Research

Sustainability Research at UWS

The University of Western Sydney has a vibrant and dynamic research culture with multidisciplinary research undertaken across a diverse range of areas including culture, society, health and the environment.

If your research is in the area of Social, Cultural, Economic or Environmental sustainability please let us know, by emailing sustainability@uws.edu.au

SURF Projects - Weed Wiper Selective Weed Control Applicator by the School Of Natural Science

The Sustainable UWS Rolling Fund (SURF) program funds sustainability projects that are developed, managed and implemented by UWS staff and students.

The purchase of a Weed Wiper that will fit existing tractors and implements and enable the selective application of herbicides into weed infested areas including native bushland areas under threat from weeds. Please watch the video clip below for more details.

Turnaround Leadership for Sustainability in Higher Education

Higher Education around the world is at a cross-road as a wide range of change forces bear down upon it. These include a complex, interlocked and rapidly unfolding set of sustainability challenges underpinned by social, cultural, economic and environmental developments. This scenario calls for Higher Education to take a leadership role in producing the future leaders equipped to manage them effectively.

The study which is the focus of this report recognises that universities and colleges giving consistent and productive focus to the four pillars of social, cultural, economic and environmental sustainability in their teaching, research, engagement activities and operations will not just happen but must be led, and deftly. It is this issue of effective approaches to ‘Turnaround Leadership for Sustainability in Higher Education’ that the Study addresses.

To find out please see Turnaround Leadership for Sustainability in Higher Education.

EucFACE Research Site

Eucface Site

The Eucalyptus woodland free-air CO2 enrichment (EucFACE) facility is the only one of its kind in the southern hemisphere, and provides unparalleled access for intensive study of canopy and soil processes and native biodiversity in a mature Eucalyptus woodland. EucFACE’s infrastructure is located in native Eucalyptus woodland of the Cumberland Plain in the western part of the Sydney basin. EucFACE was established in 2010 following recommendation to the Commonwealth to understand how rising atmospheric CO2 concentration and CO2 fertilisation affects tree canopy processes and soil and ecosystem function in an Australian native woodland.

Visit the EucFACE website for more information on this research.

Solar Energy Technologies Group

The new UWS Solar Energy Technologies Group (SETG) is advancing environmentally clean fuel (solar-hydrogen) and water purification technologies to mitigate climate change.

Watch UWS 2010 Research Series - Sustainability

A showcase of UWS research projects from 2010 where there is a theme of sustainability. Watch now!