Episodes
Monday Nov 26, 2018
Ep 63. Marine biology, coral reefs and tiny fishes with Chris Goatley
Monday Nov 26, 2018
Monday Nov 26, 2018
SPECIAL GUEST: Chris Goatley (UNE)
What do animals do? It may sound like a very simple question but for many biologists it can be very hard to answer. For marine biologist Chris Goatley studying small, elusive cryptobenthic fish, understanding what they get up to is both an incredible challenge and adventure. Teeny tiny fish make up a huge amount of biomass in coral reefs across the globe and we actually know very little about how they survive and what role they play in coral reef ecology.
In an interview with In Situ Science Chris chats with us about how a childhood fascination for the ocean lead to him setting off on a globe-trotting, ocean spanning career. We also chat about how he ended up doing marine biology in Australia’s most inland, high-altutude university.
You can follow Chris on Twitter @buzzgoatley
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Sunday Nov 11, 2018
Ep 62. Machine learning and digital bricklayers with Will Billingsley
Sunday Nov 11, 2018
Sunday Nov 11, 2018
SPECIAL GUEST: Will Billingsley (UNE)
With computer technology processing rapidly, and the proliferation of the internet into all aspects of our lives and businesses, you can't blame people for feeling a little bit out of control. With technologies such as 'machine learning' and 'artificial intelligence' becoming more common place we are beginning to ask questions about how much we actually understand what their effects are. In this episode we sit down for a chat with technologist and computer science lecturer Will Billingsley from the University of New England and chat about what the future holds for computer science. We talk about the importance of understanding how to control the programmes we create, and, more importantly, how good Black Mirror is!
Follow Will on twitter @wbillingsley and check out his website wbillingsley.com
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Music: ‘Strange Stuff’ by Sonic Wallpaper - www.sonicwallpaper.bandcamp.com
Tuesday Oct 30, 2018
Ep 61. Wetlands, waterbirds and food webs with Lindsey Frost
Tuesday Oct 30, 2018
Tuesday Oct 30, 2018
SPECIAL GUEST: Lindsey Frost (UNE)
Wetlands aren't always wet. Sounds strange but in an arid country like Australia, wetlands may be dry for decades at a time until water arrives via rain and flooding events. These unique habitats provide crucial resources for diverse ecosystems that thrive under dynamic boom-and-bust situations.
Lindsey Frost is a wetland ecologist from the University of New England who is setting out to answer the question, 'how much water does it take to grow a duck?' By investigating the dynamics of entire wetland ecosystem food-webs Lindsey will uncover how much water is actually necessary to sustain a thriving and healthy wetland ecosystem.
Follow Lindsey on Twitter @FrostyCamps
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Music: ‘Strange Stuff’ by Sonic Wallpaper - www.sonicwallpaper.bandcamp.com
Sunday Oct 14, 2018
Sunday Oct 14, 2018
SPECIAL GUEST: Dieter Hochuli (USyd)
“A society grows great when men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.”
- Greek proverb
Dieter Hochuli is an invertebrate biologist and urban ecologist from the University of Sydney that studies how nature survives in towns and cities. His research investigates the ecological, economical and psychological benefits of nature in cities, and how our modern way of life affects the plants and animals around us.
In an interview with In Situ Science Dieter chats with us about how connecting with nature is being shown to have significant impacts on people’s health and well being, and that this connection can still happen even when you live in a big city. We also chat about the creative side of science and science communication, and how taking ourselves a little less seriously can be a great technique for approaching science and scientific careers.
Follow Dieter on Twitter @dieterhochuli and check out his lab website here.
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Music: ‘Strange Stuff’ by Sonic Wallpaper - www.sonicwallpaper.bandcamp.com
Sunday Sep 30, 2018
Ep 59. Stem cells, scicomm and fatty tubes with Naomi Koh Belic
Sunday Sep 30, 2018
Sunday Sep 30, 2018
SPECIAL GUEST: Naomi Koh Belic (UTS)
The potential for using stem cells in medical treatments is really only just being explored. Despite this there are already unsubstantiated claims being shared and predatory cosmetic stem cell treatments on the market. Naomi Koh Belic is a PhD researcher at the University of Technology, Sydney who studies the biology of human stem cells and how they differentiate into other cell types.
In an interview with In Situ Science Naomi chats to us about her research on stem cells and human disease. We also chat about her whirl-wind introduction to the world of science communication and what compels scientists to continue doing public science outreach.
Follow Naomi on Twitter and Instagram @naomikohbelic and her website www.naomikohbelic.com
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Music: ‘Strange Stuff’ by Sonic Wallpaper - www.sonicwallpaper.bandcamp.com
Sunday Sep 16, 2018
Ep 58. Droughts, drones and data with David Lamb
Sunday Sep 16, 2018
Sunday Sep 16, 2018
SPECIAL GUEST: David Lamb (UNE)
Living and working in a regional town is having your cake and eating it too! David Lamb is a distinguished professor at the University of New England and Chief Scientist of the Food Agility CRC. He has spent his professional career at regional universities throughout Australia and wouldn’t have it any other way. The research he does on food production in agriculture can contribute straight back to the community that he lives in.
