Sydney Ideas

Hear from two pioneering University of Sydney alumni changing the game in news and media: Zara Seidler, co-founder of Australia's fastest growing social-first news service, The Daily Aus; and Phoebe Saintilan, founder of new media technology company Missing Perspectives. Zara and Phoebe swap stories about their multifaceted careers from politics to journalism, to finding their footing in a profoundly disrupted landscape. The recording for this podcast was from a live event held at the University of Sydney on 21 September 2023. Visit the Sydney Ideas website for more info, links and resources: https://bit.ly/3S42oYr

In this conversation, hear academic experts discuss disinformation – what makes it so influential and problematic, roles and responsibilities of our institutions and platforms, and how to counteract it for better decision-making. Featuring: philosopher Lee McIntyre, digital platforms researcher Joanne Gray and cognitive scientist Micah Goldwater. Farz Edraki, writer, editor and broadcaster at ABC, hosts this discussion. The recording is from live event held at the University of Sydney on 12 September 2023. For more details and resources, visit the Sydney Ideas page: https://bit.ly/3EKygcI

Can we save lives and save the planet? Hear how the healthcare sector is tracking, finding solutions and making changes, to be more sustainable and green. Healthcare is both significantly affected by, and is a contributor to, climate change. If the global health sector were a country, it would be the fifth largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world. So, how can Australia work towards a more sustainable healthcare system, without compromising on quality and safety? Hear from cardiologist David Celermajer, sustainability researcher Amanda Irwin and global public health professional Rashmi Venkatraman – with host and science communicator Dr Naomi Koh Belic. The recording of this conversation is from a live public event held on 22 August 2023 at the University of Sydney, presented with Sydney Environment Institute. Visit the Sydney Ideas website for more info: bit.ly/44yp6u2

Why taking a moral and philosophical lens to understanding housing can help us get out of the crisis in Australia – and create a fairer, sustainable system for all. Author and citymaker Jess Scully hosts this conversation with philosopher Ingrid Robeyns, Professor and Chair of Urbanism Nicole Gurran, and housing market researcher Eliza Owen. The recording of this conversation is from a live public event held on 4 August 2023 at the University of Sydney. Visit the Sydney Ideas website for more info: https://bit.ly/3QCGz1i

A keynote address by prominent anthropologist and geographer Professor Marcia Langton AO, on the Indigenous Voice to Parliament. The Indigenous Voice to Parliament is one of the most important discussions taking place in Australia. In the lead up to the vote, we bring together a range of voices from across the University of Sydney and beyond, to offer critical insight to enrich and inform public understanding and dialogue. Professor Langton was joined on stage for a conversation hosted by Professor Lisa Jackson Pulver, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Indigenous Strategy and Services at the University of Sydney. This event is the next in the 'Voices on the Voice' series. It was held live at the University of Sydney on 3 August 2023. For more details and resources, visit the Sydney Ideas page: https://bit.ly/44Vv754

Epidemiologist and population behavioural scientist Melody Ding gives a talk on the trends and predictors of loneliness and why it’s a public health issue. With Professor Stephen Simpson, Academic Director of Charles Perkins Centre, as host. The recording of this talk is from a live public event held on 27 July 2023 at the University of Sydney. More information, visit the Sydney Ideas website: https://bit.ly/3YoRGws

If there’s a 10% chance that human-level artificial intelligence (AI) would lead to existential risk or an “extremely negative outcome”, what would you do? In this public talks event we had the experts weigh in on the development of AI and untangle the deep, complex questions it raises. Hear from Rebecca Johnson, tech ethics researcher in the Faculty of Science at the University of Sydney; Dr Sandra Peter, Director of Sydney Executive Plus and expert on emerging trends and technology from University of Sydney Business School and Jose-Miguel Bello Villarino, Research Fellow at Sydney Law School and ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making & Society (ADM+S). This talk was hosted by technology reporter, Ariel Bogle. For more information about the researchers, resources and further reading, visit Sydney Ideas: https://bit.ly/3pH7TjU

Hear a keynote address by University of Sydney alumnus Noel Pearson (BA '87, LL B '93), a proud leader from the Guugu Yimidhirr community of Hopevale on the Eastern Cape York Peninsula, and hailed as one of the best orators in Australia. The Indigenous Voice to Parliament is one of the most important discussions taking place in Australia. In his public address, Noel gave perspective on the journey of the Indigenous Voice to Parliament and why it's a "decisive step" for Australia towards recognition and reconciliation. This Sydney Ideas event opens the conversation as the first event in the 'Voices on the Voice' series, a collaboration led by the University's Indigenous Strategy and Services and National Centre for Cultural Competence. More events and discussions are planned to take place over the coming months so stay tuned. For details on the 'Voices on the Voice' series and resources, visit the Sydney Ideas page: https://bit.ly/43oFYDs

