The Solutionists, with Mark Scott University of Sydney

As the climate changes and populations boom, water supplies are under increasing pressure. 

The idea of drinking water that was once swirling down your toilet bowl or kitchen sink may make you feel squeamish, but it could hold the key to future water security. 

University of Sydney Professor Stuart Khan explains the promise of purified recycled water, and how it can future-proof water supplies in a thirsty nation prone to drought. 

“There is the opportunity to start thinking more about a circular economy and how we might reuse the water that we’re currently discharging.” 

Professor Khan points out that all water on Earth is recycled – the water you’re drinking “has quite likely been drunk by dinosaurs in the past” and could be described as “purified dinosaur pee”.  

But there’s a huge psychological hurdle involved in drinking water that’s gone from ‘toilet to tap’. So how do you sell the idea to a skeptical public? You’ll hear from Dee Madigan, creative director of advertising agency Campaign Edge and a regular on ABC TV show Gruen.  

You’ll also get a taste of how the technology works as you go inside Sydney Water’s Purified Recycled Water Demo Plant, with plant manager James Harrington. 

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The Solutionists is podcast from the University of Sydney, produced by Deadset Studios. Keep up to date with The Solutionists by following @sydney_uni on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. 

Sourcing/credit: Archival media clip from ABC News. 

This episode was produced by Monique Ross, with field recordings by Harry Hughes. Sound design by Jeremy Wilmot. Executive editors are Kellie Riordan, Jen Peterson-Ward, and Mark Scott. Thanks to the technical staff at the at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Media Room. 

This podcast was recorded on the land of the Gadigal people of the Eora nation. For thousands of years, across innumerable generations, knowledge has been taught, shared and exchanged here. We pay respect to elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. 
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Sophie Gee’s husband was suddenly rushed to hospital, her life was plunged into uncertainty.  

Amid the chaos, she discovered a surprising source of strength: her study of classic literature, and in particular, the works of Jane Austen. 

Sophie, who was Associate Chair of the English Department at Princeton until she came to the University of Sydney as a Vice-Chancellor's Fellow, says stories have made her more resilient. “Literature teaches us how to be uncertain, how to tolerate discomfort, how to tolerate difficulty,” she says. 

Arts and humanities degrees sometimes get a bad rap, but Sophie argues they are more valuable than ever in the age of AI.  

She says stories cut through in a way science cannot – just look at the documentary My Octopus Teacher – and equip you with the skills you need to have “truly transformational ideas”. 

 “Storytelling is one of the most important ways to have access and equity to new pathways. If you’re able to tell your story, you’re able to change your life.”  

She also makes the case for returning to old favourites, whether it’s Shakespeare or Harry Potter. And she weighs in on the value of Book Tok. 

Sophie Gee is an alumna and a Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow at the University of Sydney. 

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The Solutionists is podcast from the University of Sydney, produced by Deadset Studios. Keep up to date with The Solutionists by following @sydney_uni on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. 

Sourcing/credit: My Octopus Teacher is a Netflix series and we thank Kaylie for her Book Tok example. Find her on Tik Tok @under_thebelljar  

This episode was produced by Monique Ross with sound design by Jeremy Wilmot. The executive producer is Kellie Riordan. Executive editors are Kellie Riordan, Jen Peterson-Ward, and Mark Scott. Thanks to the technical staff at the at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Media Room. 

This podcast was recorded on the land of the Gadigal people of the Eora nation. For thousands of years, across innumerable generations, knowledge has been taught, shared and exchanged here. We pay respect to elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. 
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“If you’re going to have a breakdown, try not to have it in a top secret secure naval dockyard.” 

You might know Alastair Campbell as the formidable former press secretary of British prime minister Tony Blair and co-host of popular podcast The Rest is Politics. 

But back in 1996, when Alastair was a high-flying tabloid journalist, his mind suddenly unravelled. “I was hearing voices and seeing things that weren’t there.” 

Alastair thought his breakdown would spell the end of both his marriage and his career. But these days, he sees it as the best thing to ever happen to him. He offers candid insights into his struggles with addiction and depression.  

Alastair also takes you inside 10 Downing Street at some critical moments in history, such as the death of Princess Diana, and the controversy over the Iraq War. “Deep down, I wish it never happened. But at the same time, I can still defend the decisions that Tony Blair made at the time.” 

You’ll hear Alastair’s take on what’s gone wrong in politics and how to fix it. Plus, what could happen to democracy if Donald Trump is re-elected as US President.  

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The Solutionists is podcast from the University of Sydney, produced by Deadset Studios. Keep up to date with The Solutionists by following @sydney_uni on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. 

Sourcing/credit: Archival media clips from BBC News. 

This episode was produced by Monique Ross with sound design by Jeremy Wilmot. Executive editors are Kellie Riordan, Jen Peterson-Ward, and Mark Scott. Thanks to the technical staff at the at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Media Room. 

