Conference Theme: Local Communities in the Sustainable and Healthy Learning CityThe Conference Precedings can be viewed at: http://mams.rmit.edu.au/4khvnp345yqe.pdfSession 1.1: Setting the SceneThis discussion paper explores the challenges of universities embarking on building
science-policy interfaces to increase the salience of public knowledge in times of global
crisis. How can universities and their stakeholder communities create effective
boundary spanners for prompt inquiry and response to emergencies when there is
insufficient data and local resources are disabled? With increasing cross-border
interdependencies in higher learning, science-policy interfaces acquire a meaning
greater than simply interdisciplinary collaboration or knowledge transfer. Serving the
public good in a crisis entails risk-taking in spite of political stigma, knowledge
limitations and loss of life. The case of the 2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
(SARS) outbreak in Hong Kong illustrates some critical dilemmas faced by academics
generating a wider network of knowledge for productive synergies across
jurisdictional, cultural and professional boundaries