Sydney Ideas

Indigenous children are still being removed from their families at increasing rates, despite the clear links to negative child health and education outcomes. Why and how is this still happening? The University of Sydney’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Strategy and Services), Professor Lisa Jackson Pulver AM, moderated a conversation with Boe Rambaldini, Director of the University’s Poche Cent...

In her talk, Professor Helen Byrne (Oxford University) explains how mathematical models are being used to understand how tumours grow and to predict how they will respond to treatments involving, for example, novel combinations of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Helen was joined by Professor Jennifer Byrne (University of Sydney) in a conversation to explore how maths and medicine can come together...

What does it mean to call a climate emergency? Military and security experts have warned that as temperatures continue to rise, so too will security risks, including in extreme cases, the risk of armed conflict. Speakers: - Professor Ole Wæver, University of Copenhagen - Councillor Jess Miller, City of Sydney Council - Associate Professor Charlotte Epstein, University of Sydney - Olivia Arkell, Un...

Andrew Denton and Dasho Kinley Dorji studied journalism together at Bathurst in NSW in the 1980s and have since made enormous contributions to the media landscapes in Australia and Dorji's home country of Bhutan. Hear the two old classmates discuss Bhutan, the role of journalism in democracy, social media, Gross National Happiness, Crazy Wisdom, and more. Dr Bunty Avieson, Lecturer in Journalism a...

The world has gotten used to hearing 'America First', but is it ready for 'Asia First'? Leading global strategy adviser and international bestselling author Dr Parag Khanna makes a case for why we need to start looking at the world, and future, from the Asian point of view. This event also featured: - Welcome by Professor Duncan Ivison, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research at the University of Sydne...

Labour expert Professor Shae McCrystal, and Walkley Award-winning journalists Pamela Williams and Quentin Dempster, reflect on the shifting and precarious nature of work in Australia, since the watershed waterfront dispute in 1998. This conversation was recorded on Monday 28 October, 2019 at the University of Sydney and presented in partnership with The Walkley Foundation. Visit the website for mo...

Why are the arts critical to public health? How can we embed creative practice into healthcare to improve outcomes for all? Hear internationally renowned artists and researchers share their insights and case studies of exemplary practice: - Vic McEwan, The Cad Factory - Dr Clive Parkinson, Manchester School of Art - Dr Nicole Reilly, University of Newcastle (UON) - Akeshia Dart, mental health clin...

What musical traditions do copyright laws protect and threaten? Do all musical cultures hold equal status in the eyes of the law? Over the last decade a spate of legal action related to unauthorised musical borrowing has made international headlines and thrust music copyright into the global spotlight. From 'Down Under' to 'Blurred Lines', court rooms around the world have been transformed into mu...

Hear experts, including the Brain and Mind Centre's Professor Adam Guastella, explore how we might create cultures and environments that support neurodiversity, and recognise the varying levels of communication and experiences for people with autism. Featuring: - Professor Adam Guastella, Michael Crouch Chair in Child and Youth Mental Health and University of Sydney - Max Prineas, Bachelor of Musi...

Professor Chris Monroe is one of the world's foremost quantum technologists and he explains the rise of what promises to be a revolutionary technology of the 21st century. In his talk 'Quantum computing with atoms', Chris shares how he and IonQ use high-precision laser light to control networks of entangled trapped atomic ions to build machines that will have the ability to solve problems beyond t...

The promise of precision medicine is that it could offer better health outcomes by targeting patients’ genetic and biochemical make-up to pinpoint, predict, prevent and treat diseases. Can it deliver on this? Hear world-renowned thinkers explore some of the key issues around precision medicine. They analyse the realities of disease prediction, economics, ethics, clinical applications and the balan...

How do the harmful effects of chemicals go undetected, and what can we do to better protect against this? Public health expert Professor Tim Driscoll and Walkley Award-winning journalists Kerry O'Brien and Carrie Fellner discuss. This conversation was recorded on Thursday 19 September, 2019 at the University of Sydney and presented in partnership with The Walkley Foundation. Visit the website for...

