Category: Other topics

In July, I attended ResBaz Brisbane and went to a session by Griffith Uni’s amazing Amanda Miotto. Amanda is a Senior eResearch Analyst and is central to the hugely popular Hacky Hour. I was super impressed with her knowledge and excellent advice for researchers on how to use technology more effectively.

In a recent consultation with Amanda, I mentioned my bike ride fieldwork in Africa and how I was thinking of some way to represent my bio and located data.

She said I should pitch my idea to Health Hack to see what a team could achieve. So here are my initial ideas for my Problem Owner submission.

We are pitching our ideas in the next couple of weeks, but the actual Health Hack will be on 20-22nd September 2019.

I’ll let you know how it all goes!

Health Hack

Based on a Hackthon model, Health Hack is a product-building event that runs from a Friday evening through to Sunday.

Teams work on problems that have been submitted by Problem Owners – typically medical researchers, medical organisations, hospitals or government— but they could come from anyone who has a health-related problem they want to solve.

You can check out more about it at the Health Hack website.

My Problem Definition

The first step is to submit a problem definition. Here is what I submitted.

Problem title: BioMap

What is the problem you want to solve?

Currently, there are many personalized tech devices (such as Fitbits) being used to monitor and track health.  These devices can be beneficial in motivating, documenting and sharing aspects of health, but their functionality suggests that health, exercise and the environment are individual and separate components of heath and daily life activities. Although useful to a point, these products undermine a greater understanding of health as holistic, intra-related and complex.

The main drawbacks of current devices is that the scope and functionality is usually limited to one aspect of health (i.e. steps per day/cardio), data is not easily integrated with other data (personalized apps), and very few devices take into account the impact of wider environmental determinates (i.e. beyond GPS, altitude).

What is needed is a solution that seamlessly integrates already available personal health metrics (HR, exercise output, GPS, sleep) with other environmental determinates, like seasonal weather patterns, wind, temperature, terrain, light, humidity and other corporeal/embodied sensations to caputre a more comprehensive experince of daily health and mobility.

My PhD research explores how bicycles feature in rural African girls’ access to education. I am most interested in the embodied, geographical and environmental conditions that girls experience every day when riding a bike to get to school and home. Previous educational research focuses heavily on cultural, economic and structural interrogations of girls’ education, but few take into account what it is like to actually get to and from school.

To achieve this, I would like to collaborate with others to build a dashboard called BioMap. I see BioMap as a way to combine a range of biometric, sensory, health, geographic and environmental overlays into one single, easy-to-use, interactive data visualization. The display includes a map of Africa that can be zoomed in and out of and different overlays can be turned on and off.

BioMap is needed to show the complex, interrelated and unique environmental and bodily forces that local girls contend with as they make their school journeys on bikes. This solution will be an invaluable and original contribution to expanding current understandings of the local conditions these girls travel through.

I feel this would be reusable for other researchers and other people interested in emplaced embodied biometrics.

Why do you want to solve this problem?

Contextualizing and situating the conditions of riding a bicycle through a particular environment will better enable researchers and individuals to understand a fuller picture of the emplaced body.  This will enable quick identification of factors that far exceed the standard health assessment. The BioMap will help situate users to better appreciate the ‘broader picture’ and consider more widely the elements that support or deter a person as they move through a specific environment.

One of my motivations to participate in Health Hack is to collaboratively build and share a solution that will encourage researchers, developers and educators to think more divergently, holistically and critically about the materiality of the contexts in which they are working.

That is why I think an Open Source dashboard would be the most generative, useful and realistic output for this Health Hack. I am interested to see how Health Hack programmers might go about doing this, for example, is it best to get APIs that can read from devices such as FitBits, Garmin, weather and other sources and them plug it into something like R and Python that will give us the ability to make our own output, or can the team suggest an alternative?

Or if the team want to make it themselves or use something that plugs into an Open Source Dashboard software (if it is) already out there. An added bonus for an Open Source output is that it would be a unique and generative contribution to publish and the team creators could provide examples on GitHub, add labels to it, put their names on it and get licenses. Kudos!

Conversely, there might be a different configuration the team might like to try depending on time, interest, skills or if there is other software, suggestions or ideas people have in mind that would fit.

What do you envision as the ideal solution for this problem?