Carbon removal, solar power and clean hydrogen – these are just some of the renewable technologies touted as solutions to fossil fuel. How can these different areas of science and technology work together to be part of a shared solution? Three researchers at the forefront of their fields discuss the latest developments and elements – such as advances in science, technology and public awareness – that hold the key for a necessary transition to cleaner forms of energy. They talk about timelines, what's down the pipeline, and the investment needed to get us to that next step. Hear from Anita Ho-Baillie, leader in perovskite solar cell research; hydrogen technology leader Kondo-Francois Aguey-Zinsou; and Deanna D'Alessandro, chemist and director of Net Zero Initiative at the University. Each of the researchers are strong advocates for the technologies they’ve spent their careers building and in this podcast they will share their vision for the technologies developed within their teams. Host for this event w

How do we meaningfully engage with Pacific peoples and issues across the region? We invite you to this Talanoa (shared conversation) with host Professor Jioji Ravulo and experts in geopolitics, climate and economic security. Much attention is on the Pacific region as leading world powers seek to have influence and possible control on the access and development of Pacific Islands Counties and its Territories (PICT). The way in which this is occurring is shaped competing priorities and outcomes, underpinned by economic and financial incentives. Despite good will and intention, a key question remains: what are we doing to genuinely and sustainably support Pacific people across the region? This should be the central idea that shapes the way in which regional development occurs across the Pacific region. Our host and panel will critically reflect on this overarching question, with examples drawn from the past, present and possible futures. The panel will also explore key questions including: Who benefits from

Hear from acclaimed writer and historian Dr Olesya Khromeychuk, a leading voice on Russia's war against Ukraine. International observers estimated that Ukraine would fall within days following Russia’s full-scale invasion. A year on, Ukrainian society continues to demonstrate extraordinary defiance and the Ukrainian Armed Forces show unprecedented resistance to the occupying troops. In this Sydney Ideas talk, Dr Olesya Khromeychuk explores the reasons why we might have underestimated Ukrainian resilience and overestimated Russia's might following the events of February 2022; and proposes the lessons that the democratic world has learned over the past 12 months. Dr Olga Boichak, prominent sociologist and frequent commentator on the Russian-Ukrainian war in the media, hosts this event. This event was held on Thursday 2 February 2023 at the University of Sydney. For more info, visit the Sydney Ideas website: http://bit.ly/3JPlsVY

What is the impact of extreme heat and hot weather on human health across the human lifespan? In this Sydney Ideas event, experts from the University's Heat and Health Research Incubator (HHRI) discuss the latest research and provide us with some pretty cool solutions. Did you know that extreme heat and hot weather have devastating consequences for human health and wellbeing? Or that heatwaves cause more deaths than all other natural disasters combined? With our planet heating up, we need to find solutions for how society can not only survive but thrive in extreme temperatures. Professor Ollie Jay (Director, Heat and Health Research Incubator)is joined in conversation with cardiovascular health expert Dr Georgia Chaseling, environmental physiology researcher Dr James Smallcombe, neonatologist Professor Adrienne Gordon and host Tony Capon (Director, Monash Sustainable Development Institute) to discuss the effects of extreme heat on our bodies and its impact on our health and wellbeing across the human lifes

What is really going on 'under the hood'? What can we do each day to improve our own - and our collective - mental health? A team of experts share cutting-edge research and explore practical ways to reach peak mind and brain health. This online event was held on 27 October to mark Mental Health Month, and co-presented with the Brain and Mind Centre.

In this talk, The Hon Dr Andrew Leigh MP, Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury shares why he believes that competition policy is fundamental to economic dynamism and rising living standards. Dr Leigh was introduced and joined in a conversation with Kirsten Andrew, Vice-President (External Relations) at the University of Sydney. This recording is from a live event held at the University's Chau Chak Wing Museum on Monday 17 October.

