Vaguely Accurate - Science

Ashley Cooper is an environmental photographer who has spent the past 13 years visiting every continent on the globe to visually document the effects of global warming. What’s unique about Ashley’s approach is that he doesn’t just document physical changes of the world. The medium of photography allows him to capture the sociological impacts of global warming. His work highlights the impact of global warming on a human scale and also showcases cutting-edge innovation of environmentally friendly technology. I spoke to Ashely about his journey and the lasting impressions his global tour has given him. Join our discussion to learn about how the Inuit’s of the Arctic are fighting back; how innovators of India have developed ‘green’ technology and to learn about the damage global warming has caused by an individual with first-hand experience. Ashley Cooper has been awarded the environmental photographer of the year (CAT: Global Warming) in 2010, appeared on the Acclimatise Podcast and has collated 495 of his best images into a spectacular book. Images from a Warming Planet is a visual bible which documents the impact of global warming – from ocean acidification to extreme meteorological events. Check out the link above find more about this product. Alternatively, take a look at the stunning archive Ashley has collected over the years on his website – Global Warming Images If you would like to feature upon an upcoming episode of Vaguely Accurate please get in contact with us via [email protected] or submit a form upon our website: http://vaguelyaccurate.com Vaguely Accurate supports SABBR & is part of the Ace Podcast Network.

   Digital Disruption and a post-truth world: Future Planning for Science Communicators In this era of digital growth and with more information than ever being readily available on digital platforms, how you present your message and cut through the noise has never been more important.  The Oxford Dictionary Word of the Year 2016 is 'post-truth'. At this year’s conference we delve into helping people in science communication to separate science from fiction.  I was invited to this conference to record each session and to produce an audio memento for each attendee to take home. Luckily, I received permission to publicly release an episode which highlights the spectacular presentations and guest speakers.  Throughout this episode you will begin to understand the current state of science communication in Australia and how to approach this societal shift. Identify your target audience; How to present yourself; How to present your content and connect with your audience and How to cut through the noise. The following speakers of this episode are:  Renae Sayers, President of Australian Science Communicators (WA Branch) Alice Ryder, Senior Project Officer, New Museum Project WA Gregor Rowbothham, Outreach and Education Officer, International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) Andrew Outhwaite, Lead Facilitator, Meshpoints Australia Ullrich Ecker, Associate Professor, University of Western Australia Tim Young, Science Wrangler, Scitech If you would like to feature upon an upcoming episode of Vaguely Accurate please get in contact with us via [email protected] or submit a form upon our website: http://vaguelyaccurate.com Vaguely Accurate supports SABBR.

Have you ever questioned the origins of universe? Are you curious about the beginnings of the early solar systems? If you are you should almost definitely check out this week’s episode. Luke Daly is a planetary scientist, aka cosmic geo-chemist, investigating the start of solar systems by measuring the chemical composition of meteorites. Luke has just completed his PhD at Curtin University under the mentorship of Professor Phil Bland and has made some ground-breaking discoveries in the field of planetary science. Throughout his candidateship at Curtin Luke was also part of the Desert Fireball Network – a group of researchers who travel across Australia in search of meteorites. The Desert Fireball Network has produced its own citizen science project - Fireballs in the Sky. Fireballs in the Sky is a phone app which encourages the public to get involved in science by taking images of meteors they see in the night sky. By using the data of many sightings the team being the app are able to triangulate the landing site of these space rocks and collect them. During this show we discuss the different between meteorites and meteors, how solar systems form and what research is currently being done in this field. If you have enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to us, rate & review our show. It really does help. You may also be interested to check out the other fantastic shows under the Ace Podcast Network. If you would like to feature upon an upcoming episode of Vaguely Accurate please get in contact with us via [email protected] or submit a form upon our website: http://vaguelyaccurate.com Vaguely Accurate supports SABBR.

