Let's Talk SciComm
93 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 2 months ago -Hosted by Associate Professor Jen Martin and Dr Michael Wheeler, Let’s Talk SciComm is a podcast from the University of Melbourne’s Science Communication Teaching Program. Listen for advice, tips and interviews about how to communicate science in effective and engaging ways.
Show notes, transcripts and more info: https://go.unimelb.edu.au/ty8e
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Episodes
33. Interview with visual communicator Dr Sue Pillans
October 31, 2022 17:00 - 32 minutes - 39.4 MBWelcome back to season 5 of Let’s Talk SciComm! We’re thrilled to be sharing another season of great episodes with you and we know you’re going to love this first episode with the one-and-only Sue Pillans. Sue is a marine scientist, artist, children’s author/illustrator and graphic recorder who specialises in creative and visual communications. As a graphic recorder Sue draws out ideas with people, teams and organisations to visually capture and convey discussions, information and concepts. S...
32. How to look after your mental health with Psychiatrist Professor Sandra Radovini
September 26, 2022 21:00 - 37 minutes - 43.6 MBFor our final episode in Season Four, we wanted to talk about another major barrier many of us experience to being able to do the work we care about: good mental health. So we asked our colleague Professor Sandra Radovini if she would have a chat with us. Sandra is a Consultant Psychiatrist and Director of Mindful, the Victorian state-wide Child & Adolescent Mental Health teaching and training unit for professionals working with children, young people and their families. Mindful is part of t...
31. Interview with Emily King from Voices of Academia
September 19, 2022 18:00 - 30 minutes - 36.3 MBThis week it was our huge pleasure to speak with Emily King, currently undertaking her PhD at the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne. Her current project investigates whether insulin resistance develops as a result of mitochondrial dysfunction in skeletal muscle, using both mouse models and cell lines. The projected impact of these studies is to determine whether related conditions, such as Type 2 Diabetes, can be managed with novel, muscle-specific therapies. Emily is a passio...
30. Interview with climate scientist Professor David Karoly (Part 2)
September 12, 2022 18:00 - 30 minutes - 35.3 MBWhat better way to celebrate the 30th episode of Let’s Talk SciComm than continue our conversation with world-renowned climate scientist and climate science communicator, Professor David Karoly. This is part 2 of our conversation with David, so if you haven’t listened to last week’s episode, please go back and do that first! David is an honorary Professor at the University of Melbourne having retired in February 2022 from CSIRO in Australia, where he was a Chief Research Scientist in the CS...
29. Interview with climate scientist Professor David Karoly (Part 1)
September 05, 2022 18:00 - 30 minutes - 36 MBThis week it was our absolute honour to speak with Professor David Karoly, world-renowned climate scientist and climate science communicator. David is an honorary Professor at the University of Melbourne having retired in February 2022 from CSIRO in Australia, where he was a Chief Research Scientist in the CSIRO Climate Science Centre. He is an internationally recognised expert on climate change and climate variability. Professor Karoly was the Leader of the Earth Systems and Climate Change...
28. How to get the most out of attending a conference
August 29, 2022 18:00 - 33 minutes - 41 MBWhether virtual or in person, conferences are without question one of the best ways to meet people and hear about new work in your field. Amongst other things, they can also be fantastic places to find jobs, collaborators, and thesis examiners. But to get the most out of attending a conference, it really pays to prepare before you go, to be brave once you get there and then do some follow-ups afterwards. This week Michael and Jen chat with our wonderful colleague Dr Linden Ashcroft about ou...
27. Interview with Associate Professor in genetics and genomics, Francine Marquez
August 22, 2022 18:00 - 29 minutes - 37.8 MBThis week we’re thrilled to speak with one of the busiest (and most wonderful) scientists we know: Associate Professor Francine Marques. Francine is a Viertel Charitable Foundation and National Heart Foundation Fellow, and head of the Hypertension Research Laboratory at Monash University. She has published >90 peer-reviewed papers in top journals such as Nature Reviews Cardiology, Nature Medicine and Circulation, and has secured $7 million in competitive funding. Francine has won 25 awards ...
Interview with Associate Professor in genetics and genomics, Francine Marquez
August 22, 2022 18:00 - 29 minutes - 37.8 MBThis week we’re thrilled to speak with one of the busiest (and most wonderful) scientists we know: Associate Professor Francine Marques. Francine is a Viertel Charitable Foundation and National Heart Foundation Fellow, and head of the Hypertension Research Laboratory at Monash University. She has published >90 peer-reviewed papers in top journals such as Nature Reviews Cardiology, Nature Medicine and Circulation, and has secured $7 million in competitive funding. Francine has won 25 awards ...
