01 July 2024 Sustainability Challenge and a little beetle
I recently had the pleasure of engaging with several teams of smart and creative students taking part in Curtin’s annual Sustainability Challenge.
The event (which is also a subject) bring students from diverse discipline backgrounds together to have a tilt at solving current issues in sustainability.
Working with Jacqui Addison from Curtin’s property management team, we briefed students on the challenges posed by Polyphagous Shothole Borer in Perth, and set them the task of solving the problem.
The ideas that came back were really cool. Ranging from chemical goop that could be sprayed on trees to form a protective layer, to heat treatment, to sonicating the beetles into beetlejuice. The students also thought further afield, about advocacy and governance. Overall, a really impressive showing. I have promised to mention their ideas to anyone that might be able to advance them further.
