That's What I Call Science!

We sit down with Thomas Verne, a Masters researcher at the Tasmanian Institute for Agriculture, to talk about his work developing probiotics that protect potatoes from disease. We also dig into his path from drought science to plant microbiology, and what it's like being part of the Young Tassie Scientists program. Show theme music: Kevin MacLeodThank you to the whole TWICS team for the incredible behind-the-scenes volunteering every week! Host: Dr Olly Dove (Insta: ols_dove)Co-Host: Tegan ClarkProduction: Dr Hannah Moore (@volcanohannah)Media & Promotion: Emma Hamasaki (@EmmaHamasaki)

We kick off our Young Tassie Scientists series with marine ecologist Paula Ruiz, a PhD candidate at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), University of Tasmania. Paula shares her journey from Colombia to Australia and the experiences that inspired her passion for ocean conservation. We explore her research into reef recovery along Australia's east coast, investigating how marine heatwaves, sea urchin grazing, and algal turf communities influence the loss and potential recovery of kelp forests. Paula discusses the importance of science communication, inspiring the next generation of scientists, and why healthy marine ecosystems are essential for our future.Show theme music: Kevin MacLeodThank you to the whole TWICS team for the incredible behind-the-scenes volunteering every week!Host: Dr Olly Dove (Insta: ols_dove)Co-Host: Tegan ClarkProduction: Dr Hannah Moore (@volcanohannah)Media & Promotion: Zi Yi Kho. 

Dr Margaux Didion-Gency grew up playing in the forest, building tree houses and as an adult she hangs out in forests, shrublands and very hot climate chambers to study how plants respond to climate change. Recording in the middle of a heatwave in Europe, in this very topical episode we hear about Margaux’s research into what happens when plants get too hot. Listen to learn about Margaux’s exciting new research into how leaf shape influences plant heat tolerance and how this changes when heat and drought are combined. Margaux takes us on a journey from the  conception of a hypothesis, through the design and execution of an experiment and interpretation of the results. Join us for fascinating stories of how plants adapt to heat, bookended by Marguax’s journey through science and her dreams for the future. Show theme music: Kevin MacLeodThank you to the whole TWICS team for the incredible behind-the-scenes volunteering every week! Host: Dr Kate Johnson (@kateplantphys.bsky.social)Production: Dr Meredith Castles (@MeredithCastles)Media & Promotion: Georgia Stewart (Insta: plutoisstillcool)

During her final week in the UK, Olly had the pleasure of visiting The National Museum of Computing in Bletchley. There, she chatted with four volunteers about what visitors can see at the museum, as well as their own experiences in computing and electrical engineering.The museum houses computer models from the very early days of computing, including those far larger than Olly herself!Show theme music: Kevin MacLeodThank you to the whole TWICS team for the incredible behind-the-scenes volunteering every week! Host: Dr Olly Dove (Insta: ols_dove)Production: Dr Olly Dove (Insta: ols_dove)Media & Promotion: Emma Hamasaki (@EmmaHamasaki)

A long, long time ago in a university far away, TWICS host Olly studied Zoology alongside adventurer Kate Lacey. Kate’s career would take her across the world to places like the Amazon, South Africa, and beyond. On her recent trip to the UK, Olly caught up with Kate to hear about her career in ecology, including Kate’s involvement with the recent reintroduction of pine martens to southwest England. Show theme music: Kevin MacLeodThank you to the whole TWICS team for the incredible behind-the-scenes volunteering every week!Host: Dr Olly Dove (Insta: ols_dove)Production: Dr Simin SalarpourMedia & Promotion: Zi Yi Kho. 

