Eavesdrop On Experts

How do plants sense and respond to the world around them - and do they listen when we talk? Dr Kim Johnson shares how an early fascination with plants' movements led to studying how they adapt to their environments. Far from being passive organisms, plants are constantly sensing and responding to their surroundings, including us. She discusses how plants have contributed to scientific understanding of processes like RNA silencing and how the mechanisms that give plants their shape can help grow better crops. Recorded: 24 October 2017. Interviewer: Dr Andi Horvath. Producers: Dr Andi Horvath and Chris Hatzis. Editor: Chris Hatzis. Audio engineer: Chris Hatzis. Production assistant: Claudia Hooper. Banner image: Claudia Hooper/University of Melbourne.

How can genome sequencing help not only cancer treatment, but also its prevention? Two men who are looking to answer that very question, Professor Sean Grimmond and Dr Peter Campbell, discuss their research journeys and the challenges that lie ahead. Recorded: September 18, 2017 Interviewer: Dr Andi Horvath Producers: Dr Andi Horvath and Chris Hatzis Audio engineer: Gavin Nebauer Editor: Chris Hatzis Production assistant: Claudia Hooper Banner image: Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre/ Claudia Hooper and Lep Beljac, University of Melbourne

The best mechanisms for change are debate, dialogue and discourse and yet this is remains something we struggle to do. Professor Joseph Lo Bianco says we need to explore new models for public discussion that don't silence controversial words, opinions and views. Coming from an Italian migrant family, Professor Lo Bianco experienced first-hand the kind of discrimination and hostility that exists in situations where distrust and fear of the Other is rife. Whilst Australia has, thankfully, moved forwards from the time when the public use of languages other than English were looked down upon, prejudices still exist and need to be combatted. Professor Lo Bianco reflects on his work in South East Asia, where he facilitates dialogue in some of the most challenging and seemingly intractable of violent conflicts. He shares how important it is to protect Indigenous languages and ensure mother-tongue education opportunities exist. Episode recorded: 14 September 2017 Interviewer: Steve Grimwade Producers: Dr Andi Horvath

How can a teaspoon of nanoparticles have a greater surface area than a football field? It's not a silly riddle, but the reality of the burgeoning field of nanodynamics, which among endless applications, could revolutionise medicine and tailor cancer treatments. PhD student Matt Faria shares his commitment to discovering more about these particles' potential and how his dedication to experimentation lead him to jump out of a plane. Low-gravity isn't cheap, and without access to the international space station Matt and his colleagues took it upon themselves to skydive from 14,000 feet, testing how synthetic crystals form in zero gravity. Episode recorded: 12 August 2016 Interviewer: Steve Grimwade Producers: Dr Andi Horvath and Chris Hatzis Audio engineer: Arch Cuthbertson Editor: Chris Hatzis Production assistant: Claudia Hooper Banner image: Pixabay

More and more parents are taking discrimination cases to court, alleging that schools are not making adequate provisions to accommodate their children's learning needs. Why do so many feel the need to resort to such extreme measures? Teacher and researcher Dr Shiralee Poed says it's really important that every child can go to their neighbourhood school, and it is possible for teachers to cater for a diverse range of learning needs. She shares her thoughts on the controversial My School ranking website, the learning interventions that work and her advice for aspiring teachers. Episode recorded: 13 October 2016 Interviewer: Steve Grimwade Producers: Dr Andi Horvath and Chris Hatzis Audio engineer: Arch Cuthbertson Editor: Chris Hatzis Production assistant: Claudia Hooper Banner image: Pixabay

In the wake of President Trump's election, Washington Post op-ed columnist Dana Milbank questions whether the media should have given him so much free publicity and the role of journalists in an age where people can filter out the news they don't want to hear. He also questions the ethics of Wikileaks and muses on the misuse of the term 'fake news' - particularly by President Trump - to diminish unflattering coverage. Is propaganda on the rise and can journalists do anything about it? Episode recorded: 29 June 2017 Interviewer: Steve Grimwade Producers: Dr Andi Horvath and Chris Hatzis Audio engineer: Arch Cuthbertson Editor: Chris Hatzis Production assistant: Claudia Hooper Banner image: Pixabay

