500 years ago, scientists made the groundbreaking discovery that opium could be used for the treatment of pain. But since then, we haven’t actually made a whole lot of progress. Opioid based medications remain by far the best for treating short term acute pain, but long-term chronic pain is a different story.   Our best answer for chronic pain remains an indefinite, perpetual prescription of pills, which have a range of debilitating side effects and carry severe risks of addiction and abuse. Given that pain is something we have all experienced in our lives, isn’t it time to come up with some different solutions? With a better understanding of how pain actually works, thanks to neuroscience, some radical new treatments are in the works that will help us move beyond prescription painkillers. Jack Hamilton shares these developments. For more information, visit unsw.to/JackHamilton. This talk was a part of Fresh Blood, an event of short talks in the 2022 Festival of Dangerous Ideas.

When was the last time you looked at yourself in the mirror and asked, ‘am I racist?’. We like to think of ourselves as progressive and politically aware, but what if we’re more racist than we think?   No matter our intentions or beliefs, the society we live in presents whiteness as the desirable norm. This means that on many levels, we often do too, and we routinely act in ways that reinforce this. If we don’t look at racism as something that goes beyond our individual beliefs, we make it harder for ourselves to disrupt a racist status quo. As both individuals and as a society, we have an engrained fear of being labelled racist or even starting conversations about race, but perhaps addressing this fear head on is exactly what we need to do to achieve equality.  For more information, visit unsw.to/CheyenneBardos This talk was a part of Fresh Blood, an event of short talks in the 2022 Festival of Dangerous Ideas.

For years, western conservation work has thought the best way to save our seas was to remove people from the equation. This can make sense, as humans have had a profoundly negative impact on our seas and in some cases removing the cause of the problem is enough to generate a solution.  But the oceans are now struggling to sustain themselves and we have pushed ecosystems too far for them to recover on their own. We need to acknowledge that we have been part of the problem, but that we can also be part of the solution.  Time is fast running out. Can we turn our godlike ability to destroy, into an ability to create and restore our oceans?  For more information, visit unsw.to/AaronEger. This talk was a part of Fresh Blood, an event of short talks in the 2022 Festival of Dangerous Ideas.

When we introduce laws and policies to protect our children from drugs, are we actually doing more harm than good?   Historically, the ‘protection of children’ has been more about adult fears than child wellbeing. But even today, our ideas about protecting children are still quite paternalistic, exclusionary, dishonest and sometimes even dangerous. It's easy enough to stick our heads in the sand and imagine that we can wish away children’s drug use. It’s harder, but far more rewarding, to look at things from the point of view of our children.   Isn’t it time we stopped framing our rules around ideas of right and wrong, and started thinking in terms of what would really keep more children safe? Won’t someone please think of the children?  For more information, visit unsw.to/IsabelleVolpe. This talk was a part of Fresh Blood, an event of short talks in the 2022 Festival of Dangerous Ideas.

If we are going to save the planet, Tema Milstein says we need to start hugging trees. Westernised humans tend to believe they are separate from nature, which shapes thinking and actions toward the environment. But seeing the world with humans at its centre has massive ramifications – from climate crisis to mass extinction. What stands in the way of more of us remembering we are embedded in the natural world and its intricate networks? And how do we override anthropocentrism, and start seeing ourselves as one with the flowers? For more information, visit unsw.to/TemaMilsteinFODI This talk was a part of Unthinkable, an event of short talks in the 2022 Festival of Dangerous Ideas.

Bittersweet melancholy, fiery rage, effervescent joy – emotions are a quintessential human experience. But from ancient times to today, social norms have limited our capacity to feel. Whether it's by being told to smile, having anger punished, or being called hysterical, women have been refused a full emotional spectrum. And toxic masculinity leaves men faring no better. In her latest book Hysterical, Pragya Agarwal dives deep into the history and science of gendered and racialised emotions. Are there really innate differences between male and female emotions? What impact does this idea have, and how has it been used to justify the subjugation of women? Together we'll imagine how to build communities that allow us to feel emotions in their fullness, beyond gender. Presented in partnership with Sydney Opera House. For more information visit unsw.to/Hysterical.

The age-old question, “how did life begin” has plagued scientists for generations. For geologists the answers lie in rocks, for biologists it’s our evolutionary process, while for astrophysicists it’s in the stars but for physical chemists the keys to unlocking the mystery lies in determining how simple chemicals could have assembled into something resembling a cell, four billion years ago. And unfortunately, because physical chemists can’t just hop in a time machine and set the coordinates for the time when our Earth was a hostile planet covered in volcanoes, they need to examine the next best things – really really old meteorites. Meteorites give us clues as to the types of materials that could have been brought to our young uninhabitable Earth from elsewhere in the universe, and what could be made on Earth in the absence of biology.  In just 10 minutes, or roughly the time it takes for a meteorite to burn up in the earth’s atmosphere, Anna Wang will endeavour to answer the question of how life began using some of the oldest cells we have on the planet.  For more information, visit unsw.to/AnnaWang10MG. 

Our fossil fuel consumption is so much larger than fuel for cars and electricity, and it’s our over reliance on these fuels which has seen us hurtling at full speed towards a future of climate catastrophe. While we’ve made some huge technological advances in the space of electric cars, solar panels and wind power, other industries like plastic production and ammonia which is a key component of fertilisers are a different challenge to shift. Over 99% of plastic is made from chemicals sourced from fossil fuels and nearly all of the fertiliser produced, used to grow the world’s fruit and vegetables comes from fossil fuel too. These products have been absolutely pivotal in human development and progression, but it’s time for a change.  So how can we rethink the way we produce these fossil fuel intensive products in a way that is better for the planet?  In 10 minutes, or roughly the amount of time it takes to take the recycling out, chemical engineer Emma Lovell will explain how she is creating catalysts to transition us to a more sustainable future.  For more information, visit unsw.to/EmmaLovell.

