This event is open to both internals and externals to The University of Manchester.
On Thursday 29th February 2024, Sustainable Futures will be hosting our second 2024 Seminar in our monthly seminar series with Prof. Jennifer O'brien and Dr Paul Baguley.
Indicative Agenda
14:00 - 14:05 - Introductions and Welcome
14:05 - 14:25 - Prof. Jennifer O'brien, Academic Lead for Sustainability Teaching and Learning and Inspired and Informed Futures lead for Sustainable Futures at The University of Manchester, will present "A 43,000 strong force for change: Sustainability impact through the University Living Lab and student assessment".
14:25 - 14:30 - Q&A with Prof. Jennifer O'brien.
14:30 - 14:50 - Dr Paul Baguley, Lecturer in Project Cost Management in the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering at The University of Manchester, will present on "Using Artificial Intelligence to Estimate the Cost of Engineering Sustainability and Social Responsibility: The Role of the Cost Engineer in Project Management".
14:50 - 14:55 - Q&A with Dr Paul Baguley.
14:55 - 15:00 - Closing thoughts from our seminar Chair.
15:00 - Event Close
Talk Descriptions
Prof. Jennifer O'brien | "A 43,000 strong force for change: Sustainability impact through the University Living Lab and student assessment"
Student assessment is an undervalued resource for sustainability (O’Brien, 2019). At University of Manchester our 43,000 interdisciplinary students all undertake assessment which could be better used. Drawing on Education for Sustainable Development, the University Living Lab brokers applied research framed around the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals between organisations and students who can use it for their degree assessment. This approach offers flexible, accessible assessment that enhances employability and student experience whilst positioning interdisciplinary students within Sustainability. Interdisciplinary (free!) research adds value to organisations’ work. Thanks in part to HEIF funding, more than 1000 students have worked with a huge range of partner organisations, including international consultants, governments, NGOs, health bodies, charities and local businesses. Impact ranges from constructing sustainable urban infrastructure to framing council policy and informing NGO strategy. Two students have been employed by organisations they did their research for, many more attribute employment to this experience. Our award winning Lab is an open source of research, and pedagogic knowledge. Drawing on student voice, this presentation critically shares the scalable approach (O’Brien, et al., 2021) which unites teaching and research whilst transforming the ability of universities to support sustainability transitions (Evans et al., 2015). We invite partnership through assessment and projects.
Dr Paul Baguley | "Using Artificial Intelligence to Estimate the Cost of Engineering Sustainability and Social Responsibility: The Role of the Cost Engineer in Project Management"
It has been said that accountants know the cost of everything and the value of nothing. In the wide engineering industry cost engineers are from Venus and the commercial bid team are from Mars. The United Nations has used the term global boiling. Stakeholders in society are using the term real price of products to reflect on the cost of clean-up and environmental damage. However, it seems that despite exciting innovations in engineering nothing gets done if there is no profit given to shareholders and projects can beat cost competition to get done in the first place. This has largely been the case despite the increasing requirements of sustainability and social responsibility.
The talk discusses the role of the cost engineer in industry and plots its historical development to its current state of disruption. Several industry cases are presented demonstrating the challenge of estimating cost under uncertainty for projects. A case study with a global asset management company has been conducted to estimate Environmental Social Governance (ESG) cost using ArtificiaI Intelligence. In particular machine learning techniques have modelled cost and building data to predict emissions as a proxy for sustainability cost.
Get to know our speakers
Prof. Jennifer O'brien, Academic Lead for Sustainability Teaching and Learning at The University of Manchester, Principal Fellow of Advance HE and an Inaugural Fellow of the Manchester Institute of Teaching and Learning.
Jen directs the University Living Lab which links applied research needed by organisations with students who can undertake it for their assessment to effect change. Working with Education for Sustainable Development particularly through the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, Jen believes that students are a huge force for change. A development geographer by training, Jen’s interdisciplinary research focuses on sustainable development, particularly within marginalised communities. Stemming from her research, Jen is interested in the intersection between innovative pedagogy and independent field or applied research. Jen inspires and equips learners to ethically address challenges of sustainability, inequality and social justice to affect positive change.
Dr Paul Baguley is a Lecturer in Project Cost Management at the University of Manchester Engineering Management Department. Paul has worked with over twenty different companies and has over fifty academic publications. Paul is also chair of the cost estimating community of practice at the Association of Cost Engineers.
Sign up via this link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/sustainable-futures-february-2024-seminar-series-tickets-795360794547?aff=oddtdtcreator
This event will be hosted on Zoom. Please sign up to receive the zoom link to your inbox prior to the event.
