Celebrating 150 yearsFuture historyWhile our history is our foundation,the future is being created nowin the minds of our people.If the past, as British writer Leslie Hartley famously said, isa foreign country, then the future is a land waiting for us toimagine it.Lighting the wayAs we celebrate 150 years of our University’s past, we haveour eyes firmly on the future – and how we will continue tomake history. To explore the breadth and importance of thework we are doing, Lumen spoke to the leaders of our eightresearch institutes, and our own academic leaders, todescribe the most important work they are engaged in, andhow it will change the future and impact people’s lives.Our research institutes vary widely in the work they aredoing. But they are united in the goals of sustainability andongoing improvements for our people and environment. Thisis very clear at the Waite Research Institute where ProfessorMatt Tucker, Interim Director, tells Lumen: “There is nobigger issue than securing a sustainable and productivefuture for Earth’s agriculture.”“Our research targets new crops, crop varieties and farmingsystems that will withstand climate change; create nutritiousand delicious new food and premium wines; and developon-demand production of sustainable bioresources such asbiofuels and recyclable plastics.”It may not be obvious how the manipulation of light mayalso reshape the future – but this is exactly the work theInstitute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing (IPAS) isengaged in.The benefits of work in this field are already in our homesand workplaces – bigger and better televisions, computersand communications. Professor Andre Luiten, IPAS Director,says: “There’s much more to come”.“We are using the power of light to make the worldhealthier, wealthier and safer. Amongst our work we areaiming to build a microscope the size of a human hair toallow diagnosis of arterial lesions that pose a threat to cardiachealth – and manufacturing optical fibres in space to enhanceinternet data transmission.”Student lifeSustainability is a big issue for our students and, ProfessorJennie Shaw, Deputy Vice Chancellor and Vice-President(Academic) says our new Sustainability Strategy embedssustainability into our curriculum and teaching practices.LUMEN
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