The Arts of Adaptation, Communication and Education - Narratives for Action
Tracks
The Arts of Adaptation, Communication and Education
Wednesday, October 15, 2025 |
8:00 AM - 10:00 AM |
Piano Chamber |
Speaker
Dr Denice Durrant
UL Standards and Engagement
Safety as a Framework for Adaptation Education: Empowering educators and students with agency in the face of the climate crisis
8:00 AM - 8:45 AMBiography
Dr. Denice Durrant is the Director of Data Science & Engineering at UL Standards & Engagement, managing initiatives focused on advancing the technical rigor of ULSE standards. An experienced engineer, Durrant has worked to expand ULSE’s capabilities utilizing hazard mitigation to address technology challenges through standardization
Dr Jamie Herring
HabitatSeven
Safety as a Framework for Adaptation Education: Empowering educators and students with agency in the face of the climate crisis
8:00 AM - 8:45 AMBiography
Dr. Herring is a digital producer whose work focuses on the intersections between climate, nature, and digital technologies. In this capacity, he has worked for organizations such as the World Bank, IPCC, NASA, NOAA, and ULRI. He holds a Ph.D. in Natural Resources from Cornell University.
Dr Kelly Keena
Senior Director, Office of Research Experiences & Education
UL Research Institutes
Safety as a Framework for Adaptation Education: Empowering educators and students with agency in the face of the climate crisis
8:00 AM - 8:45 AMBiography
Dr. Keena is the founding senior director of the Office of Research Experiences & Education at UL Research Institutes created to safety science learning resources, access, and research for high school and university classrooms and communities. She holds a Ph.D. in educational leadership and teaching license.
Dr. Herring is a digital producer whose work focuses on the intersections between climate, nature, and digital technologies. In this capacity, he has worked for organizations such as the World Bank, IPCC, NASA, NOAA, and ULRI. He holds a Ph.D. in Natural Resources from Cornell University.
Dr. Denice Durrant is the Director of Data Science & Engineering at UL Standards & Engagement, managing initiatives focused on advancing the technical rigor of ULSE standards. An experienced engineer, Durrant has worked to expand ULSE’s capabilities utilizing hazard mitigation to address technology challenges through standardization.
Eliana is a Research Fellow with ULRI’s Office of Research Experiences and Education. With a MSc in Climate Change from Dublin City University and a BA from Baylor University, her work explores the emotional, behavioral, and social aspects of climate change and works to inform initiatives that support social well-being.
Ms Eliana Stromberg
Researcher
UL Research Institutes
Safety as a Framework for Adaptation Education: Empowering educators and students with agency in the face of the climate crisis
8:00 AM - 8:45 AMBiography
Eliana is a Research Fellow with ULRI’s Office of Research Experiences and Education. With a MSc in Climate Change from Dublin City University and a BA from Baylor University, her work explores the emotional, behavioral, and social aspects of climate change and works to inform initiatives that support social well-being.
Assoc Prof Rebecca Colvin
Associate Professor
Australian National University
Not your typical environmentalist: How unconventional climate advocates are broadening the social base of support for climate action
8:45 AM - 9:00 AMBiography
Associate Professor Bec Colvin is a social scientst at the Crawford School of Public Policy at the Australian National University. Her research explores the complex social dimension of climate change and energy - particularly how groups navigate conflict about policy and land use change.
Gabrielle Beran
Centre for Public Impact - Climate Action team
What does the practice of social imagination offer communities and governments as a tool for new thinking, narratives and solutions for adaptation in the climate emergency?
9:00 AM - 9:45 AMBiography
Gabrielle is a Senior Programme Manager at Centre for Public Impact, working on improving community and government approaches to adaptation and mitigation through partnerships focused on systemic change. From Tāmaki Makaurau, Aotearoa she has worked around the world.
Dr Alli Edwards
Centre for Public Impact - Climate Action team
What does the practice of social imagination offer communities and governments as a tool for new thinking, narratives and solutions for adaptation in the climate emergency?
9:00 AM - 9:45 AMBiography
Alli is a Senior Program Manager at CPI and a learning designer, who creates materially rich and collaborative ways of coming together to learn, empathise, and imagine otherwise. Her research on the importance of playful and hands-on approaches in learning experiences now informs several of the core-principles of CPI’s engagements.
Dr Keira Lowther
Senior Program Manager
Centre for Public Impact
What does the practice of social imagination offer communities and governments as a tool for new thinking, narratives and solutions for adaptation in the climate emergency?
9:00 AM - 9:45 AMBiography
Keira is an experienced facilitator and coach, with a background in evaluation and public health. She has worked at the Centre for Public Impact for the past 3 years, and leads the social imagination for climate adaptation work in Melbourne, Australia.
Alli is a Senior Program Manager at CPI and a learning designer, who creates materially rich and collaborative ways of coming together to learn, empathise, and imagine otherwise. Her research on the importance of playful and hands-on approaches in learning experiences now informs several of the core-principles of CPI’s engagements.
Gabrielle is a Senior Programme Manager at Centre for Public Impact, working on improving community and government approaches to adaptation and mitigation through partnerships focused on systemic change. From Tāmaki Makaurau, Aotearoa she has worked around the world.
