Sci_Burst

We saved the best for last: welcome to our episode on Aussie Solarpunk! In this season finale of Sci_Burst we record live from the Woden Library to bring you a joyous episode close to our home & heart.  Join us in a chat on community owned solarfarms, Mad Max, reconciliation, science communicators, men’s sheds, and of course, the famous Hills Hoist clothesline. Australia has some serious Solar...

Hold solarpunk in your hands as you listen to this episode, where we dive deep into the aspects of a tangible solarpunk future that are already here! Discover soilpunk, permaculture, gleaning, friction-maxxing, mending circles, analogue media curation, junk journalling and more as we discuss why physical, tangible and intentionally crafted living is SO necessary right now. A brighter, greener, mor...

Why Solarpunk? Why now? Discover the compelling journey of climate change discoveries, following actions (and lack thereof), the stories that have been told about climate breakdown, and what alternatives to those stories are now surfacing. Tune in to hear about why facts aren't always enough, why media literacy is a necessary climate communication skill, and why new inspiring, connecting, and...

Dive into the world of solarpunk games and ‘playing’ imagined, hopeful futures in this episode of Sci_Burst! We talk about solarpunk (and solarpunk-adjacent) video games, board games, RPGs, and more - including what already exists and what is soon to come… Tune in to also learn why gamers are particularly solarpunk ready and how we can make a sustainable future through play. Plus discover a whole...

In this episode we bring you a ray of sunshine all about solarpunk optimism, resilience, and staying defiantly hopeful about our future. Being optimistic has several benefits (backed by extensive science!) for your health, wellbeing, and overall experience of life. And sharing optimism and hope is inspiring and contagious. So tune in for a breath of fresh air from all the negativity and dystopian...

Happy New Year friends! To kick off 2026, we bring you a fantastic episode on Indigenous Futurisms, optimism in First Nations storytelling, and 🧡Ochrepunk🧡 with our very special guest, Matthew Ngamurarri Heffernan 🖤💛❤️ Matt is a Luritja man, software developer, board member, creative technologist, playwright, poet, and PhD student at The Australian National University’s School of Cybernetics...

Happy silly season! This December we’re exploring what a solarpunk community looks like when the sun goes down, and the delightful subgenre that is ~lunarpunk~ 🌃🌙💜. We touch on human-nature relationships after dark 🦉, solarpunk technologies at nighttime (think bioluminescence, decolonial space travel 🛰️🪼🍄), and also what evening culture and festivals could look like in a solarpunk/lunarpunk...

Just in time for the release of Pokémon Legends: Z-A, we bring you a sequel Pokémon episode - with a twist! This time we ask the question: is the Pokémon universe truly solarpunk??? 👀👀👀 Press play to hear about the solarpunk elements of Pokémon (including sustainability, clean energy, and harmonious human-nature relationships ♻️🌱⚡️), the not so solarpunk elements of Pokémon (including capital...

What happens when companies lie about their sustainability or pretend to be solarpunk? 🤥 Enter, the deceptive act of greenwashing 🤢⚠️⚠️ Press play to learn where the phrase comes from, why companies might do it, and how countries and communities are already combatting it to make the world a little more solarpunk! Bring your best selves, it’s not every day that a new Sci_Burst episode also coinci...

This is a very special episode of Sci_Burst – our first ever live recording!!! Press play to learn about third places, the science and hope of community, and accessible futures. Thanks to our live audience, videographer, and Woden Library staff for making this such a cosy and special recording xx This project is supported by Inspiring Australia ACT and the ACT Government. Our equipment for this li...

Loved the Superman (2025) movie and looking for more #punk hope? 👩‍🎤 You've come to the right place! Listen to this episode to learn all about the punk of #solarpunk, where it came from, and how it differs (in a very good way!) from other -punk genres like #cyberpunk and #steampunk 😎🤙 Kindness and optimism, with a dash of #sustainability, are officially IN!☀️🫶💛 Episode Time Stamps: 0:00 Epis...

What are solarpunk systems and can they help us toward a more positive future? Join Ella and Isabel in the first episode of this Solarpunk season of Sci_Burst! This episode is for you if: - you're new to Solarpunk - you like Solarpunk and want to explore it more - you're interested in positive stories - you want to imagine a sustainable and attainable future - you see wider connections in...