26. How to use crowdfunding to raise money for your work in STEM
August 15, 2022 18:00 - 28 minutes - 33.9 MBGiven how low success rates are for many/most granting schemes, it’s incredibly useful for researchers to understand whether crowdfunding might be an appropriate way to raise funds for their work. And if it is, how you should go about running a successful crowdfunding campaign. So we invited Jonathan O’Donnell back to the show – you may remember we chatted with him in episode 22 about how to write successful grant applications. And Jonathan is the perfect person to chat with about crowdfund...
25. Interview with Professor Andy Pask
August 08, 2022 18:00 - 31 minutes - 37.9 MBWe’re so excited to welcome you to Season Four of Let’s Talk SciComm, with new episodes now released every Tuesday. First up this season, we chat with Professor Andy Pask. Andy is a Professor in the School of BioSciences at the University of Melbourne and Domain Leader for Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology within the School. His research focuses on evolution and development. His recent work is centered on the reproductive system and particularly the influence of hormones and end...
24. How to make time for SciComm
June 29, 2022 18:00 - 32 minutes - 38.5 MBGot a ridiculously long to-do list? Feeling overwhelmed by all the stuff you need to get done? Time management is something we all struggle with and it can sometimes be difficult to make time to share our work with different audiences. This week Jen and Michael invite our wonderful UniMelbSciComm colleagues, Linden Ashcroft, Catriona Nguyen-Robertson and Graham Phillips for a 5-way chat about the tips and tricks we've learned along the way about how to make time for the things that really ma...
23. Interview with healthcare Managing Director Dr Michael Winlo
June 22, 2022 18:00 - 29 minutes - 35.2 MBThis week, Jen and Michael were delighted to speak with Dr Michael Winlo. Michael is Managing Director at Emyria, a data-driven, drug development and clinical services company focused on improving care of patients with unmet needs. Emyria leverages the clinical evidence created with patients to launch and register novel drug development and treatment programs with global regulators. Michael is also a Director at Linear Clinical Research - Perth’s only dedicated early phase cancer and clinic...
22. How to write successful grant applications
June 15, 2022 18:00 - 33 minutes - 38.7 MBApplying for grants is an experience common to all researchers and with success rates for many funding schemes extremely low, any advice to improve the chance of success for your application is very welcome! In this episode, Jen and Michael were thrilled to have the chance to chat with Jonathan O’Donnell and to pick his brains about how to write a successful grant application.a Jonathan is the right person to seek advice from because in his job, he helps people get funding for their resear...
21. Interview with scientist & visual artist Kate Cranney
June 08, 2022 18:00 - 28 minutes - 29.5 MBThis week we are so excited to catch up with one of our University of Melbourne Science Communication alumni who is doing amazing things in the world! Kate Cranney is a science communicator, scientist and visual artist. She combines these skills in her role as a Communications Advisor with CSIRO, Australia's national science agency. Kate's background is diverse. She's climbed trees in Borneo, scaled volcanoes in Papua New Guinea, pulled snakes out of traps in the Simpson Desert, and counte...
20. How to get your thesis written
June 01, 2022 18:00 - 24 minutes - 29.9 MBWriting a thesis is hard! It’s probably the longest document you’ve ever had to write, and the experience is often accompanied by a tendency to procrastinate and feelings of overwhelm and imposterism. This episode will help! Jen and Michael briefly talk about their thesis writing experiences and share their top tips. But most of the episode is filled with advice and tips from eight of our UniMelb SciComm alumni who have recently written theses. They’ve been right where you are now and have ...
19. Interview with #covid19 science advisor Professor James McCaw
May 25, 2022 18:00 - 28 minutes - 33.5 MBThis week, we couldn’t be more thrilled to chat with James McCaw, Professor of Mathematical Biology in the School of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Melbourne. James studied physics before embarking on a research career in infectious diseases epidemiological modelling. One of his primary research interests over the past 15 years has been pandemic preparedness and response. Since January 2020, he has supported the Australian government's response to COVID-19 through membershi...
