In an era increasingly driven by impact, performance, and measurable outcomes, the Institute of Advanced Studies at The University of Western Australia will pause on its 25th anniversary to reflect on something deeper: the enduring value of curiosity, creativity, and knowledge pursued for its own sake.

A special panel event will revisit the ideas of Abraham Flexner, author of the influential 1939 Harper’s essay "The Usefulness of Useless Knowledge" and founding Director of the original Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton.

"Flexner believed that curiosity must be ‘absolutely unhampered,’ and that institutions of learning should nurture it, rather than constrain it with demands for immediate application.The Institute of Advanced Studies at UWA was established in 2000 to cultivate this spirit of curiosity and to break down intellectual gatekeeping by fostering interdisciplinary research."

Oron Catts, Director, UWA Institute of Advanced Studies

The panel will be moderated by Natasha Mitchell of ABC Radio National's Big Ideas Program , who will be in conversation with our guest speakers: 

• Associate Professor Oron Catts, the Academic Lead/Director of UWA Institute of Advanced Studies at UWA. Oron is an artist, researcher, designer and curator whose pioneering work with the Tissue Culture and Art Project which he established in 1996 is considered a leading biological art project. In 2000 he co-founded SymbioticA, a biological art research centre at The University of Western Australia. 
• Dr Jessyca Hutchens, a Palyku woman living and working on Noongar boodja. She is a curator at the Berndt Museum of Anthropology, and Lecturer at the UWA School of Indigenous Studies. Jessyca is an art historian, curator, and writer.
• Terri-ann White, Director of Upswell, an independent not-for-profit publishing house. She was Director and Publisher at UWA Publishing from 2006-2020 and was founding Director at the UWA Institute of Advanced Studies from 2000-2012. .

Since its inception, the IAS has provided a unique foundation for intellectual exchange, hosting visiting fellows, scholars, writers and public intellectuals. As the only institute of its kind in Australia, and a member of the international University-Based Institutes for Advanced Study (UBIAS) network, the IAS has for 25 years fostered interdisciplinary research and shared ideas with the University and the wider community.

Event details:

When: Thursday 11 September 2025, 6pm – 7.30pm, followed by a reception

Venue: The University Club of Western Australia

Cost: Free, registration required events.humanitix.com/usefulness-of-useless-knowledge