Monday, October 2, 2023 - Wednesday, October 4, 2023
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States
Transatlantic Symposium on Sustainable Development: North American and European Perspectives on Sustainability in Higher Education
The scientific, cultural, and diplomatic relations between Europe and its partners in North America are very strong. From a scientific point of view, this long-lasting cooperation has been taking place across a wide range of areas. This also includes the field of sustainability, where North America and Europe are working hand in hand, seeking solutions to the many regional and global problems currently being faced.
Against this background and in order to cater to a wide discussion on the contribution of higher education institutions from both sides of the Atlantic towards a more sustainable future, the "Transatlantic Symposium on Sustainable Development: North American and European Perspectives on Sustainability in Higher Education" is being organized.
As the title suggests, the Symposium will provide an opportunity for North American and European sustainability experts to meet, present their work, interact, and network. As a long-lasting documentation of their works, the experiences of the presenters will be documented and promoted in the book "North American and European Perspectives on Sustainability in Higher Education", to be published by Springer Nature. This is part of the World Sustainability Series, the leading peer-reviewed book series on matters related to sustainable development. All submitted papers will be subject to the standard peer-review procedures.
The Symposium is an unprecedented event, mobilizing the scientific communities in North America and in Europe working on matters related to sustainable development in higher education, in a way never seen before.
Organizers
Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, Research and Transfer Centre "Sustainable Development and Climate Change Management"
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Office of Sustainability
Co-Chairs
Professor Walter Leal, Head of the Research and Transfer Centre "Sustainable Development and Climate Change Management", Hamburg, Germany
Dr. Julie Newman, Director of Sustainability, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cooperating Partners
Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE)
European School of Sustainability Science and Research (ESSSR)
Inter-University Sustainable Development Research Programme (IUSDRP)
UK Consortium of Sustainability Research (UK-CSR)
German Consortium of Sustainability Research (DEKONA)
Symposium Goals
The meeting aims to bring together representatives from universities and research organizations, companies, and enterprises from Europe and North America, working on matters related to sustainable development in a higher education context. It also aims at providing a platform for the exchange of information, paving the way for technology transfer and networking.
Furthermore, the Symposium intends to provide a basis upon which European and North American organizations may cooperate more closely in this key area.
Target Groups
The event be will of special interest to researchers, students, project managers, representatives of NGOs, and enterprises working on sustainability in higher education, from Europe and North America. In particular, small and medium-sized colleges, which are not often present at international events, will have in the Symposium a good opportunity to present their work, and for deep interactions with like-minded experts from both regions.
Event Features and Theme Clusters
The Symposium will offer experts from Europe and North America an opportunity to meet and discuss the wide range of approaches and methods which are currently being used -or which will be deployed in the future- in order to further the cause of sustainability in higher education. The experiences of the presenters will be documented and promoted in the book "North American and European Perspectives on Sustainability in Higher Education", to be published by Springer Nature. This is part of the World Sustainability Series, the leading peer-reviewed book series on matters related to sustainable development. The peer-reviewed nature of the book means that contributions to them have been officially counted over the years for promotion and tenure purposes.
The event will be structured around four main theme clusters:
Theme Cluster 1: Sustainable campus operations
Theme Cluster 2: Sustainability and the Curriculum: teaching on, about, and for sustainable development
Theme Cluster 3: Sustainability research
Theme Cluster 4: Community engagement, cooperation
The organizers are happy to consider other topics. Please contact the organizing committee if you wish to discuss an additional theme.
How to attend: Submission of abstracts
Expressions of interest to attend the event, initially consisting of a 200 words abstract outlining the paper and with the full contact details of the author(s) should be sent to the organizing team at: FTZ-Events (at) hamburg (dot) de
The deadline for submission of abstracts is May 22, 2023. Full papers are due by October 30, 2023. The details will be discussed with the selected authors.
Registration and Fees
To offset some of the costs with the organization of the event, a registration fee of US $400/ Euro €395 (plus taxes) will be charged per delegate. The fee also includes the coffee breaks and lunches during the days of the Symposium. The details on how to register will be sent to those authors whose abstracts have been accepted.
For those who submitted abstracts, please register by 15 June 2023 on the Hamburg website
Contact and Further Information
Professor Walter Leal
HAW Hamburg & Manchester Metropolitan University
Germany & United Kingdom
FTZ-Events (at) hamburg (dot) de
Dr. Julie Newman
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Office of Sustainability
Cambridge, Massachusetts
United States
j_newman (at) mit (dot) edu
