UCD Innovation Academy’s Post

From the Classroom to Real-World Impact! 🌟🏉🌎 MSc in Design Thinking for Sustainability alumnus, Oscar Carolan, put his learnings into action during his Applied Sustainability Project with his chosen host company: Leinster Rugby. By applying design thinking principles, Oscar developed a multi-year, three-phase #Social & #Environmental Sustainability Plan, delivering innovative solutions that create value both on and off the pitch. His project demonstrates the incredible impact of combining sustainability with creative design thinking. The MSc in Design Thinking for Sustainability empowers students to: ✅ Become sustainability changemakers ✅ Prepare their careers for the emerging green economy ✅ Work on real-world challenges that shape industries and communities 🔗 Read more about Oscar’s inspiring journey and project: https://bit.ly/3CMotoA 👉 Learn more about the MSc in Design Thinking for Sustainability by registering your interest here: https://bit.ly/3BFfQLW #ucd #msc #sustainability #designthinking #greeneconomy #masters #universitycollegedublin University College Dublin UCD Global

🙌 We did it! For the second year in a row, we've been honoured with the prestigious QS Reimaging Education Silver Award in the category of Lifelong Learning. This year, our Circularity portfolio of courses and programmes took the spotlight! 💪 What an incredible recognition for the Delft University of Technology Extension School for Continuing Education. Congratulations to the whole team, and a heartfelt well done to all the other nominees and winners. 💡 These online courses truly empower professionals worldwide with the knowledge and skills to drive sustainable change across various fields. Whether you're in manufacturing, architecture, green energy, or beyond, our courses provide cutting-edge insights and practical applications. 👏 A special shout-out to the lecturers of the courses. David Peck | Conny Bakker | Arjan van Timmeren |Lei Qu |  Jan-Henk Welink | Ruud Balkenende | Bart van Straten | Tim Horeman-Franse | Marcel Bilow | Thaleia Konstantinou | Olga Ioannou | Alexander Wandl | Mariette Overschie Let's continue to shape a more circular and sustainable future together. #QSReimagineEducation #TUDelft #LifelongLearning #ProfessionalEducation #OnlineLearning #sustainability #circularity

"🫵Ready to make a real impact on our planet? ✔️Enroll in the MSc in Design Thinking for Sustainability at University College Dublin ! 👉This program empowers you to harness creativity and innovation to tackle environmental challenges. 👉Hear directly from UCD Innovation Academy experts on how our cutting-edge curriculum and hands-on approach prepare you to lead sustainable initiatives. 👉Be part of the change and shape a greener, more resilient future! 🌱💡 #Sustainability #DesignThinking #UCD #FutureLeaders"

How can we inspire students to embrace the unknown, take risks, and see doubt as a source of growth? 🪴 Thank you, Dr. Callum Philbin and Dr. Natalie Shaw for including us and giving us the opportunity to be part of the summit. During the summit, I presented a sustainability tool I developed for primary school classrooms, that was originally designed for a conference within ITE. It was exciting to share my ideas and exchange insights with others focused on integrating sustainability into education. A thought-provoking workshop by Edwin van Meerkerk and Hill Scholte (she/her) challenged us to rethink the future of education and sustainability, where I particularly considered how we can cultivate students’ skills to become responsible global citizens. I reflected on how I could empower students to take agency in their learning and their role in society, and how I can help students understand our connection to the environment and the importance of co-existing with the environment. Listening to diverse voices from higher education discussing their challenges, yet again stressed the importance of issues - such as risk-taking and intrinsic motivation – which can be nurtured from the start of a student's educational journey. This responsibility excites me as a future teacher and highlights the importance of continuously trying to inform ourselves as educators for our students. Leaving the workshop, I questioned the idea of simply "sustaining" as it suggests for things to stay the way they are. Perhaps it’s time for education to move beyond sustaining and toward regeneration, reshaping mindsets and bridging the gap between expectations and reality. So, how can we inspire students to embrace the unknown, take risks, and see doubt as a source of growth?

