Sydney Ideas

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 was Alice Motion, chemist, science communicator and Interim Director of the University of Sydney Nano Institute (Sydney Nano).

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 having influence and control across the region and why? How are the key players held accountable for their varying impacts across the region? What is the role and influence of Pacific people in shaping this dialogue?

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 lifespan. Hear how researchers at the HHRI are tackling the health impacts of extreme heat with sustainable, low-resource, evidence-based solutions and explore how together we can build a more resilient community to a warming world. This event took place on 13 December 2022 at the Susan Wakil Health Building and live online. To view the video of the event in full, please go to the Sydney Ideas website: https://www.sydney.edu.au/engage/events-sponsorships/sydney-ideas/2022/extreme-heat-and-human-health.html

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 Australian government’s approach to arbitrary detention and her current involvement in lobbying to reform both Australia’s strategic response and the provision of support services to victims and their families. After the talk, Dr Kylie Moore-Gilbert is joined in conversation by Professor Sarah Phillips. This Sydney Ideas event was held on Thursday 29 September 2022 in the Social Sciences Building SSB Lecture Theatre 200, in partnership with the Centre for International Security Studies. To view the video of the event in full, please go to the Sydney Ideas website: https://www.sydney.edu.au/engage/events-sponsorships/sydney-ideas/2022/kylie-gilbert-moore-hostage-diplomacy-and-government-reform.html

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 good news is that with today’s technologies, we can stop, and reverse, climate change. This Sydney Ideas event was held on Wednesday 7 September 2022 at the Charles Perkins Centre Auditorium. To view the video of the event, to see the slides, demonstration and captions, please go to the Sydney Ideas website. https://www.sydney.edu.au/engage/events-sponsorships/sydney-ideas/2022/peter-tuthill-karl-kruszelnicki-invisible-infared.html

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 Frank Pasquale, author of New Laws of Robotics: Defending Human Expertise in the Age of AI (Harvard University Press, 2020) followed by a conversation with Associate Professor and Paediatric Anaesthetist, Justin Skowno and Professor of law and a specialist at the intersection of law and technology, Kimberlee Weatherall (moderator). This Sydney Ideas event was held online, on Monday 25 July 2022. To view the event page, please go to this link: https://bit.ly/3ONVKA0

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 Sitou, Member for Reid - Professor Tim Soutphommasane, political theorist, Culture Strategy - Director and Acting Director of Sydney Policy Lab - Kylea Tink, Member for North Sydney - Professor Anne Twomey, Professor of Constitutional Law and Director, Constitutional Reform Unit at Sydney Law School - Nick Bryant, journalist and Senior Policy Fellow at Sydney Policy Lab This event was held on Wednesday 20 July, 2022 and presented with Sydney Policy Lab. To view the event page please go to: https://bit.ly/3PMWZk8