In the heart of Ōtautahi Christchurch, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha| University of Canterbury (UC) offers its students boundless opportunities for education, exploration and recreation. Since its founding in 1873, UC maintains its vision as a modern university – a place of learning grounded in a shared history, which values differences and inclusive research and tertiary education. It consists of seven faculties: Arts, Business, Education, Engineering, Health, Law, and Science.
Ranked first in the 2022 THE Impact Rankings for Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, and among the top 50 universities globally overall, UC is committed to contributing to the United Nations’ SDGs through its research and education practices and institutional operations.
UC offers unmatched research facilities including field stations in Cass, Kawatiri Westport, Harihari, the sub-Antarctic Snares Islands, Nigeria, and Antarctica as well as New Zealand’s premier astronomical research facility Ōtehīwai Mount John Observatory, near Takapō Tekapo; famous for its clear southern skies.
Tourism is a significant contributor to climate change. But new research suggests that, if we all pitched in, we could decarbonise this global industry for less than the price of an extra checked bag.
It’s okay in science fiction but not in real life: A robot (Robin Williams, left) who dreams of becoming human in the movie Bicentennial Man.
AAP/Touchstone Pictures
Hardly an enthusiastic upholder of human rights, Qatar has been welcomed as a participant in R2P – even though that obligates it to do basically nothing.
AI researchers should work to make future battlefield robots more ethical.
Sandia Labs/Flickr
The debate over whether lethal autonomous weapon systems (LAWS) – often called ‘killer robots’ – should be banned continues, although it’s far from settled.
The future of warfare might involve autonomous weapon systems, such as the BAE Taranis, although some are unsettled by the idea of giving machines lethal capabilities.
Mike Young
Should future wars be fought by autonomous systems? Or do they pose such a threat that they should be banned? These issues are being debated this week by diplomats from around the world.
Teaching kids that homophobia is wrong won’t necessarily stop sexuality or gender bullying.
Flickr/Kurt Lowenstein Education
There is no doubt that homophobic bullying is a problem in Australian schools. The latest Writing Themselves in report published by Gay and Lesbian Health Victoria reports 80% of young gay, lesbian or…
To rebuild public trust in GM products, safety claims must be confirmed by independent research.
IRRI Photos/Flickr
The topic of releasing genetically modified (GM) products into food and the environment is highly polarised. But are we making any progress with it? The debate is now so vicious and impatient that to have…
Antarctica is still a frontier - but it is rapidly changing.
Eugene Kaspersky/Flickr
Antarctica is a continent less suited to human habitation than any other. Temperatures rise above freezing only briefly on the northern Antarctic peninsula. At the coast mean temperatures range between…
Tony Press, John Keane, and Chris Turney.
Giovanni Navarria
Antarctica is a continent less suited to human habitation than any other. Temperatures rise above freezing only briefly on the northern Antarctic peninsula. At the coast mean temperatures range between…
Norman McLaren working on Begone Dull Care, 1949.
National Film Board of Canada
Animation is all around us – from Pixar to manga to animated gifs. As with any creative field, it has its unsung heroes – the innovators who have shaped and defined the art form. So it was a great delight…
The triple bottom line is a term coined in the late 1990s by the influential business thinker and consultant, John Elkington. It captures a very neat idea, namely that a modern organisation has three broad…
Aye, aye: a closer look at changing LEGO expressions.
Flickr: Magnus Manske
I pitched my idea for a LEGO Minifigure Catalog to both Lego and its preferred publisher several times. They were not interested, so I published it myself with some success. When looking at all those faces…
It makes sense to exercise caution when we’re fiddling with genes in food.
Food Ethics Council
Most genetically modified (GM) crops are based on moving DNA from one organism to another to introduce a new protein. Now a growing number of genetically modified crops are based on intentionally changing…
Nearly 90% of people have trouble understanding stats.
gbrenne
Does the thought of p-values and regressions make you break out in a cold sweat? Never fear – read on for answers to some of those burning statistical questions that keep you up 87.9% of the night. What…
Hot, dry Australia isn’t a great place to grow wheat.
AAP
The agricultural use of genetically modified (GM) plants has been a subject of disagreement, debate and bitter conflict around the globe. Sectors of Australian science experienced this recently when field…
Theories suggesting lunar influence on earthquakes have serious cracks.
penguinbush
With a total lunar eclipse set to occur just before sunrise (AEST) on Thursday, we can expect to see certain views regurgitated about our moon. Our satellite has been the focus of speculation and folklore…