2.4 Values in Action : Staff Excellence Awards
The annual Business School ’ s staff excellence awards recognise the contributions of staff to the achievement of the Business School and UNSW strategic priorities . Several awards – and their recipients – reflect the Business School ’ s commitment to PRME and the SDGs .
The Responsible Management Education Award recognises the sustained passion and commitment of an academic or professional staff member or team in furthering responsible management education and / or research , taking action to develop more sustainable ways to operate , and for fostering and enriching a culture in which sustainability and social responsibility are valued and enacted . The 2021 Recipient was Associate Professor Michele Roberts for contributions to operational practice and curriculum at AGSM with a clear focus on – and inclusion of – the UN SDGs . Michele champions enhanced participation , sustainability , equality and environmental goals . She has chaired the Faculty ’ s SDG Committee during 2021 , drawing staff and students into dialogue and surveys about what the SDGs mean , how well we are currently contributing , and what we can do in the future .
The SDG Research Impact Award recognises transformative research projects that stand out for their contribution to one or more of the SDGs . The 2021 winner was Professor Shan Pan for three significant pieces of work contributing to SDG 13 ( Climate Actions ), SDG 15 ( Life on Land ) and SDG 11 ( Sustainable Cities and Communities ). These studies involved studying air pollution management in China ; designing a wildlife management analytics system for one of India ’ s national parks ; and optimising city-based dangerous goods transportation , with each impactful study also featuring in ABDC A or A * journals . Shan also heads up the Digital Sustainability Hub ( see Section 4.3 ).
The Research Impact Awards recognise impact outside the academic community over the eligible period . The 2021 recipient of the award at Level C ( Senior Lecturer ) was Dr Felix Ter Chian Tan . Felix led the establishment of the UNSW UNOVA lab ( see Section 5.3 ) a platform for collaborative and co-funded public-private research partnerships which contribute significantly towards key SDGs . Felix was also invited by the UN Technology Bank for the Least Developed Countries and the UN Economic & Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific to join discussions on the essential role that science should play in creating the knowledge needed for realising the vision of sustainability outlined in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development .
2.5 Environmental Sustainability Update
The UNSW vision is to be a catalyst for an environmentally sustainable future through excellence in research , teaching and campus operations .
> Will see UNSW build on the substantial steps already taken and embed and deepen its commitment to environmental sustainability .
> Defines commitments , targets , activities and outcomes across 10 key focus areas , each supporting specific themes of the UNSW 2025 Strategy ( see Figure 3 ).
> Identifies and supports UNSW ’ s contribution to seven of the UN Sustainable Development Goals ( SDGs 6 , 7 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 and 15 ) that have an environmental focus .
> Outlines a roadmap towards best practice in environmental sustainability in the higher education sector .
22 | UNSW PRME SIP Report 2021