That's What I Call Science!

From Catalonia, PhD student Marc Busuldu grew up fascinated by the stars. Internships across Spain led him to a position at CREAF and to his current PhD on how characterising the electrical signal of leaves can help us to better understand and detect drought in forests through satellite imaging. Marc’s project combines mathematics, electrics and biology reflecting his varied interests which span p...

From the posters at the 2026 AMOS conference, we bring you a podcast episode with the latest science on oceans, the climate and weather! We hear from a range of experts who tell us about  the science laid out on their data-filled posters, displayed in a crowded conference room of scientists.  We learn about all things climate and weather; from climate change communication in Australia to flood mod...

In this episode, Olly and Georgia journey to the Tasmanian ‘Science in the Park’ event held in late 2025. Science in the Park is a hands-on event where science comes alive in all its forms! Despite a day of rain, wind, and sunshine, visitors of all ages explored everything from AI and robots to Tasmanian fish identification and live dissections, flying drones, and the fascinating world of brains a...

In this episode, we speak with Alyssa Seckinger-Crow, who is studying Marine and Antarctic Governance at the University of Tasmania. Alyssa is the founder of the Tassie Student Science Communicators Network and Young Ocean Innovators, and serves on the Antarctic Youth Coalition Research Team. Her research examines how we can build communities that help young people grow into confident science comm...

Raised on the coast of Maine, Dr Haley Viehman has been drawn to the ocean her whole life. Starting in civil and environmental engineering, she discovered her passion for marine science by studying how fish interact with tidal energy turbines in fast‑flowing waters. In this week’s episode, we hear how Haley uses hydroacoustics to uncover how fish move, behave, and adapt in extreme tidal environmen...

In this week’s episode, we chat with Ella Burgun, our Social Media Team Coordinator and local science communicator! We dive into Ella’s path into science communication and explore her recently completed Master’s thesis in forensic shark genetics. Ella’s research focused on using molecular techniques to identify which shark species end up in liver oil and fish oil products, a critical step for unde...

This week, Dr Simon Torok and Dr Cintya Dharmayanti from Scientell join Olly to talk about their experiences in scicomm, what Scientell is, and the evolving landscape of communicating STEMM.  Show theme music: Kevin MacLeod Thank you to the whole TWICS team for the incredible behind-the-scenes volunteering every week!  Host: Dr Olly Dove (Insta: ols_dove) Production: Dr Hannah Moore (@volcanohanna...

Growing up excited for every visit to her grandparents’ farm where she could sit amongst the trees eating tropical fruits, Dr. Lucette Adet has always been fascinated by plants. Currently undertaking research in the Congo Basin in Cameroon, Lucette aims to understand how different tree species respond to their environment, in the context of changes in climate and land-use. Join Dr Kate Johnson and...

Join Dr Kate Johnson and Laura Wynne Stewart to hear about the busy, beautiful forests that Laura is working to understand and advocate for. Growing up on islands, Laura’s curiosity and love for nature drove her to science and her current PhD position in forest ecology in Barcelona, Spain. Laura’s research focuses on understanding trees and forests using nifty tools such as satellites, lasers and...

Welcome to the last episode of 2025!  Earlier on in the year, we had a mini-series on literacy and numeracy. Today’s episode continues on from that theme as Olly is joined by Austin and Richard from the 2 To Ramble podcast. The three discuss the use of science in science fiction books and films, as well as the creator’s role of balancing being factual and imaginative. Show theme music: Kevin MacLe...

Join us to hear from the winners of our STEMM Solutions For Our Island Competition 2025! STEMM Solutions For Our Island was open to grade 10, 11 and 12 students in lutruwita/Tasmania who identify as female, femme or non-binary, funded by Inspiring Tasmania. Entrants identified an issue in their local community or wider lutruwita/Tasmania, and pitched a creative solution. Join Tegan Clark and Dr Ol...

Computer implants into human bodies powered by AI is no longer a dystopian, science fiction trope - it is real life. Whilst the fiction is gone, the dystopian still remains.  Associate Professor Frederic Gilbert answers our questions about the current state of human-computer interfaces, how our biological and neurological data is collected, and the ethics behind it all!  We explore how this techno...

“Engineers got us into this mess…it’s engineers who will get us out again.” This is a catchphrase of one of our guests today, Associate Professor Evan Franklin. Along with Professor Tim Finnigan, Evan joined Sarah and Olly to talk about all things climate engineering, and why it’s so important that more engineers get involved. This episode also marks a special occasion for us, as it’s Dr Sarah Lyd...

