Fuzzy Logic Science Show

Reducing the environmental footprint of a city is an enormous job, with many threads and engaging many people from diverse backgrounds. While Canberra has shown itself to be a world leader, there's still a very long way to go. How do we get there? In this wide ranging discussion, ACT Environment Minister Rebecca Vassarotti and Dr Ann Hill from the University of Canberra share their thoughts with Rod. In this conversation we mention an online event at 3pm 5 August with themes around Ten Journeys on a Fragile Planet. More details soon via Twitter @FuzzyLogicSci.

Back in 1980 Alvin Toffler introduced the idea that we are entering the Third Wave, the Information Age. Now see how that has progressed forty years on. The rate of change has been stupendous and the implications deep. It has profoundly changed society in ways we did not predict. With our guest, Tom Worthington, we talk about how we are dependent on working system. What happens, and why do they sometimes fail? Tom Worthington is an independent computer professional, educational design consultant and an Honorary Senior Lecturer in the School of Computing at the Australian National University.  Interview by Rod

Sally-Anne Buck a plant microbiologist from the Australian National University (ANU) joins Tom and Annie to discuss her work.

One of the biggest challenges facing us today is how to source the energy that drives our economy and our society. Where do we get the energy to replace dirty fossil fuels? While renewables are clearly the future, it's crucial to fill the gaps in variable demand. That's where batteries and pumped hydro step in, but are they enough? Tony Irwin is Associate Professor at the ANU and Technical Director at SMR Technology. For a slice of nuclear history, our earlier Fuzzy Logic begins with an interview by Professor Robert Street. His is a remarkable story, having worked on the first nuclear reactor at Harwell, UK. Interview by Rod

Does your lifestyle matter if you're going to have kids? Through the emerging field of epigenetics we are learning that the health of parents affects the health of their children. And surprisingly, this applies to the father as well as the mother. Lamarkian theories aside, this notion goes back to the Dutch Famine of 1944-45 that revealed how nutrition can be linked to offspring. Sundus Nizamani is a PhD researcher at the Faculty of Health, University of Canberra. You get involved with her study via her Facebook page www.facebook.com/Fit4Fertility. Fun, informative and an opportunity to learn about heath. Interview by Rod

This week on Fuzzy Logic, Pint of Science has taken over! Broderick discusses emotions and robots with two local scientists from the University of Canberra who join us thanks to the 2021 Pint of Science Festival. Associate Professor Damith Herath shares what it means to be a roboticist while PhD candidate Keira Bai shares how she's using AI to detect microemotions. For more online Pint of Science events in 2021, further information and registration can be found at  - https://pintofscience.com.au/festival/2021  

Back in 2013 we interviewed Nicole Foss who presents a big picture, systems view of the human future. To do this she fuses an impressive range of topics, from politics, economics, climate change to psychology and energy. She offers a multi-faceted view of our current predicament and, listening to her now, she is as relevant she was then. Interview by Rod

This week on Fuzzy Logic, Broderick interviews engineer James O'Grady from Mainmark Australia to discuss subsidence, what it means for our buildings and how we can keep an eye for it around our house. On top of this, we also share the latest science news for the week including a special Anzac Day piece on the Lone Pine.

While Austalia dithers on tackling climate, the rest of the world moves on. Developments in the US, Europe and Asia put the nation at risk - not just environmentally, but economically. Workers in fossil industries need support to transition to the new economy. Coal and gas threaten water supply and productive farming land. The people who are seeing this directly, are farmers. Huge opportunities are waiting for a government willing to act.   Charlie Prell is chair of Farmers for Climate Action and features in the recent book Ten Journeys on a Fragile Planet. Interview by Rod.

Our guest today has a remarkable story. She's researched cousins marrying, the geographic dispersal of families...and worked in a New Delhi slum. How do you trace your ancestry? Are e-cigarettes a healthy alternative? Just some of the wide ranging topics we discussed. Dr Cathy Day is a biological anthropologist at the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health at the ANU   Interview by Rod    

How do we care for our rivers? How do we turn mountains of foodwaste into animal feed? And more more importantly, how do we tap into the energy that people have to achieve great things? Declan O'Connell from 2xx Rebel Chorus interviews author, Rod Taylor and two people from his new book Ten Journeys on a Fragile Planet. Dr Siwan Lovett is with the Australian River Restoration Centre and Olympia Yarger is founder of Goterra. More on Facebook www.facebook.com/TenJourneysFragilePlanet Ten Journeys on a Fragile Planet

This week, Zali Steggal's climate action bill is going up before federal parliament in Australia. But will it happen? Or will it be skewered by ideology. Rod interviews Mark Butler, the Federal Shadow Minister for Environment and Climate Change. Recorded on the lawns of Parliament House in Canberra, where you can hear how we were interrupted by some vocal climate activists. Tensions are running high, people are worried. Rod's book, Ten Journeys on a Fragile Planet is out this week. www.odysseybooks.com.au/titles/9781925652789 Now available from https://tenjourneys.blogspot.com/p/where-to-buy.html

Andrew Blakers is professor of Engineering at the Australian National University.  He is an expert in the economics of the renewable energy revolution currently underway and lead inventor of global market leading PERC silicon cell solar energy technology.  

This week on Fuzzy Logic, Broderick introduces all the shortlisted candidates to become a fossil emblem for the ACT. Featuring geologists Dr Ian Roach, Natalie, Schroeder, Monica Yeung, Jenni Creagh and Doug Newton-Walters, you can find out all the information you need to cast an informed vote. Decide now and vote online for the fossil emblem at https://surveyhero.com/c/ACTfossilemblem

How does your diet affect your mental well-being? Nutrition, it seems, is strongly linked to your brain function. Brittany Harriden and Dr Nenad Naumovski are delving into the complex relationships between cognition and the things we eat and, of particular interest, is the Mediterranean diet. Interview by Rod

Tom talk's to Shun Deng Fam from the ANU Fenner School of Environment and Society.

National Science Week is coming and this week Broderick talks to local scientists about their awesome events. Dr Brad Tucker shares all the details of the satellite selfie and how you can be seen from space. Claire Harris discusses her event featuring inspiring people- Canberra Women of Science and Art. Finally, Vanessa and Tess join Broderick in the studio to talk about Science Alliance, a program for people with intellectual disabilities.

Our sense of smell is probably the most primitive of all. The ability to detect chemicals wafting around us, alerting us to nearby food. Or an approaching preditor. In humans, the sense of smell is the first to develop. And did you know bees are extraordinarily good sniffers? All the better to seek out flowers. Dr James Hayes is from the UNSW Odour Laboratory Interview via zoom with Rod  

Smelly industrial and wastewater processing is an inevitable part of life. We need these systems, preferably in a way that doesn't adversely affect communities. How do we respond to odours, and what can we do if we live near a smelly processing plant? The way we respond to odours is highly subjective, so how can we measure or report what our noses are telling us? These are questions that concern Dr Ruth Fisher. Dr Fisher is a Research Associate at the UNSW Odour Laboratory. Interview via zoom with Rod.

This week Broderick talks optics and visuals with researchers from the Australian National University. He's joined by Dr Erin Walsh who shares her love for scientific illustrations and Dr Doris Grosse who shows how important adaptive optics are to protect our planet. Special thanks to Pint of Science for helping us source this week's guests. Find more great Australian science from them at www.pintofscience.com.au