Open for Discussion

In this conversation Professor Nick Enfield, Chair of Linguistics at the University of Sydney joins host Dr Chris Neff to discuss striving for understanding in language and its relation to the age of fake news. Professor Enfield contributed to research showing that, worldwide, on average we seek clarification in our conversations every 90 seconds and heads the University’s Post Truth Initiative. It looks at a range of ways to understand and confront the problem of alternative facts, fake news, propaganda, and bullsh*t.

From supermarkets, to farms, to our own home gardens and kitchens, we all participate in the mega industry that is food, every day. But what do we know about this global network and how can we sustain it long into the future? Dr Alana Mann from the Department of Media and Communications and the Sydney Environment Institute joins Open for Discussion to discuss why the food industry is tricky business.

There’s a growing appreciation of the unique challenges many millennials face, and not just when it comes to the price of a smashed avocado. What impact does this have on young people’s politics? How do they use social media to engage? And are politicians paying attention? Listen as Ariadne Vromen, Professor of Political Sociology, joins Dr Chris Neff on Open for Discussion to discuss. For full transcript and additional resources visit https://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2017/10/09/3-ways-millennials-do-politics-differently-.html

Netflix, WhatsApp, Uber and AirBnB are all examples of digital disruption. Digital disruption changes and challenges established ways of doing business, social interacting and, even more fundamentally, how we think. Kai Riemer, Professor of Information Technology and Organisation in the University of Sydney's Business School joins Chris Neff to explore digital disruption's impact on all our lives.

People involved in medical cannabis can find themselves in a twilight zone where the law may prevent uses of cannabinoids claimed to have life-saving effects. Professor Iain McGregor explains the vision, stories and studies behind the University of Sydney’s Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics. Soundbite and transcript at http://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2017/09/25/is-medical-marijuana-the-next-wonder-drug-podcast.html

Australia has one of the highest household rates of pet ownership in the world. What is our obsession with our pets, and what does it mean for the animals we claim to love? The University’s resident Dr Doolittle, Dr Anne Fawcett, has a background in philosophy and is also a practicing vet. In this episode, she and host Dr Chris Neff discuss the ethics around our interactions with our pets.

Most times we think of crime, it’s after the fact. But what if through certain measures we could stop a crime before it happens? No this isn’t a Tom Cruise movie, it’s a chat with Dr Garner Clancey, senior lecturer in criminology at the University of Sydney Law School. He joins Open for Discussion to discuss crime statistics (which for most categories aren’t on the rise) and the strategies used today to prevent crimes.

How can insects, slime mould and other brainless organisms – which comprise the majority of life on Earth - inform next-generation engineering, optimal transport systems and help us build the smart cities of the future? Dr Tanya Latty’s team at the Insect Behaviour and Ecology Lab is studying insects to see how humans can learn the lessons road-tested in Nature and then apply them to the human condition. Image by Vinayaraj CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Mary Poppins said “a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down” but adding too much of the sweet stuff is contributing to obesity, high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes and poor dental health. Dr Becky Freeman speaks to Chris about how ‘Big Sugar’ is using the ‘Big Tobacco’ industry playbook to saturate us with sugar.

How does radicalisation happen? Why would a young person adopt an extremist ideology and even pursue their beliefs through violence? Hussain Nadim, a doctoral candidate in The University of Sydney's Department of Government and International Relations joins Open for Discussion to demystify this topic. Last year Nadim was named by Forbes as a global leader in law and policy. He's advised the military and security agencies of Pakistan on deradicalisation and counterterrorism and been a special assistant to the Federal Minister in Pakistan's government. He's frequently invited to give briefings to the US State Department, The Pentagon and the US Senate. For more information and a transcript go to: http://bit.ly/2xxNCN4

What is public space in modern society and why is it important? Associate Professor of Urban Geography, Kurt Iveson, explains how he has had to re-invent his role, touches on IT-enabled experiences in city environments and shows how conversations about contested spaces can have unexpected, and welcome, results. Read the full story and subscribe via http://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2016/12/16/public-space--a-contested-and-changing-area0.html Cronulla riots photo courtesy of Flickr/Wormer, used under the Creative Commons licence.

