Sydney Ideas

As we start down the long road of recovery there are many discussions being had about how we live, work and rebuild. In this, we need to have a discussion about Australia’s economic future – and the role education and research will play in our recovery, rebuilding and reimagining. This conversation brings together leaders in government, higher education and finance to consider the complex issues – and potential solutions – for a recovery. THE SPEAKERS – Dr Michael Spence AC, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sydney – Cathryn Carver, Executive General Manager (Client Coverage) at NAB – Mark Scott AO (moderator), Secretary of the NSW Department of Education For more information and further resources, including the transcript for the podcast, visit our website: https://bit.ly/2XdLus3

Vaccines have controlled or even eradicated some of the world’s most serious diseases. But the success of immunisation is limited by motivational and practical issues. Scientists are currently working hard to develop a vaccine for COVID-19, yet the safest and most effective vaccines won’t be of any use if the public will not, or cannot, take them. On International Nurses Day, Professor Julie Leask gave a talk about current research into routine immunisation and the critical role of nurse and midwives in influencing vaccination uptake. Julie is a social scientist specialising in immunisation and an advisor to the World Health Organization. She is based at the University of Sydney Susan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery (Sydney Nursing School). Professor Donna Waters, Head and Dean of the Sydney Nursing School provided the introduction. For further resources, including the transcript, visit our website: https://bit.ly/2xCcEQA

As we start to chart a COVID-19 recovery course, there are a number of complex issues to consider. Last week, the Australian government announced and released the COVIDSafe app, designed to help us all to return to some sort of normal. Since its release, there've been a lot of discussion about the functionality and security of the app. The purpose of this conversation is to give you access to expert insights and facts. Our panel will consider questions such as, how is this going to work? Can it keep us safe? And also what are the risks to us all if we do download it, or if we don't? THE SPEAKERS: – Professor Robert Slonim, behavioural economist from the School of Economics – Associate Professor Adam Dunn, Head of Biomedical Informatics and Digital Health in the School of Medical Sciences – Associate Professor Jeanne Huang, international law expert from the Sydney Law School – Dr Suranga Seneviratne, Lecturer in Security at the School of Computer Science – Anna Burns (moderator), Sydney Ideas For further

COVID-19 has put health firmly at the top of the agenda. While we’re practising physical distancing to maintain our physical health, how do we maintain our wellbeing and cope constructively through this time? THE SPEAKERS – Professor Maree Teesson, Director of the Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use and NHMRC Principal Research Fellow at the University of Sydney – Dr Lexine Stapinski, Senior Research Fellow, Clinical Psychologist and Lead in Intervention and Implementation at the Matilda Centre WHAT WE COVER
 – Concerns for community wellbeing: fear of the virus; impacts of isolation; and long-term impacts (1.45) – What can we do right now? Practical steps and coping mechanisms (5.00) – Work-life balance: juggling multiple roles and responsibilities (8.50) – Dealing with financial stress and job loss (10.30) – Working remotely, productivity and role of managers (14.30) – Social anxiety and impacts of social distancing (17.40) – Managing our passive digital and screen time (18.4

As the COVID-19 situation unfolds, now is the time to rethink how we do things, during this pandemic and beyond. What could a digital present and future look like for mental health? Hosted by The University of Sydney’s Brain and Mind Centre and facilitated by ABC broadcaster Dr Norman Swan, this conversation will ask how can the mental health system to best support communities and consider a mental healthcare transformation, beyond tele to DigiHealth. For more information, including the transcript, speaker slides, and useful resources, visit the Sydney Ideas website: https://bit.ly/3a3ZRUo WHAT WE COVER – Professor Ian Hickie: overview of the landscape (00:01:00) – Dr John Torous: international perspective, research at Harvard (00:09:00) - Samuel Hockey: user perspective and co-design, and lived experience (00:21:00) – Professor Frances Kay-Lambkin: access and connection (00:28:00) – Julie Sturgess: North Coast Primary Health Network case/model; how its adopted technology (00:34:00) – Dr Peggy Brown: digi

We're peeling back the layers of language and cognition and how it relates to COVID-19. Particularly at this time, the way we talk about the disease and the current situation, can be helpful or harmful, comforting or confusing. What should we be conscious of? We speak with Nick Enfield, Professor of Linguistics at the University of Sydney. WHAT WE COVER – From "mild" to "extreme" cases: the need for nuance – Unpacking the idea of "the new normal" – Exercising cognitive literacy, or what Hugo Mercier terms 'open vigilance' Access the transcript: https://bit.ly/2V0VLa3 For more info, head to the Sydney Ideas website: sydney.edu.au/sydney-ideas.

