How do changes to our sleep and body rhythms affect our health, wellbeing and diseases of the brain? 

In the lead up to Mental Health Month, discover some fascinating new research emerging from the University of Sydney and beyond. 

Fran Kelly, Breakfast presenter on ABC Radio National, moderates an expert panel featuring: 
– Associate Professor Sean Cain, circadian rhythms expert from Monash University
– Dr Jacob Crouse, post-doctoral research fellow with the Youth Mental Health & Technology Team at the Brain and Mind Centre
– Professor Sharon Naismith, clinical neuropsychologist at the University of Sydney

This discussion was recorded on 23 September, 2021. For more information and resources, including a transcript, visit the Sydney Ideas website: https://bit.ly/3CFlfOn – this is where you can also find our music playlist of tracks to wind down to, as recommended by the panel.

Body clocks and the science of sleep

Hear from young people and academic experts, including a leading US researcher, who are driving research that is changing the out-of-home care system, using creative methods for social change.

FEATURING:
– Billy Black, Fostering Lifelong Connections Advisory Group – Expert by Experience
– Professor Amy Conley Wright, University of Sydney
– Bobby Hendry, Fostering Lifelong Connections Advisory Group – Expert by Experience
– Professor Peter J. Pecora, University of Washington
– Tegan Whittaker, Fostering Lifelong Connections Advisory Group – Expert by Experience
– Host: Professor Judith Cashmore AO, University of Sydney

The recording for this podcast is from a live Sydney Ideas public talks event that was held virtually on Thursday 10 March, 2022.

For more information and resources, including the transcript, visit the Sydney Ideas website: https://bit.ly/3CMnCjP

Young people as experts: creating change in out-of-home care

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

Hostage Diplomacy: who's in control?

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.

How do our minds work?

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

Extreme heat and human health

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

Ukraine: the country that surprised the world

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?

Pacific influence

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).

Nanotechnology: scalable solutions for climate action

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

Voices on the Voice: Noel Pearson

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

Rise of the Machines: how worried should we be about AI?

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

The loneliness epidemic

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

Voices on the Voice: Marcia Langton

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

Unlocking the housing crisis

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

Greening healthcare

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

Breaking down disinformation

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

Zara Seidler in conversation with Phoebe Saintilan

In today’s show we wanted to introduce to you a new podcast we think you might enjoy. It’s called 'The Solutionists', with Mark Scott. 

Big challenges need big solutions. Meet the minds making it happen.

Join Mark Scott, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Sydney, and get ready to view the world from a different perspective.

From our own wellbeing to the preservation of the planet, The Solutionists dives into the most pressing issues of our time and introduces you to the people unearthing the seeds of remarkable solutions.

You'll discover a world of progress and possibility.

Take a listen to episode one of The Solutionists, with Mark Scott, which is about how to cool your body and survive in extreme heat. For more info, notes and the transcript, visit The Solutionists website: https://bit.ly/3QbJGvo

Next time at Sydney Ideas, explore 'What art ought to be' and 'Activating allies for gender equality.' Join us live at the University of Sydney campus in November or stay tuned for the podcast. Get the details: https://bit.ly/491QvYP

Introducing The Solutionists, with Mark Scott

Yorta Yorta woman, composer and soprano Deborah Cheetham Fraillon was joined by some of the country’s most creative minds for an expansive conversation that reflects on the role of the arts in a post-referendum Australia.

Australia, at this time following the Voice to Parliament referendum and with a new national arts and cultural policy, is going to be profoundly changed. The arts has, and will have, a role in reflecting our aspirations – so what do we want? How does the arts articulate and advance this? Hear from:
Professor Deborah Cheetham Fraillon AO, Elizabeth Todd Chair of Vocal Studies at Sydney Conservatorium of Music;
Michael Dagostino, Director of Museums and Cultural Engagement at the University of Sydney; 
Guzheng performing artist Mindy Meng Wang; and 
Host Jess Scully, author and curator. 

The recording of this podcast was from a live event held on Wednesday 1 November 2023 at the University of Sydney. Aunty Ann Weldon gave a Welcome to Country (which was referenced by Deborah in the podcast). For more info and resources, including a transcript, visit the Sydney Ideas website: https://bit.ly/40AegDs

What art ought to be

A public conversation about intergenerational perspectives on allyship for gender equality – its importance, how to activate allies, and what effective and accountable allyship looks like.

