Universiti Malaya Sustainable Development Centre (UMSDC) is pleased to invite you to a speaker session on 'Participatory Nature Research: Gauging the Impact of Ecological Education on Cultures of Conservation and Environmental Stewardship in Southeast Asia' with Prof. Dr. Richard Kraince from Antioch College, Ohio.
🗓 Date: Tuesday, 7 January 2025
⏰ Time: 2.00 PM – 4.00 PM
📍Location: Auditorium, Institute for Advanced Studies (IAS), Universiti Malaya
Register here: https://lnkd.in/gYDh8ZA4
💬 About the speaker: Prof. Dr. Richard Kraince is a Fulbright scholar affiliated with the ASEAN Research Program. He is currently visiting the Universiti Malaya Sustainable Development Centre (UMSDC) as part of an effort to develop a collaborative study of ecological education and conservation culture initiatives in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines during the 2024-25 academic year. A scholar of higher education, Prof. Kraince focuses on the impact of social, religious, and environmental movements on education reform efforts internationally. For the last thirteen years, he has served as Associate Professor of Cooperative & International Education at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, USA. He has held previous posts within the Center for Asian & African Studies at El Colegio de México in Mexico City, Ohio University’s Center for International Studies, and the Asia Foundation in Jakarta. He speaks Bahasa Indonesia at the “advanced mid” level per ACTFL evaluation.
💬 About the sharing session: What are Southeast Asian nations doing to prepare their populations for ecosystem disruptions, natural disasters, and population pressures that grow more alarming each year? How are educators and civil society actors bridging cultural divides to mitigate environmental change and address persistent poverty affecting quality of life in both rural and urban areas? This collaborative research project seeks to document the efforts of innovative educators at leading universities in Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines as they instill the mindset needed to preserve Southeast Asia's ecosystems and promote sustainable lifestyles. Participatory Nature Research is a model for generating qualitative data on ecological education, inviting the development of survey tools to foster dialogue, showcase best practices, and share lessons with a broader community of conservation educators and nature enthusiasts. Its goal is to enhance understanding of how conservationists, educators, activists, and policymakers build partnerships with communities whose livelihoods rely on a healthy environment. As we approach the second quarter of the 21st century, it is clear that human communities are deeply interconnected with the health of our planet, and we all have a role in aligning our institutions and lifestyles with the natural world.