Kate Derry is a psychology PhD candidate from The University of Western Australia. She currently operates between the UWA campus and various children play centres to conduct her experimentations (don’t panic they are all humane). Kate has tried several university courses before finding her true passion in psychology. Throughout the discussion with Kate we discuss about the two types of narcissism to develop in children, how parenting techniques are likely to lead to these states of mind and how a narcissistic psychological state may impact a child’s behaviour into adolescence and adulthood. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to us, rate & review our show. It really does help. If you would like to feature upon an upcoming episode of Vaguely Accurate please get in contact with us via [email protected] or submit a form upon our website: http://vaguelyaccurate.com Contact: [email protected] http://acepodcasts.com 

Hannah Etchells is a Botany PhD candidate from The University of Western Australia. She currently operates between the UWA campus and the great bushland of South West Australia and investigates nature’s response to wildfires. Throughout the discussion with Hannah you will learn about the field of fire ecology, how smoke can cause seeds to germinate and how fungi are essential to the reconstruction of an ecosystem after a wildfire. We also discuss the sciart movement. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to us, rate & review our show. It really does help. If you would like to feature upon an upcoming episode of Vaguely Accurate please get in contact with us via [email protected] or submit a form upon our website: http://vaguelyaccurate.com Twitter: @hannah_etchells http://acepodcasts.com 

David Gozzard is a Physics PhD candidate from The University of Western Australia. He currently operates within the basement of the UWA physics building developing methods of more stable signal transmission. Not only does David specialise in the field optical metrology, he is also an avid science educator with a strong appreciation for science communication. David has competed within the 3 Minute Thesis competition. Throughout the discussion with David you will begin to understand what the field of Optical Metrology and why it is important. We also speak about how the fields of Physics and Engineering complement each other, the difference between science education and science communication, what is David currently investigating and more. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to us, rate & review our show. It really does help. If you would like to feature upon an upcoming episode of Vaguely Accurate please get in contact with us via [email protected] or submit a form upon our website: http://vaguelyaccurate.com http://blogs.uwa.edu.au/davidg/  @DRG_physics http://acepodcasts.com 

Today we have a special episode of Vaguely Accurate. We meet Helen Czerski, a physicist, oceanographer and science communicator for the BBC. She graduated from Cambridge University in 2001 with a 1st degree in Physics and then furthered her education with a PhD in experimental explosive physics – we do talk about what exactly this is. Helen currently works as a Research Fellow in the department of mechanical engineering at University College London. She is over in Australia for the Cosmic Shambles Live tour and very generously gave us some of her time. In this episode we talk about both her research experience and science communication. We will find out how a continuing fascination with the world of very fast small-scale phenomena led her from explosives to the study of ocean bubble formation; her philosophies on science communication and we will discuss the Cosmic Shambles Live tour. Celebrating curiosity and reason with an explosion of science, stand-up comedy and musical cameos, Cosmic Shambles LIVE is a clever UK variety show like no other! Host Robin Ince is joined by a cast of world leading scientists, comedians and performers as Cosmic Shambles LIVE synthesises in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth during March/April 2017. http://vaguelyaccurate.com http://acepodcasts.com http://www.sabbr.com.au/ http://www.helenczerski.net/ http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30231780-storm-in-a-teacup http://atheistfoundation.org.au/media-release/cosmic-shambles-live-tour/

ECR #20 – Weight Cutting in Combat Sports: Dehydration & Rehydration & Repeat Performance in Elite Athletes Cutting weight for an upcoming fight is standard practice for elite combat sport athletes. Those who compete in competitions such as the UFC have been known to drop up to 5% body weight before a fight! There has been research to suggest that dehydration impacts aerobic & anaerobic performance however there has been little research done investigating the effect of rehydration upon repeat performance. Today we meet Oliver Barley, a PhD candidate at Edith Cowan University (ECU) in the fields of exercise physiology and neuromuscular physiology. Oliver is currently investigating the impact of cutting weight through dehydration & then rehydration upon repeat performance in elite combat sport athletes. We discuss topics such as martial arts, the nocebo effect & statistics in health based research. We hope to follow up with Oliver next year to find out how he is progressing. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to us via iTunes, rate and review us. If you have any questions about the show or would like to share some related research you know of, please get in contact via [email protected] or submit a form on our website. Finally if you would like to feature upon an upcoming episode then please reach out to us and submit and expression of interest form upon our website – http://vaguelyaccurate.com   @OliverBarley This show is part of the Ace Podcast Network – http://acepodcasts.com

