Unlocking Innovation Potential at the Centre of Science, Ethics & Politics | Dr. Fern Wickson


...when you look from space down at this little blue bubble, that is somehow floating there, full of all our lives... We’re not separate. We’re not somehow superior. We’re all entangled and our fate is entangled, and, just how spectacular this planet is.
— Fern Wickson, Professor, UiT- The Arctic University of Norway; previously Scientific Secretary of NAMMCO (the North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission)

What are the social, ethical and political aspects of innovation? Why are social utility considerations just as crucial as the health and safety aspects of innovation? In this episode, we hear from Fern, why assessing innovations in context is crucial in achieving success.


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Topics covered:

  1. Fern's journey from Australia to Norway

  2. Social & economic aspects of innovation (example: genetically modified maize)

  3. Why we must assess innovation in context of practice (example: bee keeping)

  4. Tools and methods for mapping innovation impact

  5. Connecting science and politics at the North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission

  6. Fern: "Balancing political, scientific and ethical interests is a creative opportunity"

  7. What to think about when we land on mars?

  8. Emerging technologies - which should we worry?

  9. Environmental sustainability & resilience: "our fate is entangled"

  10. Fern's key message


Dr. Fern Wickson is an Australian citizen who has been living and working in Norway for 15 years.

With a PhD across natural and social sciences and a keen interest in how we think about, talk about, and enact the relationship between humanity and nature, Fern identifies as a transdisciplinary ecologist. Her work aims to advance sustainable and resilient futures for the whole community of life on Earth through understanding and facilitating interactions between science, ethics and politics in environmental conservation and management.

Fern is currently a professor at the Arctic University of Norway. At the time of this interview, Fern was the Scientific Secretary of NAMMCO (the North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission) - an intergovernmental organisation that provides advice on the conservation and management of whales and seals. Previously, she has worked as a Research Professor of environmental governance, leading a group on the sustainable and responsible development of emerging technologies (i.e., biotechnologies and nanotechnologies).

As a Lead Facilitator for Homeward Bound, a global leadership initiative for women in STEMM, Fern has participated in the largest all-female expedition to Antarctica, twice. She is also a yoga and meditation teacher running her studio, The Peaceful Wild, in northern Norway.

When she is not working, Fern enjoys hiking, snowboarding, kayaking, reading, and hanging out with her pets.


Learn more about Fern: www.fernwickson.com


Xiao Han Drummond

Founder & CEO, Centre for Responsible Innovation (CforRI)

https://www.linkedin.com/in/xiaohandrummond/
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Responsible Innovation for Business - what, how and why | Dr. Vincent Blok MBA

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Post-Growth Economy: Innovating in a Post-Growth Era | Dr. Mario Pansera