Getting older is the cause for a lot of anxiety. It’s no surprise – ageing is almost universally stigmatised by advertising, the media and pop culture. We worry about losing our looks, our stamina and fitness. And it’s not just physical, there is also an expectation that getting older means brain function and memory will decline too.  While some of these changes are inevitable, there are some that can be easily prevented. Eating well, socialising with friends, doing puzzles and staying active have all been shown to dramatically reduce the chance of developing dementia – but in order to achieve the full benefit you need to act now. By the time you reach your senior years, the effects of lifestyle will have accumulated over decades which is why it’s important that we make these small but impactful shifts to our lives now to ensure that when we finally do reach old age, can enjoy a healthy and happy lifestyle.  In 10 minutes, or the length of time it takes to finish a sudoku puzzle, Professor Kaarin Anstey will share some easy tips on preventing dementia.  For more information, visit unsw.to/KaarinAnstey.

Waste has a bad reputation. Rubbish, unwanted, disgusting, gross. But when we hold our noses as we scuttle past an overflowing bin in the street, we are passing by a world of recycling opportunities. In nature there is no such thing as garbage, it's a series of complex circular eco systems where everything has a purpose, and nothing is left to waste – so why should our lives be any different? According to material scientists, it doesn’t have to be. Rather than bury our trash or toss it in the bin, we should be excited by the idea of creating something entirely new – the idea of a used can, a discarded tyre or a smashed iPhone is a gateway to a brave new world of recycled products, like components for 3D printers, green ceramics and home furnishings. So, think twice next time you discard your plastic water bottle because it may actually hold the secrets to unlocking a greener type of steel. In under 10 minutes, or the time it takes to melt an aluminium can, material scientist and engineer Veena Sahajwalla explains why not everything belongs in the bin. For more information, visit unsw.to/VeenaSahajwalla.

When we look at Australia’s contribution to climate change we’re often only seeing half the story. While many politicians love to spruik our seemingly low emissions, they’re omitting the biggest factor when it comes to Australia’s contribution to the climate crisis… because it’s not what we emit directly which is the issue, but our support for exporting domestically produced fossil fuels. So what would our emissions look like if we looked at the entire picture? And our emissions really our responsibility for our exported fossil fuels?  The answer, in short, is that we must take some responsibilities for what we export. By seeing the full picture of our contributions and climate dividends we can not only cut our emissions more quickly but more fairly too. So what might our national climate policy look like if we shifted our focus to all of our contributions? And how can we ensure the costs and benefits of climate problems and solutions are experienced equitably? In just ten minutes, or roughly the amount of time it takes to hug a few trees, philosopher Jeremy Moss will demonstrate what a just climate transition looks like.   For more information, visit unsw.to/JeremyMoss.

There are two types of people in the world, 'maths people' and those who quickly avert their eyes when numbers are merely mentioned in conversation. Many people who don’t see themselves as a maths person have lost trust in their own thinking even with the most simple numbers. But this hasn’t always been the case, in fact we all could have been maths people – but our tricky relationship with maths was formed all the way back at school. So why do so many people have such a strong dislike of maths? And more than that – what can be done to stop this aversion where it starts – in the classroom?  Whether we like maths or not, we’re stuck with it, whether it be identifying the fastest route on a road trip, calculating the cheapest deal at the supermarket or predicting the odds of winning. So why not get comfortable with numbers and use maths to our advantage? In 10 minutes, or roughly the amount of time it takes to multiply 3,467 and 8,467 in your head, mathematician Laura Tuohilampi will flip the script on our collective fear of maths.  For more information, visit unsw.to/LauraTuohilampi.

Every second, tech companies, advertisers, and organisations are all competing for our attention. The algorithms that shape our digital world are designed to capture and keep that attention. We are spending more time than ever online – shopping, gaming, watching shows, reading news and chatting to friends, and while it feels pretty innocent, by partaking in these seemingly ordinary online activities we’re placing a whole lot of trust into the digital services we use  and handing over a lot of our precious data and time. Our attention is the most valuable currency in the digital world – are we making informed and empowered choices about who and what we give that attention to? As netizens, what can we do to push for a safe, kind, resilient, and 'human' digital future? In 10 minutes, or the length of time it takes to buy a pair of pants online, Dr Yenni Tim will explain how we can use our influence to shape our digital future.  For more information, visit unsw.to/YenniTim.

In 2020, as Australia experienced lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Australia’s reported STIs declined. However, there still over 90,000 notifications of chlamydia, making it the most common STI, with gonorrhoea the second most common.  So how do we know this? Don’t worry, epidemiologists aren’t peeping through your windows and taking notes! Through public health surveillance and recording, these scientists are able to collate a broad range of data about sexually transmissible infections to create better public health campaigns. Because, unfortunately if left untreated, STIs can lead to serious health complications. So how can we bring better treatment and awareness to communities to make sure they stay healthy? If you’re lucky enough to be getting lucky now that COVID restrictions have eased, there are some things you can do: use protection, have open discussions with your partners and get tested! It’s free, it’s easy and it’s relatively pain free…  In ten minutes, or roughly the length of time it takes to correctly put a condom on a banana, epidemiologist Skye McGregor will bring you up to speed with Australia’s STI check up, and how you should be protecting yourself. For more information, visit unsw.to/SkyeMcGregor.

It’s well known that regular exercise has huge benefits for physical and mental health. Unfortunately people who stand to benefit the most from physical activity are the least likely to have access – such as those who are refugees, and who have complex mental health issues or have suffered major traumas. While for some of us the right exercise feels like a no brainer, we forget the range of obstacles that stand in the way of the more vulnerable members of our community – exercise requires access to a gym or green space, the appropriate sporting clothing and footwear, a safe and accessible environment and recreational time, and often the most difficult hurdle is finding the will to get out of bed. Our ability to move is hugely impacted by the environments in which we live and work. It’s proven regular exercise can reduce symptoms of a range of mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety and schizophrenia – which is why we must make physical activity or exercise accessible and safe for the most vulnerable communities.  In 10 minutes, or the length of time it takes to speed walk a kilometre, Scientia Associate Professor Simon Rosenbaum will explain why exercise should be considered as a treatment for mental health. For more information, visit unsw.to/SimonRosenbaum.

