South Australian Museum Podcast

We're shining a light on the amazing contributions that women are making to science right now in this special interview with Dr Elizabeth Reed. Dr Reed is a lecturer and researcher in Palaeontology at the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Adelaide and a research scientist in Palaeontology at the South Australian Museum. She specialises in Quaternary cave deposits, notably in the south east region of South Australia. Dr Reed is also a featured scientist in the South Australian Museum's ‘Her Story' series, which celebrates amazing South Australian women who are blazing their own trails and inspiring, encouraging and motivating the next generation of young women to follow their dreams and pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). Her Story: Women in STEM series is made possible with support from the Hon. Dr Diana Laidlaw AM.

In this week's episode, we'll hear from Dr Philip Jones, Senior Researcher at the South Australian Museum and curator of the exhibition, Illustrating the Antipodes: George French Angas in Australia and New Zealand, 1844-1845. In 2009, Dr Jones undertook a fellowship at the National Library of Australia, where he researched works by 19th Century artist, George French Angas. The exhibition and accompanying book are the culmination of his decades-long research into the life and work of the celebrated artist. As a young man in the 1840s, George French Angas journeyed to Australia and New Zealand, where he excelled at capturing the minute detail of plants and people, objects and landscapes. The bush was his studio and Angas personified the archetypal travelling artist of the era. Illustrating the Antipodes is supported by the National Collecting Institutions Touring and Outreach Program, an Australian Government program aiming to improve access to the national collections for all Australians. We thank the Angas family for their generosity in making works available for research and display.

Aboriginal Education Coordinator Eva Wilson talks to artists Clem Newchurch and Peter Turner about their new exhibition, KAURNA: Still Here. First Nations artists Peter Turner and Clem Newchurch have worked with the South Australian Museum's collections to inspire their exhibition KAURNA: Still Here. Drawing on their Ancestors' practices prior to European colonisation, Peter and Clem have created carvings, painted and woven works in this celebration of continuing culture. Clem can be found on Instagram @clemnewchurchart. The Collections Project is presented as a partnership between Guildhouse and the South Australian Museum as part of the project, STEAM Incubator Series: A creative exploration of sustainability at the fusion of the Arts, Culture and Science, supported by Arts South Australia.

Artists from Warlayirti Art Centre in Balgo, Western Australia, discuss their painting and culture in the new exhibition at the South Australian Museum, Balgo Beginnings. Audio production for this episode was by Jake Holmes, theme song by Peter Saunders and Kaurna Welcome by Uncle Michael O'Brien. Thanks to all the Balgo artists for their time. Balgo Beginnings is on display at the South Australian Museum until the 6th of February 2022. The exhibition is accompanied by the launch of a ground-breaking new publication in Aboriginal art, 'Balgo: Creating Country' by Professor John Carty. The book is available for purchase online through UWA Publishing and at the South Australian Museum shop. This exhibition is presented in partnership with Warlayirti Arts. Supporting partners are the Art Gallery of South Australia, Tarnanthi, BHP and the government of South Australia. The acquisition of these important Balgo works was made possible by the generous philanthropy of Dianne and Terry Finnegan.

Happy Feast Festival! Join us for an audio version of It's In Our Nature: A Queer Trail of the Museum. Prominent South Australians share their stories and perspectives on Museum objects, all of which you can visit in our permanent galleries. There is a wide variety of objects to find, from the Rosetta Stone to elephant social circles and fabulous crabs. This episode was produced by Meg Lloyd. Kaurna welcome was by Uncle Michael O'Brien, additional interview help by trainees Emily and Sameka, with music by Peter Saunders and additional sound effects by Zapsplat.com.

This week we have a special episode from MOD., the Museum of Discovery. We hear about human tears, and microbiomes. Find out more about MOD. and their new online exhibition UP CLOSE at mod.org.au.

We wrap up our Wonders from the South Australian Museum exhibition with a story about the iron lung, as well as favourite Wonders from Museum staff. This episode is made possible by the Department for Energy and Mining. Audio production is by Jake Holmes, theme song by Peter Saunders, and Kaurna welcome by Uncle Michael O'Brien. Wonders from the South Australian Museum is on until August 8th 2021.

This episode features Dr Alessandro Palci, Honorary Researcher at SAM and Research Associate at Flinders University. We talk about using CT scans to reconstruct ancient snakes, and how Jurassic World got the mosasaur slightly wrong. This series is made possible by the Department for Energy and Mining. Our Wonders from the South Australian Museum exhibition (featuring some palaeontological highlights) is on until August 8th 2021.