I would like a platform created that shows a range of blah de blah, so that I can show the conditions that these girls (or others) experience as they travel. I envisage BioMap as being a dashboard that combines a range of biometric, sensory, health, geographic and environmental overlays into one single, easy-to-use, interactive data visualization.

BioMap is a dashboard platform that combines a range of biological, sensory and environmental data so that users can not only explore each dataset individually, but can also shift between, and overlay different indicators to see how each influences the health of the person as a whole.

What sort of Open Source solution do you think can be created in 48 hours, by a small team of developers, designers and data analysts?

I am keen work with others on establishing a prototype interface that integrates a range of health, biometric, geographical, environmental and embodied sensory data. Principally, I would like a way to get the data from the sensors I am going to use (GoPro, Conos, Fitbit, Google Maps, etc) into a data table (excel or .csv) and see if there is some way to synthesis this information.

Any extra work that could be done to achieved this would be an added and welcome bonus. For example, given the time (and if we have a crack team), it would be awesome to get a dashboard that includes a map of Africa that can be zoomed in and out of where I could turn different overlays on and off.

My initial conceptualisation is to use a map (i.e. of Africa via Google Maps) which can be zoomed into and out of, with a box on the side panel that has the other trip indicators/overlays. When you click on each one, you can select whether you wish to view it by itself, of you can overlay (or layer up) on the map so you can trace indices of for example; place (GPS, altitude, distance), space (video footage, pace, timing), environment (weather, air, and terrain) and body (HR, exercise, etc) changes while the body is undertaking daily routines and activities – such as travelling to and from school.

Keeping in mind Health Hack has a set amount of time, the output I am most keen to achieve is a dashboard (map) that overlays APIs datasets from the biometric devices/sources. Depending on time, skill and interest, I would be very happy to explore any other add-ons, extensions or ideas the team might have.

Are there datasets or people with domain knowledge that you will be bringing to work with? What/who are they?

Yes. I will be bringing all of my own biometric datasets to populate BioMap including  data from these sensor/devices: Conos, My Hormone Calendar, Garmin, Cronometer and Fitbit, This will provide datasets on my sleep, activity output, heart rate, duration, nutrition, menes, altitude, distance, speed, time/date, barometer, temperature, calories, recovery rate and other general personalized biometrics.

I will also be using a Go Pro for A/V footage. I am keen to also see how we can integrate/overlap other open access data such as BOM weather reports (wind, UV) and Google Maps and any other data elements that are easily accessible like local event calendars, sun rise/set, smog reports or  other suggestions from the team.

Please note, only my own biometric data will be collected and published at any time. 

I have licensed my biometric data.

What are the current solutions for handling this problem?

There are a range of devices (Garmin, Go Pro, Fitbit, and health apps) that cover certain aspects of health (some more comprehensively than others), however few devices integrate a range of situated and environmental data from a range of sources/sensors.

There are many organisations around the world using bicycles to support community development by increasing female access to essential services like education and health.

Established in 1966, World Vision is a well-known international Christian NGO that has been operating for over 50 years focusing specifically on supporting vulnerable children in need.

Their efforts are streamed towards tackling grassroots poverty, increasing community development, providing relief and advocacy work. They are most famous for their ‘Sponsor a Child’ program which has been running for many years and has been highly successful. World Vision operates in 90 countries, including Australia and has provided short and long term assistance for over 100 million people.

1,300 South Sudanese girls to get bicycles to access education

Last month, I was interested to see World Vision has expanded their service modalities in progressing child participation, rights and equity in Yambio County, South Sudan by supply 300 bicycles to local school girls and young mothers.

As many regular readers know, this kind of project/context is exactly what my PhD research is looking at* – hence my interest in this story.

This project is planned to expand to provide 1,300 bikes.

South Sudan is the world’s newest nation after being formally established in 2011. It is an incredibly culturally rich and diverse nation that has a very tumultuous, violent and difficult history. As of 2018, South Sudan ranks third lowest in the latest UN World Happiness Report, second lowest on the Global Peace Index.

Much of the local and international efforts in South Sudan are now focused on statebuilding, capacity development and establishing a functional and reliable government.

So it is great to hear that bicycles are part of the positive steps being taken to address some of the central challenges in South Sudan.

Here are more details from World Vision about their South Sudan bicycles-for-girls project:

Josephine Bekita was smiling with excitement. Her dream to own a bicycle just came true. “Going to school is now easy for me”, says this future nurse who is committed to study hard and help her countrymen someday.

