Professor Dana Bergstrom is presenting this year’s Allan Sefton Memorial Lecture.

‘Is Antarctic science worth the carbon miles?’ will be presented in person and online on Friday 18 August, 5:30 pm.

The Antarctic Treaty assures that Antarctica is a protected natural reserve, set aside for peace and science, however, fossil fuels are utilised for almost all activities, including scientific research.

In this talk, Professor Bergstrom will look at the current human footprint in Antarctica which is collectively small compared to the size of the continent but found mostly in areas used by wildlife. As Antarctic research has an environmental impact, it poses the difficult question of whether the carbon footprint and environmental damage caused by the scientific machinery is worthwhile in comparison to the resulting increase in human knowledge.

The Allan Sefton Memorial Lecture is held annually and is named in honour of the late Allan Sefton, who was well-known as a naturalist and conservator of the environment. The lecture was established in 1993, in recognition of his contribution to environmental science in the Illawarra. Each year, an Australian scientist is invited to deliver the lecture on a topic of environmental interest.

The event will be held in Building 20.3 at Wollongong campus, and light refreshments will be served in the foyer following the event.

A link to join the event online will be distributed prior to the event.

Speaker Bio

Professor Dana Bergstrom is an Australian applied ecologist and international science leader. A visiting Fellow at the University of Wollongong, working for the last 20 years at the Australian Antarctic Division. Her research focuses on identifying and mitigating risks that threaten Antarctic and sub-Antarctic ecosystems. Her work includes ground-breaking studies on combating ecosystem collapse from the tropics to the Antarctic, as well as documenting a record-breaking heatwave in Antarctica. She was awarded the 2021 Eureka Prize for Leadership in Innovation and Science.