Students to aid sustainability program in Vietnam
In Summary
Eighteen Swinburne University of Technology undergraduate students are heading to Tra Vinh University in southern Vietnam to collaborate with local students on environmental sustainability projects.
The university campus is located in a small town in the Mekong Delta, an area that is highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change and other environmental issues.
Each student will be paired with a Vietnamese student for two weeks and will work on a program to promote the significance of conserving the environment and managing water.
The students were selected from a range of disciplines including environmental science, biotechnology, psychology, journalism and digital media.
The group will be led by two senior academics with strong links in Vietnam: sociologist Dr Vivienne Waller and environmental chemist Dr François Malherbe.
“This project addresses one of the most pressing global issues of our time: Sustainable Society,” Dr Malherbe said.
Students at Swinburne have collected more than 100 kg of science and environmental sciencetextbooksthat they will donate to TVU’s library.
TVU recently signed the Talloires Declaration, a declaration for sustainability, created for and by presidents of institutions of higher learning. Swinburne is also a signatory to this declaration.
Follow their study tour on Swinburne’s tumblr.