There are few countries as cruel and punishing to people seeking asylum as Australia. Despite the fact that Australia is a signatory to all the major international human rights treaties, there is actually no legally binding framework here for the rights of any person – including refugees. UN expert bodies have repeatedly found that Australia’s refugee policies violate international law. Yet these cruel policies remain, and those who speak out risk being punished. Surprisingly, it hasn’t always been this way. Decades ago, the Australian Government welcomed those seeking asylum from China and Vietnam, because it was understood that people fleeing from harm should be offered a safe haven without punishment. But gradually Australia became more hostile to those in need of its protection. In 2001 to 2008, and again from 2012, Australia forcibly transferred people arriving by boat to offshore processing facilities in Nauru and Papua New Guinea. There, they were imprisoned and subjected to horrendous conditions, despite having committed no crime.  So how can Australian politicians continue to justify this treatment against some of the most vulnerable? In ten minutes, human rights lawyer Madeline Gleeson will unpack why offshore processing of refugees is both ineffective and inhumane. For more information, visit unsw.to/MadelineGleeson.

The World Heritage List has 1,154 sites on it. Every year, new locations are added, but sites are seldom removed. We have an uncanny capacity to collect things – in our homes, in museums, on heritage lists… but we rarely stop to question what it means for something to be elevated to heritage status and whether that classification should be permanent. While the protection of natural environments and artefacts from forgotten civilisations are of the utmost cultural significance, perhaps we should better interrogate the motives of the gate keepers to what is considered worthy. Are we destined to continue growing these bloated heritage lists until they lose all meaning, or can we learn to let go to make room for the new?  For more information, visit unsw.to/LucasLixinskiFODI This talk was a part of Unthinkable, an event of short talks in the 2022 Festival of Dangerous Ideas.

More than 264 million people worldwide have depression. But for many people struggling with severe or treatment-resistant depression, standard therapies may not work. So what if there are new treatments that could be effective? Recently there has been a renaissance of interest in psychedelics as possible treatments for mental disorders – everything from ketamine, to MDMA and psilocybin – the psychoactive ingredient in ‘magic’ mushrooms. These medicines have powerful mind-altering properties with the potential to treat severe mental disorders when combined with psychological therapy. Some early studies have returned positive results, but there remain large gaps in our knowledge regarding effectiveness and safety… But where to from here? Could psychedelics play a role in managing mental health? For more information, visit unsw.to/AdamBayesFODI This talk was a part of Unthinkable, an event of short talks in the 2022 Festival of Dangerous Ideas.

When the Black Plague swept the world, a mere cough could mean a death sentence. It took centuries for us to better understand infectious diseases, however when COVID-19 arrived, we were just as vulnerable as we were all those years ago.   Scientists have long been sounding the alarm bells that a global pandemic could arrive at any time, and yet when it finally did, governments were ill prepared and millions died. COVID-19 wasn’t the first global pandemic, and it certainly won’t be the last… so how can we prepare our medical arsenal to ensure we’re better equipped next time. Because, as UNSW student Felicity-Tram Tu tells us, the next devastating pandemic could be just around the corner.   For more information, visit unsw.to/FelicityTramTu. This talk was a part of Fresh Blood, an event of short talks in the 2022 Festival of Dangerous Ideas.

Floods, fires, drought and disasters are already displacing more people globally than conflict. The climate emergency is destroying crops, homes and infrastructure and as the world heats over the coming decades whole cities may become unliveable, forcing populations to move in their tens of millions. How can we manage this unprecedented human movement to achieve productive, sustainable societies this century? Proposals range from the already real to the politically radical – such as global free movement, ‘caretaker states’, repurposed cities, and migration authorities with real power. Will we choose to invest in productive, pragmatic plans for the coming climate and demographic changes, or find ourselves forced to improvise in an acute crisis? Join award-winning science writer and the author of Nomad Century: How Climate Migration Will Reshape Our World Gaia Vince, for a keynote talk, followed by a conversation with Guardian Australia’s immigration reporter Ben Doherty and Director of the Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law Jane McAdam about how climate migration will reshape our world. This event is presented by the UNSW Centre for Ideas and supported by the Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law and Adelaide Writers’ Week. 

This podcast contains some coarse language. --- 2022 was a bad year for gender equality.  It was the year Roe v Wade was overturned and anti-trans legislation and hate surged in the United States of America, the year women were jailed and killed in Iran for their clothing, and the year that female students in Afghanistan were banned from attending university by the Taliban.    At a time when women's rights are under attack in so many places, it's more important than ever to think globally and stand in solidarity with women around the world. Feminism isn't just about the rights of women in the Western world – it's a global movement that fights for the rights and equality of women everywhere. And on International Women's Day, we have the chance to come together and stand in solidarity with women all over the globe.    In this special event with Mona Eltahawy, hear from one of the world's most prominent feminists and a fierce advocate for women's rights. Eltahawy's writing has sparked vital conversations about the ways in which young women are leading the charge for change, and the challenges and issues that women face around the world. She takes a no-holds-barred approach to tackling some of the most pressing issues facing women today, including sexual violence, reproductive rights, and the patriarchy.  This event was chaired by the Australian Greens Deputy Leader and Spokesperson for Anti-racism, Education, International Aid, and Animal Welfare, Senator Mehreen Faruqi. Mehreen has been an unflinching voice on social, environmental and racial justice, pushing to dismantle the systems of power, privilege and patriarchy that allow these injustices to continue.