In this bonus episode, we head down to Newell's Paddock in Melbourne's inner-west to see the local community rejuvenate the former industrial site. We uncover the paddock's murky past as a former night soil dump, typhoid hot spot and abattoir. Speaking with residents, academics, teachers and students, we see how efforts to engage the community in urban renewal are are contributing to the site's restoration (and attracting many native waterbirds along the way). Recorded: 28 June 2017 Interviewer: Claudia Hooper Producers: Claudia Hooper and Dr Andi Horvath Audio engineer: Chris Hatzis Editor: Chris Hatzis Banner image: Claudia Hooper/the University of Melbourne Friends of Newell's Paddock and Friends of Maribyrnong Valley are planting native shrubs in the area in lieu of gifts to the over 1000 delegates who attend the Ecocity World Summit 2017.

Our reporter Dr Andi Horvath is given privileged access to the University of Melbourne's rare books collection, stored in a darkened room kept at 19°C, where books rest upon cushions and magnificent manuscripts and folios can be found. Susan Millard and Andi thumb the pages of great (and sometimes rather quirky) illustrated works, revealing the surprising stories behind why some of the 20th century's most celebrated artists decided to turn over a new leaf and add their art to books and poetry. From Henri Matisse's random rabbits and crayon fleurs de lys around the poems of a battle of Agincourt prisoner, to Joan Miró's distinctive colour blotches, they find that books and art belong on the same page. The Art on the Page exhibition is running from 1 August 2017 - 14 January 2018 at the Baillieu Library, University of Melbourne. Episode recorded: 7 July 2017. Interviewer: Dr Andi Horvath. Producers: Dr Andi Horvath and Chris Hatzis. Audio engineer: Arch Cuthbertson. Editor: Chris Hatzis. Production assista

In 2013 the University of Melbourne bought the Germaine Greer Archive, which includes over 150 hours of audio. Archivist Kate Hodgetts has listened to the audio collection in full. She talks us through some of its most notable moments, and how it reveals Greer's more "human, candid side". Much of the content comes from Greer's solo travels around Australia in search of a plot to land to buy, with her audio recorder for company. The recordings reveal a witty person with a deep appreciation for the beauty of the Australian landscape. Other records document her time reporting on the Ethiopian famine, and interviews with prominent female artists. Producers: Dr Rachel Buchanan and Kate Hodgetts Consulting producer: Dr Andi Horvath Audio engineer: Gavin Nebauer Editing: Kate Hodgetts, Gavin Nebauer and Arch Cuthbertson Voiceover: Chris Hatzis and Claudia Hooper Production assistant: Claudia Hooper 5 Things About... is a creation of Dr Andi Horvath Banner image: Kate Hodgetts/The University of Melbourne

Dr Andi Horvath meets Dr Seona Candy - an academic at Architecture, Building and Planning at the University of Melbourne, and an expert in the importance of urban green areas. As the EcoCity World Summit comes to Melbourne, Dr Candy says our focus on building resilient, sustainable ecocities of the future must focus on its socio-, ecological, and technological systems; because a city is not just about its infrastructure or its technology, it's about its people. Recorded: 20 June 2017 Interviewer: Dr Andi Horvath Audio engineering: Arch Cuthbertson Co-production: Andi Horvath, Chris Hatzis and Claudia Hooper Thanks to Belinda Young Image: Green space in Japan/Getty Images

Our reporter Dr Andi Horvath is given privileged access to the usually off-limits to the public Harry Brookes Allen Museum of Anatomy and Pathology. She speaks to Professor Stefan Lohmander, an anatomy expert, about how to decrease our risk of osteoarthritis. Episode recorded: 24 May 2017 Interviewer: Dr Andi Horvath Producers: Dr Andi Horvath and Chris Hatzis Audio Engineer: Arch Cuthbertson Editor: Chris Hatzis Production Assistant: Claudia Hooper Banner image: Jim Hooper

