DSI Talks

Katherine Richardson (University of Copenhagen) Planetary Boundaries: A tool to guide management of Human-Earth interactions - 2nd May

The climate and biodiversity witness that our societies cannot continue to flourish unless we actively manage our relationship with the Earth and its resources. Such management requires guardrails to identify how much perturbation of critical Earth system processes is “too much”. The planetary boundaries framework, first introduced in 2009, and since twice updated, identifies science-based limits for human perturbation of Earth system processes. The most recent update shows that 6 of 9 boundaries are transgressed and that transgression is increasing. It also shows, however, that human perturbation of the ozone layer – a boundary transgressed or nearly transgressed in the 1900s - is now in back within a “safe operating space”. The framework and how it can be used for management of the Human-Earth relationship are presented here.

2nd May in the Management School - Lecture Theatre 3 - 1.30 - 3pm

Biography

Katherine Richardson is a professor in biological oceanography at the University of Copenhagen and, for more than 3 decades, has actively contributed to the development of Earth system science. She is one of the main architects behind the “planetary boundaries” and led the 2023 update that now has been downloaded over half a million times. She is extremely active at the science-policy and science-society interfaces and chaired the Commission that produced a plan for how Denmark can be independent of fossil fuels. She was a member of the Independent Group of Scientists that prepared the 2019 UN Global Sustainable Development Report and currently chairs the High-level EU Expert group on the economic and societal impact of research and innovation (ESIR).

Lauren Tilton and Taylor Arnold (University of Richmond) Distant Viewing and the Multimodal Turn - 21st May

Management School – Lecture Theatre 3 - 3.15-5pm

Lauren Tilton and Taylor Arnold, University of Richmond

How do computers view? How can we harness AI to view images at scale?

Distant viewing offers a theory and method for the large-scale analysis of images using computer vision. This talk will introduce the concept and then turn to specific AI methods for the analysis of images. We will then turn to how distant viewing can support multimodal analysis, specifically looking at multimodal large language models.

Learn more about Tilton and Arnold’s work:

Distant Viewing Lab
Taylor Arnold and Lauren Tilton, Distant Viewing: Computational Exploration of Digital Images. MIT Press, 2023.

What Independent SAGE has taught me about the current biggest issues in light of COVID-19 and where data science can help

Professor Christina Pagel gave a talk to DSI on 'What Independent SAGE has taught me about the current biggest issues in light of COVID-19 and where data science can help'. Listen here to her insights and observations about the ongoing pandemic.

A Watershed Moment for Social Policy and Human Rights?: Where Next for the UK Post-Covid

A recording is now available of the launch of the book by Amy Clair and our very own Jasmine Fledderjohann and Bran Knowles entitled, "A Watershed Moment for Social Policy and Human Rights?: Where Next for the UK Post-Covid". The event included an overview of the key concepts and themes in the book; invited talks from Aaron Reeves (University of Oxford), Kayleigh Garthwaite (University of Birmingham), and Daniel Greene (University of Maryland).

Problem, what problem? Perspective-taking amidst constant change amidst a pandemic

Director of Public Health for Lancashire County Council. Sakthi Karunanithi is an experienced Director with a demonstrable history of working in the NHS, local government and industry. Skilled in Population Health Management, Evidence based policy advice, Epidemiology, Prevention, Health Promotion, Healthcare Management, and Healthcare.