PLuS Alliance presented the international Forum on Inequality from Thursday 20 to Friday 21 July, 2017 in Sydney, Australia.
PLuS Alliance colleagues from Arizona State University, King’s College London and UNSW SYDNEY were joined by other staff from the three universities, students, alumni, friends and industry to converge on UNSW’s Kensington campus for two days of meetings, workshops, talks and presentations on the issue of inequality and how the PLuS Alliance’s combined expertise can begin to address the issues around inequality, particularly through the four themes of sustainability, global health, social justice, and technology and innovation. The Forum generated new research ideas across the Alliance’s three universities exploring gender issues and violence, housing affordability, homelessness, technology for people with disabilities, health and mental health, and immigration.
PLuS Alliance also partnered, for the first time, with UNSW Grand Challenges to deliver the opening public event, delivered by keynote speaker, Liesl Tesch AM MP. Ms Tesch’s stirring and moving address, from the Personal to the Political followed her journey from a diagnosis of paraplegia at 19 through to global success as a Paralympian, philanthropist and politician. The Grand Challenges event, and the Forum, was opened by the President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ian Jacobs.
PLuS Alliance also partnered, for the first time, with UNSW Grand Challenges to deliver the opening public event, a keynote address by Liesl Tesch AM MP. Ms Tesch’s stirring address, from the Personal to the Political, described her journey from a diagnosis of paraplegia at 19 through to global success as a Paralympian, philanthropist and politician. This was followed by a panel discussion including Ms Tesch with Professor Rosalind Dixon, UNSW (Chair) | Professor Richard Holden, UNSW | Professor Eileen Baldry, UNSW | Professor Mark Henderson, ASU | Dr Jelke Boesten, King’s, exploring inequality in all its forms and positing potential solutions.
The Forum highlighted the key issues of inequality and fostered interdisciplinary discussion in the context of the four PLuS Alliance themes of sustainability, global health, social justice, and technology and innovation.
