What do suburban backyards and Aboriginal lands have in common?

Oct 15, 2004

The simple answer to the above question is that they are both places where people interact with nature and are key sites of environmental transformation and meaning. A public presentation (Frontiers in Science) given in Wollongong on Wednesday October 13 by Professor Lesley Head explored these concepts.

Professor Head's work is interdisciplinary and her presentation addressed how she draws on a range of analytical tools from cultural geography, archaeology and palaeoecology.

She explained that understanding the cultural basis of decision making, particularly in the environments we most take for granted, is an important factor in a variety of land and resource management debates in Australia.

Professor Head has worked in many parts of Australia, such as the Kimberly, the Flinders Ranges, Alice Springs - and the suburban backyards of Wollongong. She is the coordinator of the GeoQuEST Research Centre and has received more than $750,000 in research funding from local, state and national organisations.

Professor Head is also the author of two internationally published books, Second Nature: The history and implications of Australia as Aboriginal landscape (Syracuse University Press, New York) and Cultural Landscapes and Environmental Change (Arnold, London).

Frontiers in Science provides an opportunity for members of the broader community, along with staff and students of the University, to attend and participate in discussions pertaining to current research within the Faculty of Science. The presenters are world leaders in their respective fields of research.

Presentations are designed so that all who attend, whether they are high school students, professionals or academics, will gain an insight into the exciting world of modern science as humans push the boundaries of knowledge. Audience participation is strongly encouraged in the question/comment time after each of the presentations.