Welcome back to our third week of climate engineering! This week, we’re joined by Dr. Pooyan Alinaghi Hosseinabadi, a lecturer and postdoctoral researcher in electrical engineering.    Pooyan’s work has taken him across the world and his current research focuses on renewable energy. Tune in to find out how we can be reducing emissions and you might just start looking at the electronics in your hou...

Landslides can bring devastating consequences to the communities they affect. Dr Ashley Dyson, a geotechnical engineer, joins Sarah and Olly for part two of our climate engineering series to explain how we can go about mitigating the risks of landslides and why it’s so important to have as much data as we can on soils, rainfall, and slopes. Show theme music: Kevin MacLeod Thank you to the whole TW...

Ever wondered what sheep and vineyards have in common? Turns out it’s agrivoltaic systems: generating solar power alongside agriculture.  Olly and Sarah are joined in today’s episode by Ganesh Pandey, who tells the two all about the implementation of solar panels in pastures and fields.  Today’s episode kicks off the first of our mini-series in climate engineering, so make sure you tap back in nex...

Welcome back to Part 2 of our CoLab 2025 double bill! In case you missed last week’s episode, CoLab pairs scientists with high schoolers, who, after workshops and lab visits, make art out of research!  This week, Ella and Anna hear from scientists Danielle Zimmerman, Millie Goddard-Dwyer, and Katya Bandow about their experiences with CoLab. We also hear from the students themselves about how they...

What happens when you pair research scientists with high schoolers? Incredible art, that’s what!  Through CoLab, six scientists are paired with two to three high schoolers each who, after a series of workshops, create art inspired by the scientists’ research. The results are then displayed at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery during the Beaker Street Festival. This week, join Ella and Anna as t...

Arnold Schwarzenegger, popcorn, AND science?! What more could you want? As part of National Science Week 2025, That’s What I Call Science hosted From Fact to Fiction: a live screening of Total Recall (1990) followed by a panel of STEMM experts. Tune in to hear from Associate Professor Frederic Gilbert, Dr Soonja Yeom, and Mikaela Green about their takeaways from the film and its reflections in our...

Last week, you heard from two of this year’s cohort of the Inspiring Women in STEMM Fellowship. This week, we have Rose Aawulenaa and Dilini Manage on the mic to share their PhD research topics and plans for the fellowship with you! Rose is an Agricultural Science PhD candidate and Dilini is a supply chain decarbonisation PhD candidate. What do they have in common? Leading incredible projects in t...

From the sea to how we see! Barbara Labbe and Isabelly de Lima may have very different research fields, but what they do have in common is that they are both in the 2025 cohort of Inspiring Women in STEMM Fellows!  Tune in to today’s episode for Part 1 about this year’s fellows. You’ll hear about Barbara’s work with seaweed and her outreach in Chile, as well as about Isabelly’s work in paediatric...

We’re proud to share That’s What I Call Science’s 300th episode! This milestone is an opportunity to reflect on how far we’ve come since our café planning sessions in 2018 and first live broadcast in 2019. TWICS is a volunteer-led radio and podcast show created to provide a platform for people from under-represented backgrounds to share their work in STEMM. What began as a small team in Hobart is...

It’s that time of year again! Beaker Street Festival 2025 came to Hobart in August and, with other 100 events going on, the TWICS team wanted to pop in to say hi to the scientists sharing their work. Last year, we recorded at the Roving Scientist Bar and, this year, we’re back again! From fear of sharks to rocks to brains, we’ve got a little bit of a lot of STEMM in today’s episode for you! Show t...

Ever had a burning question you’d hoped to ask a scientist? Dr Olly Dove and Katya Bandow answer your burning science questions in a candid conversation covering everything from sci-fi favourites to very old plants, and the not-so-glamorous reality of being early-career scientists living on a below-minimum wage. Show theme music: Kevin MacLeod Thank you to the whole TWICS team for the incredible b...

Join us as we dive into the icy waters of the Southern Ocean aboard the Denman Voyage to Antarctica. In this episode, we chat with marine biologist Dr Haiting Zhang (IMAS & AAPP), who studies the physiology, biochemistry, and ecology of Antarctic krill. Haiting shares her experience leading a research team on board, investigating how krill respond to climate change using biochemical indicators...