Welcome to a teaser for our upcoming third season of Sci_Burst! Here we introduce your Sci_Burst podcast hosts, tease our next season's theme, hint towards some of our upcoming episodes, and even drop a big exciting piece of news. It's Season 3 and we're trying something completely different: video! Whether you like to listen, watch, or somewhere in-between - we've got the podcast for you and this...

On this sunny Sunday morning we bring you our final episode for Season 2! Join us, and special guest Isaac Martin, as we talk all things renewable energy ☀️, technologies of the desert 🐪, and the future of Australian car culture 🚗✨ We explore Australia’s #potential as a sustainability hub & clean energy superpower 💚💛, the impacts & innovation of initiatives like the Bridgestone World Solar Ch...

To kick off 2025, we bring you a fascinating episode on archaeology and pop culture, featuring special guest and budding archaeologist Phoebe Barnes!🏺⛏️🦴 Do you love Tomb Raider? 🪦🧩 Indiana Jones? 🤠🛕 Jurassic Park? 🦖🦕 Then this episode is for you. We touch on archaeogaming 👾, representations of archaeologists on screen vs archaeologists irl 🗿📜, and the mix and bleed of scientific thinki...

What do ballon art and storytelling have in common? They are both great avenues for Science Communication AND are skills of this episode's guest: Dr Chloe Lim. Join us as we enter the amazing world that is SciComm for Kids! We're talking DIY science kits, STEM themed books, and even baking. This feel good episode also touches on being a business babe and a shining light for CALD voices in STEM. So...

Does thinking of maths make you spiral? Don't worry! This episode we are joined by teacher-in-training and maths enthusiast Will Roberts to talk to us about maths anxiety across reality and fiction! Struggling to think of maths teachers in your favourite high school tv show? Scarred by maths classrooms? The two may be more related than you think! Join us as we look for the beauty in mathematics, a...

Why do science labs look like *that* ? What is alchemy? What came before the science we know today? And what does spiderman have to do with all of this? Our guest Lilia deep dives with us into the history of science talking about alchemy, astrology, greek myths, spiderman, star trek and so much more. If you've ever wanted to know why evil/mad/genius science labs look like *that* in fiction - you'v...

In this cinematic episode of Sci_Burst our special guest Professor Kenneth Lampl from the ANU School of Music joins to talk about the history of music in movies. From John William's handwritten music to Hans Zimmer's film score digital revolution, learn with us how technology, cinema, people, and sound, continue to influence each other throughout time. Curious to know how King Kong and Sta...

Today marks the release of our 20th full length episode, all about sign language! 😲🎉🙌 
Ever wondered how sign languages like Auslan communicate scientific concepts and handle technobabble? Or how signing is represented on screen & fictional pop culture media like Bluey, CODA and Dune? 
Join us and our special guest Bailey Kennedy - who has a vast array of knowledge in these areas - to find out!...

Did someone say episode 3?! Join us and our special guest Professor Chris Danta from the ANU School of Cybernetics for a deep dive on fables and science, literary anthropology, animals and machines in literature, and even fridge music! 🐷🦊📚🤖 Add to the conversation! Let us know your thoughts on our socials @sci_burst or via our gmail sciburstpodcast@gmail.com ✨ Stay nerdy and we'll see you in...

Don't PANIC ! 😎✨It's Sci_Burst time Join us and our very special guest Adrian Schmidt in this episode as we explore Artificial Intelligence (AI). Together we dive into AI's recent surge in popularity, its appearances in popular culture, and its use in art installations across the globe. Add to the conversation! Let us know your thoughts on our socials @sci_burst or via our gmail scib...

Welcome to Sci_Burst Season 2! We're kicking off this season by talking all things popular culture, science, and how the two combine in weird, wacky and wonderful ways! Our very first guest Dr Anna-Sophie Jurgens from the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science joins us to talk about circus, clowns, and even science tattoos... We hope you come away from this episode with...

For our final episode of Season 1, we’re ending on an uplifting note with a sustainable and optimistic vision of the future 💖 This one’s a little intro to the emerging sci-fi subgenre, aesthetic, and movement that is ☀️ Solarpunk ☀️ Join us in exploring solarpunk worlds in pop culture, where we might see them in the near future, and what a harmonious relationship between nature, community, and te...

Our penultimate episode of season 1 is now here! Listen to learn all about the (science and technology) formulas that make superheroes and supervillains in popular comic universes 🦸‍♀️🦹‍♀️ This episode is being released as part of the National Film and Sound Archives’ science and film night on the 1997 adaptation “Batman & Robin” — an event featuring yours truly!