Special Interest Group Information

Science, Humanity and the Planet

Global climate warming and renewable solutions: The cheapest energy anywhere on the planet are solar and wind; new safer more powerful types of batteries; sustainable energy sources such as Fusion Energy; reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations by carbon capture; new improved batteries; the future NZ climate and its vulnerabilities; critical and rare essential elements; green and white hydrogen -the future super fuel.

The future of transportation: Electric Vehicles, Driverless trucks, buses, taxis; Hydrogen fuel cells - higher power for green aviation, ocean vessels, trains etc. Electric charging roads; EVs-to-house two-way charging;

 Artificial Intelligence and robotics: the environmental energy impacts and cost of data centres; benefits of AI in medicine, engineering and science research; the loss of entry level jobs caused by AI

 Space and Astronomy: the space economy and its importance, the Space Junk problem and possible solutions, the new generation of space telescopes and their new insights on the Universe; our Galaxy the Milky Way and exoplanets; Auroras and solar-storms.

 Others: The Circular Economy (Recycling), Microplastics, Ocean Plastic Islands, Future Pandemics and vaccines, clinical trials.

To join a Special Interest Group you first need to be a member of u3a Devonport  Refer to the Join Us page of our website to find out about membership.

u3a Devonport members who are interested in joining a Special Interest Group can find the convenor's contact information in the monthly Newsletter