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On 20 October, Sydney鈥檚 watering holes will be transformed into classrooms for one night as 20 academics enter 20 bars to deliver 20 thought-provoking talks.

The University of Sydney has joined to bring the popular worldwide initiative, which has previously run in New York, Hong Kong and London, to Sydneysiders.

Established in 2014, Raising the Bar began with a group of students from Columbia University and New York University who were looking to share the unique learning experience from the world鈥檚 greatest minds with the general public.

The first ever Raising the Bar Sydney event aims to change the city鈥檚 popular culture to make education a key element.

Raising the Bar鈥檚 CEO Yuli Luvish said the initiative seeks to create an environment for leading scholars and thought-leaders to share their knowledge in an intimate and personal way.

鈥淲e are very fortunate to collaborate with the prestigious University of Sydney to host Raising the Bar Sydney,鈥� said Ms Luvish.

鈥淭his event is part of the RTBLocal program looking to make education accessible and find new ways for people to harness knowledge and spark innovation by bringing quality content to unique and unexpected places.鈥�

Speakers will discuss topics as broad as ground-breaking research in medicinal cannabinoids from Dr David Allsop to Professor Sahar Amer questioning why Muslim women wear the veil.聽

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Presented by Professor Sahar Amer at Knox Street Bar聽 聽 聽 聽聽

Putting aside Western assumptions of veiling, Professor Sahar Amer will discuss the multitude of reasons why Muslim women choose to veil.

鈥淚slam did not invent veiling, even though the veiling of hair (and body) is today most often associated with the Islamic tradition and the subordination of women,鈥� said Professor Amer.

鈥淐ontrary to what many believe, the Quran聽does not offer any firm or unambiguous requirement to wear what we have come today to recognise as 鈥楳uslim dress鈥� or veiling.

鈥淭he Islamic fashion industry is today a multi-million dollar business and is very well established in Australia. There is also a large industry of veiled (Muslim) dolls, and of Islamic beauty pageants.鈥�

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Presented by Professor Tim Stephens () at The Bristol Arms Hotel

With the Paris climate talks scheduled to take place in December, the issue of climate change has rarely been as hot. In his Raising the Bar talk, Professor Tim Stephens will interrogate how global decisions are being made in the realm of global warming.

鈥淔inally, global momentum is building for decisive action to confront the climate crisis,鈥� said Professor Stephens.

鈥淭he question remains: will the talks in Paris will be enough to avoid the two degree Celsius rise in temperature the world has agreed to keep below? Australia has much to gain from a transition to a clean economy, and Paris represents a critical fork in the road.鈥澛�

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Presented by Dr Tanya Latty () at The SG Bar

The answer to Dr Tanya Latty鈥檚 confronting question may surprise you. Dr Latty said ants have brains smaller than a pinhead, yet they run complex societies complete with transportation networks, communication systems and even waste management infrastructure. So how do they do it?

鈥淪ocial insects are among the most successful organisms on the planet,鈥� said Dr Latty.聽鈥淚f an alien landed tomorrow and had a good look around she would almost certainly conclude that they 鈥� not us 鈥� were running the planet.

鈥淚ndividual ants tend not to be particularly clever 鈥� their brains, after all, are smaller than pinheads. But by working together as a group they can do astonishingly complex things. Ants get things done by working together as a well organised team. That鈥檚 why they鈥檙e so good at raiding your picnic.鈥�

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Presented by Dr David Allsop () at Manning Bar

With over half the states in America having now legalised cannabis for medical purposes, Dr David Allsop will weigh up both sides of the debate to take a close look at what the future of medical cannabis might look like in Australia.

鈥淭o this day cannabis remains demonised in almost all countries of the world, still prohibited alongside heroin and cocaine, with no recognised medical purpose,鈥� said Dr Allsop.

鈥淎ustralia is grappling with the rightful place of medical cannabis in society, with a groundswell of community support rising up to challenge the status quo.

鈥淧erhaps the most persuasive argument for cannabis comes from parents of children with intractable epilepsy who are reporting remarkable results in improving their children鈥檚 quality of life through cannabis. One such family were so convinced of the power of cannabis to treat their granddaughter鈥檚 epilepsy that they made a to the University of Sydney to once and for all nail the science to the mast.鈥�

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Presented by Dr Rebecca Sheehan () at The Record Crate

We live in an unprecedented time when more and more female artists are soaring up the pop music charts. Dr Rebecca Sheehan said it would be naive to dismiss them as meaningless.

鈥淭he story of women and popular music is one of the relationship between an exploitative industry and the brave, talented, savvy women who have succeeded in and been broken by it,鈥� she said.

鈥淚n a still-sexist world, women have to navigate the pleasure and danger that comes with their bids to step out of the status quo. Far from irrelevant, understanding women in pop can give us a blueprint for liberation.鈥�

Event details:

What: Raising the Bar Sydney

When: Tuesday 20 October 2015, 6:30pm to 7:30pm

Where: Various locations across Sydney

Cost: Free, online booking required