What does it mean to oversee more than 35 million internally displaced and stateless peoples? Erika Feller shares her many years of experience working for the United Nations Refugee Agency and contemplates Australia's current refugee policy. Episode recorded: 4 May 2017 Interviewer: Steve Grimwade Producers: Dr Andi Horvath and Chris Hatzis Audio Engineer: Arch Cuthbertson Editor: Chris Hatzis Production Assistant: Claudia Hooper Banner image: Climatalk.in / Flickr

Environmental psychologist Dr Wouter Poortinga shares how the 5p plastic bag tax in the UK reduced consumption between 70 and 90 percent almost overnight. He discusses how, with a little bit of prompting, habits can change and how we need a plan to stop wasting take-away coffee cups. Recorded: 8 February 2017 Interviewer: Steve Grimwade Producers: Dr Andi Horvath and Chris Hatzis Audio Engineering: Gavin Nebauer Editor: Chris Hatzis Banner image: Claudia Hooper and Lep Beljac

Professor Anne Kavanagh, Head of Gender and Women's Health Unit, Centre for Health Equity, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health shares how changes in her own life led her to question our understanding of the health of those living with a disability. A proud activist, Professor Kavanagh shows us that having a disability need not equal poor health - society needs to change. Recorded: 15 March 2017 Interviewer: Dr Andi Horvath Producers: Dr Andi Horvath and Chris Hatzis Editor: Chris Hatzis Audio Engineer: Gavin Nebauer Production Assistants: Claudia Hooper and Cecilia Robinson Banner Image: Pixabay

Why is poo a taboo? How do our lavatory practices affect our health? What is a toilet graveyard? How can mapping our defecation spots help improve sanitation? Which cultures are the most likely to use excrement-related swear words? Come with us as we weave between psychology and science to unpick and unpack the wonders, weirdness and wackiness of one of our most primal activities. Welcome to (slightly more than) five things about poo. With guests Prof Nick Haslam from The University of Melbourne and PhDc Naomi Francis from the Nossal Institute, Melbourne, Australia.

In the evolutionary timeline for mammals, we've not been around that long as a species. Paleoanthropologist and Miegunyah Fellow at the University of Melbourne Professor Bernard Wood asks what does it mean for our planet that we continue to decimate the environment of our closest relatives? Also, find out how looking for the fossils of our ancestors is like a drunk looking for their keys under a lamppost and discover the hominem species you never knew existed... Recorded: 6 June 2016. Interviewer: Dr Andi Horvath. Producers: Andi Horvath and Chris Hatzis. Editor: Chris Hatzis. Engineer: Arch Cuthbertson.

Join reporter Steve Grimwade as we eavesdrop on Prof Laura Parry. She discusses the potential for the aptly-named hormone relaxin in treating hypertension and heart disease. Find out how ditching maths and languages to follow snails led Professor Parry to her work as researcher in cardiovascular disease and pregnancy. Listen in as she shares her thoughts on the thornier topics in medical research: animal testing and Big Pharma. Recorded: 29 July 2016. Interviewer: Steve Grimwade. Producers: Chris Hatzis and Andi Horvath. Editor: Chris Hatzis. Engineer: Arch Cuthbertson.

With her posse of dedicated volunteers, bio-scientist Annie Aulsebrook is out catching swans at Albert Park Lake. She's studying the effect of light pollution on our urban birds. She chats to Dr Andi Horvath about Black Swan myths, capturing techniques and how lakeside research isn't all swanning about. Recorded: December 2016. Interviewer: Dr Andi Horvath. Producers: Chris Hatzis, Dr Andi Horvath. Editor: Chris Hatzis. Engineer: Arch Cuthbertson.