centre for ideas

Jenny Odell

Author and artist Jenny Odell talks about a world obsessed with productivity and the value of being alone with one’s thoughts.

Daniel Lavery and Christy Newman

American author Daniel M Lavery takes a detour through the cultural canon in recounting the journey of his gender affirmation, in conversation with UNSW Sydney social researcher Christy E Newman.

andy symington

Our race for renewables has a dark side, with some of the most important clean energy technologies, such as lithium-ion batteries, bringing unexpected and damaging consequences for human rights and the environment. Although the goals are different, mining for ingredients of lithium-ion batteries

bronwen morgan

Think of a world where rivers had human rights, corporations were regulated by their stakeholders, ecocide was a crime and money looked entirely different. Where can legal imagination take us?  

tema milstein

If we are going to save the planet, UNSW Associate Professor of Environment and Society Tema Milstein says we need to start hugging trees. Westernised humans tend to believe they are separate from nature, which shapes thinking and actions toward the environment. But seeing the world with humans a

mandy hagstrom

When we think of weightlifting, we tend to think of big burly men pumping iron in a gym - but it turns out, women have just as much to gain from strength training as their male gym junkie counterparts. Historically, pumping iron to build muscles has been seen as a masculine pursuit.

Kirsten Banks

When we gaze upwards and look at stars, we’re looking back in time. On a clear night, anyone with access to a patch of night sky can see light that has travelled unfathomable distances and stars that have been twinkling for millions and millions of years.