Almost every week it seems there’s a story in the news telling us about food and nutrition, and what we should eat to be healthy and avoid being overweight. But very often this week’s message contradicts what we heard only last week. In this podcast, weight loss scientist Associate Professor Amanda Salis speaks to our host Dr Chris Neff about the challenge of eating well in a world of confusing advice. Amanda is a senior research leader at the University of Sydney’s Boden Institute of Obesity, Nutrition, Exercise and Eating Disorders based at the Charles Perkins Centre. Amanda studied in Australia before she went to the University of Geneva, in Switzerland, where she studied for her PhD. When she returned to Australia in 1998 she worked at The Garvan Institute for Medical Research and then took up her role at the University of Sydney. Today, she leads a research team that is unraveling the science of how our brains affect hunger, emotions and body weight. She leads clinical weight loss trials aimed at helping people to attain and maintain an optimum body weight. She has a long and distinguished record of academic publishing and is also the author of two books about weight management for the general public.

Think back to a week ago, a month ago, a year ago. How much can you remember? Do you remember exactly what you did and everyone you saw? Memory is a tricky thing, so what happens when it’s all that stands between a person going to jail, or walking free? In the latest episode of the University of Sydney podcast Open for Discussion, our host Dr Chris Neff speaks with Dr Celine van Golde from the School of Psychology about her research into the reliability of eyewitness testimony and memory. For full transcript and additional resources visit http://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2016/10/11/not-guilty--memory-in-the-criminal-justice-system.html

Vaccination is a health topic that can polarise a community with extreme positions on either side of the debate. Groups that adamantly support general vaccination and those who vehemently oppose any government mandate to make it compulsory. By-and-large these are minority groups. So what about the people in the middle? People who may be wavering in their decision to vaccinate or not to vaccinate? Julie Leask, an associate professor and social scientist at the University of Sydney talks about strategies to engage those who are undecided on vaccination. As a leading policy researcher who specialises in vaccine acceptance Julie has advised the Global Vaccine Action Plan group, which includes the World Health Organisation, UNICEF and the Gates Foundation.

Open for Discussion: The University of Sydney podcast series Artificial intelligence is all over the news. It’s driving our cars, cleaning our floors, milking our cows and some say taking our jobs and soon drones will be flying into our backyards delivering books and pizzas. But is this reality? In this latest University of Sydney ‘Open for Discussion’ episode our host Dr Chris Neff speaks with Dr Michael Harre, lecturer in Complex Systems in the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technologies and artificial intelligence aficionado about where AI really is and how it is affecting our lives. For full transcript and other information visit http://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2016/09/28/our-lives-in-the-age-of-artificial-intelligence.html

In this episode, Dr Shumi Akhtar, a senior lecturer and researcher at the University of Sydney Business School, joins our host Dr Chris Neff to share new perspectives on how we can think about and judge multinational tax avoidance. Worldwide approximately $100 to $250 billion is lost annually in tax avoidance by multinationals. Dr Akhtar is a regular media commentator who recently addressed the Australian senate on corporate tax avoidance. She explores the contribution of multinationals to society and her research efforts to discover how much tax they are paying and should pay. For full transcript and additional resources visit http://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2016/08/29/avoiding-and-evading--talking-multinational-tax.html

In the lead up to Rio 2016, Chris is joined by Senior Lecturer Dr Steve Georgakis to discuss the growing commercialisation of sport and the impact this has on participation. Steve was on his way to represent his country at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics when he suffered a career-ending injury. While devastating at the time, he credits this experience with cementing his love of sport and interest in pursuing research in this area. In this episode Chris and Steve question the role of the Games. Is it worth all the money we spend on it? Does it encourage us to exercise more, be healthier or even a more patriotic nation? For full transcript and additional resources go to: http://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2016/08/02/elite-athletes-vs-couch-potatoes--can-the-rio-games-bridge-the-d.html

Chris is joined by Professor Nicole Gurran from the Faculty of Architecture, Design and Planning to talk housing affordability and how we can help more people afford to live where they want. In this episode Chris and Nicole confront the supposed ‘housing crisis,’ cutting through the confusion and sorting fact from fiction. Is the great Australian dream of home ownership really over? For full transcript and additional resources visit http://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2016/07/28/home-ownership-facts-and-fiction.html

Chris is joined by Dr Ron Grunstein, a professor of sleep medicine at The University of Sydney’s Woolcock Institute. Ron’s interest in sleep began when he did his postgraduate training at Stanford University Sleep Laboratory. His first patient was an anesthetist with narcolepsy, a condition that caused him to fall asleep and collapse suddenly while in surgery. Ron was immediately fascinated and this kick started his 40 year career in the field. Chris and Ron discuss the latest research on the science of sleep, detangling fact from fiction and exposing the big business of big sleep. For full transcript and additional resources visit: http://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2016/07/13/the-big-sleep--what-it-is-and-how-to-get-more.html