorial Board, WESTIR Ltd Board and the Planning Institute of Australia NSW Judging Panel for Planning Awards for Excellence with the aim of rewarding the next generation of professional planners. RSVP at SSAP-research@westernsydney.edu.au by 11 Oct 2019.

Are you a Higher Degree Research Candidate looking to build a research career in academia or industry? Join us for an interactive discussion with leading academics, alumni and industry partners about what it takes to be successful in the competitive and dynamic research sector. You will also have the opportunity to start work on a career plan that will take you to where you want to go by the end of your candidature.

The Research Impact Competition showcases research from across the University's four research themes to an audience of external stakeholders, staff and students. Nine schools and four institutes have each selected a researcher to compete in the competition. The presenters will each give a 5-minute research impact presentation using only one powerpoint slide to represent their thorough research. In preparation for the competition, researchers will consider their research in terms of current and future real world mpact and explain the benefits of their research to a general audience. Please come along to this insighful event and learn what an exciting impact Western is having on the world!

Water has been a key topic in Environment and Sustainability. There are many critical issues around water facing our world, nation and communities. This symposium provides a platform for developing a dialog between local government, industries and WSU researchers to address this grand challenge around water. The program includes invited presentations from key industries on water, local government, government grant facilitators, and Western Sydney Univesity researchers, along with intensive group discussions focusing on the critical issues on water including: Urban design for water management Water harvesting/Water recycle and reuse Water quality and Wastewater treatment Water-related ecosystems (River, Wetland, Mountains, etc.) Water culture and sociology Water policy and law Water-related education.

Do you use Virtual Reality or Augmented Reality in your research? Are you interested in this disruptive technology? The call for papers, posters, and demos for VRST 2019 is now open. For the first time, the annual international Symposium on Virtual Reality Software and Technology will be held in Australia this year at Western Sydney University’s Parramatta City Campus 1PSQ from 12 to 15 November 2019, with a special track on applied research in the field of Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR). VRST 2019 has confirmed an impressive line-up of international and local VR/AR keynote speakers including Timoni West, Director of XR Research at Unity Technologies; and Mark Walsh, an animator and director who worked on many classic Pixar Animation Studio films such as Toy Story, Ratatouille, and Finding Nemo. The VRST 2019 conference is for anyone with an interest in the latest VR/AR/XR research, news and technologies – submit your research papers, demos and posters now! Paper submissions are due by 23:59pm on 19 July, 2019: https://vrst.acm.org/vrst2019/submissions/

The Western Sydney Sculpture Award and Exhibition is a biennial competition and exhibition hosted by Western Sydney University, on the stunning grounds of the Campbelltown campus. The 2020 Exhibition will be held 1-31 May. Prizes in the 2020 Western Sydney University Sculpture Award and Exhibition include: - Western Sydney University Acquisitive Sculpture Award - valued up to $30,000 - Landcom People's Choice Award - $5,000 (non-acquisitive) - Janice Reid Site Specific Sculpture Award - $5,000 (non-acquisitive) Entries close on Friday, 6 September 2019, and finalists will be announced on virtualtours.westernsydney.edu.au on Tuesday, 1 October 2019. The Sculpture Award & Exhibition aims to establish closer links between the university, artists and the community to provide a valuable educational and cultural resource for the region and to enhance the campus environment for teaching and learning. Each year, the Award attracts significant talent from across Australia and overseas. For more information, visit virtualtours.westernsydney.edu.au/sculpture-award