Three hundred girls like Josephine and young mothers received bicycles in Yambio County that will not only make their movement around town easy but also help create awareness on important issues in their community. The project aims to provide support to 1,300 girls in Western Equatoria Zone in South Sudan.

“Thank you, World Vision for remembering us. We have lost hope and we felt like failures in life because we did not know what to do next”, says Sinoyosa Agbiamamu, 16. She adds, “We now feel empowered to move on with our access to education and other services. We shall make it.”

Another girl, 18-year old Sentina Ngbagida, was as excited as all the girls waiting at the handover activity. “I want to become the Minister of Health someday”, she says with a huge smile. She explained that health is a major issue in South Sudan and she wanted to help lift up the condition of her fellow South Sudanese.

Talking with World Vision’s Country Programme Director Mesfin Loha, Sentina was advised to be serious in pursuing her dreams because that is what the country needs. During the event, Loha further challenged the girls to work harder, to be active in the communities and to use the bicycles to better themselves and others.

Gbudue State Minister for Education, Gender and Social Welfare, Hon. Pia Phillip Michael encouraged the girls to take their education as a priority and to challenge themselves to be productive members of their communities, helping in whatever way they can.

“This project provides girls with bicycles not only ease their movement in the community to access services on time, but will enable them to do activities to help generate income for their families. They can also attend vocational training and learn more skills”, adds Protection Officer Justine Abenaitwe Otim.

According to Protection Manager Janbo Getu Zewdie said this project works closely with the Ministry of Education, Gender and Social Welfare and is focused on girls and young women and aims to form peer-to-peer support groups to motivate them to help each other and their communities with the help of local authorities.

*I am not working with World Vision in my PhD research, or any other faith-based aid organisation. All images and part of this text courtesy of World Vision.

Well, it might look a bit whacky and you might feel a bit self-conscious at first, but there is definitely something to the Conference Bike idea.

The Conference Bike (CoBi-7) is a circular, 7-seated bike.

The design and engineering of the frame itself is awesome and there is certainly something kooky-attractive-oddly alluring about riding backwards or sideways.

The Conference bike is primarily pitched for ..um…well… conferences…and group initiatives, community and youth shindigs, team-building activities, festivals and other such events – which makes sense because you need (ideally) 7 people to ‘ride’ it.

I like the CoBi approach – they don’t try to hide, explain or defend the bike.

Conversely, they embrace the absurdness of it…as each CoBi has a license plate that says, ‘Hire us for a laugh!’

It is safe to say, I will never go to another conference without thinking of this bike!

Regardless of what you might think initially of the bike – it kind of grows on you.

At first glance, you may dismiss it as tokenistic…but then if you think about it…HELLS YEAH!, it might be fun!!

After all – this blog is all about getting more people on bikes and having more fun!

And you can’t argue with the engineering and quality of the end product – it is schmick!

So, if you want to give it a go – f@rking go for it!

The producers of CoBi-7 have done a great job of extending and promoting this bike.

There are three free e-books, some pretty hilarious stories on their a blog,  heaps of videos showcasing the bike in use, details on CoBi Clubs, info on how to order the bike and other resources and paraphernalia. 

The history of how American artist Eric Staller created these bikes is pretty interesting – what vision (and balls!)

If you think these bikes are just a gimmick – keep in mind that many people, companies and organizations are already using CoBis. For example, The Association of Dairy Farmers of Canada have 2 CoBi-7s that they tour around Canada as a means to promote healthy living! GOLD!

There are a few different models of the CoBi. Not all have 7 seats – there is also a Quintette (5) and a Love Bike (2) in a heart shaped frame.

Here is what Conference Bike has to say:

It’s no joke: the Conference Bike is a revolutionary way to bring people together. The CoBi-7 is pedaled by 7 riders sitting in a circle. One person steers while the other 6 pedal (or not) as the bike moves effortlessly along.

More than 300 CoBies are now being enjoyed by a wide variety of groups in 18 countries. It is a tour bike in Berlin, Baltimore and San Francisco; a tool for corporate team-building in Copenhagen and San Diego, a way for blind people to bike in Dublin and Florida.

