There is an increasing demand for critical metals and rare earth elements for production of electronics, technological advancements and the green transition. This has intensified international competition for known terrestrial resources and renewed interest inmining mineral resources on the deep seabed, including polymetallic nodules, seafloor massive sulfides and cobal-rich crusts. However, potential exploitation of these resources raises complex environmental, legal and geopolitical questions.This session will feature three presentations addressing the geological and biological context of deep-sea mineral resources, current scientific understanding of environmental impacts, and the legal and governance challenges associated with potential mining activities. The three 15 min presentations will be followed by a Q&A and discussion with the audience. Karl Attard, University of Southern Denmark, DIAS, DK - The perspectives of deep-sea mining Bryan O’Malley, Eckerd College, Florida, USA - Deep-Sea Mining Impacts and Recovery: Immediate, Annual, and Decadal Responses of Benthic Ecosystems Ole Larsen, Danish Hydraulic Institute, DK - Environmental impact assessment and governance challenges in deep-sea mining Q&A and discussion facilitated by Ronnie (15-20 min)
What if communication were not just something humans do, but a process through which all kinds of beings—molecules, machines, institutions, emotions, organisms, laws, and people—come to express themselves and make a difference? Drawing on my forthcoming book, “Thinking the World Communicatively: An Exploration of the More or Less,” this talk introduces a way of approaching reality that transcends the traditional boundaries between the natural sciences, the social sciences, and the humanities. I propose that to think communicatively is to examine how relations allow phenomena to manifest themselves more or less in the world. Communication, in this broad sense, encompasses electromagnetic radiation warming our skin, neurons firing, procedures shaping institutional conduct, technologies guiding attention, and people coordinating with one another. Instead of reducing the world to discourse or matter, this communicative ontology highlights how beings both act and “pass through” others. It offers scientists, scholars, and students an anti-reductionist framework for understanding truth, objectivity, materiality, agency, and power across domains, from social interaction to quantum mechanics.BiographyFrançois Cooren (PhD, Université de Montréal, 1996) is a Professor in the Department of Communication at Université de Montréal, Canada. His research focuses on organizational communication, language and social interaction, as well as communication theory. He is the Past President of the International Communication Association (ICA, 2010–2011), the Past President of the International Association for Dialogue Analysis (IADA, 2012–2021), and former Editor-in-Chief of the journal Communication Theory (2005–2008). He was elected ICA Fellow in 2013, NCA (National Communication Association) Distinguished Scholar in 2017, and Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2024. He published 16 books (four as an author or co-author and twelve as an editor or co-editor) and authored close to 100 peer-reviewed articles and more than 60 book chapters. He is one of the founding members of what is now known as the Montreal School of Organizational Communication, a primary branch of the Communication as Constitutive of Organization (CCO) approach.
About the talk:Our ability to shape materials at the nanoscale opens new possibilities for, among other things, rapid diagnostics and smart medication. I will give examples from our research that encompass both new discoveries and startup stories.In the treatment of leukemia and sepsis, there is a need for therapeutic monitoring of drug concentrations in patients’ blood. Silicon structures at the nanometer scale can have surprising optical properties. For example, they can enhance the so-called Raman scattering more than a million times. This effect can be used to perform very sensitive measurements of small molecules in a complex blood sample.Our vision is that in the future we can ‘swallow our doctor’. Ingestible capsules can be made smart so that they can eventually measure, take samples, and perform local repairs/medication in the stomach and intestines. Can this be done without also having to swallow a battery, and how do you take a sample from the intestines?About the speaker:Anja Boisen is head of section and professor at the Department of Health Technology, Technical University of Denmark. Her research group focuses on the development and application of nano-sensors, energy harvesting in the body, and ingestible devices for sensing, sampling, and delivery. Anja is a cofounder of several companies and is, among others, a member of the board of the Leo Foundation, the Danish Academy of the Technical Sciences, and the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences. She has been awarded the largest research prize in Denmark, the Villum Kann Rasmussen Award, and the Order of Dannebrog by Her Majesty the Queen of Denmark.
