"News From The Future" with Dr Catherine Ball The Future Is Already Here.... Meet The Humans At The Cutting Edge

Alex is a marine ecologist and a science communication guru with a passion about using ecosystem services to fight anthropogenic climate change.
The teams Alex works with are diverse and deeply technical, this broad depth and wide horizon gives her a multi-faceted point of view when it comes to communicating complicated systems-thinking research.
How do we get inventions from the lab to the factory? Industry connections are needed from inception. Global competitive edge in Australia needs a boost - what can we do better and where are we going a great job on the global stage.
And algae - we really need to talk more about algae - we need to start wearing algae based silk!
You can learn more and connect with Alex here: https://profiles.uts.edu.au/Alexandra.Thomson
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Seeing gaps and opportunity in the systems with the advances in AI and the surge in disruption. But, though we appear to be rushing to change, are we all just swimming fast to actually stand still and return to BAU? Claudine loves acceleration and democratisation of AI backed technologies.
What happens to industry when it is disrupted by AI that is powered by quantum computing? How can companies catch up with new tech? Do we even as a business ecosystem understand the basics of data science?
Data will be the foundation stone of all the AI and processes going forwards. As business leaders are starting to pay more attention to data within and beyond their own businesses let’s watch the growth and opportunity. Don’t get left behind- start investing in these skills and capabilities now.
Find out more about Claudine and her really interesting work here:
https://www.oando.com.au


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Water systems are incredibly complex and yet we don’t really connect well with where our drinking water comes from or the systems it passes through. In the near future there will be more flooding and more drought than our grandparents ever knew. Will there be wars over water? Do you know what a listening stick is?
A global point of view applied to a local problem can mean fresh ideas and travel is key for early and mid-career researchers. Can Australia learn from other cities before we start facing our own water-shortages? Are we complacent about water?
Follow the work of Jessica Bohorquez here: https://researchers.adelaide.edu.au/profile/jessica.bohorquezarevalo
And her podcast (and a nice interview) is here: https://www.awa.asn.au/resources/latest-news/our-water-connection-podcast




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We have dormant volcanoes in South Australia and Victoria, did you know? We aren’t specifically monitoring them either…
But volcanoes are more use to humans than being the location of a Bond villain’s lair- they harbour amazing stories and secrets of the magma we all float upon. Teresa likes to apply interrogation to any volcanic rocks she can get her hands on.
Can we learn more about our planet’s past in order to help us become an off-planet species? What do we need to know about the rock we are living on?
Check out Teresa’s work at UQ here: https://researchers.uq.edu.au/researcher/15355


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Ever eaten an Australian grown oyster? Was it from a fishery that also exports? How do we deregister pesticides that others have already banned? How do we protect farmers and workers from pesticide-related health problems?
No, this isn’t a review of Silent Spring by Rachel Carter, this is about the scientists trying to get better data and information about how pesticides behave in Australian ecosystems. Who carries the burden of proof around problematic pesticides? Why don’t we test for our domestic markets where we test for food that is exported?
Kirsten Benkendorff walks us through the Big P and what we need to do to support the scientists and communities that are collecting evidence about pesticide behaviour in their local environment.
Learn more about Kirsten here:
https://www.kirstenbenkendorffmarineresearch.au


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As we look to electrify Australia and scale the energy revolution we need to understand the composition of the Earth’s Crust soon, but where is the Taylor Swift of Geology? Maybe it’s Indrani on this week’s podcast episode.
A more accurate and higher resolution map of the Earth’s crust will be needed to have more efficient mining for the metals and minerals we need. A Digital Twin one could say? A 4D map? Cross pollinate this with new mining and clean up methodology; what is the future of the resources industry. And we aren’t talking fossil fuels.
Indrani is a passionate and interesting person, enjoy this podcast and you can follow her work at UNSW here: https://www.unsw.edu.au/staff/indrani-mukherjee



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