How much can a tree tell us about the climate? Quite a lot, it turns out.This week, we chat with Dr Kathryn Allen from the University of Tasmania, one of Australia’s few dendroclimatologists, about how she uses tree rings to reconstruct past climates and environmental change.Kathryn shares her unconventional pathway into science and how she built a career in climate research. Along the way, we explore how tree rings record rainfall, temperature and drought, what these natural archives can reveal about past climate variability, and why this research is so important for understanding our changing world. She also shares a few memorable fieldwork stories from her adventures collecting samples in the field.From climate science to tree-ring detective work, this episode offers a fascinating look at the hidden stories written in wood.Show theme music: Kevin MacLeodThank you to the whole TWICS team for the incredible behind-the-scenes volunteering every week! Host: Dr Hannah MooreProduction: Dr Meredith Castles (@MeredithCastles)

Copper is all around us, from the wires in our homes to the technologies powering the transition to renewable energy. But where does it actually come from, and how do we find it?In this episode, Dr Hannah Moore is joined by geologist Dr Yamila Cajal to explore the fascinating science behind copper. From her early career in mining and exploration in Chile to her current research at UTAS, Yamila shares what it’s really like to work as a geologist and how scientists uncover valuable resources hidden deep beneath our feet.Together, they dive into how copper forms, why it’s considered a critical mineral, and the important role geology plays in building a more sustainable future.Show theme music: Kevin MacLeodThank you to the whole TWICS team for the incredible behind-the-scenes volunteering every week! Host:  Dr Hannah Moore (@volcanohannah)Production: Dr Hannah Moore (@volcanohannah)Media & Promotion: Emma Hamasaki (@EmmaHamasaki)

What is a hydrogeologist, why is groundwater important, and how can mine sites both contribute to and impact our hidden water sources? In this episode, Dr Elise Tuuri is joined by the recently conferred Dr Birte Moser, a hydrogeologist at Flinders University's National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training and the One Basin Cooperative Research Centre. Birte takes us into the hidden world of groundwater, from the surprising hydraulic evolution of pit lakes after mine closure, to banking surplus water underground in the Murray–Darling Basin as a resource to utilise in periods of drought. Show theme music: Kevin MacLeod Thank you to the whole TWICS team for the incredible behind-the-scenes volunteering every week!  Host: Dr Elise Tuuri (Insta: @elisetuuri_)Production: Dr Simin SalarpourMedia & Promotion: Zi Yi Kho 

Welcome back to another episode in sunny Oxford! While Olly was in the UK, she visited St John’s College at the University of Oxford. There, she sat down with the College President, Professor Lady Sue Black, Baroness Black of Strome, to hear about Sue’s career in forensic anthropology and what it is like working as a scientist when your data can be used in the courtroom. Show theme music: Kevin MacLeodThank you to the whole TWICS team for the incredible behind-the-scenes volunteering every week! Host: Dr Olly Dove (Insta: ols_dove)Production: Richard Siu (Insta: richard.siu.photography)Media & Promotion: Ella Burgun (@ebburgun)Photography Credit: Robert Taylor

This week, Dr Jane Younger returns to the TWICS mic to tell Olly about her recent adventures down south to Antarctica.Unfortunately, the trip involved seeing staggering rates of avian influenza, affecting multiple species of seabirds as well as seals. Jane talked Olly through her experiences, as well as the science conducted to help understand what’s happening.A bonus fact about the episode: despite the episode being about the most southern continent in the world, Jane and Olly recorded the episode when they crossed paths in the northern hemisphere. Show theme music: Kevin MacLeod Thank you to the whole TWICS team for the incredible behind-the-scenes volunteering every week!  Host: Dr Olly Dove (Insta: ols_dove)Production: Dr Simin SalarpourMedia & Promotion: Emma Hamasaki (@EmmaHamasaki) 

In this episode of That's What I Call Science, Dr. Elise Tuuri sits down with Dr. Andrew Turner, Medical Director of DonateLife Tasmania, to explore the life-saving world of organ and tissue donation. Tasmania is leading the nation in donation rates, with 25 donors saving the lives of 62 Australians in 2025 alone, and Dr. Turner unpacks what is driving that culture of generosity. From the science and logistics of donation to the deeply human connections between donors' families, recipients, and hospital staff, this episode explores what it really means to say yes to donation. We discuss the importance of registering as a donor, why telling your family your wishes matters more than you might think, and how medical teams support families through one of the hardest moments of their lives. Whether you've already registered or have never thought about it, this episode might just inspire you to have that conversation.Show theme music: Kevin MacLeodThank you to the whole TWICS team for the incredible behind-the-scenes volunteering every week! Host: Dr. Elise Tuuri (Insta: @elisetuuri_)Production: Richard Siu  (Insta: richard.siu.photography)Media & Promotion: Dr. Elise Tuuri