Good theatre holds a mirror up to society, forcing audiences to shine a light on the darkest corners and recesses of society. In these tumultuous times, it’s easy to wonder where is our world headed, and how we might navigate the new obstacles that arise when we get there?  Fortunately, British playwright Sir David Hare, is no stranger to pondering these mind bending questions. During his illustrious career he has written over 30 plays often examining the machinations of British politics and institutions, and its these plays that have seen him named, “the premier political dramatist writing in English” by The Washington Post.   So how has writing shaped Sir David Hare’s vision for where society is headed? And how might creativity unlock a way to adapt to what the future holds? In discussion with theatre producer Jo Dyer, David Hare speaks about his remarkable career as a playwright, and his creative plans for the future. This event is presented by the UNSW Centre for Ideas and supported by the Faculty of Arts, Design & Architecture and Adelaide Writers’ Week.  

The human brain is the most complicated computer in the world, but we tend to take it for granted. By linking neuroscience and computer technologies, engineers and scientists are creating neural implants to unlock better pain management strategies, accessibility tools for people living with disabilities, and potential human enhancements. As we move into the most connected and information rich age in human history, how can we ensure that we keep our focus on this kind of big picture science so that those most vulnerable are receiving the help they need? Neuroscientist Felix Aplin has some answers.  For more information, visit unsw.to/FelixAplinFODI This talk was a part of Unthinkable, an event of short talks in the 2022 Festival of Dangerous Ideas.

Rates of almost all crime in Australia have declined dramatically in recent decades, as they have in much of the rest of the world, with sexual assault a notable exception to this decline.  But as crime has declined, the number of people in prison has increased alarmingly. Meanwhile in the world of popular culture, crime is everywhere.  We are obsessed with crime stories making them major box office in every medium from the page to podcast to the big screen. What is going on? For more information, visit unsw.to/CrimeParadox. This talk was a part of the 2022 Festival of Dangerous Ideas.

Imagine if medical side effects were all in your head… turns out more than half of them might be. A lot of people have heard of the placebo effect; where taking a sugar pill can cause healing or health improvements, but far fewer are familiar with the nocebo effect – the dark side of placebo – where an innocent sugar pill can cause serious negative side effects. Research shows most medical side effects are likely to be caused by the nocebo effect, so if the majority of these feelings could be overcome by the simple power of thought, how can medical researchers break this cycle? Health psychologist Kate Faasse’s work explores how to ensure nocebo effects don’t prevent us from getting the right medical treatment. For more information, visit unsw.to/KateFaasseFODI This talk was a part of Unthinkable, an event of short talks in the 2022 Festival of Dangerous Ideas.

Curious about the latest developments in the world of Artificial Intelligence? Join four UNSW experts as they explore the implications of ChatGPT and artificial intelligence on our society, and as they discuss how these emerging technologies are shaping the future of the education sector. This panel discussion will feature Professor Toby Walsh from UNSW Engineering, Professor Lyria Bennett Moses from UNSW Law & Justice, Associate Professor Sam Kirshner from UNSW Business, and Professor Cath Ellis from UNSW Arts, Design & Architecture. 

In a world where the internet saturates everything, where does the internet stop, and our human selves begin? Nudged and pushed by an endless stream of alerts, notifications and recommendations, our attention and money are pulled in directions that serve the interests of the platforms. The New York Times tech columnist Kevin Roose asks, are our personalities and thoughts our own, or are we becoming what the algorithms make us? Roose’s keynote talk is followed by a conversation with UNSW Scientia Professor of AI, Toby Walsh. For more information, visit unsw.to/CaughtWeb This talk was a part of the 2022 Festival of Dangerous Ideas.

The dark forest of cryptocurrency is certainly mysterious, and the appeal is undeniable. The internet is bursting with success stories of those who became overnight millionaires, so it makes sense that investors are willing to gamble on it… a lot. But it’s not all tech bros and Doge coins – cryptocurrency is the next big step in technology. The tricky part, however, is avoiding the fraudsters and thieves who prey on the first-time investors entering the market. As the vast crypto forest grows rapidly and becomes more dangerous and volatile (in 2021 over $7.7 billion worth of cryptocurrency was stolen from victims worldwide), how can we better equip those investors looking to buy in?  Tony Song Tony Song is a research fellow for the NSW Law Society’s Future of Law and Innovation (FLIP) research stream in the School of Private and Commercial Law, Faculty of Law and Justice, UNSW Sydney. Song’s research explores the impact of technology on the legal profession and society, with a particular focus on artificial intelligence, online courts, drones, and managing trust in an online world. Tony is most passionate about all things web3, whether it be trading the volatility of the markets, delving into the latent world of smart legal contracts, cheering on the surreal hilarity of the metaverse, or just tending to his humble defi yields – there's never a boring day in crypto.  For more information, visit unsw.to/TonySong

In theory, synchronous hybrid learning is a fantastic idea: students and teachers have increased flexibility, and universities can benefit from increased enrolments. But in reality, hybrid learning is not everything it is cracked up to be. Over the past two years of the pandemic, a mixed learning and teaching mode has developed – part in person and part online – bringing to the fore a multitude of problems. Technical challenges, enhanced cognitive load for both students and teachers, a lack of social presence, and wrangling a cohort spread across multiple locations and time zones are just a few. But how can we combat some of the larger issues? Is it possible to create positive experiences for both the teachers and the students in this brave new world of hybrid education?  Sasha Vassar Dr Sasha Vassar has a cross-disciplinary background in Computer Engineering, Biomedical Engineering and a PhD in Education from UNSW Sydney. She has spent a number of years working in the engineering industry improving problem solving and design processes, before her passion for education and teaching brought her back to UNSW to join the School of Computer Science and Engineering, in the Faculty of Engineering. Her interests include the role of human computer interaction, UX and UI in the design of engineering solutions; the role of design thinking in engineering problem solving and the application of cognitive load theory concepts to improve pedagogy.  For more information, visit unsw.to/SashaVassar

