Sustainability, Environment, and the Arts in Education (SEAE) Research Centre

Meet our researchers
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About Us

This research concentration was established in 2012 and is co-led by Professor Amy Cutter-Mackenzie-Knowles and Professor Alexandra Lasczik.

The Sustainability, Environment, and the Arts in Education (SEAE) Research Centre is globally recognised for enacting profound change in/through transdisciplinary environmental and Arts education research that disrupts and generates new ways of being and becoming, which provokes dynamic responses to critical local-global calamities.

This research centre represents a large collective of researchers working across sustainability, environment and the Arts in education. This centre is unique and has a transdisciplinary research focus which directly informs public debate, policy, advocacy and practice.

Purpose and Objectives

Purpose

Radical education and arts-based research praxes for climate, environmental, and social justice. 

Objectives

  • Relational research communities

Enliven relationality through collaborative praxis for/with climate, environmental, and social justice education research communities. 

  • Radical philosophies

Centre First Nations, feminist, posthuman, arts, and radical ontologies, epistemologies, subjectivities, and theories in ongoing co-creations and imaginings of knowledge for/with children and the planet.

        Explore our research

          1.  

            • Transdisciplinary methodologies

            Centre radical inquiry through climate, environmental, and social justice education by connecting and conversing with knowledges from new and different places. 

            • Disrupting education systems

            Respect, recognise, and trouble situated education praxes for radical change in pedagogies, curricula, and policies.

            • Sharing knowledges

            Mobilise climate, environmental, and social justice education research that presses close to local and global issues through publications, creative works, and praxes.

          Project Highlights

          Climate Country: Advancing Child and Youth-led Climate Change Education with Country

          Led by Professor Cutter-Mackenzie-Knowles and has attracted $581,715. An international team will research climate change education approaches with Indigenous and non-Indigenous children, youth and Elders across Australia and Canada. Western and Indigenous perspectives on climate change contrast deeply. This research will generate transcultural understandings about climate change education.

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          Floods + Me

          This project aims to understand children and young people’s flood experiences and its impact on their education. The devastating February 2022 floods in the Norther Rivers saw many early childhood education settings and schools either deemed unsalvageable, temporarily closed, or significantly disrupted. While the immediate priority was to ensure ‘education’ continued across the Northern Rivers, the impact on children and young people and their education is not well understood.

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          flooded roads

          Learning with Land (Country as Curriculum)

          The Learning with the Land partnership brings together an international network of art educators to explore how artists and arts-based researchers are taking up the concept of reciprocity to critically engage with the land upon which they live, learn, teach, and create. This partnership focuses on how the arts might help challenge Western-Euro-centric understandings of land and provoke meaningful dialogue and action towards decolonizing education and research practices.

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          Bachelor of Indigenous Knowledge student Pearl Andrews at Lismore campus
          Turtle swimming in ocean

          Research impact

          The SEAE Research Centre at Southern Cross University stands out for driving change in environmental and arts education.  It's known for its unique transdisciplinary method that has influenced debates, policy, and practice.  The Centre's focus on creative research methods has led to transformative ecological thought and educational models, embracing Indigenous knowledges, posthumanism, and feminist theories.

          Its impact is seen in publications that address educational policy, consent issues among youth, and contributions to climate change education.  Notably, the Centre's work in childhood environmental education has been highly rated in national evaluations, affirming its role in shaping effective educational strategies and responses to global environmental challenges.

          Meet our researchers

          Discover more about us

          Explore our Projects

          Discover the transformative projects at the SEAE Research Centre, where we pioneer innovative environmental and arts education research. Our work is transdisciplinary, weaving together ecological thought, artistic practice, and educational theory to respond to global challenges.

          Children making art together outside

          The team behind SEAE

          Meet the dedicated team at the SEAE Research Centre. Our group of experts focuses on sustainability, the environment, and arts in education, working together to inspire and educate for a greener future. Learn about the people leading our projects, their passions, and how they are helping to change the way we learn about and care for our world.

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          Partner With Us

          Join forces with the SEAE Research Centre and become a part of our mission to integrate sustainability, the environment, and the arts into education. Partnering with us means collaborating on groundbreaking projects, influencing policy, and making a tangible impact on both local and global scales.

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          Thinking about HDR study?

          Considering a Higher Degree by Research (HDR) study? At the SEAE Research Centre, we offer opportunities to delve into advanced research that makes a real difference in sustainability, the environment, and the arts within education. Join us to push boundaries, explore new ideas, and contribute to meaningful change. If you're ready to take the next step in your academic journey, we're here to support and collaborate with you. Contact us to discuss your HDR study options.

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          image of coloured hands forming a heart

          Sustainability Pledge

          Join Southern Cross staff and students to create a more ecologically sustainable future in our lives and as a university community.

          Take the pledge

          If you're interested in partnering with us, please get in touch.  We welcome enquiries, ideas or proposals at any time.

          [email protected] 07 5589 3130

          Quick Links

          DartaPhacts Exhibition
          SEAE Facebook Group
          SEAE Twitter