Re:search. Re:act. Re:define.

The Future is Now: Driving Sustainable Development

From April 1-5, 2019, Freie Universität Berlin will be hosting the 4^th Spring Campus Conference of the University Alliance for Sustainability.

Program focus and objectives

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the UN member states in 2015 received a great deal of publicity and has heavily impacted scientific and political discourse on the societal transformation to sustainability. While the knowledge of the need to act grows, so, too, do the emissions and risks caused by human activities.

Sustainable development is a work in progress that requires both concerted action and large-scale experiments as well as disruptive technological and social innovation. The most recent IPCC special report reiterates that limiting global warming to 1.5° Celsius would require rapid, far-reaching, and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society.

As we head toward a high-emission future, we need to leave business-as-usual scenarios behind by researching, reacting to, and redefining current practices and policy. Against this backdrop, the 2019 Spring Campus Conference of the University Alliance for Sustainability invites sustainability experts to contribute to the question:

What Are the Levers for Impactful Sustainable Development?

Science shapes the way we think about the sustainability transformation and how we address the challenges of the 21^st century. Universities play a key role in this area. They not only develop new knowledge that help us better understand global problems, but also empower generations of students who will have to solve them. The SDGs address three key topics the Spring Campus Conference will focus on:

Energy. Food. Mobility.

Because these are the three biggest causes of climate change, they demand special consideration when discussing the levers for impactful sustainable development. Interdisciplinary research and management workshops at the conference will address the three fields of action.

Program Design

During the conference we will present innovative sustainability research and teaching formats from various disciplines, facilitate interdisciplinary- and transdisciplinary exchange, and foster dialogue with representatives from politics and business. In this way, the Alliance hopes to contribute to spreading innovative ideas, interesting research, and sustainable campus solutions worldwide.

Opening Day (Monday)

On Monday, April 1, we invite you to our Opening Day featuring renowned keynote speakers and discussions on the conference’s overall theme.

• Opening Day Program

Main Conference (Tuesday-Wednesday)

On Tuesday and Wednesday (April 2-3) we will continue with a program of parallel research and management workshops (exception: workshop III on April 3 only). We invite contributions from all disciplines.

• Workshop I: “The Use of Knowledge for Sustainability Transitions” chaired by Prof. Dr. Carsten Dreher (Chair of Innovation Management, FU Berlin), Prof. Dr. Elisabeth Eppinger (HTW Berlin), Carsten Schwäbe, Myriam Preiss, Daniel Weiss
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• Workshop II: “Climate Change and Social Networks", chaired by Prof. Nina Kolleck (FU Berlin), Prof. David Tindall (University of British Columbia), Alexandra Goritz (FU Berlin)
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• Workshop III: “Education for Sustainability (EfS): Sharing and Strengthening the Teaching and Learning” chaired by Prof. Robert VanWynsberghe (University of British Columbia), Prof. Nina Kolleck (FU Berlin) (starts April 2 at 4pm; full-day program on April 3)
  
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• Workshop IV: “Transitions to a Low-Carbon Economy from a Comparative Perspective” (working title), chaired by Dr. habil. Berthold Kuhn (FU Berlin), Prof. Kurt Hübner (University of British Columbia), Anna-Lena Guske (FU Berlin)
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• Workshop V: “Sustainable Mobility at Universities” chaired by Andreas Wanke, Katrin Risch (FU Berlin)
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PhD Conference (Thursday - Friday)

Thursday and Friday (April 4-5) are dedicated to our PhD students, offering two parallel running PhD conferences hosted by professors from the UAS and UNA Europa network. In addition to the conference-style presentation sessions, we will offer different training modules. Topics may range from presentations skills, research ethics, intercultural competence for academic settings, publication strategies etc. Accepted participants can choose one of the trainings offered.

Presentation Sessions:

• PhD Workshop: “Environmental Politics” chaired by Prof. Itay Fishhendler (Hebrew University), Prof. Kathryn Harrison (University of British Columbia)
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• PhD Workshop: “Sustainable Development Research – an Interdisciplinary Chance or Challenge?” chaired by Prof. Brigitta Schütt (FU Berlin), Prof. Pascal Borry (KU Leuven), Prof. Piotr Szwedo (Jagiellonian University)
  
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Training Sessions:

We offer four different training modules in the framework of the PhD workshops on April 4th 3-5:30pm. Accepted participants can choose one of the trainings offered. Please send an email to Katrin Risch (Katrin.risch@fu-berlin.de) by March 1, indicating your first and second choice for a training. Places will be allocated on a first come first serve basis.

• Training I: Logframes and Work Breakdown Structures – Core Elements of Research Proposals, chaired by Prof. Brigitta Schütt, Freie Universität Berlin
• Training II: Research-Ethics, chaired by Prof. Pascal Borry, KU Leuven
• Training III: Shaping Sustainability Discourses through Academic Writing, chaired by Dr. Andrea Kölbel, VDI/VDE IT GmBH
• Training IV: Program Theory – A Tool for Participatory Planning and Evaluation, chaired by Sebastian Niedlich, Freie Universität Berlin

Please find detailed Training Sessions descriptions here.

Program Overview