Last episode we listened to Mark Pharaoh's exciting story of Mawson's journey across Antarctica. This week we're getting stuck in the ice with SA Museum's Dr Peter Shaughnessy. This episode is made possible by the Department for Energy and Mining. Our Wonders from the South Australian Museum exhibition (featuring Weddell seal parasites and other items from Antarctic expeditions) is on until August 8th 2021.

This episode features Mark Pharaoh, Polar Collection Manager at the South Australian Museum, telling the epic story of Sir Douglas Mawson's journey across Antarctica. This episode is made possible by the Department for Energy and Mining. Our Wonders from the South Australian Museum exhibition (featuring Mawson's signature balaclava) is on until August 8th 2021.

What does it mean to have a museum on Kaurna land? Kaurna ambassador Michael O'Brien and SAM's Aboriginal Education Coordinator Eva Wilson talk about the Museum on Kaurna Land section of our Wonders from the South Australian Museum exhibition. This episode is made possible by the Department for Energy and Mining. Wonders from the South Australian Museum is on until August 8th 2021.

We interview Dr Andrea Crowther, Senior Collection Manager of Marine Invertebrates, about symbiosis, beautiful sponges and tiny shrimp. This episode is made possible by the Department for Energy and Mining. Our Wonders from the South Australian Museum exhibition is on until August 8th 2021.

We talk to curator Nat Williams, Research Fellow Stephen Zagala and Fijian women Talica and Naomi about Pacific cultures, material objects, relationships and whether objects have meaning. Celebrate the SA Museum's 165th birthday with Wonders from the South Australian Museum, on until August 8th 2021. This episode is made possible by the Department of Energy and Mining.

Did you know that our coastal environments are very effective at storing carbon? In this episode of the podcast, SAM's Dr Rachael King talks to Dr Alice Jones about her work on blue carbon – carbon found in salt marshes, mangroves and seagrass. This episode's carbon was offset through Carbon Positive Australia.

In this special NAIDOC Week episode, Eastern Arrernte woman Dr Jennifer Caruso and Adnyamathanha/Barngarla woman Rebecca Richards talk about the Museum's upcoming Women's Work exhibition, as well as Jennifer's experiences as a member of the Stolen Generation. This episode contains discussion of forced removal and deaths in custody, and one unbleeped swearword. This episode is made possible by the support of NAIDOC Week.

What makes a dog a dog? We explore the world of defining and naming species within the South Australian Museum's biological collection. This episode features scientists Dr Shirley Sorokin, Dr Steve Donnellan and Dr Cath Kemper, as well as photographer Paul Stokes and Collections Data Manager and Coordinator Keith Maguire.

Animal life is remarkable in its diversity, particularly in the variety of shapes and sizes we see around us today, and in some ways even more remarkably in those life forms that have long gone extinct. How does this variation come about? And is it limited in its possibilities, or infinite? Dr Emma Sherratt is an Australian Research Council Future Fellow. She is a world expert in the analysis of animal form and evolution. Her research spans animals big and small, from sea snakes to scallops, frogs to fossil lizards, and mammals to cuckoo eggs. Her website is www.emmasherratt.com.

Travel back in time to the Ediacaran Period to learn about life when SA was covered by ocean. Honorary researcher Dr Jim Gehling tells us about his palaeontology career here at the SA Museum, and what it’s like to uncover life from over 500 million years ago. And do you know what Foraminifera are? Dr Mary-Anne Binnie, Collection Manager of Palaeontology will tell us all about them. We also check-in with our Front of House supervisor, Brett Sande, who reveals what his favourite dinosaur was as a kid…and the strange coincidence that has to his current workplace!

How do you find what you need in a collection of over four million objects? This week’s podcast episode is all about record keeping at the Museum. We’ll talk with Keith about maintaining the collections database. We’ll also visit Dr Matt Shaw who takes care of our spiders, Eleanor Adams who is working to photograph every object in the Humanities collection, and Lea Gardam who cares for the Museum Archives.

This week we're going behind the scenes in the Humanities department at the South Australian Museum. This episode features collection managers Alice Beale and Tara Collier, curator Dr Jared Thomas, and Senior Kaurna man Michael O'Brien.

We take you behind the scenes at the South Australian Museum, starting with the biological sciences. This episode features scientists David Stemmer, Dr Rachael King and Dr Mark Hutchinson, as well as Senior Kaurna man Michael O'Brien.