This podcast was recorded on the land of the Gadigal people of the Eora nation. For thousands of years, across innumerable generations, knowledge has been taught, shared and exchanged here. We pay respect to elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. 
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you had a clone of yourself, what would you want it to do? 

Professor Danny Liu pictures a classroom in the not-too-distant future where teachers work alongside AI ‘clones’ to help their students learn. 

“It’s not about replacing them as teachers. It’s about empowering them and making them more effective.” 

The role of artificial intelligence in education has been hotly debated, with concerns about cheating creating headlines. But what if we could harness regenerative AI to transform education for the better? 

Danny Liu says AI can herald a new era of personalised learning, and he explains how he’s grappling with issues around student integrity and AI bias. 

You’ll also go inside the classroom of Matthew Esterman at Our Lady of Mercy College Parramatta to find out how he’s rethinking assessments in the digital age. 

“It’s going to be a massive challenge for students to prove that work is their own in a world where you can press a button and have an assignment done for you.” 

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The Solutionists is podcast from the University of Sydney, produced by Deadset Studios. Keep up to date with The Solutionists by following @sydney_uni on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. 

This episode was produced by Monique Ross. Field recordings by Harry Hughes. Sound design by Jeremy Wilmot. Executive editors are Kellie Riordan, Jen Peterson-Ward, and Mark Scott. Thanks to the technical staff at the at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Media Room. 

This podcast was recorded on the land of the Gadigal people of the Eora nation. For thousands of years, across innumerable generations, knowledge has been taught, shared and exchanged here. We pay respect to elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. 
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you go into your backyard right now, you’ll be able to find a species of insect that is new to science. Tanya Latty guarantees it – even if you live in the inner city. 

Tanya has loved creepy crawlies since she was little, and is now an entomologist at the University of Sydney. “You would be surprised how many things we don't know. There are all sorts of critters, most of which are probably unidentified.”  

But around the world, insects are in trouble. “We’re almost certainly losing species faster than we’re naming them.” 

The decline of pollinators such as bees, beetles, butterflies, and flies has enormous implications for people and the planet. One in every three mouthfuls of food you eat is thanks to a pollinator (and that includes chocolate!) 

“I worry about that slow creep. How many can we lose before things just get crummy? We might be closer to that than we think,” Tanya warns. 

Tanya sheds light on the challenges around insect conservation and explains how you can help pollinators. 

You’ll also visit Whites Creek Community Garden with Professor Dieter Hochuli, and get to know some of his favourite pollinators. Dieter leads the Integrative Ecology group at The University of Sydney.  

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The Solutionists is podcast from the University of Sydney, produced by Deadset Studios.  

The Solutionists is podcast from the University of Sydney, produced by Deadset Studios. Keep up to date with The Solutionists by following @sydney_uni on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. 

This episode was produced by Monique Ross, with field recordings by Harry Hughes and sound design by Jeremy Wilmot. The executive producer is Kellie Riordan. Executive editors are Kellie Riordan, Jen Peterson-Ward, and Mark Scott. Thanks to the technical staff at the at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Media Room. 

This podcast was recorded on the land of the Gadigal people of the Eora nation. For thousands of years, across innumerable generations, knowledge has been taught, shared and exchanged here. We pay respect to elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. 
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After her son died of SIDS, Dr Carmel Harrington left her job as a lawyer to devote her career to finding answers.

“You blame yourself. You must have missed something. How can such a catastrophic event occur without any sign or symptom?”

Her groundbreaking research into SIDS opened up another mission: to wake society up to the critical importance of sleep.

Carmel is the managing director of Sleep for Health. High-flying CEOs and even the Australian military are now turning to her expertise in a bid to master the art of sleep.

The stakes are high. In our wired world shut-eye often proves elusive – and that can have deadly consequences.

Sleep loss is linked to heart disease, cancer, dementia and depression, and it also affects your ability to think and learn.

Carmel explains how to sleep better, the incredible things that happen when you sleep (Brain washing! Memory encoding!), and what to do about technology in the bedroom.

She’ll also teach you how to spot subtle signs of sleep deprivation.

“One of the big things I like to talk about is, have you lost joy? So often with A-type personalities, we are very good at meeting the challenges of the day - but how good are you at enjoying the joy in your life?”

Carmel’s latest book is The complete guide to a good night's sleep.

For the transcript and notes for this episode, visit the website.

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The Solutionists is podcast from the University of Sydney, produced by Deadset Studios.

Keep up to date with The Solutionists by following @sydney_uni on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

This episode was produced by Monique Ross. Sound design by Jeremy Wilmot. The executive producer is Rachel Fountain. Executive editors are Jen Peterson-Ward, Kellie Riordan and Mark Scott.

This podcast was recorded on the land of the Gadigal people of the Eora nation. For thousands of years, across innumerable generations, knowledge has been taught, shared and exchanged here. We pay respect to elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.