Public lectures 2018
Video recordings of public lectures on topical issues from 2018.
Why romantic poetry still matters
Professor Heidi Thomson dares you to read Romantic poetry for its pure power.
Medicinal cannabis: A welcome relief?
Dr Fiona Hutton and Dr Denise Taylor ask why legalisation of cannabis for medical purposes is so controversial in New Zealand?
Glaciers and ice sheets in a changing climate
Professor Mackintosh explains how recent breakthroughs help answer questions about past, present and future glacier and ice-sheet response to climate change.
The criminalisation of poverty in New Zealand
Professor Lisa Marriott questions whether those who are least advantaged fare worse than those who are in relatively privileged positions.
From minds to culture, and back again
Professor Fischer discusses the reasons why our cultures value different things, work together in different ways and have different ideas about happiness.
Ladies at Home: Language and Culture in Edwardian Wellington
Professor Macalister discusses Language and Culture in Edwardian Wellington
Plate Tectonics of Zealandia
Professor Sutherland explains how scientific drilling and exploration in this area has provided new insight into how plate tectonics work.
The Voice of Architecture
Professor Brown reflects upon how the humanities and social sciences provide a voice to all New Zealand industries and professions, particularly architecture.
The ideology of the skyscraper
Professor Joanna Merwood-Salisbury will discuss the complicated history of the early skyscraper.
Acknowledging state abuse in New Zealand
Dr Stanley asks how acknowledgement of state abuse can be undertaken in a way that goes beyond lip service.
Leading for integrity: Opportunities and challenges for ethical leadership
Professor Lasthuizen shares research into the opportunities and challenges for ethical leadership to make a difference in our society.
Data science and artificial intelligence: challenges and opportunities
The Institute’s Chief Executive, Professor Sir Alan Wilson, describes the Institute’s work, the challenges it seeks to address, and the future of data science.
Re-building the web we want
Dr Markus Luczak-Roesch and Dr Kathleen Kuehn consider what we can do in the future to navigate a brave new media world.
What is Bitcoin?
Dr Robert Kirkby discusses Blockchain technology, in particular cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin.
Science Communication: From practitioner to scholar and back again
Dr Priestley talks about blending a professional career in science communication with her academic career at Victoria University of Wellington.
Climate change: What can we do?
The changing climate is reshaping our way of life: how and where we live, how we feed ourselves and what holds our societies together.
Evolving Biotechnology
Professor David Ackerley describes engineering enzymes using “directed evolution” – a Darwinian approach of randomly mutating a single target gene.
Unmaking American greatness: Trump, populism, and American foreign policy
Rob Rabel and Malcolm McKinnon review American foreign policy over the past seven decades and its struggles with isolationism.