UNSW Centre for Ideas

UNSW Centre for Ideas
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An initiative of UNSW Sydney, the Centre for Ideas is a thought-provoking program of events and digital content from the globe's leading thinkers, authors and artists.

  1. Unpicking the Lock to the Blood-Brain Barrier with Dr Alexis Minchaca Acosta | One Big Idea

    FEB 12

    Unpicking the Lock to the Blood-Brain Barrier with Dr Alexis Minchaca Acosta | One Big Idea

    The blood-brain barrier prevents 98% of medicines from reaching the brain. This prevents the effective treatment of neurological disorders, from cancer to Alzheimer’s. If we knew how to create drugs that could pass through this barrier, then we’d be able to create targeted, effective treatments. But doing so requires a lot of trial and error, and there aren’t a lot of effective, ethical, targeted treatments. Until now.  Tune in to learn from Dr Alexis Minchaca Acosta, a Research Officer at the Children’s Cancer Institute, on how her work in lab-made blood brain barriers could change the game for neurological disorders. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    21 min
  2. Reframing Rescue with Communities at the Heart with Dr Regina Jefferies | One Big Idea

    JAN 22

    Reframing Rescue with Communities at the Heart with Dr Regina Jefferies | One Big Idea

    As natural disasters increase in frequency and severity, we are all at risk of one day having our homes and our lives being in danger from fire or flood. Right now, we are seeing an unprecedented level of people needing rescue in the midst of disaster. But rescue shouldn’t just be after the point of no return, when people must evacuate their homes because hazardous conditions overwhelm communities.  Listen to Dr Regina Jefferies, a human rights and refugee lawyer, on how recognising the broad scope of who tends to be a first responder in a disaster, and what it means to truly save people, could offer a fairer, kinder chance of rescue. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    33 min
  3. Grand Designs for our Oceans' Habitats with Ann Flemming Nielsen | One Big Idea

    JAN 15

    Grand Designs for our Oceans' Habitats with Ann Flemming Nielsen | One Big Idea

    Our coastal marine habitats are suffering from the man-made degradation of climate change. From coral reefs to seagrass meadows, oyster reefs and kelp forests, these ecosystems are vital nurseries for marine life and natural coastal buffers against storms and we’re losing them at a rapid pace. But all is not lost. We have the tools and the know-how to restore these environments.   Tune in to learn from Ann Flemming Nielsen, a PhD student at the Centre for Marine Science and Innovation, on how we can use human engineering to build back the coastal environments in severe decline and give nature a chance to recover. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    32 min
  4. The Power of Light with Dr Alison Goldingay | One Big Idea

    12/18/2025

    The Power of Light with Dr Alison Goldingay | One Big Idea

    Light has unlocked many technologies over the course of human history. The more we learn about what light is and what it can do, the more applications we find to advance our lives. When we study light at the smallest scale possible, at the atomic level, we can unlock some pretty amazing, pretty weird capabilities.  Find out from Dr Alison Goldingay, an award-winning Postdoctoral Fellow at UNSW in the School of Physics, about how the study of light is making quantum computing a reality. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    27 min
  5. Who's the Man?

    12/16/2025

    Who's the Man?

    Within today's social media landscape, a finely tuned content algorithm is serving up often unhealthy and sometimes extreme views on masculinity. For boys, in particular, the injection of vitriol into playgrounds, classrooms, backyards and wider society has turned the question of what it means to be a man on its head. This is also having far-reaching consequences for young girls and women.  So what do we do when influencers co-opt masculinity for clout? As the dawn of the social media ban for young people rapidly approaches, is this a chance to reframe what it means to be a man?  ABC presenter Siobhan Marin as she explores this topic with award-winning author, human rights advocate and Indigenous leader Thomas Mayo, former Aussie Rules player and Sydney Swans Chief Executive Officer and newly appointed Chief Operating Officer for the AFL, Tom Harley. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    1h 10m
  6. Rewiring AI with Dr Charu Maithani | One Big Idea

    12/10/2025

    Rewiring AI with Dr Charu Maithani | One Big Idea

    Ask any AI image generator to create an image of a garden and you’re likely to receive a very specific type; manicured English or French, colourful plants, geometric forms and a winding pathway made of stone or gravel. Why is this such a big deal? Millions of AI images are generated every week but they only represent a narrow view of real life because the technology is trained off western-centric perspectives.  In an era of AI slop and Shrimp Jesus’, hear from Dr Charu Maithani, a Lecturer in Media, Journalism and Communication, about how changing the approach to machine learning could have far reaching effects on our visual vocabulary. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    38 min
  7. Tailor-Made Childhood Cancer Treatments with Professor Maria Kavallaris AM | One Big Idea

    12/04/2025

    Tailor-Made Childhood Cancer Treatments with Professor Maria Kavallaris AM | One Big Idea

    More than 400,000 children and adolescents will be diagnosed with cancer worldwide this year. Many treatments that are meant to save a child can leave them with lifelong side-effects, including heart damage, infertility and cognitive issues. But for the first time, precision medicine is using the tiniest tools – nanoparticles – to design tailor-made treatments to beat childhood cancer.  Tune in to learn how precision medicine is changing the odds in the fight against childhood cancer with Professor Maria Kavallaris AM, a researcher whose own cancer diagnosis occurred at the same time as a career-changing opportunity to join the Children's Cancer Institute. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    39 min
  8. SWF Great Debate: True Friends Stab You in the Front

    11/26/2025

    SWF Great Debate: True Friends Stab You in the Front

    The scintillating chronicler of human weakness, Oscar Wilde, once said, “True friends stab you in the front”.   In this popular event, writer and presenter Annabel Crabb and writer David Marr lead opposing teams in a rollicking debate on the legitimacy of this aphorism about friends who betray each other.    Featuring debaters Matilda Boseley, Rhys Nicholson, Justine Rogers and Jennifer Wong, and adjudicated by Yumi Stynes, this debate is sure to get provocative, pithy and personal.  This event was presented by the Sydney Writers' Festival and supported by UNSW Sydney.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    1h 18m
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About

An initiative of UNSW Sydney, the Centre for Ideas is a thought-provoking program of events and digital content from the globe's leading thinkers, authors and artists.

Information

  • Creator
    UNSW Centre for Ideas
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 UNSW Centre for Ideas
  • Show Website
    UNSW Centre for Ideas

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