The School for Cross-faculty Studies (SCFS) Work Placement Talk and Live Q&A event will be taking place on Wednesday 9 December 2020, 6-7:30 pm on Microsoft Teams. This event is exclusively for SCFS students, relevant to students across all years.

We are excited to be opening our doors for the first time to postgraduate students as we launch our new MASc in Global Sustainable Development and MPhil/PhD in Global Sustainable Development.

^{Image credit: GovernmentZA on flickr}

Dr Stéphanie Panichelli-Batalla, Head of the School for Cross-faculty Studies, was recently interviewed about her research on the Cuban International Solidarity Programme for an article published in the Austrian newspaper, Der Standard.

The article explores the work of Cuban doctors and nurses and the ‘Cut Profits to the Cuban Regime Act of 2020’, introduced by US Republicans and designed to make it more difficult for countries to use the services of Cuban medical professionals.

Dr Mandy Sadan, Associate Professor in GSD, will be presenting a public keynote lecture for the Himalayan University Consortium titled 'Learning from Life Stories'. The event is part of a publishing seminar for early-career researchers running from 1 - 11 December 2020 called 'Storying the Sustainable Intelligence of the Earth in the New Himalaya', in which Mandy will also be taking part as a mentor.

Last month saw the publication of a new paper in the Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals about 'Tourist Traps: Assessing the Role of Tourism in Sustaining Life Below Water', authored by Dr Jess Savage, Senior Teaching Fellow (GSD); Dr Godwin Yeboah, Senior Research Fellow (IGSD); and Dr Sarah Cook, Research Fellow (Warwick Water Group.

An approach to public engagement which respects grass-roots and community knowledge has an important role to play in improving our understanding of the relationship between traditional healing and Western-style medicine in low- and middle-income countries, and could generate new approaches to tackling antimicrobial resistance, according to a new paper published in Medical Humanities.

Registration for the World Innovation Challenge is currently open until Monday 5 October 2020.

This is a great opportunity for Warwick students to work in international teams with Monash University students. The aim is to create a business idea that tackles a key sustainability challenge. The Challenge starts on Friday 9 October 2020 at 9:30 am (BST). Participants will work online for 48 hours (including sleep/resting and other work) to make a business plan.

^{Image credit: Dr Marco J Haenssgen}

A new paper demonstrates the facilitating yet potentially inequitable role of mobile phones in rural healthcare access.

GSD researcher Marco J Haenssgen, Giacomo Zanello (University of Reading), and Nutcha Charoenboon (University of Bristol) have released a new paper in the prestigious journal World Development. Analysing health behaviours in rural Thailand and Laos, the researchers highlight the complexities of technological change and caution against over-enthusiastic medical interventions that aim to promote health through mobile phones.

The International Conference of Undergraduate Research (ICUR) is an annual academic conference, led and sponsored by the University of Warwick and Monash University, connecting student researchers globally using video conferencing technology.

This year, the forum will take place on the 29-30 September and will be modified to accommodate current pandemic restrictions. Both audience and presenters will join the conference virtually through the new ICUR App. A number of students from the School for Cross-faculty Studies will be presenting their research at ICUR next week.

On Friday 25 September 2020 at 12-1pm (UK time), Warwick will be launching its inaugural report on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The report will highlight the University’s progress towards the SDGs, covering case studies on various initiatives that are contributing towards the goals.

This first report of its kind is the product of collaboration between academics across the University and the Sustainability team in Estates. From the School for Cross-faculty Studies, the working group has included the Head of School, Dr Stéphanie Panichelli-Batalla; and the Director of the Institute for Global Sustainable Development (IGSD), Professor João Porto de Albuquerque.

During the event, the University’s Provost, Professor Christine Ennew, will introduce the report before handing over to members of the group who’ve been involved in its production to expand on some of its key areas. There will be time for discussion, and the event aims to offer an opportunity for the Warwick community to reflect on the progress to date and contribute to a discussion on what might come next.

How to register

This event will take place on Microsoft Teams and is open to all. You can register for the event here. By registering for the event you will be sent the link to the event and a copy of the report.

Find out more about the event.