In Australia, solar power has become cheaper and more reliable than ever. The solar industry has expanded so rapidly that these days it’s not uncommon to see every house on a street clad with rooftop solar panels. Today, there is no cheaper method to produce energy than that offered by solar panels, and they’re fast becoming even more economical to install. Australia is well known as the sunburnt country, so why aren’t we taking more advantage of our limitless solar potential and working out how to use solar in new ways? Cheap, clean and reliable energy is now undeniably here, so what is next?  Ivan Perez Wurfl Ivan Perez Wurfl is a senior lecturer and researcher in the School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy, Faculty of Engineering at UNSW Sydney. Ivan’s main areas of expertise are solar cell design, fabrication and characterisation. In particular, he has extensively studied and developed silicon quantum dot solar cells and multijunction SiGe/GaAsP tandem solar cells. Before moving to Australia he worked as a device scientist at Power Sicel Inc (now part of Microsemi Corporation), developing SiC High Power RF devices. He was a Fulbright fellow from at the University of Colorado where he obtained his PhD in Electrical Engineering. Ivan has authored 100+ journal articles and conference papers in the areas of solar cells and high power and high frequency solid state devices.  For more information, visit unsw.to/IvanPerezWurfl

In the first few months of 2022, Twitch viewers watched a total of 6.13 billion hours of livestreamed content and fans are showing no sign of slowing down. Over the last decade, video game streaming has become big business. This success is due in part to the fact that streaming sites have become about so much more than just playing video games. They provide a sense of community, a social and cultural hub for people to come together and share their stories. But these platforms are also subject to the commercial whims of the corporations that own them. What do the video game services of the future look like? How do they profit from users without compromising relationships with them? And how can we make sure social justice and equity are keystones of this conversation?  Nathan J Jackson Nathan J Jackson is a PhD candidate in the School of the Arts and Media, Faculty of Arts, Design & Architecture at UNSW Sydney. His ethnographic study of the platform Twitch combines performance, media, and games lenses to examine the construction and performance of persona in video game livestreaming. He is interested in the ways that streamers and spectators perform for and with each other, and the emergent social, cultural, and political value systems that accompany these performances. He has been published in Persona Studies and Convergence journals, with a forthcoming contribution in the first edited collection on livestreaming culture.  For more information, visit unsw.to/NathanJJackson

Kurdish-Iranian refugee and award-winning writer Behrouz Boochani delivered the 2022 Wallace Wurth Lecture at UNSW Sydney on Tuesday 13 December, sharing why a human narrative is integral to fighting Australia’s current refugee policies. Boochani, who is an adjunct associate professor at UNSW, spent over six years in offshore immigration detention in Manus Detention Centre, where he and his fellow asylum seekers endured conditions that violated international refugee law. His new book, Freedom, Only Freedom, is a collection of his prison writings, translated and edited by his long-time translators and collaborators Omid Tofighian and Moones Mansoubi. Mr Boochani's work is combined with essays from experts on migration, refugee rights, politics, and literature. Following an introduction by Sarah Dale (RACS), Omid Tofighian and Moones Mansoubi, Boochani is in conversation with human rights lawyer Madeline Gleeson sharing his stories of resilience and shed light on the shameful refugee policies that the Australian government continues to endorse. Freedom, Only Freedom can be purchased here.

More than 264 million people worldwide have depression. But for many people struggling with severe or treatment-resistant depression, standard therapies may not work. So what if there are new treatments that could be effective? Recently there has been a renaissance of interest in psychedelics as possible treatments for mental disorders – everything from ketamine, to MDMA and psilocybin – the psychoactive ingredient in ‘magic’ mushrooms. These medicines have powerful mind-altering properties with the potential to treat severe mental disorders when combined with psychological therapy. Some early studies have returned positive results, but there remain large gaps in our knowledge regarding effectiveness and safety… But where to from here? Could psychedelics play a role in managing mental health? Adam Bayes Dr Adam Bayes is a psychiatrist who works as a clinician-scientist with a focus on mood disorders (depression and bipolar conditions). His research interests include diagnosis, classification and novel treatments for severe depression including ketamine and psychedelics. Bayes holds a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (Hons), Bachelor of Advanced Science, Master of Psychiatry, and a PhD. He is a Fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, is a senior research fellow and VMO psychiatrist at the Black Dog Institute and the Discipline of Psychiatry and Mental Health, at UNSW Sydney.   For more information, visit unsw.to/AdamBayes

The population of our capital cities is going to increase rapidly over the next decades. But right now, our cities are bloated, congested, and many urban design choices are no longer fit for purpose. Enter algorithms: those codes that know what we like to eat, how we like to spend our time, and what we secretly want to buy online. But once we lift the veil of mathematical objectivity, we can see that the way these algorithms are used in city planning needs to be more of an art than a science. If algorithms know us better than our friends, is it time we let them help us build the cities of the future?   Claire Daniel Claire Daniel is a Scientia PhD candidate in the School of Built Environment, Faculty of Arts, Design & Architecture at UNSW Sydney. They are both an urban planner and a computer programmer researching how data and digital technologies are used by planners, and how this is set to change the way cities are governed. In 2015, Claire was awarded the John Monash Scholarship to study the MSc in Smart Cities and Urban Analytics at University College London. In addition to their academic work, Claire has professional experience in local government and consulting, and is a member of the Planning Institute of Australia’s PlanTech advisory committee.  For more information, visit unsw.to/ClaireDaniel

Australian voters ousting a nine-year-old Coalition government. A step towards instituting a First Nations Voice to Parliament. Grace Tame. Entrenched structures of authority have been challenged at home and around the world this year. But what will the impact of these momentous events be on the way we live, and the way our domestic and international parliaments govern? The Conversation’s latest collection of insightful essays from leading thinkers, 2022: Reckoning with Power and Privilege, unpacks this very question.   Hear Tim Soutphommasane, Professor of Practice at University of Sydney and Michelle Arrow, Professor of Modern History at Macquarie University as they explore the potent forces that continue to shape our world and how those with the privilege of power don’t always prevail in a panel discussion chaired by The Conversation’s Senior Editor, Sunanda Creagh. To access a transcript of this podcast please head here. This event was presented by the UNSW Centre for Ideas and The Conversation.