Featuring gender equality champion Elizabeth Broderick AO; internationally recognised diversity and inclusion scholar Mustafa Ozbilgin; Tom Snow, Chair of Snow Medical and Chair of Equality Australia; and host Antoinette Lattouf, author, journalist and broadcaster. 

This event was held live at the University of Sydney Business School on 21 November 2023 and presented with the University's Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) Program. 

For more info and resources, including a transcript, visit the Sydney Ideas website: https://bit.ly/3ul3S6u

Activating allies for gender equality

How do we move the needle on mental health outcomes? Alastair Campbell and leading experts discuss what can be done to influence the appropriate social and political responses.
Known for his role as communications director for former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Tony Blair, Alastair Campbell has emerged as a prominent advocate for mental health action around the world.

In this Sydney Ideas public talk, Alastair shares brief reflections and then joined on stage by NSW Minister for Mental Health and Youth, The Hon. Minister Rose Jackson MLC; business leader Sam Mostyn AO (Chair of Beyond Blue); and youth mental health leaders Tanya Dearle and Zsofi de Haan. 

Our esteemed panel explore ways of moving forward and creating action to enhance mental health services and outcomes for all. 

Professor Ian Hickie AO, Co-director of Health and Policy at Brain and Mind Centre, hosts this event.

This event was held on Monday 4 March 2024 at the University of Sydney and was presented with Brain and Mind Centre and Matilda Centre.

Alastair Campbell: Setting The Mental Health Agenda

Explore how the arts are transforming health and education to improve care and wellbeing with acclaimed playwright Wesley Enoch, poet Selina Tusitala Marsh, nursing professor Brendan McCormack and host Claire Hooker (CREATE Centre).

This podcast is a recording of a live public event held on 21 March 2024. For more links and resources, including the transcript, visit Sydney Ideas website: https://bit.ly/4a5GeLf

Art of good health and wellbeing

Delve into the history, science, and beauty of the natural world with Australian author James Bradley, Professor of Marine Biology Maria Byrne, ocean and climate advocate Tishiko King and host Helen Sullivan (Guardian Australia).

This event was held live at the University of Sydney on 8 March 2024. For more details and resources, visit the Sydney Ideas page: https://bit.ly/49wNNtl

Oceanic narratives: Interweaving past, present and future

One of America’s leading political scientists, Peter Katzenstein, is particularly interested in the relevance of cultural categories for the analysis of world politics. In his lecture for Sydney Ideas he offered a critique of the Samuel Huntington’s Clash of Civilization theory that conflict between distinct groups based on religion and cultural identities (eg Western, Islamic, Sinic) is inevitable, and will dominate in the post cold–war period. The emphasis on the unity and uniformity of different civilizations and hence on sharp differences among civilizations is misguided. Civilizations are better thought of in pluralist rather than unitary terms. Civilizations are unique in important respects, but equally they are embedded in a global context of interactions with other civilizations that influence them without robbing each of its distinctiveness. Instead of focusing on the clash of civilizations, we should concentrate on studying encounters and engagements among civilizations that shape their futures as much as their unique foundations do. This is the right lesson to draw from approaches as distinct as American liberalism and Chinese Confucianism.

A Sydney Ideas event on 25 March, 2010
sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2010/professor_peter_katzenstein.shtml

University of Sydney | Public lecture

Professor Peter J. Katzenstein on Why the Clash of Civilizations is Wrong

Professor Stuart Kauffman is one of the most distinguished scholars of complexity and the author of several acclaimed books, including The Origins of Order: Self Organization and Selection in Evolution (1993), At Home in the Universe: The Search for Laws of Self-Organization and Complexity (1995), and Humanity in a Creative Universe (2016).

In this Sydney Ideas talk, he proposes that the ever-changing phase space of evolution means we can write no laws of motion for evolution, and it is thus not reducible to physics. The evolving biosphere is the most complex system we know in the universe.

Presented by Sydney Ideas on 1 March 2017. See the webpage for more about this lecture and to access the lecture slides:
http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/professor_stuart_kauffman.shtml

Sydney Ideas 

Professor Stuart Kauffman: The Emergence and Evolution of Life Beyond Physics

Australia poet Mark Tredinnick discusses the landscape in and of contemporary poetry, the role of the lyric in a time of spiritual and ecological crisis, and the importance of writing across the disciplines and embedding creativity in education at all points of life and learning.

