Celeste Lawson memorial lecture explores how the arts can change hearts to help science change minds
The second annual Emeritus Professor Celeste Lawson Oration was held at CQUniversity last week to honour the passionate educator and champion of the Arts and Humanities who passed away in 2023.
CQUniversity environmental geographer Dr Michael Hewson gave this year’s lecture titled “Is Science a Pain in the Arts?”
Dr Hewson paid tribute to his former colleague who he said was “a direction-setting guide” and “a beguiling challenger”.
“For nine far too short years, my office was either next door to Celeste or across the corridor,” Dr Hewson said.
“Celeste had the character, the courage and the commitment to build a bridge across many divides.”
Drawing on those themes, Dr Hewson explored how the Arts must partner with Science to create societal change – particularly around environmental policy and climate change.
Dr Hewson pointed to historical examples of how photographs, videos, music, poems and stories had helped turn the tide of public opinion and government policy when science failed to do so on its own.
“Art gives science courage,” he said.
“If policymakers hear these strategic stories… then the scientific nuts and bolts will follow and if society hears these strategic stories, then people will push politicians,” he said.
Dr Hewson highlighted the example of the book Silent Spring by Rachel Carson, published in 1962 which led to a US ban on the agricultural use of DDT and the creation of the US Environmental Protection Agency.
“I don’t know about you, but I think that’s an artistic impact of enormous proportions,” he said.
“The book scaffolds knowledge of biology and chemistry through the imaginative writing – that’s the essential ingredient.”
Dr Hewson said environmental policies must also be grounded by ethical frameworks – another job for those in the humanities.
“There’s been much written around deep ecology and by that, I mean conserving nature for nature’s sake, not just for populations sake,” Dr Hewson said.
“I am reminded of the idea that decision makers can sometimes know the cost of everything but the value of nothing.”
Dr Hewson has worked closely with the Koala Research CQ team over the last few years, creating geographic information systems generated maps, GPS and satellite remote sensing to track trends in koala habitat health.
He said one project found 95% of the Bowen Basin region in central Queensland was koala habitat prior to 1788.
“Since then, over the decades of agricultural and mining industry land use change, the basin has been left with some 14% of the better value koala habitat and most of that is on private land,” he said.
“Future conservation policy will need public purse financial incentives for landholders if the 30 by 30 targets are to be met.”
Watch the full recording of the 2025 Emeritus Professor Celeste Lawson Oration here