18. How to give a fantastic very short talk
May 18, 2022 18:00 - 32 minutes - 38.9 MBIf you haven’t yet taken part in a speaking competition like the Three-minute thesis (3MT) or Famelab, what are you waiting for? You’ll gain so much by working out how to explain your research in a really short amount of time. This week Michael and Jen are joined by our wonderful colleague Catriona Nguyen-Robertson, who has had great success in a number of speaking competitions. Together, we give all our best advice on how to prepare and deliver a brilliant short talk. We also have excelle...
17. Interview with physicist and science comedian Dr. Jessamyn Fairfield
May 11, 2022 18:00 - 30 minutes - 38 MBWelcome back to Season Three of Let’s Talk SciComm – we couldn’t be more excited to be back talking about science communication with you. To launch our new season, we’re joined by the fabulous (and funny) Dr Jessamyn A. Fairfield, a lecturer in the School of Physics at the National University of Ireland Galway. She leads research in neuromorphic nanomaterials, physics education, and public engagement with science. She is also an award-winning science communicator, and the director of Bright...
Special: Introducing #MyScienceMay
April 25, 2022 18:00 - 5 minutes - 4.02 MB#MyScienceMay Transcript: https://go.unimelb.edu.au/my8e
16. How to tackle procrastination
March 23, 2022 17:00 - 33 minutes - 42.5 MBProcrastination is of the biggest challenges many of us come up against in our day-to-day work. And it can certainly be a major barrier to effective science communication. Whether you’re trying to write a thesis, an assignment or a blog post, chances are you’ve found yourself delaying getting started. This week Jen and Michael share their experiences of procrastination and evidence-based advice on how to stop. Two of our wonderful UniMelbSciComm alumni, Caitlin Minney and Lily Ahlemeyer als...
15. Interview with Science Communicator Amy LeBlanc
March 16, 2022 17:00 - 32 minutes - 31.8 MBThis week we’re so excited to introduce you to one of our former science communication students, Amy LeBlanc. Amy started off studying bird communication at the University of Melbourne but ended up graduating into full-time science communication instead! These days, Amy lives in Ghent, Belgium, where she is the Chief Editor of BioVox, an online news platform covering life sciences innovations. She spends a lot of her time interviewing scientists and industry leaders from around the world, wr...
14. How to make videos about science
March 09, 2022 17:00 - 33 minutes - 39.3 MBWe all know videos are one of the most popular and effective mediums to share science and that it’s possible to make great videos on your phone. Gone are the days of needing specialist, expensive equipment! But we can still all benefit from learning about how professionals approach making exciting, engaging videos. This week Michael and Jen are joined by our wonderful UniMelbSciComm colleague Dr Graham Phillips who has had a long and illustrious career presenting science on TV. As you would...
13. Interview with Wildlife photojournalist Doug Gimesy
March 02, 2022 17:00 - 31 minutes - 36.7 MBWe’re thrilled to introduce you to photographer extraordinaire Doug Gimesy in this week’s episode. Doug is a professional conservation and wildlife photojournalist who focuses on Australian issues. A Senior Fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP), his clients include National Geographic, BBC Wildlife, bioGraphic, Australian Geographic, Audubon, as well various mastheads like The Guardian and NewsCorp. Initially trained as a zoologist and microbiologist, he la...
12. How to edit your writing effectively
February 23, 2022 17:00 - 34 minutes - 43.4 MBIn this episode, Michael and Jen are joined by our wonderful UniMelbSciComm colleague Dr Linden Ashcroft to discuss why editing is such an important skill. We all agree that allowing sufficient time to edit our writing is essential if we want to produce clear, concise and easy-to-read writing. Together we explore how we all learned to edit our writing and the different approaches we’ve learned along the way. We share our top tips and bond over the fact that effective editing can be a hard, b...
11. Interview with Dr Catherine Wheller
February 16, 2022 17:00 - 32 minutes - 39.4 MBWe can’t wait for you to meet Dr Catherine Wheller on this week’s episode. Catherine has had a wonderfully diverse career and is currently the Communications Manager at the National Youth Science Forum (NYSF). The NYSF is a not-for-profit organisation that runs a number of programs to encourage young people in their passion for science. Catherine is an experienced science communicator, and higher education teaching professional with a history of working in the university, tech, museum, and...
