18.8 C
Byron Shire
March 28, 2024

Pre-eminent hydrologist joins SCU to help tackle climate change

Latest News

Man charged over domestic violence and pursuit offences – Tweed Heads

A man has been charged following a pursuit near Tweed Heads on Monday.

Other News

We just love him!

If you’re over 50 you might not be a fan of Tom Jones, but you can bet your mum is. If you’re under 40 you might not even know who he is, but your grandmother probably wet her pants at the mere mention of his name.

Save Wallum finalist in NSW 2024 environment awards

The Save Wallum campaign has been named as a finalist in the Nature Conservation Council of NSW Environment Awards 2024. The award ceremony will be held in Sydney tonight, and Save Wallum spokesperson and ecologist James Barrie will be attending with Tegan Kitt, another founding member of the group.

Saddle Road group home DA decision this week

Plans to build Byron Shire’s first permanent group home for women and children in housing stress are moving ahead, with the development application for the project coming before Council this week.

A seasoned bard

Guy Kachel had an idyllic entry to the world of music. Born in Tamworth, he was raised on the banks of the Peel River. The landscape was a fertile ground for his imagination. Seeing this rustic world change, as Tamworth developed into an inland city and friends grew to sometimes troubled adulthoods, provided insights for the artistry that later powered his career as a performer.

Lismore Labor MP called out over native forest logging

More than five hundred people marched in the rain through Lismore to the local state member’s office in protest against government sanctioned native forest logging on Sunday.

The Picture House is turning 8

It feels like we were only just ringing in the new year days ago and here we are approaching Easter weekend at The Brunswick Picture House. It’s already been a whirlwind start to 2024 with their biggest and busiest program so far, bringing an eclectic mix of some of the hottest stand-up comedy, music gigs, film screenings and cabaret – and that was just last week!

Paul Bibby

One of the country’s foremost hydrology and water resources experts, Associate Professor Peter Coombes, has joined Southern Cross University’s Lismore campus.

In a move which comes as the region – along with much of the country – is crippled by drought, Dr Peter Coombes has taken up a position as Chair of Engineering in the university’s School of Environment, Science and Engineering.

He is now hoping to turn his skills to the task of addressing the impacts of climate change.

‘As Chief Scientist, I wrote many new policies about how to adapt to challenges in the future,
but I was also met with a lot of resistance,’ Dr Coombes said.

‘This is particularly upsetting when I look at the current fire and drought events affecting our
nation.

‘I’ve moved here to make a difference.’

One of the early co-authors of the Science Engineering and Innovation Council’s assessment of Australia’s water future, Dr Coombes also served as Chief Scientist for the Office of Living Victoria, advising the Victorian Government on water reform policy.

For the past two decades, he has been Managing Director of Urban Water Cycle Solutions, an independent applied science and policy think tank.

Along the way he’s been awarded more than $3 million in research funding, the GN Alexander Medal for contributions to the science of hydrology and water resources, and this week the President’s medal for services to Engineering by Engineers Australia.

‘What’s being done here is quite unique, so it’s relevant that the world knows about it,’ he says.

‘For example, the coastal systems engineering research is relevant to most countries around the world, and is profoundly relevant to nations impacted by climate change.

One misconception he plans to set straight is that engineering and science are separate
disciplines.

‘People think engineering is just about building, but it’s about fixing things and solving problems,’ he says.

‘In my world, scientists need to work alongside the engineers if we want to solve the world’s’ problems.’


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