A Sydney Ideas event held at the University of Sydney on Tuesday 15 May 2018.
https://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/sydney-ideas/2018/landscape-of-poetry-mark-tredinnick-in-conversation-robyn-ewing.html

Sydney Ideas

The Landscape of Poetry: Mark Tredinnick in conversation with Robyn Ewing

A Sydney Ideas event for Innovation Week 2018, exploring the possibility that storytelling is exactly what science needs, with a view to answering the question: Is storytelling bad for science?

Featuring Professor Nick Enfield, screen-writer John Collee, dramatist Alana Valentine, Professor Geraint Lewis and Professor Jennifer Byrne.

A Sydney Ideas event for Innovation Week held at the University of Sydney on Tuesday 31 July 2018.
https://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/sydney-ideas/2018/is-storytelling-bad-for-science.html

TIME STAMPS
Introductions: 0:00 - 2:00
Professor Nick Enfield: 2:00 - 10:15
John Collee: 10:25 - 18:07
Professor Geraint Lewis: 18:14 - 26:18
Alana Valentine: 26:34 - 31:29
Professor Jennifer Byrne: 31:45 - 38:23
Discussion: 38:34 - 56:18
Audience Q&A: 56:51 - 1:22:50

Is storytelling bad for science?

Stem cell research is a hot field of medical science but one that’s also prone to scandal and scientific fraud. How should health consumers respond in the face of such promise and uncertainty? 

Discussing this is an expert panel of speakers including Prof John Rasko AO, Dr Wendy Lipworth and Prof Ian Kerridge, and with Dan Gaffney moderating the discussion. 

This Sydney Ideas event was held on Thursday 20 September, 2018 at the University of Sydney. https://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/sydney-ideas/2018/stem-cell-therapy-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly.html

Stem cell therapy: the good, the bad and the ugly

Why does race seem to be the hardest word for white people? Dr Robin DiAngelo – a renowned anti-racism educator – argues that the underlying cause is environmental. White people in settler colonial contexts live in a racially insular social bubble. This environment builds an atmosphere of racial comfort but reduces their capacity to tolerate racial stress. Dr DiAngelo – author of What Does it Mean To Be White? Developing White Racial Literacy – describes this lack of racial stamina as 'White Fragility'.

White Fragilty

How is the shift to digital shaping workplaces, cultures and employment opportunities? Explore future ways of working that are truly inclusive of people with disability.

FEATURING 
– Dr Manisha Amin, CEO of Centre for Inclusive Design
– Professor John Buchanan, University of Sydney Business School
– Dr Sheelagh Daniels-Mayes, University of Sydney School of Education and Social Work
– Charles Humblet, Co-Chair, Disability at Work Network, University of Sydney
– Penelope Pitcairn, Staff Accessibility Manager, University of Sydney
– Moderator: Associate Professor Jennifer Smith-Merry, Director of the Centre for Disability Research and Policy

This conversation was held as part of Disability Inclusion Week at the University of Sydney (21-25 September 2020). 

For more info, including a transcript to this discussion, visit the website: https://bit.ly/2RgEKHq

Disruption and disability (23 September 2020)

It has never been more important to be sharing Indigenous knowledge. So many solutions to the problems we face today can be found in that wisdom.

Bruce Pascoe delivers a lecture on Indigenous farming and land management. The 'Dark Emu' author is also joined in a conversation with plant breeder and agricultural scientist Dr Angela Pattison. 

Professor Lisa Jackson Pulver, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Strategy and Services) at the University of Sydney, chaired this public talks event.

This event was held virtually and recorded on 19 October 2020 and marks the inaugural Arthur and Hilda Winch annual lecture in pre-colonial Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture; made possible by a donation from Mr Ron Winch and the Winch family. 

For more information, including further resources and the transcript, visit the Sydney Ideas website: https://bit.ly/3kZDG7u

Bruce Pascoe: Perennial Soil

Sydney Ideas is the University of Sydney's premier public lecture series program, bringing the world's leading thinkers and the latest research to the wider Sydney community.

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