June 18, 2014
The University of Southern Queensland is hosting a conference next week in Toowoomba which will bring together experts in digital technology and regional resilience.
The 2014 Digital Rural Futures Conference will be held at USQ on June 25-27.
USQ Institute for Resilient Regions executive director Prof John Cole said communities in regional areas must adapt to change in order to remain sustainable.
“Securing the future of regional communities must begin with raising awareness and fostering understanding of what is happening internationally and nationally that could have a positive or negative impact locally,” Prof Cole said.
“We need to build resilience by providing information and knowledge, helping people to understand their options, bringing ideas to the table, and providing insights from other regions.
“The conference will focus on critical themes that all communities must face – in particular, the role of digital technology in a world that is increasingly online when it comes to knowledge and communications processing.
“We need to help position communities to not only deal with change but also take advantage of the opportunities that change may offer.”
Prof Cole said the conference speakers would cover a wide range of relevant issues, including research at USQ.
“Our research institute is looking at critical community components including people, culture and innovation, and within those are factors such as health and well-being, learning and development, and business and enterprise,” he said.
“This is a wide ranging area and a number of our researchers will be discussing their work at the conference.
“For example, Dr Sonja March is working on digital interventions for better health care and coming up with new answers.
“Prof Lorelle Burton is another conference presenter from USQ. She will examine the role of the culture in community and how it influences the capacity of communities to learn, innovative, and develop.”
Prof Cole said the conference would bring together partners in government, industry, community and other regional universities.
“We must all work together to remain relevant, connected and ultimately successful in building resilient regions across the country,” he said.
