Legend has it that some of the most important conversations in the world have been had in drinking dens – from interventions about shitty boyfriends, to debates of great intellectual rigour. Hence, a bunch of switched on people have put their heads together, and decided to bring the classroom to the pub. For one night only on Tuesday, April 9, ten venues across Sydney are teaming up with the University of Sydney for Raising the Bar – an event designed to help boost intellects and provoke conversations by hosting 20 free talks about ‘Healthier Futures’.
Don’t let the mention of the word ‘healthier’ give you the impression that these chats will be narrow in scope (or lead to a sales pitch for a weird supplement). The topics for these talks range from the benefits of riding public transport with dogs, to how big vape is hooking the next generation, whether depression is a form of jetlag, whether dark matter could save the world, and wearable technology that can improve your mental health. This is your chance to get those neurons firing, engage with the research that is shaping our city, and wax lyrical with academics in a laid-back atmosphere.
We’re particularly thirsty to fetch ideas from Dr Jennifer Kent in her talk Riding in cars with dogs at the dog-friendly Wayward Brewery in Camperdown. “If we want Sydney to be a liveable, sustainable and global city, we need to let the dogs out on our public transport system,” says Dr Kent. “Over 40 per cent of Sydney’s households own one or more dogs, but unlike many other cities around the world, we can’t take our dogs on public transport, making the joy of companion animal ownership a really car-dependent affair in Sydney.”
This novel learning experience will be hosted by some great local venues including Clare Bar, The Abercrombie, Fortress Sydney, Soultrap and Harry’s. All talks are free to attend with a booking, and start at 6pm and 8pm at each venue on Tuesday, April 9. Check out all the participating venues and talks over here.
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