Restoring the invisible: new network to explore Indigenous epistemologies
The ways of thinking and knowing developed in Indigenous cultures have long been marginalised within the academy and in public life, including in approaches to the environment, migration, and justice. Dr June Bam–Hutchison (University of Cape Town) is leading a collaborative network that aims to restore understandings of Indigenous concepts, enrich existing scholarship, and help to develop new approaches to today’s global challenges.
Setting a new standard for COVID-19 testing
With a potentially large proportion of COVID-19 cases showing no symptoms but still infectious, sensitive and accurate methods of testing for the virus are essential to reduce the dangers of transmission within communities. A newly established WUN research group is helping to refine testing methods of testing for SARS-Cov-2.
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International Development Program for Early Career Researchers
WUN, in collaboration with UNESCO and the UNSDSN, will hold a series of free virtual networking workshops for early career researchers under the theme of ‘developing the next generation of research leaders for sustainable development’. The workshops will bring together early career researchers from all around the world interested in establishing connections to colleagues in their field.
Click through to learn more about this exciting program and to register for the inaugrural event.
Healthy cities and community needs: reconfiguring public spaces in the age of pandemics
Some of the most striking spaces of the twentieth century were conceived with the modernist ambition to make urban living healthier. In the twenty-first century, the COVID-19 crisis and the changing use of public space is encouraging a return to such thinking. These debates have crystallised discussions of how to make public spaces work best for local communities—questions that the WUN group on sustainable, healthy cities has been exploring in their research and practice for several years. Click through to discover more.
WUN Profile: Martin Paul completes his term as chair
During his productive term as Chair of the Partnership Board, Martin Paul (President of Maastricht University) challenged WUN to think harder and more sharply about the areas in which it can be most valuable. While it was founded to harness the benefits of multilateral collaboration in research, in recent years WUN has developed additional ways to benefit its members. ‘With networks you benefit from them only if you are an active partner,’ a belief that underpinned his engagement with and investment in WUN.
WUN welcomes newest member Makerere University
We are delighted to announce that Makerere University has joined the Worldwide Universities Network. WUN warmly welcomes Vice Chancellor Barnabas Nwangwe and colleagues as partners. Click through to learn more.
Webinar on restarting research during the pandemic: summary of insights from across five continents
The third instalment of WUN’s webinar series sharing experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic focused on research: how universities are managing priorities during campus closures and conditions on returning to work. Click through for a summary and recording of the event.
Global study on the pandemic’s impact on university staff and student wellbeing
An international consortium of WUN member universities along with WUN+ partners is examining the experiences of staff members and students at universities around the world, seeking to reveal the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on their mental health and wellbeing. Click through to learn about the project and to access their global survey for academic staff members.
Advancing telerobotics to make hospitals safer for health workers
With health care workers across the world taking on extreme risks during the COVID-19 pandemic, WUN is supporting a team of engineers and scientists to make treating patients safer for hospital staff. Read more here about the collaboration between members Zhejiang University and The University of Sheffield to develop a robot that will reduce the risk of infection on isolation wards.