For a lot of us, the pandemic years were characterised with the rise of working from home. We’ve become all too familiar with Zoom fatigue… one of the many new words we have added to our vocabulary over the past two years of the pandemic along with social distancing, doom scrolling and hybrid working. And while many of us are looking forward to socialising IRL (in real life) again, for those of us who are critically ill, these rapid developments in digital technology have meant an end to social isolation. So as these technologies continue to advance and innovate, but we as a society return to face-to-face life, will digital technology completely replace in person supportive care for young people impacted by critical illness?  Jennifer Cohen Dr Jennifer Cohen is a senior research fellow in the School of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine & Health at UNSW Sydney, and the Evaluation Manger at Canteen, Australia. Cohen has over 18 years experience as a clinical dietitian and researcher and her numerous professional publications focus on her research and clinical interests in the supportive care needs of children and young people with cancer, both during and after treatment. Dr Cohen was named the Australian Dietitian of the Year at the 2019 and Staff Member of the Year for the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network in 2018.  For more information, visit unsw.to/JenniferCohen

Nearly 400 years ago, scientists made the groundbreaking discovery that fungi were all around us, on us, and inside us too. The development of germ theory – the understanding that microbes like bacteria, viruses, and fungi are responsible for infectious diseases – has since revolutionised almost every aspect of human behaviour. But when it comes to treating infections caused by fungi, we haven’t actually made a whole lot of progress. Even with the handful of anti-fungal drugs we have developed, nearly 50% of all people who develop a systemic fungal infection will die. So why is our current arsenal against fungal infection so limited? And how might we better arm ourselves in the war against fungus?  Bianca Briscas Bianca Briscas is a PhD Candidate in the School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Faculty of Science at UNSW Sydney. She completed a Bachelor of Medical Science (Distinction) in 2020, and received First Class Honours in 2021. Her PhD research centres on the human microbiome, with a focus on exploring the complex interactions between bacteria and fungi, to inform novel approaches to managing infections caused by Candida albicans, an opportunistic fungal pathogen of humans.  For more information, visit unsw.to/BiancaBriscas

Our news feeds are inundated with success stories of people who got rich quick, who climbed the career ladder to the top, even people who became overnight viral sensations. But how much of these people’s success comes down to hard work, versus being in the right place at the right time and having a little good luck on their side? When it comes to being successful is there really any difference between someone who won the lottery and someone who founded a billion dollar tech startup?  Wealthy people overwhelmingly attribute their success to hard work rather than to factors like being in the right place at the right time, but what if lottery winners and successful entrepreneurs have more in common than you think? If we know how this game of chance works -  why do we keep clicking on those stories about successful business people in our newsfeeds?  Whatever your definition is of success, there seems to be no shortage of advice out there about how you can get a taste of it. In under ten minutes, or roughly the same amount of time it takes to make an elevator pitch to a venture capitalist, Frederik Anseel explains how you can increase your chances of becoming successful. 10 Minute Genius 10 Minute Genius is a programme designed to create a space in which you can engage with new ideas. It is a curated collection of UNSW Sydney's thinkers, dreamers, and envelope pushers to help you make some sense of this relentless information vortex. And because you’re busy, all we ask of you is less than 10 minutes. For more information visit unsw.to/FrederikAnseel

Throughout Australia, people want our cities to be more affordable, to have more vibrant social and green spaces, and to be better environmentally suited. And yet our sprawling cities typically fail to meet these goals – often because they have been designed for the convenience of real estate developers, and exclude life sustaining processes and community from them. Even though the ways we work and live have shifted, and we’ve made leaps and bounds in technology, transport, architecture, and infrastructure, our blueprint for a city has not changed since the Second World War. Given our ability to create cities that are socially vibrant, economical, and in harmony with the land and climate of Australia, isn’t it about time we reimagined our cities to reflect the lifestyles we want for the future?  John Carr John Carr is an urban and legal geographer whose work focuses on the intersections of urban form, law, planning, and human and non-human environments. His research seeks to address how knowledge from across disciplinary boundaries can be mobilised to make human-built environments more environmentally and socially regenerative. Carr is a senior lecturer with the Environment and Society Group at UNSW Sydney, and teaches in the School of Humanities and Languages, Faculty of Arts, Design & Architecture. For more than a decade, he practiced law in the areas of civil rights, complex litigation, and construction law before entering academia.  For more information, visit unsw.to/JohnCarr

By 2062, experts estimate that we will have created machines as intelligent as humans. Already AI has become so integrated into our everyday lives that it’s often hard to detect… from home robots to smartphones telling you the fastest route home at the press of a button.  So what happens when those algorithms go wrong? Can AI be devious? And how can we be sure that we don’t lose the human touch when we get zeros and ones to do the work for us? Computers can be frighteningly smart in some ways, but dangerously dim in other ways. We’ve seen plenty of examples in the news of algorithms exacerbating racial profiling, swaying election results, or increasing the spread of misinformation.  The success of AI means we can and should hand over many routine decisions to machines, but we must ensure we are vigilant in preventing unconscious bias and unintended consequences that creep unnoticed into the algorithms we create. In less than 10 minutes, or roughly the same amount of time it takes a computer to win a million games of chess, Scientia Professor of Artificial Intelligence Toby Walsh will explore how we can make sure mutant algorithms don’t go too far. 10 Minute Genius 10 Minute Genius is a programme designed to create a space in which you can engage with new ideas. It is a curated collection of UNSW Sydney's thinkers, dreamers, and envelope pushers to help you make some sense of this relentless information vortex. And because you’re busy, all we ask of you is less than 10 minutes. For more information visit unsw.to/TobyWalsh