They have been used for fund-raising events and by biking advocacy groups worldwide. CoBies are being used to transport employees on the Google campus in California; and as ice-breakers at Vincennes, Stony Brook and Alfred Universities. Every group you can think of can use a ‘CoBi’ as a tool and a symbol for bringing people together.

Originally conceived as an artwork by internationally recognized artist/inventor Eric Staller, the CoBi makes every owner/operator feel like an artist; behind the wheel of this bike you see the joy that you are bringing to people.

After a very difficult fortnight, I find myself reaching for some feel-good, bike-inspired, warm-and-fuzzies.

Nothing fills this spot for me better than trail dogs.

Regular followers of this blog know of my Instagram project #bikes_CISTA (CISTA = Cycling Inter-Species Teams of Awesomeness). This project requires that I randomly meet a troupe that has at least one dog, one bike and one rider – with whom I stop and have a chat with and ask if I can include their photo in my project. This project is my way of celebrating my local dog/rider/bike combos who are out and about in the community – we need more of them!

Like many others, dogs and bikes are my go to medicine for rough days.

Often, I reach for Ruby the Trail dog for this fix, but this week I needed something new.

And this little video, Paws & Wheels about riding duo Baloo and his rider Ollie, was it.

A simple story about the joys of two mates hitting the trails together (*sigh*).

The voice-over might be a little Disney, but nothing detracts from a puppy cam!

It is beautifully shot with sweeping trails, lots of sunshine and mountain biking good times galore.

There is something wholesome and reaffirming about watching a trail dog in slo-mo careering over trails – it is a special kind of happiness.

….. wind in the fur, rider by side, in the outdoors…

It is true – life is better with a furry friend.

Enjoy!

Recently, I submitted an abstract to present at the 2019 University English Centers Australia (UECA) Assessment Symposium – and it has been accepted!

I am an action-orientated, hands-on, tread-the-boards participatory kind of educator. I used to think that assessments were a chore, ineffective, didn’t reflect the full student learning experience and was something that was most important to administrators. Now I have a very different view of educational assessment.

I applied to present at this symposium for the opportunities it will provide in: extending my classroom expertise into other areas of teaching and pedagogy I am not as familiar with; encouraging me to engage a direct approach to monitoring, tracking and evaluating changes I make in my teaching praxis; to see what current themes are occupying educational service providers; to gain more experience with the administration side of educational processes and policies.

For this presentation, I am using the Bicycle Create Change internship program as a case study for my key message. Find out more about the Bicycles Create Change Internship here.

Previously, four of us involved in the Bicycles Create Change internship program presented some of the key lessons, findings and insights at the 2018 English Australia (QLD) PD Fest and then again at the 2018 National English Australia conference.

The purpose of the UECA session is to specifically look at some of the unique assessment pieces we worked with. These are aspects of the program that we have not yet been shared.

This session will explore some of the co-collaborative assessment success and misfires that we went through and unpack why these important and productive processes.

Ultimately my central argument will be to consider using some inventiveness in assessments, so they are more creative, challenging and authentically related to ‘the real world’.

I hope to stir the pot just a little and advocate for more innovative assessments (and greater awareness for bikes!)

This presentation is also an exercise in sharing the insights derived from the Bicycles Create Change internship program to a wider range of teachers, educational institutions, stakeholders and interested parties.

It is also part of my aspirational long-term sociological goal of embedding bicycles into every aspect of everyday life. I would love to see a world where bicycles are a normative feature of our daily routines – and not just for transportation, fitness or sport.

So, I like to surreptitiously entangle bicycles into every facet of life I can – and especially into education, teaching and learning. This UECA session is a great case in point. It is safe to say that the participants of this conference won’t be expecting to be hearing about bikes at a formal assessment conference – and therein lies the genius!  

In regularly doing these kinds of subversive biketivism moves in many areas, over time, I hope I’m building a future where, someday, bikes will just be a normative, necessary and accepted part of everyone’s life. Here’s to hoping!

What is the UECA English Language Assessment Symposium 2019?

University English Centres Australia (UECA and The University of Queensland’s English Language Centre (UQ-ICTE) are presenting the 2019 Assessment Symposium.

The Assessment Symposium is supported by the English Australia Assessment SIG (Special Interest Group).

It aims to bring together English Language Teaching professionals in order to share best practice in English Language Assessment and provide quality opportunities for learning. Here are the conference streams:

What is the presentation format?

