scigest - Bioeconomy Science Institute podcasts

Get to know more about the newest members of our Scigest team - Hilary Ireland, Jay Jayaraman, Erin Stroud, Nicola Sullivan, Rebecca Bloomer and Ria Rebstock - their science work, and their thoughts on the importance of science communication.

New Zealand has some of the most sought-after hops in the world. Dr Ron Beatson chats to Scigest host Nicola Sullivan about leading the research and development of hop breeding and genetics at Plant & Food Research for 38 years; the production of unique cultivars with a range of flavours that brewers love, and what it's like to have hop variety named after you!

In the second instalment of our Starting in Science series, co-hosts and PhD students Erin Stroud and Hilary Ireland chat to a star-studded line up of panelists to celebrate International Women’s Day. Joined by Dr Jill Stanley, Dr Kieren Arthur, and Dr Sarah Moss, we chat about how to be yourself in science, avoiding stereotype traps, making sure women have a seat and voice at the table, the impor...

Have you ever wondered how to start your science career? In the first episode of our Starting in Science series, hosts PhD student Erin Stroud and Scientist Jay Jayaraman ask the experts, Dr Richard Newcomb (Plant & Food Research) and Dr Jo Putterill (University of Auckland), how to take the first, second, and third steps towards an exciting new career in science. We talk about what it takes to be...

Scientist Dr Ross Bicknell discusses the discovery of a new gene described as a game-changer for global agriculture with Scigest host Hilary Ireland. Named PAR, the new gene allows natural reproduction by cloning in plants, enabling highly desirable traits to be carried through to the next generation rather than lost when the plants reproduce through pollination.

Hoki is one of the most important fish species for the NZ seafood industry. Understanding more about the populations of hoki around NZ is vitally important for the future management and conservation of the species. Andrew Dare speaks with scientists Maren Wellenreuther and David Chagné about the assembly of the hoki genome and how genomic tools were used to get insights into the population structu...

The nitrate debate is a hot topic in Aotearoa New Zealand. Farmers need efficient methods to mop up excess nitrogen and reduce leaching from our soils into our waterways. Scientist Brendon Malcolm talks with Scigest host Rebecca Bloomer about his catch crops for cleaner freshwater research and how reducing nitrogen through catch crops also provides an economic return for the farmer.

Emmanuel Chakwizira a crop scientist at Plant & Food Research talks to Nicola Sullivan about his fascinating journey from a family farm in Zimbabwe to helping out our farmers in New Zealand, and the many interesting steps to get there.

This week, Hilary Irelands talks to Data scientist Dr Peter McAtee about eliminating noisy data, his work implementing machine learning methodologies to analyse massive data sets, and how he is experimenting with using 3D lidar imaging in a biological context.

Entomology Research Associate Sophie Hunt talks about her journey into science, her career in insect rearing and biocontrol research, and how insects are really fascinating, even the ones that make some people cringe!

Microscopy has developed hugely in the last 40 years, becoming a vital tool for learning more about all living things. In this episode of Scigest, we talk to Microscopist Ian Hallet about his lifelong career utilising tools like electron microscopes, light microscopes and confocal microscopes to broaden our knowledge of subjects from fish to fruit.

New Zealand's main fruit industries depend upon producing high-quality, residue-free crops for export with a very low incidence of pest damage. In this episode of Scigest, Blue Plunkett talks to Dr Jim Walker, from the Plant & Food Research Ecological Pest Management team, about how the Light Brown Apple Moth, a major leafroller pest threatening our horticultural industry, was successfully control...

How does an organism without a brain make decisions? What do kiwifruit and an orchestra have in common? Do PhD students really sleep? Today Dr Jay Jayaraman chats with Erin Stroud, a 3rd year PhD student, about her pathway into science and answers those weird questions you didn't know you needed the answers to. Erin is currently investigating how kiwifruit plants use defense hormone signaling to c...

The world is currently saturated with news about the negative effects of viruses but viruses can also be beneficial and, in fact, are vital to the existence of all living things on this planet. This week Hilary Ireland speaks to Dr Robin MacDiarmid, a passionate plant virologist spreading the message about the amazing world of plant viruses and how beneficial they could be in the future for our fo...

Plants aren’t just plants. Like animals, they are hosts to a large and complex community of other living organisms, like fungi and bacteria, that can be both beneficial and detrimental to plant growth and health. This week Nicola Sullivan speaks to scientist Hayley Ridgway about the fascinating world of a plant microbiome including her research into the manuka microbiome which could have significa...

COVID unleashed a world of risk, frustration and delay for development agencies and those they partner with. But amongst the carnage, has the response of the past 18 months turned up anything positive apart from a carbon footprint cut for agencies? In this COVID special, we hear from two experts. Josie Pagani, executive director at the Council for International Development, the peak body for devel...

The team fly south to the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh to see how farmers, designers, scientists and business owners are working together to grow safer, more valuable vegetables. They hear from a dedicated agri-advisor and enjoy the farm and beautiful voice of young Cambodian cucumber farmer and part-time crooner, Sim Sokhon.

How to persuade and train thousands of North Cambodian farmers to ditch rice and grow a range of higher value crops instead? To find out we’ll meet Clint Smythe, an unassuming Kiwi who has turbo-charged melon farmer incomes through smart collaborative marketing. And we’ll visit the small farm of Mai Puy, who has returned home from Thailand to become one of 400 farmers supported to grow high-value...

Wara, Suzie and Phil head north to the Central Highlands of Vietnam. The attraction? An audacious bid by local firm Sam Agritech to become their country’s first major exporter of avocado. The firm is already a big exporter of black pepper - Vietnam grows a third of global production. Sam Agritech is now eye-ing the US$9.3 billion global market for avocado. It has gone 50-50 with the New Zealand Go...

In episode 1. Vietnam: Where giant strides are happening in growing and breeding the Asian delicacy – Dragon Fruit. New Zealand taxpayer money has enabled Vietnamese and Kiwi scientists to overcome dragon fruit’s crippling disease. Learn about dramatic improvements in growing practices, increased income for smallholder farmers, and breeding innovation to commercialise novel varieties of dragon fru...

Peanut plants are a rare item in New Zealand even though we are big fan either as a snack or as peanut butter. But is that about to change? This week Jay Jayaraman speaks to Declan Graham, business manager at Plant & Food Research about the first harvest of peanuts up north and the potential for a peanut growing industry in a warming Northland.

Science has always been about collecting data and with the new data collection technologies today we can collect a massive amount. This all needs to be processed to make sense of it which is where a relatively new career of data scientist comes in. Today Hilary Ireland speaks to data scientist Dr Peter McAtee about his journey into a career as a data science. Look out for another podcast with Pete...

Insects, animals, plants all use the power of smell to communicate or facilitate reproduction. These smell chemicals are called semiochemicals and today Nicola Sullivan talks to scientist Lloyd Stringer about the use of these chemicals in our battle to protect NZ borders from invasive pests and how we go about discovering what they are and how to reproduce them.

Hilary Ireland is the latest addition to our scigest roster. She gets a taste of the hot seat when she shares her science journey as a late bloomer with host Jay Jayaraman. Hilary, now a research associate and third-year PhD student, didn't pursue a science degree until age 27. Let's hear about her research on Gillenia trifoliata and her advice for those pondering a career switch to science.

How to make science stand out in an age of information overload? In a reversal of roles scientist Tom Saunders interviews Communications Manager Emma Timewell about the fine line that science communicators walk on to present science in an accurate manner while keeping it accessible and engaging to the general public. She also discusses the role of science organisations in helping the public naviga...