Today UCD president Professor Orla Feely launched the university's Breaking Boundaries strategy to 2030. Driving sustainability is a cross-cutting theme throughout the strategy which states that "UCD is Ireland’s global university, an inclusive community and a driver of positive action for sustainability, and these attributes will be evident across our actions". The strategy commits UCD to being "a thought and action leader of transformational change for sustainability, and this will be as evident on our campuses as it is in our education and our research and innovation". Key commitments include being a net zero organisation by 2040, contributing to conserving and restoring biodiversity and working to reduce the impacts of climate change for ourselves and others. UCD also undertakes to: ✳️ develop and implement a specific action plan to reduce our carbon emissions by 51% from baseline by 2030 and place us on a path to net zero carbon by 2040. ✳️ provide our students with structured opportunities to develop their knowledge and skills in areas such as AI and digital skills, innovation, sustainability, leadership, well-being, and languages. ✳️ support existing large-scale cross-cutting research areas of excellence and impact, such as One Health and Sustainability ... for the benefit of society, economy and environment. ✳️ cultivate our campuses as exemplars of, and laboratories for, sustainability, biodiversity and regeneration, advancing our education and research in doing so. Read more: https://lnkd.in/etZ48mrs Louise Griffin UCD Centre for Sustainable Development UCD Earth Institute UCD Earth Sciences UCD Energy Institute UCD Research Patrice Harrington #SDGsIRL #sustainability #strategy

I’m two weeks into my new role in The Transformation Team at University of Glasgow , and here’s some reflections: the University is committed to improvement and they mean it. It’s a breath of fresh air for me, but also an encouraging example of designing future proof education. TL;DR Transformation. No matter how big or small your organisation is, transformation and change take commitment, self reflection and willingness to admit inadequacy. I worked in organisations (large and small) where they professed ‘change’ and ‘growth’ but didn’t address weaknesses, so all they did was replicating faulty patterns and paint it in gold. UoG senior management seems to have willingness to listen and an appreciation of transformation, and that can move mountains. People (disrupters). A lone pirate might win a small battle, but a whole ship of them can make history. Everyone I met so far, students, junior and senior staff, teaching and non, is not only an insanely skilled individual, but they’re empowered to deliver at scale, and fast. Quite the opposite from the chronic micromanagement and diffidence I experienced in AlzScot or siloed excellence/incompetence I witnessed at City of Glasgow College. It’s not just about investing in/retaining workforce, but it’s about trusting them to deliver. Design. Demonstrating the value of design (the bane of a designer’s life!) is hard work, time consuming and can be soul destroying. I know it’s early days, but it seems that there is a true effort in applying the user centric approach, (almost) everywhere. Both students and staff are constantly put left right and centre of each project/programme and I’ve learned not to take this for granted, especially in a large organisation. By doing that by default, design becomes just another tool, so justification might be superfluous. I wonder how I’ll feel when I’ll look back to this in 6 months? For now let’s enjoy the excitement and the optimism which comes with a new job! #servicedesign #design #university #ucd #scotland #transformation

🌍 📚 Today, we are celebrating the #InternationalDayofEducation. 🎓 📚 The journey of the researchers here at ICEC-MCM highlights the importance that education can have on both personal and professional growth. Our PDRs for focus areas 2C and 3D share their experience of working with the Centre and the impact that ICEC-MCM has had in their careers: 💡 Yiping Meng, Project 2C: Assessment and Optimisation for Circular Modern methods of Construction at Product Level "My experience with the ICEC-MCM cohort has been instrumental in shaping my future research direction, particularly in digital construction for sustainability and circularity. Presenting our work and organizing workshops with industry stakeholders bridged the gap between research and application, enhancing the practicality of our frameworks. Engaging with industrial partners provided invaluable insights into how our tools support real-world decisions, reinforcing the relevance of our work. The cohort’s cutting-edge seminars and collaboration with colleagues from diverse fields expanded my understanding of the circular economy and inspired me to pursue digital solutions that advance sustainable construction." 💡 Longxiang Zhao, Project 3D: Enabling Capital Investment Project into Circular Economy Projects   "Through collaboration and exchange with diverse partners from academia and industry, I have gained a deep understanding of the CE and learned how to bridge theory and practice. The guidance and support from the ICEC-MCM team and platform have allowed me to apply academic research in real-world settings, aiming for a positive, practical impact. The close interaction with industry partners significantly broadened my perspective and has been instrumental in shaping my future career path and research focus." We celebrate this day by reaffirming our commitment towards research and innovation and invite you to join us in building a more resilient and sustainable future for all of us! 🌍 #research #education #growth #achievements #CircularEconomy #innovation #education #interdisciplinary Julia Stegemann Leon Black Mohamed Osmani Aiduan Borrion UK Research and Innovation UKRI Circular Economy Hub (CE-HUB) UCL Loughborough University University of Leeds

