Top researcher calls for environmental mind-shift
The University of the Sunshine Coast’s top researcher for 2008 has called for a fundamental change in the way Australians, in general, think about the environment.
Associate Professor Julie Matthews said sustainability must now be considered first – rather than last or not at all – in every human endeavour.
Dr Matthews, who received the Vice-Chancellor’s Medal for Outstanding University Researcher at USC’s Graduation Ceremony in April, said universities have a key role to play in promoting this mindshift.
She said universities should be leading society forward towards sustainable living, both through the education programs they provide and by their own examples of sustainability.
“I’d like to see ‘eco-versities’, where everything is geared towards a future sustainable environment and where we make optimum use of the environment,” she said.
Dr Matthews is the Director of Research for USC’s Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. She is an education sociologist, specialising in areas like refugee and minority education, visual research and education, and sustainable education.
In presenting Dr Matthews with her medal, Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Thomas AM praised Dr Matthews’ ability to challenge the status quo and provide evidence-based alternatives to improve the lives of all Australians.
“Her investigations into issues of curriculum, pedagogy, and policy–in a context of a driving concern for social justice, reconciliation, multiracial and antiracist education, and international and refugee education–are of consequence for all citizens across the globe,” he said.
“Dr Matthews also has had an impact on regional sustainability through her role in the development of a new research group in the University focusing on change in social and environmental practices in the community.”
— Terry Walsh