“Unearthed”: Where Science Becomes SoundCan approx. 4.5 billion years of Earth's deep history be transformed into acoustic music? Composer Signe Lykke has created a new piece for string quartet. Drawing on Earth System Science, the work translates the planet’s intertwined biological, chemical, and geological processes into music as part of her three year residency with Bloom festival in Copenhagen.The residency brings contemporary classical music into dialogue with natural science, exploring the phenomenon of memory through three scientific perspectives: hologenomics, geoscience, and astrophysics.Over the course of the residency, Lykke is creating three new works that explore scale across duration, instrumentation, and scientific framework.The residency fosters a close knit co-creative process working with scientists from different fields. In conversation with these specialists the pieces slowly grow informed by data, specific evolutionary parameters, archival findings, the behavior of microorganisms, graphics ect.Lensed through music this is an interdisciplinary research driven project with a boundary pushing and genre bending agenda. It fosters hybrid forms of research and co-creation that challenge the boundaries of accustomed knowledge, both in science and art. She will present the work "Unearthed" and offer insights into the compositional process, collaborative framework, and the various modes of musical translation involved. About Signe Moslund Lykke Signe Lykke is a multiple award-winning Danish composer, with a masters degree from Trinity Conservatoire of Music in London and College of Fine Arts in Austin, Texas as well as an advanced graduate diploma from the Royal Academy of Music in Århus.Signe Lykke has composed music for a broad array of ensembles and soloists, including large-scale interdisciplinary works such as the opera Nordkraft, the dance piece Leaning Tree, the interactive light installation Living Room by Random International, and an opera trilogy by the artist collective Motherboard.Upcoming projects include a new violin concerto for the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, a new work for soprano Barbara Hannigan, a site-specific orchestral work for the Rued Langgaard Festival and a song cycle for aging voices and baroque orchestra. This event is hosted and organized by DIAS Chair Don Canfield
Abstract: Since the second World War, we have entered the era of ‘Big Science’. Research is now often conducted at a scale well beyond of what one individual, or even one research lab can manage. Such large experiments tend to require financial support from one or more government agencies over extended periods of time—often even several decades. Because of this increase in costs, scientists have had to change how they decide what experiments to pursue, since only a small number of large-scale experiments will be funded at any given time, and what experiments are pursued can determine the future of scientific research. In this talk, I want to give a start at investigating what makes an experiment more worthy to pursue compared to other experiments, especially in the era of Big Science. Short Bio: My primary interests lie in history and philosophy of cosmology and astrophysics, and general philosophy of science. I received my PhD in History and Philosophy of Science from the University of Pittsburgh in 2020, before joining the philosophy department at Stockholm University. In 2025, I received a Starting Grant from the European Research Council for a project on collective decision-making on future large-scale experiments in cosmology and astrophysics. My Cambridge Element, Philosophy of Cosmology and Astrophysics, was published in 2025.
The Future of Health Depends on RehabilitationRehabilitation has long been under-prioritized in health systems, even as the global demand for these services rises sharply and far outpaces what is currently offered. Funding models often fail to support rehabilitation adequately, despite its essential role in universal health coverage, healthy aging, and equitable care. The WHO’s resolution on Strengthening Rehabilitation in Health Systems, the Rehabilitation 2030 initiative, and the World Rehabilitation Alliance (WRA) signal a global shift toward addressing this urgent gap. Dr. Côté will examine how health services and policy research can shape responsive policies, drawing on the work of the WHO Collaborating Centre on Rehabilitation and Musculoskeletal Health at the Institute for Disability and Rehabilitation Research. He will also highlight why generating robust data on the value of rehabilitation, its impact on population health, work productivity, and quality of life for aging adults is critical to support governments in making informed investments in integrated, sustainable rehabilitation services.About Pierre CôtéPierre Côté is a professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Ontario Tech University. Côté is an epidemiologist who holds the Hann-Kelly Family Chair in Disability and Rehabilitation Research. From 2013-2023, he held the prestigious Canada Research Chair in Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation. Côté is the founding Director of the Institute for Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation (IDRR), a leading international research hub which aims to improve the functioning and quality of life of people with disability or in need of rehabilitation. He is the inaugural Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Center on Rehabilitation and Musculoskeletal Health. Professor Côté currently serves Lead of The Cochrane Rehabilitation Methodological Group. Dr. Côté holds appointments at international universities. He is a Professor of Epidemiology at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto; Adjunct Professor of Disability Prevention at Southern Denmark University; Honorary Professor of Physiotherapy at MGM Institute of Health Sciences, India, and Visiting Professor of Health Promotion Sciences at Sophiahemment University, Sweden. Throughout his career, Côté has published more than 420 peer-reviewed papers. His current Scopus h-index is 71. Throughout his career, Professor Côté has supervised more than 50 master’s, doctoral and post-doctoral trainees.This event is hosted and organized by DIAS Chair Jan Hartvigsen
