ESKE PROJECT

Student Knowledge Exchange

With a strong academic background in both Natural Sciences (Marine Biology, Resource Management) and Social Sciences (Climate Adaptation, Social Justice, Environmental Policy), Shona brings a transdisciplinary approach to her work.

Her primary focus is on generating and translating research that is relevant to society and co-created with the intended beneficiaries. Shona’s research is guided by international frameworks such as the UN 2030 Agenda, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, and the COP21 Paris Agreement.

Throughout her career, Shona has actively built partnerships and knowledge exchange networks with local communities and stakeholders to achieve social and ecological goals that benefit all parties involved. She has a particular interest in marginalized communities, social justice, and equity.

Recently, her research has centered around global flood risk and resilience, climate risk assessments, and adaptation in urbanizing coastal areas. She has conducted research in various locations, including the Caribbean, USA, UK, and Ireland, and has a global perspective through her involvement with Future Earth and its associated research project, Future Earth Coasts.

About Us

ESKE aims to develop and disseminate an adaptable and effective knowledge exchange model of practice that takes full advantage of digital platforms to enable engagement with students and staff in partner universities and in local community settings. This is done as a mechanism to develop transformative building blocks for cooperative learning and knowledge exchanges. Activities taking place in-country provide the opportunity to learn from communities, gain an appreciation of indigenous knowledge and insights into the challenges of particular settings, engage in mutually enriching discussions allowing cultural, knowledge and skill sharing across students and local communities promoting collaborative thinking to address agreed issues.

The project’s knowledge exchange (KE) model is designed to support students from all backgrounds to reach their individual and collective potential especially with respect to sustainable development. KE activities that involve such a collaborative learning methodology will help to increase self-efficacy, cultural intelligence, leadership and professional skills as well as benefit students’ academic achievements. These ‘softer’ skillsets are key challenges – the ‘missing middle’ in ESKE’s theory of change, that often restrict individual students, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, from excelling during and following higher education. The opportunity to engage with students from Copperbelt University and the University of Zambia is a critical component of ESKE providing the opportunity to examine social issues in both the UK and Zambia through ‘the gaze’ of a global south or north perspective, UK students will gain new insight into social institutions and structures.