In 2017 on the lands of the Anangu, Cobble Cobble woman Megan Davis stepped out from the shadow of Uluru and delivered the Uluru Statement from the Heart for the very first time. It was the first time anyone would hear it, and was a process that showed the power of First Nation Voices.  Before this momentous day, Megan Davis had embarked upon a deliberative process bringing together the 13 regional dialogues around Australia, asking First Nations people for the first time: what does recognition mean to you?  The answer: “Voice and a Makarrata Commission to supervise a process of agreement making between governments and First Nations and truth-telling about our history”. Since then the call for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament has not been taken up by the Federal Government, but it’s time to face some hard truths. Why can’t Australian political leaders engage with the wishes of Australia’s First Nations People? Will white Australia ever accept the truth about our history? Would the scandalous policy failure of ‘closing the gap’ bring down governments if it was related to any other issue? Underlying all of these questions lie the uncomfortable conversations about sovereignty, treaty and reparations that we need to tackle now. In just 10 minutes, Professor Megan Davis will take you through time. Unsettle you. And open your eyes to how we can create a better future for all Australians through constitutional reform. 10 Minute Genius 10 Minute Genius is a programme designed to create a space in which you can engage with new ideas. It is a curated collection of UNSW Sydney's thinkers, dreamers, and envelope pushers to help you make some sense of this relentless information vortex. And because you’re busy, all we ask of you is less than 10 minutes. For more information visit unsw.to/MeganDavis

When we think of weightlifting we tend to think of big burly men pumping iron in a gym, but it turns out, women have just as much to gain from strength training as their male gym junkie counterparts. Historically, pumping iron to build muscles has been seen as a masculine pursuit. And research into sport and exercise has largely focused on men too. But increasingly women at gyms are heading to the heavy weights room and picking up the dumbbells to reap the benefits of strength training.  When she discovered a complete lack of literature on female resistance and strength training former Olympic weightlifter and exercise scholar Mandy Hagstrom decided to take matters into her own hands.  According to her research both male and female strength trainers gain the same relative amount of muscle mass following strength training, so when it comes to fitness, are we compromising the health of half of our population due to a lack of understanding?  In under ten minutes, or roughly the same amount of time it takes to do a triple set of bench presses, exercise scientist Mandy Hagstrom will explain why being male or female doesn’t make as much difference to growing muscle as you might think. 10 Minute Genius 10 Minute Genius is a programme designed to create a space in which you can engage with new ideas. It is a curated collection of UNSW Sydney's thinkers, dreamers, and envelope pushers to help you make some sense of this relentless information vortex. And because you’re busy, all we ask of you is less than 10 minutes. For more information visit unsw.to/MandyHagstrom

When we gaze upwards and look at stars we’re looking back in time. On a clear night, anyone with access to a patch of night sky can see light that has travelled unfathomable distances and stars that have been twinkling for millions and millions of years. But when it comes to the big questions of the cosmos, it feels almost impossible to comprehend how far away those twinkling stars really are...or whether they even exist anymore. Fortunately we have cosmic archaeologists to answer these mind bending questions.  While an archaeologist digs down to explore mysteries of our past, a cosmic archaeologist digs upwards through space to illuminate the story of our universe. The relationship between time, light and space is second nature to an astrophysicist. Which is why we measure distance in space as light years -or the distance light travels in one earth year. In under ten minutes, or roughly the same amount of time it takes for light to travel 180,000,000 km, Astrophysicist Kirsten Banks explains how light emitted by the stars can unlock the secrets to our galactic neighbourhood. 10 Minute Genius 10 Minute Genius is a programme designed to create a space in which you can engage with new ideas. It is a curated collection of UNSW Sydney's thinkers, dreamers, and envelope pushers to help you make some sense of this relentless information vortex. And because you’re busy, all we ask of you is less than 10 minutes. For more information visit unsw.to/KirstenBanks

Australia is rapidly shifting towards a renewables fuelled economy, and huge technological leaps in batteries are often cited as heroes of sustainability. But the knowledge acquired through high-powered X-ray tomography – a technology similar to CAT scans in hospitals – is also a key factor in creating a greener economy. When renewables like batteries reach their expiration date they could end up in landfill, but tomography technology allows us to see and understand what is inside the batteries, and repurpose the working components. So how might new innovations in tomography help us recycle and reuse complex technologies to build a circular, truly sustainable economy?    Patrick Tung Dr Patrick Tung is a postdoctoral fellow at the Micro-CT Tyree Facility as part of the Mark Wainwright Analytical Centre at UNSW Sydney. Patrick completed his PhD in the School of Materials Science and Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering, focusing on the disordered atomic structures in piezoelectric materials using X-ray diffraction, and also won the UNSW Three Minute Thesis competition in 2016. His research has taken him to Czech Republic where he developed advanced neutron grain reconstruction methods as part of the commissioning of the European Spallation Source. Currently, his main research areas are in using X-rays to understand the relationship between the nano and micro-structure of materials and their resulting properties. For more information, visit unsw.to/PatrickTung