This week will meet Pieter Luitjens, an engineer currently working on the development of self-driving cars for Mercedes. Pieter previously worked as an industrial programing engineer within the mining sector before noticing the forthcoming employment slump. Pieter moved to complete a master’s degree at the University of Toronto, Canada – A world leader in computer science. Throughout my discussion with Pieter we talk about the advancement of self-driving cars, learn that advanced cruise control could be around the corner, understand the difference between artificial intelligence and a pattern-recognition algorithm and discuss the field of computer/data science. Below are links to the sites Pieter and I spoke about during the show: http://cs231n.stanford.edu/ http://www.bbc.com/news/business-38530245 https://www.learnpython.org/ I hope you enjoy this episode and feel free to reach out to us on twitter or facebook to give us your thoughts & feedback. We also have a new website out and it would be great if you checked it out! Twitter: @vaguelyaccurat www.vaguelyaccurate.com www.acepodcasts.com   

Today we dive into the field of health & exercise Physiology as we meet physiotherapist & sonographer, Anna Scheer. Anna is currently a PhD candidate at Curtin University investigating the effects of water-based exercise on vascular function and health outcomes in people with coronary heart disease. Anna is an incredibly busy individual, volunteering her time & working several different research projects, while continuing employment. It was amazing that she spared some of her valuable time to spend talking to me about her research. I hope you all learn something new from today’s episode and are able to share the knowledge. If you liked this show please rate & review us on iTunes. It really does help us out. Don’t forget to check out Ace Podcast Network for more amazing shows: www.acepodcastnetwork.com Our website for more details and content: www.vaguelyaccurate.com

Today we learn about a sensitive subject almost everyone will have experienced in one way or another – cancer. To be more detailed we will be discussing a form of non-toxic adjuvant therapy known as the ketogenic diet. In our 17th episode, coming close to the end of series 1, we meet Angela Poff, a research associate from the University of South Florida & medical consultant at ‘Poff Medical Consulting & Communications’. Angela completed her PhD investigating the effect nutrition can have as a secondary treatment or preventative to cancer development. She has continued with this research in her current role and her team are making huge strides in this field. Throughout the show we discuss: What is cancer and what treatments are out there? How can a specialised diet influence the proliferation of cancer? What is a ketogenic diet? What does the current research says about marijuana and cancer? What research is currently being conducted in this field & how can it help us? I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did recording it. Angela was amazingly insightful to talk to and I hope you all benefit from this episode. As always check out Ace Podcast Network for more fantastic shows & if you are considering to establish your own show you should get in contact with them to see what they can offer you – www.acepodcastnetwork.com Check out our website @ www.vaguelyaccurate.com

For our 15th full feature episode we meet Erica Suosaari, a marine geologist who completed her PhD under the ‘Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science’ at the University of Miami. Erica is now a research fellow at Bush Heritage Australia and investigates the formation of the oldest lifeforms on earth – Stromatolites. Erica’s research is conducted at Hamelin pool, Shark Bay, WA. Please check out Ace Podcast Network for more shows and if you want to become a science communicator yourself through podcasting, contact us to find out how. Also, check out Vaguely Accurate for episodes and more science shows. Links below: www.acepodcastnetwork.com  www.vaguelyaccurate.com  Erica's blog: http://blog.bushheritage.org.au/blog/author/153/erica-suosaari 

This episode is of a slightly different format than the previous episodes and thus is a special entry. I was invited to present at the Research Bazaar 2017 conference hosted by Curtin University. While I was there I met many researchers conducting fascinating research. This episode is a short showcase of those who attended hosting 4 short interviews highlighting their work. Enjoy! Please check out Ace Podcast Network for more shows and you could also check out Vaguely Accurate for episodes. Links below: www.acepodcastnetwork.com  www.vaguelyaccurate.com   

Vanesa Bochkezanian is a physiotherapist from Argentina with many years of clinical experience who has transitioned to the world of research. In this episode we will develop a greater understanding of those with spinal injuries and how different degrees of injury can impact the lifestyle of an individual. Vanesa is completing her PhD at Edith Cowan University investigating the rehabilitation process via electrostimulation therapy.  *PhD funded by 'Spinal Cord Injuries Australia' (SCIA)* Vanesa Bochkezanian was amazing to talk too and a very humble guest. I hope many of you benefit from this discussion as I did. If you have any questions on this topic or for Vanesa and I please reach out to us via social media or e-mail: [email protected] Remember to check out Ace Podcast Network for more high quality shows or contact them if you are interested in joining the network with your show – new or old - www.acepodcastnetwork.com Check out our website for details on more episodes and articles: www.vaguelyaccurate.com