Each session is 40 minutes long.  Presenters do a 30-minute presentation/workshop and have 10 minutes for Q & A at the end.

The organisers also bravely stated that ‘all presentation topics relevant to English language assessment within university English language programs will be considered”.

So, with that in mind, I submitted my abstract.

My UECA Abstract

Stream: Assessment

Title of Presentation: Increasing student assessment satisfaction. Increasing student satisfaction and engagement with assessments: What emerges when students develop their own assessments.

Abstract: Most programs that teach Academic English to international students are heavily based on teacher-led assessments in order to meet organizational benchmarks and standards. In many University English Language Centers, student feedback on course content, materials, teaching, facilities and services is usually positive. However, student feedback about assessments remains a sticky point. The challenge for teachers and administrators is how to increase student satisfaction of assessments in relevant, measurable, practical and meaningful ways. This aim of this session is to reframe current ways of thinking and doing assessments and encourage greater consideration for innovative negotiated assessments.

Using the case study of an independent, experimental, collaborative, 8-week pilot internship program designed by Nina Ginsberg and four international students, this session shares unique student-developed processes that emerged during the course of the internship. The internship was an exploration of how international students could consolidate, progress and apply their English, academic, professional and personal skills in authentic and creative ways. This internship recently won the 2018 English Australia Bright Ideas Award (QLD).

This session will focus on a series of unique and challenging academic and employment-related assessments devised and undertaken by the students themselves. Three student-created assessments in particular that will be unpacked in more detail are: Pivots, Most Significant Change and Working your way backwards. It is hoped that the assessments discussed in this session will provide inspiration for developing more engaging curricula and thus increase student satisfaction.

Bio: Nina Ginsberg is a Griffith University teacher and Language Instructor at GELI. She has worked with international students for over 15 years and is known for her engaging and innovative teaching and learning style. Nina has worked on all levels of General English, Academic English and Direct Pathway programs and uses quality teaching and learning approaches, tools and practices to help progress student capacity, participation and enjoyment.  Recently, Nina’s Bicycles Create Change Internship presentation won English Australia’s 2018 Bright Ideas Award (QLD). Her current PhD research uses New Materialist approaches to explore how bicycles might (re)configure rural African girls’ access to secondary education.

Prelim schedule

Post note: I’m including the details of my abstract submission here because while doing a PhD you often have to submit abstracts to various events, but we often don’t get any help, guides or examples of how to do this. Only after the event schedule has been confirmed do you get to see the abstracts – and some events don’t release them to the public or online. So unless you actually go to these events, often you don’t get to see details about the session. It used to frustrate the hell out of me. Some thoughtful event managers upload a full program that includes session abstracts – and these are goldmines. So on this blog, I always include my abstract submission because it just might be of interest for someone else.

I love cycling and grew up sailing as a kid. When I lived in Sydney, I was invited out on a swanky yacht to watch the start of the Sydney to Hobart race – it was awesome! I currently live on Morton Bay in Brisbane and the Queensland Royal Yacht Club is just down the road. But like most people, I don’t have much to do with boats. But that all changed recently when I saw a live clip from the 35^th America’s Cup. It’s a whole new sport this year! NG.

Have you seen the new Emirates Team New Zealand (ETNZ) 35th America’s Cup Catamaran?

OMG – it’s incredible!

Suddenly, I’m into sailing and watching the race highlights.

The Kiwi Cyclors America’s Cup Catamaran.

The ETNZ has created a radical world-first design that includes a cycling system to use pedal power generated from cyclists instead of the traditional arm-powered grinders.

To keep the 50-foot catamaran roaring around Bermuda’s Great Sound at incredible speeds, four of the six crew are continuously bent over, furiously pedalling away.

The guys on the pedals are called ‘Cyclors’ – not sailors.

When it’s time to turn (tack or gybe), the Cyclors unclip from their stations in one hull, sprint across the trampoline middle and clip into the bikes in the other hull – and then continue to hit the pedals HARD.

This cycling technology uses the force generated by Cyclors to power the wingsail hydraulic systems and raise/lower the daggerboards (the invaluable hydrofoil extensions).

This innovation has also seen a significant change in crew and training. Instead of seasoned sailors, this rig has elite specialist athletes on the pedals – including Olympic rowers and Olympic track cyclists (like 28-year-old Simon van Velthooven).

The training and race effort the Cyclors do is hardcore.

