UNSW Arts, Design & Architecture

🎉It’s a great day for inclusive health research. The Medical Research Future Fund has awarded $2 million to the UNSW-led project ‘My Health Choices My Way’. 💬“This project is about ensuring young people with intellectual disability have real choices and real voices in their health care,” says project lead Professor Iva Strnadová, from UNSW ADA’s School of Education and the UNSW Disability Innovation Institute (DIIU). Through collaboration and co-design, ‘My Health Choices My Way’ will develop practical resources to help young people with intellectual disabilities navigate the shift from paediatric to adult health care. “We’re building tools and systems that reflect their needs, values, and rights,” says Prof. Strnadová. These inclusive systems will seek to: Empower young people with better health literacy and self-advocacy skills Support families and carers by streamlining processes Equip health professionals with evidence-based resources ‘My Health Choices My Way’ is bringing together an unprecedented coalition of researchers and community advocates, and among the UNSW researchers involved are Julie Loblinzk Refalo OAM, Dr Elizabeth Emma Palmer, Professor Kevin Lowe and Scientia Professor Julian Trollor AM. 🔗 Learn more about ‘My Health Choices My Way'➡️ https://lnkd.in/g_wNwetq

👏Congratulations to Scientia Associate Professor Negin Nazarian, who has received the Global Environmental Change Early Career Award from the American Geophysical Union (AGU). The AGU is the world's largest Earth and space science association, and this honour recognises A/Prof. Nazarian’s outstanding global impact in addressing environmental change through research, education and outreach. 🌏 As an urban climatologist at ADA’s School of Built Environment, A/Prof. Nazarian explores how weather and climate interact with built environments, identifying hotspots for climate hazards – from heat waves to flooding – and how this affects urban residents. At this early career stage, A/Prof. Nazarian is already a leader in the field, leading the Climate-Resilient Cities Lab, acting as Deputy Director for the The ARC Centre of Excellence for 21st Century Weather, and contributing as a Lead Author to the upcoming IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Cities. “It’s rewarding to know that our work is making a difference, especially in line with the spirit of the Global Environmental Change Award, which recognises contributions of global importance,” says A/Prof. Nazarian. ”We need to get to the point where science is really shaping policy, governance and investment.” Read more about A/Prof. Nazarian’s remarkable career ➡️ https://lnkd.in/gcxt64_N

It’s time to celebrate the launch of “The Tides of the Century”! This book was originally created for one of China’s biggest international art shows – a visionary exhibition that transformed Ocean Flower Island, Hainan, into a global art playground in 2020. But then the world flipped, and the pandemic put everything on pause. The show went on. The book waited. Until NOW. “The Tides of the Century” is co-edited by Professor Chunchen Wang and Professor Paul Gladston, and looks at how art responds to the complexities of our times – from the pandemic to post-globalisation. 🖥️ 🔗 Grab your free digital copy on our website (link also in bio): https://lnkd.in/gegvN-rh This is the first book from JNCCA Editions, created to bring you the art books that almost didn’t make it into the world. Published by the UNSW Judith Neilson Chair of Contemporary Art.

Opening the doors to early education for families experiencing poverty. 💡The Engaging Families in Early Education research project has recently launched a series of digital stories designed to break down the barriers to participation for these families. “Improving access to Early Childhood Education and Care requires more than financial support,” says Dr Megan Blaxland, a Senior Research Fellow at UNSW Social Policy Research Centre and lead investigator on the project. “The research team worked with educators and families to co-create digital stories and online professional learning services, designed to build the capacity of early childhood educators to connect with families and their communities to enhance belonging and engagement,” she says. Here, Paula, a Wiradjuri educator, talks about how making a children’s culture visible enables children’s experiences of belonging and their learning. She connects this to her own experience of growing up not knowing her culture and the effect this had on her sense of belonging. “When you make a child’s culture visible … their faces, they just light up, you get me, you understand, you care. When they feel like they belong, when they feel they’re seen or heard, then they’re going to want to learn”. You can find out more here and see other stories ➡️ https://lnkd.in/gbDM2hkA