In this episode we meet Leanda Mason - A PhD candidate at Curtin University investigating the effect of urbanisation on Trapdoor spiders. Throughout this show you will learn about the ecology of these critters, how to best remove mosquitos from your home via translocation and how spiders are integral to our ecosystem. We also try to uncover some of the many myths and misconceptions about spiders and why people fear them so much. I hope you enjoy the show and if you have any questions for Leanda or myself please contact us at [email protected]. www.vaguelyaccurate.com www.acepodcastnetwork.com ?

What is Herpetology? Herpetology is the study of amphibians and is also the specialisation of our featured guest for this episode, Joshua Keen. Joshua graduated from the University of Western Australia in 2016 completing a degree in zoology and conservation biology. He then spent a year studying the fields of ecology and herpetology investigating frog ecology and pioneering new conservation monitoring techniques. Josh is passionate about his research and that is clearly conveyed in this discussion. He is also involved with the care of reptiles outside of his academic work by practising herpetoulture – the keeping and breeding of reptiles. Joshua was an absolute delight to hold a discussion with and I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I enjoyed recording it. If you have any questions for Josh or myself, please contact Vaguely Accurate and we will forward on queries. www.vaguelyaccurate.com www.acepodcastnetwork.com ?

Our featured guest for this episode is Bronwyn Milkins, a PhD candidate at The University of Western Australia in the field of psychology. She is also a multi award-winning public speaker, educator, and storyteller on the subject of mental health. Her passion lies in creating mentally healthy communities and inspiring others to take real steps that transform their world. *Part 1 of 2* Bronwyn specialises in the field of cognitive psychology and investigates the perceptions and fallacies those with insomnia may have towards themselves and their ability to sleep. We also discuss the field of psychology, where it fits into the framework of science and some upcoming applications for when psychology meets technology. I personally found this discussion extremely enlightening and hope to have further discussions with Bronwyn in the future. *Part 2 of 2* It was amazing to have the occasion to sit down and talk to Bronwyn about mental health and her personal experiences. Opportunities to openly discuss the themes and misconceptions of anorexia, depression and body dysmorphia are rare and that is a shame. By no means should these subjects be seen as taboo or shameful. By holding more open conversations about mental health, those that suffer in silence may be more open to speak. ** It’s Not Weak To Speak** If anyone would like to get in contact with Bronwyn please find her website and twitter handle below. Also if anyone would like to get in contact with myself at Vaguely Accurate, please feel free to do so. We love to meet new people and hold fascinating discussions. Twitter: @bronmilkins http://www.bronwynmilkins.com/ www.vaguelyaccurate.com www.acepodcastnetwork.com

Our featured guest for this episode is Bronwyn Milkins, A PhD candidate at The University of Western Australia in the field of psychology. She is also a multi award-winning public speaker, educator, and storyteller on the subject of mental health. Her passion lies in creating mentally healthy communities and inspiring others to take real steps that transform their world. *Part 1 of 2* Bronwyn specialises in the field of cognitive psychology and investigates the perceptions and fallacies those with insomnia may have towards themselves and their ability to sleep. We also discuss the field of psychology, where it fits into the framework of science and some upcoming applications for when psychology meets technology. I personally found this discussion extremely enlightening and hope to have further discussions with Bronwyn in the future. *Part 2 of 2* It was amazing to have the occasion to sit down and talk to Bronwyn about mental health and her personal experiences. Opportunities to openly discuss the themes and misconceptions of anorexia, depression and body dysmorphia are rare and that is a shame. By no means should these subjects be seen as taboo or shameful. By holding more open conversations about mental health, those that suffer in silence may be more open to speak. ** It’s Not Weak To Speak** If anyone would like to get in contact with Bronwyn please find her website and twitter handle below. Also if anyone would like to get in contact with myself at Vaguely Accurate, please feel free to do so. We love to meet new people and hold fascinating discussions. Twitter: @bronmilkins http://www.bronwynmilkins.com/ www.vaguelyaccurate.com www.acepodcastnetwork.com 