It’s no secret Australia’s vaccine rollout had a rocky start… but now, 18 months later, our vaccination rate is amongst the highest in the world.  But our impressive 80%+ coverage doesn't tell the full story...  COVID-19 has disproportionately affected people from racial and ethnic minority groups in both infection rates and health outcomes, so it really matters that  the right information can reach them. Some of the most interesting questions for social scientists are how the differences between people mean that we need different answers to the same health problems. Vaccine hesitancy can stem from misinformation, poor translations and lack of access to health resources, and when so many Australians are from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, it’s important the government tailors health messaging to suit a range of languages and literacy levels. A one size fits all approach has got us this far, but as the country slowly opens up, the vulnerable pockets with low vaccination rates should be a real concern to all of us.  In less than ten minutes, or roughly the same amount of time it takes to get vaccinated against COVID, infectious disease social scientist Holly Seale will explain how we can achieve good health outcomes for everyone. 10 Minute Genius 10 Minute Genius is a programme designed to create a space in which you can engage with new ideas. It is a curated collection of UNSW Sydney's thinkers, dreamers, and envelope pushers to help you make some sense of this relentless information vortex. And because you’re busy, all we ask of you is less than 10 minutes. For more information visit unsw.to/HollySeale

In the wake of MeToo, women are increasingly speaking up against gender-based violence. But as they have grown empowered to speak, a new form of systematic silencing has become more evident: the spike in survivors speaking out has been followed by a spike in legal actions against them and the media.  How many more women: have to be raped or abused before we act? need to accuse him before we believe her? will be failed by the criminal justice system? need to say something before we do something? will be sued for defamation for speaking out? will be contracted to silence?  In How Many More Women? Jennifer Robinson and Keina Yoshida examine the laws around the world that silence women, and explore the changes we need to make to ensure that women's freedoms are no longer threatened by the legal system that is supposed to protect them.  Join Jennifer Robinson and Keina Yoshida live in-conversation with Jane Caro for a powerful and accessible exploration of our legal systems as they break open the big judgments, developments and trends that have and continue to silence and disadvantage women.   This event is presented by the UNSW Centre for Ideas, UNSW Law & Justice and Sydney Writers' Festival, and supported by Allen & Unwin.

A major upside to the pandemic has been a falling back in love with the natural world as people, confined to their homes, see their local landscapes through reinvigorated eyes. Birdwatching, and the citizen science of the backyard bird count, is booming.   So close, yet so far, these enigmatic creatures inspire the awe and affection of fans, who passionately lobby for their bird of the year and diligently record millions of informational gems in birdwatching apps.  But the news is not all good. As scientists and amateurs document worrying declines in bird populations, from climate change and development, there’s never been a more vital time to talk about what birds mean to us and what we can do to protect them.   Join this lively panel discussion, hosted by Ann Jones, presenter of the ABC’s What the Duck?!, in conversation with ecologist Richard Kingsford, writer and birdwatcher Sean Dooley, and bestselling author Charlotte McConaghy, and you’ll certainly be among friends. Find out why people love birds so much, how this love grew during the pandemic and why taking action to protect birds is more important than ever.   This event is presented by the UNSW Centre for Ideas and UNSW Science as part of National Science Week and Sydney Science Festival. 

For as long as sex has existed, people have been shamed for talking about it. To this day, kids are taught a very narrow perspective on sex education which is comprised mostly of details of erections, ejaculations, and acts of heterosexual penetration. Sex education in schools teaches kids that virginity is really important and that sexual acts often end in unwanted pregnancy. So why are our kids learning similar lessons to the kids of the 1950s?  The subject of pleasure is conspicuously absent from most sex-ed curricula where the focus is almost exclusively on the mechanics of either procreation or avoiding STDs. But according to Emma Jane, it’s vital that the birds and the bees talk cover so much more than the marriage, the baby-making, the man parts, and the money shots. Providing more nuanced, inclusive, and realistic sex ed for our offspring is important because if they don’t get this info from us, they’re going to get it from their screens.  In less than ten minutes, or roughly the length of time it takes to put a condom on an expired Epipen Associate Professor Emma Jane will give you the “sex talk” that you probably should have had when you were a teen, and outlines the importance of a well-rounded sex-ed curriculum. 10 Minute Genius 10 Minute Genius is a programme designed to create a space in which you can engage with new ideas. It is a curated collection of UNSW Sydney's thinkers, dreamers, and envelope pushers to help you make some sense of this relentless information vortex. And because you’re busy, all we ask of you is less than 10 minutes. For more information visit unsw.to/EmmaAJane

It’s no secret that everybody dies, but have you ever thought about how you would like to die? As a society we don’t often discuss death and dying, it’s something we shy away from and avoid until decisions have to be made on our behalf. But due to massive advances in medical technology and improvements in public health measures, life expectancy has increased and we’re living longer than ever before.  Developments in medicine and treatments over the past few decades have given us far more choice than we may think on how we die in old age. In Australia 7 out of 10 older adults want to die at home rather than in a hospital, but this is a reality for very few, with most deaths still occurring in hospitals. So if our elderly want a peaceful death at the end of their life outside of the hospital, why is this still not happening?   In under 10 minutes, Lecturer in the School of Population Health, Ebony Lewis will talk to you about how to plan for a good death, because according to Ebony death and dying is something we should all be discussing with our loved ones and health care team before it’s too late. 10 Minute Genius 10 Minute Genius is a programme designed to create a space in which you can engage with new ideas. It is a curated collection of UNSW Sydney's thinkers, dreamers, and envelope pushers to help you make some sense of this relentless information vortex. And because you’re busy, all we ask of you is less than 10 minutes. For more information visit unsw.to/EbonyLewis

It’s easy to feel a sense of powerlessness where every morning we’re greeted with news of climate catastrophes, grave social injustice and senseless violence. So how can we muster the courage to forge a new path and turn things around? Is it still possible to make the world a better place?   Hear from philosopher A. C. Grayling in-conversation with UNSW’s Jeremy Moss and Ann Mossop. Together they will span everything from the small personal changes we can make in our lives to transform the world for good to how we can work together as a community to decarbonise the economy.   This event is presented by the UNSW Centre for Ideas as part of UNSW Alumni’s Learn to Lead program and supported by the Byron Writers Festival.