Chandigarh: 08th February, 2024:- The Centre of Management and Humanities (CMH) of Punjab Engineering College (Deemed to be University), Chandigarh today organized an Expert talk on "Sustainable Development: A Global Imperative'' on 8th February, 2024. A team of faculty and students from the University of Newcastle, Australia interacted with the students and faculty of PEC. 
The Keynote Speakers of the session were Dr. Jessica Siva and Dr. Josephine Vaughan from the University of Newcastle, Australia. Dr. Anju Singla, Head, CMH along with the CMH faculty welcomed the esteemed guest speakers of the session. She set the note for the talk mentioning that Sustainability is not of one industry, or one country, but is a collective effort by everyone for the betterment of the whole world. Dr. Singla added many businesses and governments have committed to sustainable business practices and are embracing the concept of the triple bottom line recognizing that there is a boom to realize profit, social and environmental benefits. 
Dr. Jessica Siva Associate Head of Discipline-Construction Management, University of Newcastle, Australia shared the importance of Sustainable Development. Her main area of research is construction management and sustainable urban development. She shared the variety of programs conducted by the University of Newcastle to form a cross-cultural and co-designed program between students of different countries and cultures. Her work becomes a beacon for the intersection of construction, governance and sustainability.
Dr. Josephine Vaughan with her expertise in building materials talked about the relationship between the choice of construction materials and the environment. She inspired the students to work for sustainable development as future leaders. She applauded India’s efforts to reduce carbon footprints which according to her are much quicker than Australia. Dr. Vaughan emphasized the significance of niche areas of construction economics and carbon accounting. Lastly, she left the students with a message to go small with less use of energy, land, material, and water; and make nature a part of whatever we do. 
Dr. Shivani, Faculty CMH delivered the vote of thanks to all the foreign delegates and students emphasizing how insightful, educative, and informative the session was. 
The visit concluded with the team from the University of Newcastle, Australia interacting with the faculty members, research scholars, and students of PEC for academic and research collaborations.