The NZ design is kick ass fast – and the team is tipped to win the Auld Mug.

It’s so great to see such a productive, innovative and exciting fusion of sports.

Stats for the ETNZ AC Class catamaran:

• 2332-2432 kg: boat weight
• 60 metres: optical fibres
• 49,2 feet: hull length
• 25 meters: height of wing above water
• over 46 knots: top speed
• 6: crew members
• 87.5 kg: average crew weight
• 90: Emirates Team New Zealand’s members 

The 35th America’s Cup schedule in Bermuda

May 27-June13: Challengers selection series, divided into Louis Vuitton America’s Cup Qualifiers and Challenger Playoffs.

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See the action and race highlights on YouTube.

What is CWRB?

Chicks Who Ride Bikes (CWRB) connects women through bike riding and rewarding the businesses that support them. Established by Jordana Blackman in Brisbane in 2013 as a Facebook Group to arrange recreational bike rides, the group became the largest of its kind in the country, with more than 2,500 members in the SEQ chapter alone. Its popularity has continued to grow and the organisation now offers a range of community rides, events, services, skills sessions, ride buddy finder and come-and-try opportunities.

CWRB – Leading the Way Breakfast.

This event is the second in a series of breakfast events run by CWRB. The first inaugural breakfast Climb Every Mountain was held in February, where speakers Loren Rowney and Loretta Bayliss really set the scene for following events.

The Leading the Way breakfast had a different feel to it. On arrival there was some time to mingle and have a chat while participants grabbed a coffee and found a seat.

Once again, our host Katey did a wonderful job of opening up the forum and asking a few key questions to get started. Both guests were relaxed and open to sharing stories and having a laugh.

It was interesting to hear Anne Savage’s point of view about cycling and being the CEO of Bicycle Queensland. Anne gave some insights about how to get more people cycling, what main issues her organisation deals with, and her personal approach to road riding in the city. 

Jordana spoke about her bold initial start in cycling and how her passion developed into establishing CWRB. Jordana has many anecdotes of wobbly starts, misfires, and U-turns, but also meaningful successes that many of us could relate too. She spoke of a series of hard times and we all wanted to know how she has kept resilient all this time.

Both speakers had quite different views, approaches and experiences of cycling. They discussed how bikes feature in their life, politics, business, family, new beginnings and overcoming challenges. There were also some great questions from the audience at the end.

As I listened to both speakers, I was struck by the widely differing types (of women) that ride bikes – and how lovely it is that no matter where you come from, or where you are going to, we share a commonality of how to get there.

I also found myself agreeing with some things being discussed, but not relating to other situations. It was yet another reminder that people ride bikes for many reasons, and we all have our own stories with bikes to tell and no two stories are the same.

When Jordana and Anne shared their experiences with a room full of 50 people, of course there are going to be overlaps, acknowledgement and concenus – but also disparity, exclusions, and surprises.

But that is what the whole event is about – celebrating differences and commonalities.

This is one of the primary reasons I enjoy going to these breakfasts. It challenges my conceptualisations of what I think and know about what it is to ‘ride a bike’ – and that other riders have different conceptualisation and experiences that are just as valid, interesting and kooky as mine.

These events remind me to stay open and welcome new experiences, new people and new ways of thinking about things.

At each of these CWRB breakfasts, I have heard something I can directly relate to and something that doesn’t fit in my schema. And a whole range of other affective reactions between.

Stories are so powerful and so important to share. At these events we have the privilege of being granted special access to another person’s private experience of bike riding – something that is completely unique.

What a gift!

And that why I love going to the CWRB breakfast events!

If you haven’t been to one of these breakfast events before, keep checking CWRB Facebook and I’ll see you at the next one!

The Panel

Here’s a little more about the panel speakers as released on the event invite. As we start getting out the arm warmers and long sleeve jerseys, why not take time out of your busy schedule and join us for a hot breakfast, good coffee and even greater conversation!

Hosted by Olympian and commentator Katey Bates, join CWRB for a hot breakfast and coffee to meet some like-minded peers.

Host: Katey Bates

An Olympian and world champion cyclist, Katey loves her cycling like Eskimos love their ice.

Fuelled by a passion for two wheels, she scaled the heights of international cycling. Her stacked results sheet is highlighted by winning a coveted rainbow jersey with world championship victory in the points race, Commonwealth Games GOLD at back to back games, and a green and gold National champions jersey on the road.

