Dr. Jianguo «Jack» Liu, who is in Trondheim to receive the Gunnerus Sustainability Award 2021, is a renowned human-environment scientist and sustainability scholar. 

He has conducted his research for decades, both in China and in the U.S., where he now holds the Rachel Carson Chair in Sustainability at the Michigan State University. However, his research activity has run into difficulties with the authorities several times. In China, where he was not allowed to do research for several months after publishing a controversial paper. But also, and perhaps more surprisingly, in the U.S., where science can be compromised by competition between politicians. Politics also exist within the scientific community itself, according to dr. Liu. 

What are the threats against free science today, globally and nationally? We have invited Jack Liu for a talk with Rune Lykkeberg, the chief editor of the Danish newspaper Information, and writer of several books about democracy and what threats it faces. In his most recent book, ‘Vesten mod Vesten’ (‘The West against the West’), Lykkeberg describes how the occidental world is about to loose itself. What happens if science and scientists no longer are free to do their research? Moderator is Ruth Astrid Sæter. The talk will be held in English. 

Time: Thursday 30th of September, at 18:00 Venue: DIGS 

Cover charge: 100/50/free entrance for students 

Stockmanndagene will take place in the period 29th of September to 1th of October 2021. You can find the program for the festival here: https://www.facebook.com/Stockmanndagene 

The festival is a collaboration between Litteraturhuset in Trondheim and Eventselskapet, and is arranged in collaboration with NTNU. 

Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Dreyer Forlag, design: Åshild Lunestad