That's What I Call Science!

In this episode, we dive deep (literally) into underwater volcanology with Associate Professor Rebecca Carey, a world-renowned volcanologist and researcher at the University of Tasmania. Co-host Dr Hannah Moore (also one of Rebecca’s past PhD students) and host Dr Olly Dove speak with Rebecca about her upcoming 2025 voyage aboard the RV Investigator to Tonga, where she and her team will study the...

This week is a big one for our regular host, Olly, as she celebrates her 100th episode hosting That's What I Call Science ! To celebrate the milestone, Olly has invited her dad, Frederick Dove, onto the show to talk about his own career interviewing people across the world as a broadcaster on the BBC World Service. The two also talk about the drug that caused Fred's disability, Thalidomi...

This week we’re joined by forest ecologist, tree climber, and science tour guide Yoav Daniel Bar-Ness, founder of Giant Tree Expeditions. From climbing the world’s tallest flowering plant to mapping Hiroshima’s atomic survivor trees, Yoav has spent decades exploring the lives and legacies of trees across the globe. In this episode, we explore how Tasmania’s towering forests can tell powerful stori...

In today’s episode, we take a walk down an unusual road: the pathway inside our own brains.  Dr James Crane tells Olly about his work in neuroanatomy, how neural pathways and hormones can lead to avoidance behaviour, and how we even go about studying what’s in our heads to begin with.  Show theme music: Kevin MacLeod Thank you to the whole TWICS team for the incredible behind-the-scenes volunteeri...

From marsupial reproductive biology to microscopic anatomy - aka histology - the scale of Dr Jamie Chapman’s work in how bodies function has gotten progressively smaller over the years. What hasn’t gotten smaller is Jamie’s big-picture look at the teaching of histology within Australian medical degrees. In today’s episode, Jamie tells Olly and Meredith about histology’s place within the curriculum...

In today’s episode, Dr. Sam Rose opens the operating curtains to give us a glimpse into her journey of becoming a doctor.  Dr Sam tells Olly and Tegan about how she went from high school to medical school to becoming a paediatric advanced trainee! She talks about the highs and the lows of becoming a doctor and what her future as a doctor for kids might look like! Show theme music: Kevin MacLeod Th...

In this episode, we dive into the journeys of two Tassie scientists—TWICS’s own Dr. Meredith Castles and Dr. Jane Younger—who have been selected as part of Science & Technology Australia’s prestigious Superstars of STEM program. This initiative is designed to elevate the visibility of women and non-binary people in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, equipping them with media an...

In this episode of That's What I Call Science, hosts Dr. Olly Dove and Emma Hamasaki interview Ann Kristin Lund Johansen from the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies. Originally from Norway and having studied in the UK before coming to Tasmania, Ann Kristin discusses her PhD research on the drivers of ice mass loss in East Antarctica. She explains the importance of studying ice mass lo...

“Education, perhaps more than anything else, is a passport to a better life” beautifully sums up the work and aim of the Peter Underwood Centre for Educational Attainment. In today’s episode, Kate and Tegan sat down with Georgia Sutton who is the Manager of the Children’s University Tasmania, a program under the Peter Underwood Centre that provides informal learning opportunities to schools and co...

In this episode of That's What I Call Science, host Dr. Olly Dove interviews regular co-host Emma Hamasaki about her diverse career path. Emma shares her journey from studying marine science at the University of Tasmania to becoming a passionate science communicator involved with projects like Redmap and Curious Climate. She discusses her work with the Centre for Marine Socioecology, her expe...

Join TWICS’s three co-managers on a bus-turned-restaurant in a Hobart pub on a sunny day.  With relaxing ambient pub sounds, Anna Abela and Dr Olly Dove chat with Dr Kate Johnson about her experience doing postdoctoral research in Switzerland and a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowship in Barcelona, Spain. Hear the challenges and highlights of Kate’s experience so far plus advice...

The United Nations Climate Change Conference is the biggest climate conference in the world, bringing together Government officials, scientists, industry groups and civil society to solve the climate crisis. So how did a PhD student find herself travelling to Azerbaijan to fight for climate justice at COP29?  In this episode, Olly sits down with Tegan Clark to discuss her journey to COP29. She tak...