With Pint of Science just around the corner, we’re joined by three of the presenters from Hobart’s 2026 event, “From Inner Workings to Icy Worlds” at Shambles Brewery.First, sea ice researcher Dr Johannes Lohse takes us to the Arctic and Antarctic to explore how scientists study sea ice and why it matters for our changing climate.Next, postdoctoral researcher Dr Vimarsha Kodithuwakku discusses how subtle changes in blood vessels during childhood may help detect cardiovascular disease risk earlier in life.Finally, PhD candidate Rachel Breslin dives into Tasmania’s sand flathead populations, exploring how fishing pressure and environmental change may be shaping fish biology over time.Join us for a fascinating journey from icy poles to human hearts and underwater worlds, all ahead of Hobart’s Pint of Science festival.Show theme music: Kevin MacLeodThank you to the whole TWICS team for the incredible behind-the-scenes volunteering every week! Host: Dr Hannah Moore (@volcanohannah)Production: Dr Hannah Moore Media & Promotion: Georgia Stewart (@ggstew25) 

Henna Tyyskä is a PhD student in Catalonia, Spain studying how historical land-use affects fungi under the  forest floor.Inspired to be a scientist after reading Gorillas in the Mist by Dian Fossey, Henna grew up in Finland, hanging out by lakes & collecting berries and mushrooms in the forest.  Before her current position Henna developed a taxonomic key to identify plants from a group that lives in Borneo and worked as an environmental consultant for an engineering company in Scotland.Hear about Henna’s fascinating past and current roles and the combination of history, genetics, fieldwork and labwork that underpins her PhD, including the fundamental question that guides the selection of her field sites; 'would I put my cows here?’Show theme music: Kevin MacLeodThank you to the whole TWICS team for the incredible behind-the-scenes volunteering every week! Host: Dr Kate Johnson (@kateplantphys.bsky.social)Production: Dr Meredith Castles (@MeredithCastles)

For week two of our four-part Eureka Prizes mini-series, we’ve got a million things to talk about. More specifically, we’ve got 1 Million Turtles to talk about!Joined by three team members from the 1 Million Turtles project (James Van Dyke, Deborah Bower, and Ricky Spencer), we hear all about freshwater turtles in Australia, and how we can help them survive and thrive. We also hear what winning a Eureka Prize earlier this year means to the team.Show theme music: Kevin MacLeodHost: Olly Dove (@olly_dove)Production: Hannah Moore (@HannahCMoore)Media & Promotion: Hannah McCleary (@mccleary_hannah)

Inspired by her own experiences breaking into the field of coding and front-end development, Kah Men co-founded The Coding Sisterhood, a safe and inclusive group that encourages women to try coding. Starting with three female coders, the group has grown to over 300 members.   Show theme music: Kevin MacLeodHost: Olly Dove (@littledove440)Co-Host: Anna Abela (@annaoabela)Production: Ryan Smith Media & Promotion: Olivia Holloway (@LivHolloway_), Kate Johnson (@KatePlantPhys), Ellie Clapham (@EleanorClapham1) Anna Abela (@annoabela)

Join us this week for part two of our mini-series in celebration of the James Webb Space Telescope! This time around, we meet with Georgia Stewart, a PhD student at UTAS, studying Active Galactic Nuclei. These objects are used by Georgia and her colleagues to age and classify stellar and star-forming regions, as well as the black holes, central to these galaxies.Listen in as Georgia discusses her pathway into astrophysics, as well as what it means to be a young woman in the field. Show theme music: Kevin MacLeodHost: Niamh Chapman (@nchapmanTAS)Co-Host: Ryan SmithProduction: Olly Dove (@littledove440) Media & Promotion: Kate Johnson (@KatePlantPhys)