The situation around COVID-19 is evolving at an astounding rate. Thinking beyond the physical health ramifications to the mental health, anxiety, communication and sense-making aspects, our panel looks at what's going on and do their best to make sense of the rapidly shifting series of events. THE SPEAKERS – Professor Nick Enfield, Department of Linguistics – Professor Ian Hickie, Brain and Mind Centre – Dr Claire Hooker, Faculty of Medicine and Health – Professor Julie Leask, Susan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery – Professor Agnieszka Tymula, School of Economics – Professor Annamarie Jagose (Moderator), Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences WHAT WE COVER – Why our words matter: how we talk about COVID-19 (2.30) – Past epidemics and what history teaches us (6.00) – There is value in being anxious; if we channel this productively (8.00) – Features of human behaviour: how it's playing out in the COVID-19 context (10.40) – When faced with uncertainty, ambiguity; how should we communicate this? (13.00) –

It's a natural, human response to fear disease. Yet we've seen this fear heightened with the outbreak of COVID-19. After all, the disease has reached into virtually all corners of life: public health, security, jobs, businesses, our culture and communities. It's an uncertain time. People are anxious. So, how do we communicate and channel our anxiety to respond productively? We're taking a look at mental health in Australia and how it's being impacted on by COVID-19. We speak with Professor Ian Hickie, co-director of the Brain and Mind Centre and a leading health expert. WHAT WE COVER – The drivers of good mental health: personal autonomy and social connection – How we can give people the information and agency to take productive actions – The conversations we should be having to enable and empower communities – Mental health in the face of an economic crisis – The importance of social cohesion: while we're physically isolated, the more we're connected socially and emotionally, it will have profound

Since COVID-19 (the novel coronavirus) first emerged in December last year there’s been a lot of uncertainty, anxiety and misinformation. As of Thursday 12th March, the World Health Organisation has officially declared a pandemic. The situation is of course rapidly developing. But it’s useful to get some perspective. What can we do to prepare and respond to this issue? On Wednesday 11 March we hosted an information session with academic experts from the University of Sydney to answer critical questions, from health facts to broader societal implications in Australia. THE PANEL – Associate Professor Adam Kamradt-Scott, expert in global health security and international relations – Professor Julie Leask, who has qualifications in nursing and midwifery. Her research focuses on risk communication – Professor Ramon Shaban, Professor of Infection Prevention and Disease Control, and internationally respected clinician and educator – Professor Tania Sorrell AM is Director of the Marie Bashir Institute for

We're talking about the COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) outbreak and the social and political responses to it. Has fear of the disease taken on a racial dimension? We bring together an epidemiologist, historian, politician, student leader and the University's Vice-Chancellor to help make sense of this rapidly evolving issue. WHAT WE COVER – Brief timeline by Tim Soutphommasane – Pandemic: what does mean, and how will it impact our daily lives? (Ying Zhang, 6.50) – Insights on the government's response to the outbreak and racism in Australia (Jenny Leong, 12.35) – Getting a historical perspective on this (Sophie Loy-Wilson, 19.30) – Insights on students in China affected by the travel ban: how are they feeling? (Abbey Shi, 22.50) – The University's response and support for students (Michael Spence, 26.00) – The economic impact on University sector, tourism and more (30.00) – Preparedness and panic: how we deal with this issue (38.00) – Final thoughts and key messages from speakers (48.25) THE SPEAKERS – Ass

Nanotechnology is unlocking new ways to understand human biology. Scientists expect discoveries in this field will completely revolutionise medicine, from detecting arterial blockages to neural disorders in the brain. Hear from researchers at the forefront of this space discuss the latest developments and applications. WHAT YOU'LL HEAR – Introduction by Professor Benjamin Eggleton, Director of the University of Sydney Nano Institute. https://sydney.edu.au/nano/ – Keynote address by Paul Weiss discussing nano approaches to medicine and biology, and interdisciplinary collaborations (3.50) – Anna Waterhouse and Shelley Wickham talk about their nanorobotics project, which involves building autonomous programmable nanorobots that can navigate the body to detect and prevent early heart disease (34.50) – Conversation with Paul, Anna and Shelley, moderated by Julie Cairney (44.10) THE SPEAKERS - Professor Paul S. Weiss, nanoscientist and Professor at UCLA - Dr Anna Waterhouse, cardiovascular researcher at the

Do the benefits of artificial intelligence (AI) outweigh the potential negative effects, in the context of social responsibilities for the entire human race? Will intelligent machines soon take over, turning us into their slaves or raw materials? In his talk, Professor Mark Coeckelbergh shifts the conversation away from science fiction fantasies about AI and into the realms of real ethical issues and urgent policy challenges for development and use of artificial intelligence and robotics in society. Mark is a Belgian philosopher of technology. He is Professor of Philosophy of Media and Technology at the Department of Philosophy of the University of Vienna and President of the Society for Philosophy and Technology. Associate Professor Julia Horne, University Historian and Director of Sydney Social Sciences Advanced Research Centre (SSSHARC), chaired this event. This event was held on Wednesday 27 November, 2019. For more details, visit the website: http://bit.ly/2Dp0f1M

