Raising the Bar Christchurch 2024

Mark Rickerby, a Lecturer in the University of Canterbury’s School of Product Design, explores the concept of enshittification, highlighting the decline in user experience with digital products. He examines how tech giants initially offer excellent services, then commodify users for business clients, and eventually prioritize profits over both. Rickerby considers whether this trend is an inevitable outcome of neoliberal capitalism or shaped by cultural and technological shifts in the 2000s and 2010s. He also discusses potential optimism for the internet’s future and how we might build a healthier digital ecosystem.

Dr. Erin Harrington, Senior Lecturer in the English Department at the University of Canterbury, explores how scary stories, from fairy tales to horror games, shape our lives and memories. Often dismissed as guilty pleasures, these experiences of "recreational fear" may offer surprising benefits. Dr. Harrington investigates how the thrill of fear can help us engage with and reimagine the world in new ways.

Her academic work on horror media has been featured internationally, and her arts and theatre writing has appeared in publications across Aotearoa.

Kari Moana and Sara, university-based teacher educators and researchers in UC’s Te Kaupeka Ako Faculty of Education, explore the intense debate surrounding mātauranga Māori in Aotearoa New Zealand's science classrooms. As curricular reforms challenge traditional views, critics argue that integrating Indigenous knowledge could dilute "real" science, while supporters say it's long overdue. This discussion delves into whether we're on the verge of an innovative fusion of knowledge systems or entering a new realm of controversy. With expertise in mātauranga Māori, science education, and decolonisation, Kari Moana and Sara examine the transformative possibilities at the intersection of Indigenous knowledge and science in Aotearoa and the Pacific.

Dr Jacinta Cording, a Senior Lecturer in Forensic Psychology at the University of Canterbury, explores the effectiveness of offender rehabilitation as an alternative to punitive sentencing. This talk examines evidence-based practices that reduce recidivism, from boot camps to prison-based treatments, and highlights tailored approaches that address individual needs. Dr Cording challenges the idea that "commonsense" approaches can reduce crime and emphasizes the crucial role rehabilitation plays in building safer communities.

Professor Ben Kennedy, a science communicator and Professor in the School of Earth and Environment at the University of Canterbury, first asked, "Why do volcanoes erupt?" at the age of five. Now, 44 years later, he continues to explore this question with advanced tools and experiments. Ben shares his passion for magma, bubbles, cracks, and pressure, discussing the interactions between earthquakes and volcanoes, the exciting experiments on magma, and tales of erupting volcanoes.

Dr Andrew Vonasch, a Senior Lecturer Above the Bar in the School of Psychology, Speech and Hearing at the University of Canterbury, explores "phantom costs"—why people imagine hidden drawbacks when offered something overly generous. Even if paid to eat a cookie, many refuse, believing something must be wrong. Dr Vonasch explains when and why people imagine these costs and the consequences of this thinking.

Dr Christoph Bartneck, Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering at the University of Canterbury, explores the long-standing promise of robots that would handle household tasks and serve as teachers, caregivers, and companions. Despite advancements in social robots, they remain absent from our daily lives. Figures like Elon Musk continue to push the dream of humanoid robots, yet we must first ask what tasks are best left to humans. The rise of human-like robots also challenges us to reflect on our own identity and humanity.

Dr Tyron Love, Associate Professor in Management at the University of Canterbury Business School, explores how universities have endured for centuries, with the University of Bologna dating back to 1088. Despite current reviews of the university sector in Aotearoa New Zealand, Dr Love explains why there is little threat to the existence of universities. His research focuses on how Indigenous peoples, particularly Māori and Native academics, experience Western institutions.

Dr James Mehigan, Associate Professor of Law at the University of Canterbury and a Barrister at Garden Court Chambers in London, examines the paradox of Aotearoa New Zealand being one of the safest countries in the world while maintaining a high imprisonment rate. Dr Mehigan explores how many people truly need to be incarcerated and considers the possibility of a future without prisons.

Dr Adrian Clark, Associate Professor in the University of Canterbury’s School of Product Design, explores the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence, from its origins in the 1950s to the rise of Large Language Models and Generative AI today. As AI capabilities advance, a key question emerges: "How long until AI does my job better?" Dr Clark discusses AI's current abilities, its future trajectory, and whether there is reason to fear its progress.