Today's Science, Tomorrow's World (SCIE10005)

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is Today’s Science, Tomorrow’s World composed of?

  Today’s Science, Tomorrow’s World consists of 5 weeks of core material (which all students will undertake) and 2 Investigations which students will choose from a variety of options.

• What is an Investigation?

  An Investigation is a short (3 week) topic of study that focuses on a particular aspect of climate change or environmental sustainability.

• Can I do both Investigations at the same time?

  No, the Investigations run sequentially and address different learning outcomes.

• What is available for Investigation 1?
  • Unpacking our devices: minerals, society and sustainability
    In this Investigation, you will evaluate the current sources and supply/demand constraints of selected critical elements found in modern technologies and investigate and debate the role of science in locating new critical metal sources, recycling e-waste, and improving the environmental and social (including indigenous) impact associated with the exploitation of relevant mineral resources.
  • Climate change, justice and security
    Climate change threatens the stability and prosperity of societies around the world. Climate change is a global phenomenon, but its causes and consequences are not distributed evenly around the world. This investigation explains how climate change impacts people and places in different ways and with different consequences. It explores the connections between climate change and: armed conflict; migration and human mobility; and health. You will learn how changes in Earth systems interact with social systems to create climate risk. You will consider evidence from the social sciences, physical sciences, spatial sciences, and Indigenous and local knowledge.
  • Climate extremes, impacts and uncertainties
    In this Investigation we'll explore what constitutes an extreme weather or climate event, the processes that cause their occurrence and their impacts.
  • Design of smart buildings
    What if the building you worked in was aware of your specific lighting and temperature preferences? For most people, this would be a huge benefit. What if this convenience not only benefits you but also helped you save money and energy? This is both possible and likely for those who live in smart buildings. This investigation allows you to design a smart and sustainable building from the perspective of its natural environment, structural systems, structural materials, and energy use.
  • Sustainable Agriculture - Healthy Planet Healthy People

  Food unites all people. Agriculture is necessary for the survival of humankind however we need to change how we produce and consume food. Agriculture is impacted by the climate but also contributes to the challenges of climate change. It is imperative that we develop sustainable food systems that offer healthy and nutritious foods for everyone but also preserve the environment and natural resources.
  This module will focus on: climate change, agriculture’s impact on the climate – GHG gas emission, carbon neutral agriculture, climate change impacts on agriculture – animal health and welfare, heat stress, the need for climate smart agriculture and sustainable food production.