The University of Bath has been rated among the world’s top 100 universities for its sustainability efforts. Bath has climbed more than 220 places since last year’s inaugural sustainability study from QS World University Rankings. The QS #sustainability score evaluates the #social and #environmental impact of universities as centres of #education and #research. Bath scored highly in each of the three performance categories of Environmental Impact, Social Impact and Governance. #QSrankings #universities #rankings https://lnkd.in/ejhpgqZJ

Any 🌍 Sustainability Scholars 🌍 interested in participating in a student research project? Emilia Wahlin and myself are conducting interviews with people who are willing to share their experience in the education system. This study dives into understanding the complexities of integrating sustainability into education through the insights you provide us.  Share your unique journey and contribute to shaping the future of sustainability in education. If you or someone you know is interested in this research and fit the desired criteria, please sign up via the google form link in the post. #MissionZero #ResearchInAction #SustainabilityEducation #SustainabilityLeadership #EducatorsForChange. 

'THINK IN TERMS OF SMALL CONTRIBUTIONS THAT TOGETHER SOLVE BIGGER PROBLEMS' Together with Johan van Zoest Patrick Limpens Chris Steenhuis Ewelina Schraven we have been working as a group for several years now creating and giving the course Design for Sustainable Future. While each of us brings their own talents and expertise, we share a common goal: Equipping our students with the right tools for today’s complex challenges towards a better world. Our diverse perspectives help us stay sharp, spark new ideas, and keep us aligned. Our students also work in interdisciplinary teams to explore new ideas, experiencing the value and fun of cross-disciplinary collaboration in building a sustainable future. We explore with students how to think in terms of small contributions that together solve bigger problems. A key framework for this is Marianna Mazzucato's Moonshot Guide Mariana Mazzucato inspired by the Apollo program: We are sending a person to the moon and are bringing him back alive—what steps do we need to take to achieve this? In other words, dare to think big, then break it down into smaller, manageable parts. We practice this with students on a grand societal challenge of their own choosing. In our classes, we draw on frameworks rooted in three major scientific fields. The first is System Theory (our society is complex and interconnected, with large uncertainty and potentially unexpected consequences), the second is Futures Studies (what futures are conceivable, and where do you want to go), and the last is Transition Science (how do you achieve this envisioned future, and how do you avoid getting discouraged along the way). Unfortunately, there are no silver bullets to success. Therefore, we encourage students to always read the specific context they are working in and consider all the conditions necessary. With this work we got nominated for the best sustainability education award, we feel so honoured ✨. 🗓 Save the date: October 3rd! The award ceremony is part of Sustainability Day @ TU/e, featuring inspiring talks and workshops with speakers like Marjan Minnesma , Mark van Baal and Isabelle Reymen. Plus, don’t miss the inaugural lecture by prof. dr. ir. Anna J. Wieczorek as Chair of Sustainable Innovation and Transitions. Sustainability TU/e Let’s celebrate education’s power to drive real change! 🚀 #Sustainability #EducationForChange #SystemicChange #SustainableFuture #DesignThinking #TUe Industrial Design TU/e