How might understanding childhood development lead to genuinely intelligent machines? Young children are actually better at learning unusual or unlikely principles than adults. Professor Alison Gopnik's research relates this pattern to computational ideas about search and sampling, evolutionary ideas about human life history, and neuroscience findings about plasticity. This talk was recorded on We...

How can we close the widening gap between rich and poor? Political economist Frank Stilwell draws from his new book on inequality to bring this problem into sharp focus. How did we get here, and what can we — as citizens and as a nation — do about it? Although governments are often committed to ‘growth at all costs’ and ‘trickle-down’ economics, Frank argues that alternative public policies could...

Improving our cities and housing conditions can increase our quality of life, prevent disease, and help mitigate climate change. What does this look like in practice, and how might we get to this place? Hear from experts including: - Dr. David Jacobs, National Centre for health and housing (U.S.) - Associate Professor Luke Knibbs, University of Queensland - Dr Jennifer Kent, University of Sydney -...

The unprecedented challenges on our collective horizon require a shift in thinking from the factional to the civic. Are we as a nation prepared to embrace a bold vision to craft a long-term future for our country? What might that vision look like? The Honourable Kevin Rudd AC and Professor Marc Stears, Director of the Sydney Policy Lab, discuss alternative visions for Australia’s future. This conv...

What are the consequences of the choices we make when we feed our animal companions>? How does this affect other animals, the environment and even our own wellbeing? Hear from experts including: - Dr Michelle Shaw, Taronga Conservation Society Australia - Professor David Raubenheimer, University of Sydney - Dr Roger Bektash, past President of Pet Food Industry of Australia - Dr Andrea Harvey, Inde...

Ageing is the main cause of chronic diseases such as Alzheimer's, cancer and cardiovascular disease. Given this inexorable link, can we extend our lifespan without risking our health and quality of life? For further reading, Professor Luigi Fontana from the Charles Perkins Centre shares his key tips on how your dietary habits can help you to live longer and reduce risk of heart attack. Visit the w...

What does national security, data security and the changing face of legislation mean for free speech and our right to know? Reporter Vicky Xiuzhong Xu, The Chaser's Julian Morrow and political theorist Professor Tim Soutphommasane examine the state of affairs.

As the online world increasingly spills into the real world, urgent questions are being asked about the need to regulate the world’s digital platforms. How do we govern and enforce internet controls? Where is the cyber frontier, and how is it being weaponised? What big data and privacy issues we should be thinking about? This conversation was recorded on Thursday 15 August, 2019 at a Sydney Ideas...

What is the limit of our brain capacity and how can we translate potential brainpower into powerful discoveries? Fernando Calamante from Sydney Imaging talks about mapping structural networks in the brain. Neurologist Michael Barnett, from Brain and Mind Centre, follows on to explain how these networks can be affected in disease. Physicist Céline Boehm explores the recent images of black holes and...

How does our identity determine how we use our time? Economist Daniel Hamermesh will discuss the role of income inequality and how it affects the things we buy and do. He presents a radical proposal to reassess what we value with our time. This event was recorded on Monday 12 August at the University of Sydney. More details and to check out our reading list: https://bit.ly/2KXpFab

Polar regions are increasingly at the centre of environmental, geo-political and cultural shifts. Our panel discuss how our relationship with the polar regions has changed in the 21st century and what the polar regions reveal about the broader environmental challenges facing the world today, as we collectively combat climate change and unpack its deeper implications. Hear from Tim Stephens, Rohan...

As global movements such as #MeToo and #TimesUp rapidly gain momentum in exposing systemic sexual assault and abuse, the military appears to have been left behind. To unpack this issue, and discuss how we might address it, are a panel of world leading experts including: - Ellen Haring, Service Women's Action Network - Eda Gunaydin, University of Sydney - Shannon Sampert, University of Winnipeg - A...

Hear from one of the greatest astrophysicists and role models of our time. Best known for her discovery of pulsars, Jocelyn Bell Burnell has paved a path for furthering scientific knowledge and education. This talk was recorded on Tuesday 16 July, 2019 at the University of Sydney. Visit this page for more: https://bit.ly/2JAlj8m