  • Biofuels past and present
    Transport is one of the largest contributors to our environmental footprint. As we transit to a zero-carbon economy, we need to shift our current reliance on fossil fuels to alternative and more sustainable options. However, are the alternative fuels that we can buy today actually environmentally friendly? How do we ensure that the alternative fuels that we use are sustainable? In this Investigation, by using biofuels as an example, we will explore the answers to these questions by studying the lessons about the boom and bust of biofuels in the last two decades. We will highlight some of the issues related to the use of biofuels as well as examine potential options to mitigate the impacts to ensure sustainability. Through the workshops and assignment, you, by working as a group, will conduct your own research into other alternative transportation fuels including hydrogen, electric, electric hybrid, or solar power, and to produce a YouTube video to communicate your findings to the general public.
  • Climate Change: Co-designing solutions to the big health challenges of our time
    In this investigation we'll explore the challenges that climate change presents to human health and some of the ways that researchers, policymakers, and practitioners are addressing those challenges. The investigation will introduce the idea of climate change as a health emergency and covers the impact of climate change on different systems, such as healthcare, transport, and agriculture. We present a range of local and international responses to these impacts. Importantly, you will learn how to conduct a vulnerability and capacity assessment (VCA) which is used to collate the relevant evidence for climate change impacts in a particular setting and to then identify interventions to build climate resilience
  • Climate Change Activism and New Youth futures
    This investigation examines the production of social scientific knowledge with reference to young people’s involvement in climate change activism. The investigation has three key aims: To offer an introduction to the topic of climate change activism and new youth futures. To deepen understanding of how critical scholars investigate this issue in different parts of Asia and including with reference to research with indigenous people. To show how complex debates about ‘science’ and ‘the environment’ are embedded in young people’s climate activism and attempts to develop new futures.
• What is available for Investigation 2?
  • Antarctica: natural history and future threats
    Antarctica, the vast frozen continent straddling the South Pole, is a place few of us will ever visit. What is it about this iconic landmass that makes it so fascinating and important? In this Investigation, students will discover the natural history of Antarctica and gain insights into why it plays such a critical role in the Earth system. Particular emphasis is given to: (i) its geological evolution and development of its ice sheets; (ii) its unique terrestrial and marine ecosystems that connect with the rest of Earth’s biosphere; (iii) the secrets of our planet’s past climate that have been unlocked from its ice sheets; (iv) its unusual geomagnetic environment; (v) its discovery, use and abuse by humans; (vi) the minefield of geopolitics and governance that has developed over the last century.
  • The weather and climate modelling revolution
    In this Investigation you will learn about the multidisciplinary science that underpins the computer models used every day to predict our weather and climate, and also learn about the opportunities presented by advances in big data science and future developments in quantum computing. You will hear from experts in meteorology, climate change science, computer modelling, big data science, and big data science from the School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, School of Mathematics and Statistics, and School of Physics.
  • Getting to zero
    It is beyond all reasonable doubt that the earth is warming. In this investigation, we'll analyse Alan Finkel's essay from The Quarterly issue 81, "Getting to Zero", which looks at some of the issues around Australia transitioning to a zero-carbon economy.
  • Sustainable Agriculture and environment
    As the world population continues to increase, the need grows for a safe and sustainable supply of food. It is expected that by 2050 the annual crop production needs to increase by almost 60% to ensure that there is enough food to feed the world population. Global climate change makes this challenge even worse. In this module you will learn about the challenges that agriculture is facing, which may threaten food security in the future. What are the costs of environmental damage due to the use of nitrogen fertilizers for the society? How can science provide solutions to make agriculture more sustainable? At the end you will apply this knowledge to critically reply to a journal article on the environmental impact of agriculture.
  • From Villain to wonder: Making plastics sustainable
    We will start in week 1 with some fundamental understanding about plastics, then week 2 give you some information about environmental issues and then beginning in week 2 and continuing in week 3 talk about some of the potential solutions to make these critical materials more sustainable.
  • New Solutions for a polluted world
    Today, pollution is found from the centre of our cities to the ‘pristine’ wilderness of Antarctica. While human innovation and technological advancement has resulted in significant economic growth, it has also been associated with large amounts of pollution, with substantial impacts on human health and ecosystems. Understanding the effects of pollutants and how to sustainably manage them requires multidisciplinary knowledge. Scientists in the Schools of BioSciences and Chemistry are championing new ways to understand and mitigate the risks of anthropogenic pollution which will be showcased in this Investigation. We will explore the impacts and management of pollution for a safe and sustainable future. The Investigation will cover topics including an overview of global pollution, emerging chemicals of concern, pollution in our cities, endocrine disrupting chemicals, ecological impacts, wastewater management and effective communication of pollution with the public.
  • Fire, people and sustainability

  Fire has shaped life on Earth for millions of years and contributed to human prosperity. Yet, patterns of fire are changing around the world – to the detriment of people and the planet. Fire affects climate, human well-being, biodiversity, ecosystems, and water quality. To equip students to understand, articulate and engage in local and global environmental sustainability and climate change challenges facing society in a time of changing fire activity we consider three key questions:
  1) How might ecological and social systems be affected by worldwide changes in fire?
  
  2) What are forward-looking methods for analysing the consequences of fires and their impacts on people, the planet and prosperity?
  
  3) What strategies promote sustainability under new and emerging patterns of fires that draw upon a wide range of applied, formal, natural and social sciences?

  • Vaccines for everyone: The chemical engineering of making a vaccine
    In this investigation we will explore large-scale vaccine manufacture from the bottom up, starting with the biology and biochemistry of vaccines, then looking into vaccine production facilities and their design, and finally the environmental impact of global vaccination.