10. How to build a professional online profile
February 09, 2022 17:00 - 33 minutes - 40.2 MBWe’ve all heard the phrase ‘Publish or perish’. But what about the more recent maxim ‘Be visible or vanish’? Regardless of your career stage, there are many advantages to having a professional online presence: it will bring new opportunities, connections and visibility. But it can be hard to know where and how best to invest your time and energy when it comes to social media. In this episode, Michael and Jen talk about why to build your profile, where and how to start, and how to ensure you ...
9: Interview with science radio broadcaster Dr Shane Huntington OAM
February 02, 2022 17:00 - 34 minutes - 41.1 MBWelcome to Season Two of Let’s Talk SciComm! We’re thrilled to introduce you to our first guest for this season, Dr Shane Huntington OAM. Shane is the Chief Executive Officer of Little Big Steps; a charity helping kids with cancer. Shane is also a speaker, trainer and facilitator. He has been providing consulting services in communication and strategy for over 20 years. He is the host and producer of 3RRR’s science radio program Einstein A Go Go. Over the last 30 years he has interviewed t...
9: Interview with Dr Shane Huntington OAM
February 02, 2022 17:00 - 34 minutes - 41.1 MBWelcome to Season Two of Let’s Talk SciComm! We’re thrilled to introduce you to our first guest for this season, Dr Shane Huntington OAM. Shane is the Chief Executive Officer of Little Big Steps; a charity helping kids with cancer. Shane is also a speaker, trainer and facilitator. He has been providing consulting services in communication and strategy for over 20 years. He is the host and producer of 3RRR’s science radio program Einstein A Go Go. Over the last 30 years he has interviewed t...
8: How to tackle the imposter syndrome
December 08, 2021 17:00 - 29 minutes - 37.5 MBOn the outside you appear confident, composed and on top of your game. But on the inside, you are wracked with self-doubt. You feel like a fraud and as though someone is about to tap you on the shoulder and ask you what you think you’re doing. You’re sure you’re not good enough, experienced enough or smart enough to be doing what you’re doing. This week Jen and Michael chat about the Imposter Experience, better known as the Imposter Syndrome. Listen for our thoughts and advice on how to tac...
7. Interview with the singing scientist Catriona Nguyen-Robertson
December 01, 2021 17:00 - 27 minutes - 62 MBIn this episode we’re so excited to introduce you to Catriona Nguyen-Robertson who is a singing scientist: she sings in the laboratory and dreams up immunology experiments in the shower. She is a researcher at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, studying the immune response in skin allergies. An advocate for diversity in STEM, she is Secretary of the Pride in Action Network, and was Vice-President of Women in Science and Engineering at The University of Melbourne. Catrio...
6. How to improve your science writing
November 24, 2021 17:00 - 34 minutes - 32.7 MBIn 2014, Steven Pinker published a piece in The Chronicle of Higher Education titled ‘Why academic writing stinks’. While we might take offense at the notion that our writing ‘stinks’, there’s no question that the way many of us have been taught to write as researchers and scientists can be difficult for our readers to make sense of. In this episode, Michael and Jen chat about why science writing can be so hard to read and a number of different approaches to improve the clarity and readabili...
Interview with Dr Graham Phillips
November 17, 2021 17:00 - 28 minutes - 66 MBIn this episode we’re delighted to speak with Dr Graham Phillips, a very familiar – and much loved – Australian science communicator and journalist. Graham was the host of ABC TV’s science program Catalyst for many years, and also a producer-reporter on that program. He began his career as a scientist (PhD in astrophysics) before quitting to become science journalist/broadcaster/communicator. He’s been a regular science commentator on all the free-to-air TV commercial networks, written abou...
5. Interview with science journalist Dr Graham Phillips
November 17, 2021 17:00 - 28 minutes - 66 MBIn this episode we’re delighted to speak with Dr Graham Phillips, a very familiar – and much loved – Australian science communicator and journalist. Graham was the host of ABC TV’s science program Catalyst for many years, and also a producer-reporter on that program. He began his career as a scientist (PhD in astrophysics) before quitting to become science journalist/broadcaster/communicator. He’s been a regular science commentator on all the free-to-air TV commercial networks, written abou...
4. How to give a better science talk
November 10, 2021 17:00 - 34 minutes - 30.7 MBAll scientists need to give talks but being able to give a brilliant talk takes skill. Are you wondering how to best keep your audience’s attention? How to design slides that enhance, rather than distract from what you’re saying? And how to tackle your inevitable nerves? This week Jen and Michael chat about how to give a better science talk. Listen for our thoughts and advice on how to plan, design and deliver a fantastic talk plus tips from two of our UniMelb SciComm students, Randy Mann a...
