Category: That’s What I Call Science Episodes

In celebration of International women’s day (8th of March), we have an awesome 3-part special! 

To kick it off, we have an episode with ALL of our team members at TWICS. 

Tune in to get to know the women working hard behind the scenes to bring weekly content covering all things STEM. We will also introduce a team member each day of this week and highlight the contributions women are making to our science community – follow us on Facebook or Twitter for updates search (@ThatsScienceTAS) or use the links below. 

Hannah McCleary is our newest member and wasn’t in this recording – check out the Indigenous Knowledge episode we recently recorded with her! 

You can catch all of our podcasts here: http://bit.ly/ThatsScienceTAS

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThatsScienceTAS/

Twitter: @ThatsScienceTAS

Hosts: Niamh Chapman, Dr. Sarah Lyden, Kelsey Picard, Allanna Russell, Meredith Castles and Olivia Holloway.

Production: Meredith Castles

Media: Olivia Holloway

There are a lot of misconceptions out there about what Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning are and what they can be used for. To dispel some of the myths, Niamh sat down with Tasmanian games development company Secret Lab’s Dr Paris Buttfield, Dr Tim Nugent and Dr Jon Manning who along with co-host Meredith Castles presented a successful PAXAUS 2019 panel in which they trained an AI live on stage to hundreds of people. The episode delves into the science and tech of AI and some of the uses it has in shaping our world.

The link to the YouTube video of the PAXAUS panel is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jf0N6kWBzhs

Hosts: Niamh Chapman and Meredith Castles

Guests: Dr Paris Buttfield-Addison, Dr Jon Manning, Dr Tim Nugent – Secret Lab

Production: Meredith Castles

Media: Olivia Holloway

Image credit: Photo by Matan Segev from Pexels

There is a wealth of Indigenous Knowledge in Australia, today we are talking about the intersection between Indigenous Knowledge of sea country and marine science. Host Niamh Chapman interviewed three guests from CSIRO: Engagement Programs Coordinator Dr. Ben Arthur, Palawa woman and Coordinator of the Indigenous Time at Sea Scholarship Hannah McCleary and Quandamooka woman and researcher at CSIRO Mibu Fischer.

 For more information:

The link to the ITSS program is: https://mnf.csiro.au/en/Education/ITSS-Scholarship

The link to info on the first voyage is: https://mnf.csiro.au/en/Voyages/IN2019_T03

Hosts: Niamh Chapman 

Production: Meredith Castles

Media: Olivia Holloway

Image credit: Hannah McCleary CSIRO 

In this week’s episode we discuss the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) that was first reported from Wuhan, China, on the 31st of December 2019. With the internet being strife with fake science and conspiracies, we decided to talk to a specialist in immunology and virology. With the help of our guest, Associate Professor, Guna Karupiah, from the Tasmanian School of Medicine, we delve into the science behind the 2019-nCoV outbreak and the production of vaccines.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThatsScienceTAS/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThatsScienceTAS

Hosts: Niamh Chapman and Olivia Holloway

Production: Meredith Castles

Media: Olivia Holloway

Can power grids cause bushfires and what advances have made engineering climate change resilient infrastructure a possibility for our communities? Niamh Chapman and Dr. Sarah Lyden interviewed Samantha Vahedi from Hydro Tasmania and Jason King from Tas Networks about the challenges for engineers in the face of a changing climate and increased bush fire risk. 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThatsScienceTAS/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThatsScienceTAS

Hosts: Niamh Chapman and Dr. Sarah Lyden

Guests: Samantha Vahedi, Hydro Tasmania and Jason King from Tas Networks

Production: Meredith Castles

Media: Olivia Holloway

There have been harrowing sights of wildlife loss over the course of the catastrophic bushfire season. This episode we interviewed Dr Sue Baker, Research Fellow in forest ecology at the University of Tasmania and Greg Irons, Director of Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary. We will cover the way plants, animals and insects have evolved with bushfire in Australia and the impact of a prolonged fire season on their survival.

For more updates follow us on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThatsScienceTAS/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThatsScienceTAS

Hosts: Niamh Chapman and Kelsey Picard

Production: Meredith Castles

Media: Olivia Holloway

The first episode of 2020 covers the topic on everyone’s lips this summer – the Australian bushfires. We chat with Dr Grant Williamson and Dr Bec Harris from the University of Tasmania about the role that climate change is having on bushfire occurrences and severity, and what that means for Australia into the future.

Hosts: Niamh Chapman and Kelsey Picard
Production: Meredith Castles
Media: Olivia Holloway

This week we caught up with budding botanist, Fiona Walsh from Utas School of Natural Science. Listen in as Kelsey and Niamh explore what seed banks are, how they how they might be used and how they can hold the key to ecological and food security for our future.

Hosts: Niamh Chapman and Kelsey Picard
Production: Meredith Castles
Media: Olivia Holloway

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease that is complex and can be debilitating. Here in Hobart, we have a comprehensive approach to MS research, spanning many scientific disciplines, to improve our understanding of the disease and improve the way it is managed. 

This week we have caught up with 4 experts each from different fields of research based at the Menzies Institute for Medical Research to discuss their work into MS as part of the MS Research Flagship programme. From bench to bedside, we will give you a glimpse into the vital research conducted on our doorstep. 

Host: Niamh Chapman

Guests: Suzi Claflin, Jac Charlesworth, Kaylene Young and Andrew Palmer.

Production: Meredith Castles

Media: Olivia Holloway. 

The summer season is here (or is it in Tassie?!), with it that typically means higher pollen that will trigger allergic reactions in many people. 
Hay fever affects up to 1 in 5 Aussies at some point and can be really debilitating. This week we caught up with Penny Jones and Lachlan Tegart from the Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania to talk about their work to understand the causes of hay fever. 

Host: Niamh Chapman

Production: Meredith Castles

Media: Olivia Holloway