Imagine having a little version of the cosmos living on your computer. In this week’s Ep we’re chatting about Active Galactic Nuclei (or AGN) with theoretical astrophysics PhD candidate, Georgia Stewart. Active Galactic Nuclei are some of the most powerful phenomena in the Universe but they also take millions of years to evolve 🐢. Running powerful computer simulations 💻is one way scientists can...

After years of working in the media industry and navigating the highs and lows of journalism, Tia Ewen navigated her way to science communication. In this episode, Dr Olly Dove and Georgia Stewart sit down with Tia as she takes us behind the scenes in the newsroom, navigating her way through the media industry, her love and passion for science and how she eventually ended up in the classroom.  Sho...

Sustainability, scicomm, and soccer: just three of the many hats of Dr Emily Flies!  With an interdisciplinary career traversing a myriad of -ologies, Emily now works in exploring how connecting with nature can be a leverage point for healthy and sustainable communities. She’s also an award-winning science communicator and the founder of Tasmania’s Inspiring Women in STEMM Fellowship Program, so m...

Join us as we explore climate action, coastal resilience, and… eels! This week, Dr. Malcolm Johnson shares his passion for climate adaptation, coastal resource management, and unique research on the fascinating freshwater eels of Tasmania. From working in the Huon Valley to community projects in the Philippines and CNMI, Malcolm’s journey highlights the power of local action in tackling global iss...

Don’t you just hate it when you’re out for a lovely swim in the ocean when all of a sudden your stomach starts rumbling? Well, thanks to one researcher at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, we might be closer to understanding what snacks are out there in the waters of lutruwita/Tasmania! Micah Landon-Lane joins Olly for today’s episode, in which he tells her all about sea grapes: seaw...

Join hosts Olly Dove and Emma Hamasaki as they flutter through the 2024 Australian Entomological Society Conference! In this special season finale, we're buzzing with excitement as we explore the latest discoveries in insect science through fascinating conversations with poster presenters. Broadcasting from lutruwita/Tasmania on Edge Radio, this episode showcases cutting-edge research that&ap...

Join us for this week’s episode, in which Olly and Georgia make their way through the poster session at the Australasian Cytometry Society’s annual 2024 conference!  Cytometry may not be a word you’ve heard before, but is all about cells. And, by studying the cells in our bodies, the researchers in today’s episode have been making leaps and bounds in medical research in order to help the patients...

Come and chat with two Australians (Dr Kate Johnson and Dr Ella Plumanns Pouton) on a bench in Catalunya, that may or may not be covered in ants! Ella talks about fire and seed banks, shifts in research, moving countries and writing science for the public. After an arts degree, Ella was driven to science through a desire to enact positive change for the natural world, particularly in a changing cl...

Take a journey to the ‘liminal space between water and sky’ with Melissa Mai. From the pathways of water and sugar along a pine needle to the magical land of bogs and why they matter. This episode will transport you from a molecule in a leaf to peaty landscapes of Scotland and the USA. Learn about Melissa, her pathway to academia and future aspirations to influence policy or curate museum collecti...

This week, Anna and Ella are joined by Monique Mitchelson, a autistic/ADHD clinical psychologist from Brisbane, Australia, with a deep passion for supporting neurodivergent women and girls. Monique discusses her own podcast, The Neurodivergent Woman Podcast with Clinical Neuropsychologist Michelle Livock , a hit show with over a million downloads, as well as her consulting on the National Autism S...

In this episode, Anna and Ella chat to Heidi La Paglia Reid, a proud Autistic, queer and disabled consultant and advocate living Tasmania. With over a decade of experience in the disability and women’s rights sectors, Heidi brings a wealth of knowledge both from her professional roles and her personal journey navigating chronic health conditions and neurodiversity. This episode will dive into her...

In September 2024, the Australian Marine Sciences Association and the New Zealand Marine Sciences Society teamed up to deliver their annual conference, with 900 marine scientists, professionals, and students gathering in Hobart to celebrate all things oceanic. Across the two poster sessions at the conference, Olly met 24 attendees presenting their incredible science. The content was just too good...

In September 2024, the Australian Marine Sciences Association and the New Zealand Marine Sciences Society teamed up to deliver their annual conference, with 900 marine scientists, professionals, and students gathering in Hobart to celebrate all things oceanic. Across the two poster sessions at the conference, Olly met 24 attendees presenting their incredible science. The content was just too good...