Australia and India have much to learn from each other, because while our economies are quite different, we face similar problems, particularly around energy and the future direction of our cities. Hear from three of the University of Sydney’s leading researchers from Business, Urban Studies and Chemistry. Professor John Shields from the Business School suggests a need to rethink the nature of leadership and asks, what can we learn from Mahatma Gandhi in this regard? Dr Tooran Alizadeh, whose research around smart cities is based in India, asks what is that we want from our cities, in an age of rapidly evolving technology? Dr Girish Lakhwani will draw on his research in energy to explore the parallels and complementary differences between the Indian and Australian experience. Tania Rhodes-Taylor, Vice-Principal (External Relations)at the University, chaired this event, with closing remarks by Vice-Chancellor Dr Michael Spence AC. This event was recorded on Friday 22 November, 2019 in New Delhi.

Award-winning filmmaker Genevieve Clay-Smith has channelled her passion for social justice and desire to equitise the film industry into the practice of inclusive filmmaking. Hear about Genevieve's passion for inclusivity and creative approaches to making innovative work with Bus Stop Films. Joining Genevieve is emerging filmmaker Ricky Kremer, who is currently studying the accessible films studies program at Bus Stop Films.

Bushfires, hurricanes, life-threatening heatwaves and floods have ravaged our planet in recent years. There is a mounting pool of evidence that climate change, including global warming, is a major cause of these extreme weather events. What we need to do to govern such disasters effectively? Who should govern environmental disasters and how? Hear from scholars working on environmental disasters from a range of disciplines, issue areas, and countries, including: - Professor Linda Hancock, Deakin University - Dr Francisco Molina Camacho, CIGIDEN - Professor Susan Park, University of Sydney - Chair: Professor Abbas El-Zein, University of Sydney This conversation was recorded on Thursday 21 November, 2019 at the University of Sydney. For more details or to check out a reading list, visit our website: http://bit.ly/2OkPKTq

Indigenous children are still being removed from their families at increasing rates, despite the clear links to negative child health and education outcomes. Why and how is this still happening? The University of Sydney’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Strategy and Services), Professor Lisa Jackson Pulver AM, moderated a conversation with Boe Rambaldini, Director of the University’s Poche Centre for Indigenous Heath; and filmmaker and lawyer, Professor Larissa Behrendt from the University of Technology Sydney. This event was held on Tuesday 19 November, 2019 at University of Sydney. For more details about the speakers and this event, visit the website: http://bit.ly/2oOThQ8

In her talk, Professor Helen Byrne (Oxford University) explains how mathematical models are being used to understand how tumours grow and to predict how they will respond to treatments involving, for example, novel combinations of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Helen was joined by Professor Jennifer Byrne (University of Sydney) in a conversation to explore how maths and medicine can come together to improve research and outcomes. This event was held on Tuesday 12 November, 2019 at the University of Sydney. Learn more: http://bit.ly/2MJYMHF

What does it mean to call a climate emergency? Military and security experts have warned that as temperatures continue to rise, so too will security risks, including in extreme cases, the risk of armed conflict. Speakers: - Professor Ole Wæver, University of Copenhagen - Councillor Jess Miller, City of Sydney Council - Associate Professor Charlotte Epstein, University of Sydney - Olivia Arkell, University of Sydney This conversation was recorded on Monday 11 November, 2019 at the University of Sydney. Visit the website for more details: bit.ly/33FWVuv

Andrew Denton and Dasho Kinley Dorji studied journalism together at Bathurst in NSW in the 1980s and have since made enormous contributions to the media landscapes in Australia and Dorji's home country of Bhutan. Hear the two old classmates discuss Bhutan, the role of journalism in democracy, social media, Gross National Happiness, Crazy Wisdom, and more. Dr Bunty Avieson, Lecturer in Journalism at the University of Sydney, introduced this event. This conversation was recorded on Thursday 7 November, 2019 at the University of Sydney. Visit the website for more details: http://bit.ly/320xweg

The world has gotten used to hearing 'America First', but is it ready for 'Asia First'? Leading global strategy adviser and international bestselling author Dr Parag Khanna makes a case for why we need to start looking at the world, and future, from the Asian point of view. This event also featured: - Welcome by Professor Duncan Ivison, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research at the University of Sydney - Introduction by Professor James Der Derian, Director of the Centre for International Security Studies - Siobhán Moran-McFarlane led the conversation with Dr Khanna. Siobhán is a broadcast journalist and producer, and host of 'Another World' on Eastside Radio 89.7FM. Dr Khanna is the keynote speaker for the 2019 Michael Hintze Lecture, co-presented with the Centre for International Security Studies. This conversation was recorded on Tuesday 5 November, 2019 at the University of Sydney. For full details, visit the website: http://bit.ly/32bpqzq