How to give a better science talk
November 10, 2021 17:00 - 34 minutes - 30.7 MBAll scientists need to give talks but being able to give a brilliant talk takes skill. Are you wondering how to best keep your audience’s attention? How to design slides that enhance, rather than distract from what you’re saying? And how to tackle your inevitable nerves? This week Jen and Michael chat about how to give a better science talk. Listen for our thoughts and advice on how to plan, design and deliver a fantastic talk plus tips from two of our UniMelb SciComm students, Randy Mann a...
Interview with Dr Linden Ashcroft
November 03, 2021 17:00 - 29 minutes - 28.7 MBIn this episode we’re thrilled to chat with Dr Linden Ashcroft, a lecturer in climate science and science communication at The University of Melbourne, and a proud member of the UniMelbSciComm teaching team. She is also a historical climatologist, and uses pre-1900 documents and weather observations to explore the climate of Australia’s past so we can better prepare for the future. Her career has spanned the academic, non-for-profit and government sectors, including a stint at the Bureau of...
3. Interview with climate scientist Dr Linden Ashcroft
November 03, 2021 17:00 - 29 minutes - 28.7 MBIn this episode we’re thrilled to chat with Dr Linden Ashcroft, a lecturer in climate science and science communication at The University of Melbourne, and a proud member of the UniMelbSciComm teaching team. She is also a historical climatologist, and uses pre-1900 documents and weather observations to explore the climate of Australia’s past so we can better prepare for the future. Her career has spanned the academic, non-for-profit and government sectors, including a stint at the Bureau of...
How to NOT be boring
October 27, 2021 17:00 - 29 minutes - 36.5 MBThis week Jen and Michael chat about the important topic of ‘How to NOT be boring’ when communicating about science. We’re sure you can all remember sitting through an incredibly boring science talk or struggling to read a boring piece of science writing. If you want to get your message across, it’s essential you capture your audience’s attention and convince them what you’re writing or speaking about is of relevance to them. Listen for our thoughts and advice on how to be more engaging wh...
2. How to NOT be boring
October 27, 2021 17:00 - 29 minutes - 36.5 MBThis week Jen and Michael chat about the important topic of ‘How to NOT be boring’ when communicating about science. We’re sure you can all remember sitting through an incredibly boring science talk or struggling to read a boring piece of science writing. If you want to get your message across, it’s essential you capture your audience’s attention and convince them what you’re writing or speaking about is of relevance to them. Listen for our thoughts and advice on how to be more engaging wh...
Interview with Professor Euan Ritchie
October 20, 2021 21:00 - 32 minutes - 32.9 MBIn this episode, we’re delighted to chat with Euan Ritchie, Professor in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation in Deakin University’s Centre for Integrative Ecology and the School of Life and Environmental Sciences in Melbourne, Australia. Euan has published over 150 scientific articles related with biodiversity conservation, wildlife ecology and management, ecosystem management, and environmental policy. His work has a strong focus on predators and their ecological roles, invasive species, fir...
1. Interview with ecologist Professor Euan Ritchie
October 20, 2021 21:00 - 32 minutes - 32.9 MBIn this episode, we’re delighted to chat with Euan Ritchie, Professor in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation in Deakin University’s Centre for Integrative Ecology and the School of Life and Environmental Sciences in Melbourne, Australia. Euan has published over 150 scientific articles related with biodiversity conservation, wildlife ecology and management, ecosystem management, and environmental policy. His work has a strong focus on predators and their ecological roles, invasive species, fir...
0. Welcome to Let's Talk SciComm
October 13, 2021 21:00 - 4 minutes - 4.1 MBWelcome to Let's Talk SciComm! In this trailer episode, hosts Dr Jen Martin and Dr Michael Wheeler introduce themselves and season one of the podcast. For updates, be sure to follow us @LetsTalkSciComm on Instagram and Twitter, and Let's Talk SciComm Podcast on Facebook.
Welcome to Let's Talk SciComm
October 13, 2021 21:00 - 4 minutes - 4.1 MBWelcome to Let's Talk SciComm! In this trailer episode, hosts Dr Jen Martin and Dr Michael Wheeler introduce themselves and season one of the podcast. For updates, be sure to follow us @LetsTalkSciComm on Instagram and Twitter, and Let's Talk SciComm Podcast on Facebook.