In an interview with In Situ Science David chats with us about how a dream of flying planes sent him down a career path in applied physics and the use of remote sensing in agricultural landscapes. A career in agricultural science has let him experience every side of science from the pure and theoretical, to the applied end points. In his current role as Chief Scientist of the Food Agility CRC David works to improve the production of food across Australia using emerging technologies in precision agriculture.
Learn more about the Food Agility CRC on their website.
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Music: ‘Strange Stuff’ by Sonic Wallpaper - www.sonicwallpaper.bandcamp.com
Sunday Sep 02, 2018
Ep 57. Medical foot-soldiers and shiny bugs with Scott Fabricant
Sunday Sep 02, 2018
Sunday Sep 02, 2018
SPECIAL GUEST: Scott Fabricant (Rutgers Medical School)
Boffins, tinkerers, deep-thinkers, these are terms people often use to describe the stereotypical scientist, sitting away in the lab slowly piecing together facts and data. And for a lot of scientists this is true, but not all scientists are the same, and for some this long-game of piecing together complex puzzles simply isn’t satisfying. So what type of science do these people do?
Scott Fabricant started off his scientific career with a PhD looking at the ecology of hibiscus bugs throughout Australia. It didn’t take long though for him to realise his calling was elsewhere. He now studies medicine back home in the US and, in an interview with In Situ Science, tells us about how this career path lets him see the difference he can make in society first hand.
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Music: ‘Strange Stuff’ by Sonic Wallpaper - www.sonicwallpaper.bandcamp.com
Sunday Aug 19, 2018
Ep 56. Life Vs Science 2018
Sunday Aug 19, 2018
Sunday Aug 19, 2018
LIVE AT THE CAMELOT LOUNGE!!!
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a scientist? Do they really wear lab coats? Are they really all timid nerds, like in the movies? All these questions and more were answered at In Situ Science's annual Life Vs Science live podcast recording. Each year we celebrate National Science Week and the Sydney Science Festival with a live podcast at the Camelot Lounge in Sydney's inner west.
This wear we we're joined by Dieter Hochuli (USyd), Michael Kasumovic (UNSW), Naomi Koh Belic (UTS) and Sophie Calabretto (MQ) who regaled the audience with tales of their favourite fluids, fatty uber deliveries, Fortnite parenting strategies and the multiple-hat wearing community. We topped off the night by crowning a science champion with a 'Name that Effect' quiz. Thanks to the Camelot Lounge for having us and to everyone who came along on the night, it was an amazing event!
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Monday Aug 06, 2018
Ep 55. Searching for the 'lost' Desert Rat Kangaroo with Karl Vernes
Monday Aug 06, 2018
Monday Aug 06, 2018
SPECIAL GUEST: Karl Vernes (UNE)
The Desert Rat Kangaroo (Caloprymnus campestris), or ‘oolaculnta’ was last seen by scientist Hedley Herbert Finlayson in the 1930’s. Since then there have been a number of accounts which suggest that this rare and elusive creature may still be out there, in the stony deserts of South Australia. In Australia, which has one of the worst records for mammal extinctions due to human activity, finding this marsupial alive would be a great boon for Australian conservation.
A team of scientists led by Karl Vernes at the University of New England are on a mission to try and find the Desert Rat Kangaroo and verify if it still exists. They’re looking for support through crowdfunding and you can help make it happen. In an interview with In Situ Science Karl tells us about how he has been planning a hunt for Desert Rat Kangaroo for 15 years and the time has finally come!
You can help support this scientific expedition here!
Follow Karl on Twitter @KarlVernes or check out his camera trapping discoveries on Instagram at @curiousbettong.
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Monday Jul 23, 2018
Ep 54. Dinosaur detectives and frozen crocodiles with Ada Klinkhamer
Monday Jul 23, 2018
Monday Jul 23, 2018
SPECIAL GUEST: Ada Klinkhamer (UNE)
The enormous, long-necked Sauropods are some of the most iconic dinosaurs, and its no surprise given the almost unfathomable sizes that they grew to. Ada Klinkhamer is a palaeontologist from the University of New England that studies how these ancient beasts could have moved and how their skeletons supported such enormous bodies.
In an interview with In Situ Science Ada chats with us about what its like being a dinosaur detective and piecing together stories about how dinosaurs lived from fragments of information. We also chat about what makes good science fiction and why the latest Jurassic World films just aren't cutting the mustard.
Find out more about Ada's research on the Fear Lab Website or follow her on Twitter @ada_klinkhamer
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