2022 Michael Hintze Lecture with Dr Kylie Moore-Gilbert British-Australian academic, Dr Kylie Moore-Gilbert, highlights the complex nature of state hostage taking, and outlines ways in which Australia’s approach can be refined to tackle this insidious and growing global problem. The use of individual citizens of a country as tools of diplomatic leverage in disputes between states is often referred to as Hostage Diplomacy, a form of arbitrary detention that involves the imprisonment and/or conviction of innocent foreign or dual-national visitors as a means of extracting concessions from their country of citizenship. In 2018, Kylie Moore-Gilbert was falsely charged with espionage and imprisoned in Iran for more than two years before being released in a prisoner exchange deal negotiated by the Australian government. As a victim of hostage diplomacy, Moore-Gilbert experienced first-hand the injustice of being reduced to little more than a political bargaining chip. Hear her unique insights into the Australia

Join Dr Karl Kruszelnicki and Professor Peter Tuthill on a guided tour of the latest photos from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) – our Infrared Eye in the Sky. The JWST is NASA’s largest and most powerful space science telescope ever constructed and Peter Tuthill is the only Australian to have an experiment on it - a tremendous feat! See stars romancing and dancing, being born, growing up, dying and giving birth to new stars. The JWST might even answer the big question – “does life exist outside the Earth?” Through the lens of astronomy, we also explore fresh angles on planetary climates. The physics that control planetary atmospheres – temperatures and energy budgets for matter and radiation - is straight-forward. Our planetary siblings (Venus and Mars) started well, but ended hot and cold. On Earth, we humans have tipped the energy budget so that today, as compared to 1850, the Earth’s atmosphere takes in an extra 600,000 Hiroshima atom bombs of infrared heat from the Sun – each and every day! The g

Sydney Ideas welcomes back Professor Frank Pasquale (Brooklyn Law School), a leading author and academic on the law of artificial intelligence (AI), algorithms, and machine learning. He is joined by local experts to unpack the challenges and advantages of AI and how it is changing medical practice. The potential for AI and its ability to improve how healthcare is delivered is well documented. From supporting the patient experience and how they access healthcare services, to assisting practitioners in avoiding errors, AI can enable healthcare systems to offer better care to more people. However, we’ll only take full advantage of what AI has to offer, with wise policy choices. How can governmental and other authorities better support the development of quality AI for diagnosis and clinical decision making? Do we have the systems in place to make the meaningful changes needed for doctors and hospital administrators to take genuine advantage of the potential of AI? What are the challenges they face? Hear from

How will the new government deliver on its promises? Respected journalist Nick Bryant hosts this conversation with Sally Sitou, Member for Reid; Kylea Tink, Member for North Sydney; Constitutional reform expert; Anne Twomey; and political theorist Tim Soutphommasane. On being elected, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese promised to create a government that doesn’t “seek to divide” and one that will “change the way” politics operates in Australia; to lead with integrity. With a record 10 women in his cabinet, a promise to enshrine a First Nations Voice to parliament and a commitment towards mitigating the impacts of climate change, the new government have set themselves strong targets. Can there truly be a reset in how politics is run in this country? How can this new government “bring people together” beyond the rhetoric and slogans? What do they need to get right before their first year is up and how can the new voices in parliament set a course for change? Hear from an expert panel including: - Sally Sit

Renowned environmental scientist, Professor Emma Johnston AO, the co-chief author of the 2021 Australian State of Environment Report and the University’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) is joined by her co-authors to discuss key findings of the report and what is in store for our environment and wellbeing. The extreme weather events from the past few years have shown that our future depends on healthy rivers, forests, soils and seas, which is why it is crucial to understand exactly what is at stake. The State of the Environment (SOE) report, a five-yearly independent review, commissioned by the Australian Government, is a critical piece in the puzzle. Its independent analysis from a team of scientific experts, offers a clear framework on how to address the myriad environmental issues we face and the projected future of our environment. Professor Johnston is one of Australia’s most distinguished environmental scientists, an elected fellow of both the Australian Academy of Science (AAS) and the Australian

Why are we a nation that has not yet recognised the First People, and what can we do to take action? Teela Reid, proud Wiradjuri and Wailwan woman, lawyer and the University of Sydney's inaugural Indigenous Practitioner-in-Residence, examines the hard questions that cut to the legitimacy of our democracy on the eve of the fifth anniversary of Uluru Statement from the Heart. Teela was joined in a conversation moderated by Billi FitzSimons, Editor of The Daily Aus. Professor Simon Bronitt, Head and Dean of Sydney Law School, introduced the event and a Welcome to County provided by Michael West from Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council (MLALC). You can view the full event via the Sydney Ideas website: https://bit.ly/3x7mrJp