What do architects do with seemingly forgotten sites? Those placed in the too hard basket and abandoned? For ADA Master of Architecture student Mackenzie Peachey, the abandoned site of Alexandra Canal was a source of inspiration for her final studio project 'The Forgettery'. 'The Forgettery' is an imagined wellness facility for selective memory erasure set along the canal, with a cafe 'Deja Brew', a 'Suspended Bridge of Consciousness' and room for Gas-Light Therapy. It’s an architectural fantasy where “forgetting is no longer a failure - it’s a lifestyle choice!” Blending satire and architecture, the project challenges the idea that ‘ignorance is bliss'. With this final studio project resigned to memory, Mackenzie says she's “excited to return to full-time work in the industry and apply what I’ve learned in a practical context.” “One of the great things about this degree is the diversity of career paths it opens up, and I feel really fortunate to have that flexibility moving forward.” Thank you Mackenzie for sharing your unforgettable work! A challenging look at how society approaches many difficult situations.

We are thrilled to share that Alison Gwilt has started as Head of School at ADA's School of Art & Design.🎉

Explore the world from the comfort of campus! 🌏 ADA’s School of Humanities & Languages presents the 2025 UNSW Languages Festival, showcasing the diversity of languages that we teach and speak at UNSW. 📅 Wednesday, 24 September – Thursday, 25 September 📍UNSW Kensington Over two days, the festival will host live performances, international cuisine stalls, workshops and cultural experiences to celebrate how languages broaden our horizons and connect us all. See the full festival program: https://lnkd.in/ggXAfW8Q

“North Sydney Council will undermine community partnerships if it goes ahead with its plan to charge schools to use its public parks,” says Dr Fatemeh Aminpour, Research Fellow at UNSW ADA’s UNSW City Futures Research Centre. “Instead, it could work towards reciprocal access with the community able to use school spaces.” Read more ➡️ https://lnkd.in/gNgvMiBg

👏 Congratulations to UNSW ADA’s Dr Kate Brady winner of an Australasian Women in Emergencies Recognition Award for Research, Policy and Practice. The awards celebrate the outstanding contributions of women in emergency management and disaster resilience across Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific. 🏆The judging panel recognised Kate as “a visionary disaster recovery researcher whose work bridges research, policy, practice, and community experience.” Sharing that “Kate’s commitment to inclusive knowledge-sharing has transformed how Australia understands and supports disaster recovery.” 💬“The Australasian Women in Emergencies awards feel special because they're nominated by and judged by your peers,” says Kate. “Most of my work focuses on trying to support knowledge translation between communities, researchers, policy makers and practitioners involved in disaster recovery, so it's a real privilege to be able to share this award with Claire Leppold and Brandy Alger, who both do amazing work.” Kate works within the School of Built Environment and is the Research Fellow for the UNSW HowWeSurvive initiative. You can read more about her research ➡️ https://lnkd.in/g3u7vt6U Australasian Women in Emergencies Network

SPECIAL EVENT One Woman a Week: How do we end gendered violence? 📅 24 September 6.30pm 📍 UNSW John Niland Scientia, Kensington Despite Australia promising to end gendered violence within a generation, intimate partner abuse and domestic homicide rates are still rising – with at least one woman killed each week. Award-winning journalist Jess Hill leads this headline event exploring the bold and essential question: how can we end gendered violence? Join us for a solo talk from Jess Hill, followed by a conversation and Q&A with UNSW ADA expert Professor Michael Salter, chaired by Walkley-winning journalist Sarah Malik. Unpacking the complexities of the issue in Australia, this event promises one of Diversity Festival 2025’s most urgent and timely conversations. Get your free ticket: https://lnkd.in/g-ArnpGc UNSW Gendered Violence Research Network UNSW Law & Justice