Katey is one of only two Australian women to represent Australia at the Olympics in both track and road cycling, and since retirement, works in broadcasting, commentating on major international cycling events such as the Olympic and Commonwealth Games, World Championships and the Tour Down Under.

Guest Speaker: Anne Savage. CEO of Bicycle Queensland.

Without a doubt, Anne leads the way for cycling and advocacy. Anne Savage is the CEO of Bicycle Queensland. With an early career background in journalism, her recent career experience includes ten years at the Cancer Council and direction of a major project for Queensland Health. Her experience, skills, and competencies have been developed over nearly two decades of policy and advocacy practice across sectors and industries. She has directed landmark campaigns on social justice issues such as tobacco control, Indigenous health equality, and geographic and social disadvantage. Her work has introduced her to stakeholders spanning from the highest levels of government to local level community groups working as part of the global community to promote health equity and a sustainable development agenda. She’s a dedicated cyclist who has never owned a car and can’t remember how to drive.

Guest Speaker: Jordana Blackman. CEO of Chicks Who Ride Bikes.

When she was only 25, a cancer diagnosis changed her life dramatically. While in recovery, she saw a poster for a Ride To Conquer Cancer event at her local cafe. This 200km-over-2-day event was raising money for the very hospital she was treated, and she wanted to do something huge to give back. There was only one problem…

After buying her first bike (and falling off it on more occasions that she’d like to remember), she rode her first charity bike event alongside her partner and 2,000 other fundraisers – each of which had been touched in some way or another by cancer. She spent a lot of time training on her own or on an indoor wind trainer because she couldn’t find a group of girls to ride with at her pace, so when she moved interstate in 2013, she decided to create a Facebook group to make friends and meet other women who rode.

China has a problem with excess bike-share bicycles.

So what to do with all the bicycles mounting up in bike-share graveyards?

The team at LUO Studio have come up with a very innovative solution.

Their answer is a gorgeous winged beetle-shaped mobile library called Share Lady Beetle that uses retired bike-share bicycles as the frame.

Brilliant!

Transforming ex-bike-shares into mobile ‘insect’ libraries.

This project has it all: bicycles, creativity, recycling, books, education and community.

According to Luo Yujie* the Shared Lady Beetle was created after talking to a friend who teaches young children and was lamenting the regular need to have on hand interesting literacy and educational materials to help engage young students.

What better way to engage young curious minds that with this beautifully designed mobile art bike library?

LUO Studio’s website describes the art bike as being ‘A mirco movable library for kids’ and details more information about the project including:

• A Reflection on “Sharing”
• A Mobile Maker Classroom for Children
• A Mirco Shared library
• Shared Lady Beetle in an unknown city

The analogy given of the Shared Lady Beetle is that it is a “beneficial insect walking on the urban leaf.”

How is it made?

The mobile library was made using a standard retired bike-share bicycle which still has it’s two back wheels, to which an additional load-bearing wheel is added to help distribute the weight and extra length of the beetle design.

Reclaimed light-weight metal sheeting and bodywork from cars was used to make the wings and exterior exoskeleton.

The moveable wings are hinged so they can open. Inside, there are three separate levels of shelves that can hold rows of books or educational resources like paper and pens, as well as art and crafts or other materials.

The studio says they are “committed to creating more durable, friendly and quality space through creative thinking, craftsmanship spirit of devotion and caring for nature.”

Projects like these are so important in providing inspiration for creative and innovative recycling ideas for unused bicycles.

Not only is this design aesthetically beautiful and incredibly functional, it is also a prime example of how skilled upcycling (of bicycles) can be integrated into our daily moments in a way that positions bicycles as being a normal, accepted and expected part of our everyday life.

Designs such as the Shared Lady Beetle are important in helping to shift long-held traditional views that bicycles are only used (or good for) for riding and that ‘biking is unsafe’. It is projects like this one that turn such flawed logic on its head.

What a wonderful gift this art bike would be for any school or community.

I hope to see more recycled bicycle/education fusions like this in the future.

Ride and read on Lady Beetle!

* Luo Yujie is the founder of LUO Studio and Director of the Sustainable Village Studio of China New Rural Planning and Design Institute. See more of LUO Studio’s work on their website which has project descriptions in Chinese and English.

All images from Colossal.