Australia - Spain Water Forum
Event Information
Description
Purpose of this seminar
The United Nations General Assembly, in December 2003, proclaimed the years 2005-2015 as the International Decade for Action ‘Water for Life’. Its primary goal was to promote efforts to fulfil international commitments made on water and water–related issues in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015.
This year is the last of the International Decade for Action 'Water for Life' 2005-2015. The purpose of this seminar is to address the crucial importance of water at present, from the point of view of health as well as energy, social and cultural development. Spain and Australia share a high concern for water resources, water treatment and water management, the marine environment and the economic and social implications involved.
Program
Thursday 29 October 2015
13:00
Registration
14:00 – 14:50
Conference opening
14:00-14:30
Professor Mary O'Kane NSW Chief Scientist & Engineer. Opening Statement
Program presentation by Víctor Ugarte, Director Instituto Cervantes of Sydney
Welcome words by Manuel Cacho, Ambassador of Spain to Australia
Ana Vila-Concejo. Chair of Australia-Spain Water Forum
14:30–14:50
Opening lecture: Professor Sakkie Pretorius, Macquarie University Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research. Australia’s expertise and collaboration with Spain regarding water resources and research
14:50 – 15:30
Keynote Lecture. Josefina Maestu, Director United Nations Office to Support the International Decade for Action ‘Water for Life’ 2005-2015. Water Scarcity, lessons from the water decade for the implementation of the new goals in the post 2015 agenda.
15:30-15:40
Prof Jennifer McKay. Professor of Business Law University of South Australia Business School – Discussant
15:40 – 16:00
Round table and Q&A with Josefina Maestu, Prof McKay, Dr Amgad Elmahdi Manager Water Resources Assessment Section and Australian experts
16:00 – 17:30
The culture of water [Chair: Cesar Espada, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Spain]
16:00-16:20
Jennifer Turpin "The culture of water: An artist’s perspective
16:20-16:40
Chris Maxworthy. Member Australian Association for Maritime History. “What if Spain had conquered Australia in the 18th century?”
16:40-17:00
Spanish documentary: “Aral. El mar perdido”
17:00-17:20
Isabel Coixet (video conference) Film Director. Introducing the documentary “El mar de Aral”
17:20
Welcome cocktail
Friday 30 October 2015
9:20 - 9:30
Welcome to SIMS by Prof Peter Steinberg, SIMS CEO
9:30 - 11:10
The Science of Coasts [Chair: Ana Rubio, Hornsby Shire Council-SRAP]
9:30-9:50
Associate Professor Ian Goodwin (MQ) ASPRO Climate Risk (CoRE)Tropical expansion and coastal evolution
9:50-10:10
Dr Ana Vila-Concejo (USYD-SRAP) Tropical and temperate coastal research.
10:10-10:30
Professor Bruce Thom (USYD) Coastal Management in Australia
10:30-10:50
Dr Adriana Vergés (UNSW-SRAP). Climate change and the tropicalisation of temperate reefs
10:50-11:10
Professor Peter Steinberg (SIMS) World Harbour Project presentation
11:10 – 11:50
Coffee Break
11:50 – 13:30
Bridging the science and industry of water [Chair: Alberto Cerdán, Senior Trade Commissioner, Embassy of Spain]
11:50-12:10
Dr James Hazelton (MQ) — "National Water Accounting Standards"
12:10-12:30
Cliff Stone and Carlos Cerezo (Acciona Australia) — Water Desalination
12:30-12:50
Peter Brew (Consultant Adasa Sistemas) Irrigation modernisation in Australia and Spain
12:50-13:10
Brad Moggridge (NSW DPI Water) - Aboriginal cultural value of water
13:10-13:30
Amgad Elmahdi (BOM) - Where our water come from: Climate Resilient Water sources
13:30 - 14:30
Lunch
14:30 – 15:50
Sustainable Water [Chair: Adriana Vergés, Senior Lecturer at the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences UNSW]
14:30-14:50
Associate Professor Melanie Bishop (MQ) Genetic solution or dilution: can selective breeding future-proof oysters?
14:50-15:10
Dr Ana Rubio-Zuazo ('Hornsby Shire Council'-SRAP) Healthy Oysters, Healthy Waterways
15:10-15:30
Dr Álvaro Roura- Labiaga (Department of Ecology,Environment and Evolution La Trobe University) Octopus on the move: a genetic look to their diet and microbiome
15:30-15:50
Stephen Summerhayes & Simón Leiva (Cook River Alliance) Local Government catchment collaboration for a healthy waterway
15:50- 16:10
Closure and summary by SRAP organisers / Instituto Cervantes
Saturday 31 October 2015
Special Session: Spanish and European researchers in Australia
09:30 – 09:50
Conference opening by Prof Luis Salvador-Carulla (SRAP).
History of SRAP, intro on other associations and intro International Federation.
09:50 – 10:50
Roundtable: Relationship between European Scientific Associations, Embassies and Consulates and Cultural Organisations.
Chair: Dr Ren Yi, Director, Research Training and International Research Training Partnerships, Macquarie University. Cotutelle and Joint PhD programs
Participants:
Thomas Biedermann, Office of the Attaché for Science and Technology. French Embassy.
Sergio Leon-Saval, University of Sydney & Vice-president of SRAP. Dimitri Perrin, Queensland University of Technology, Former President of the French Research Association in Japan.
Helen O'Neil, Director Australia British Council: President of the EUNIC Cluster in Australia.
Marian Schoen. EU Centre on Shared Complex Challenges. University of Melbourne.
10:50 – 11:20
Break
11:20 – 12:15
Who is doing what? Other Sydney, Australia and New Zealand research centers
12:15 - 13:15
SRAP first Assembly
13:15 – 13:30
Closure
13:30
Lunch: requires registration. Free for SRAP members and speakers of the day. Price for non-members: $25.
