Please note: We will be swapping from Zoom to MS Teams in the New Year. Further details to follow.
The 1 in 5 Research Challenge builds on the 1 in 5 framework that Simon Rushton introduced in 2023. 1in5 allows the academic community to focus some of its collective brainpower on climate, biodiversity and sustainability. The basic principle is that organisations developing environmental policy are able to present their evidence needs and research questions. We will then make the questions and challenges available to students and their supervisors who are seeking to deliver impactful final year projects and/or dissertations. Students can choose to register for one of the evidence needs questions, or develop their own climate change or biodiversity themed project with their project supervisor. The students, in collaboration with their project supervisor, will develop their research project which, when completed, can be uploaded to the 1in5 library, making it available to those raising the initial question as well as students who may wish to build upon the research with projects in subsequent years.
Given the severe public resource constraints we are aiming to maintain the flow of research evidence so that environmental policy decisions can still be made, influenced by the contribution of students across the country. Our ambition is that not only will we achieve environmental change through the project, but participating graduates, across all subject areas, will strengthen and expand their awareness of climate change and biodiversity issues. They will then carry that knowledge into their future careers influencing colleagues and employers along the way. Participating students will connect with real-life issues of concern to society and address challenges raised by organisations, with whom they make seek employment in future. Being able to cite involvement in 1in5 in CVs and job applications may give our participating students the edge in recruitment processes.
About the Speakers
Simon Rushton
Simon is currently a Professor in the School of Psychology at Cardiff University. His area of expertise is vision science, however Simon has recently taken an interest in climate and biodiversity and in particular the role universities can play in addressing these challenges.
Andy Schofield is the Director of Environment Platform Wales. With a career spanning over 30 years, the majority of which was spent in operational, policy and strategic roles for NRW and its predecessor organisations, Andy has extensive experience of the environmental issues throughout Wales and the challenges faced by those seeking to address them. Following a period working on the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon Project, Andy has most recently managed the GW4 Water Security Alliance, facilitating research collaborations across Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter universities.
Catherine Arnold works as a Partnership Officer for Environment Platform Wales. Catherine studied MSc Water Science, Policy and Management in 2016-17 and has since gained experience in the UK water industry as a Public Health Scientist. More recently, Catherine has worked in the training and development sector, facilitating training for the British Red Cross. In her free time she enjoys the environment through watersports and hiking.