By popular demand we are releasing a second episode this week. Today we meet Mariette Luitjens, a former Physiotherapist from Curtin University, who has just completed her MSc degree in Health Policy and Management at ‘Vrije Universiteit’ University in Amsterdam. In this episode we will discuss what motivated Mariette’s change of career from clinical physiotherapy to health policy, what is involved with the study of health policy and management and finally we will look at her research.   Her research investigated societal economic costs of low back-pain and assessed whether it is financially more efficient for health departments to invest towards either injury prevention or continued treatment. We learn about the research methodologies used in health studies, the applications of her research and how it can be functionally applied to other health systems. Do you have an opinion on any of the topic covered? Let us know what you thought of this episode by getting in contact with us: [email protected] www.vaguelyaccurate.com www.acepodcastnetwork.com

Today on the show we meet Vish, a Masters graduate from RMIT University, who will introduce us to the discipline of aerospace engineering. This is a shorter show than usual, where we will discuss the academic and practical requirements of an aerospace engineer. We will also be introduced to the research project Vish undertook - The Vertical Take-off and Landing of a 4 Prop Aircraft. Besure to check out his drone 'in action' on our website: www.vaguelyaccurate.com Vaguely Accurate is part of Ace Podcast Network: www.acepodcastnetwork.com  

**Warning – This episode suffered some minor audio issues. The quality has dropped but is still worth a listen. We apologise to Clare and to you all for the inconvenience. ** Today we take a look into a field of Allied Health which is commonly misunderstood and not well characterised within the public. Clare Andrews, a recent honours graduate in speech pathology, joins us on the show to talk about the work of a ‘Speechy’ and of her research.   Her research focus is on the experiences of migrants who stutter and the impact migration can have upon their vocal fluency. She tells us some stories about these migrates and how they have adapted to cope with a speech disability in a new environment. Let us know what you think of the show and get in contact with your feedback. Do you have any questions about speech pathology or any of the material we covered? Do you happen to have your own experiences with stuttering and wish to share with us? We want to hear from you guys. Find us on social media or via our website: ww.vaguelyaccurate.com

Mark Zammit is an atomic physicist currently working on the Tokamak, an experiment aimed to become the world’s first nuclear fusion reactor to provide a net power output. Mark graduated from Curtin University, Perth, with a PhD in Physics and with the 'ExxonMobil Student Scientist of the Year Award'. Mark conducted his PhD on Collision Theory - The modelled probability of electron and positron collisions from simple molecules. This may be an abstract subject for some but the applications for his research are imperative for medical and fusion technological advancement.  In this episode we will discuss marks research, explore his current project and learn a little about the field of atomic physics. If you would like to read more about his work, check out this article:  http://www.lanl.gov/discover/news-release-archive/2016/June/06.28-model-predicts-chemical-reactions.php  For more things science, visit our website: www.vaguelyaccurate.com 

In this episode of 'Vaguely Accurate - Science' we meet Brooke Richards, a conservation zoologist from Western Australia. Brooke has recently completed her honours thesis at UWA, investigating the impact, importance and effectiveness of environmental offset policy. A particular focus was placed upon the Carnaby Cockatoo, an endemic species to WA. Her research explores how this species responds to environmental disturbances from development, loss or damage to habitats and how effective conservation policy is at mitigating these impacts.

It is our 4th episode of Vaguely Accurate and we have an exceptional speaker on the show. Chris Mauri, from Murdoch University, is a Sociologist PhD candidate looking into the differences between the expectations and experiences of aspiring academics – A PhD on PhD’s. In this slight longer episode, we will find out what exactly sociology is, how it has influenced our lives and society, and what is can do for us in the future. We will also learn about the structure of the tertiary education industry (university) and how our expectations of further study may differentiate from our real experiences. Let us know what you think of this episode and any of the subjects we speak about.

In this episode of Vaguely Accurate we will dive into a lesser known field of science - Sleep Science. Our guest co-host for the show, Tom Walton, has completed his thesis on the structure of sleep (AKA Sleep Architecture) at the 'University of Western Australia'. Join us as we learn about the structure of human sleep, current research and possibly the worst disease to get! Let us know your thoughts on this episode on Facebook or Twitter.