Sydney Ideas

How do changes to our sleep and body rhythms affect our health, wellbeing and diseases of the brain? In the lead up to Mental Health Month, discover some fascinating new research emerging from the University of Sydney and beyond. Fran Kelly, Breakfast presenter on ABC Radio National, moderates an expert panel featuring: – Associate Professor Sean Cain, circadian rhythms expert from Monash University – Dr Jacob Crouse, post-doctoral research fellow with the Youth Mental Health & Technology Team at the Brain and Mind Centre – Professor Sharon Naismith, clinical neuropsychologist at the University of Sydney This discussion was recorded on 23 September, 2021. For more information and resources, including a transcript, visit the Sydney Ideas website: https://bit.ly/3CFlfOn – this is where you can also find our music playlist of tracks to wind down to, as recommended by the panel.

After being involved in two decades of occupying the country, what responsibilities does Australia owe to the people of Afghanistan? What more needs to be done by the Australian and other allied governments? This conversation brings together Afghan Australians Mujib Abid who recently escaped from Kabul with his family, and Shukufa Tahiri, former Policy Officer with the Refugee Council, as well as leading academic experts to share their insights. Hear from our panel including: – Mujib Abid, University of Sydney alumnus (Master of Peace and Conflict Studies) and PhD candidate at the University of Queensland. – Professor Mary Crock, Co-Director of the Sydney Centre for International Law. – Professor William Maley AM from the Department of International Relations at ANU – Professor Tim Soutphommasane, Director of the Culture Strategy at the University of Sydney and political theorist – Shukufa Tahiri, Deputy Director of National Refugee Advocacy and Advisory Group (NRAAG) This online discussion is presented in collaboration with the Culture Strategy and Department of Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Sydney.

A philosopher, an improv comedian, a psychologist and an economist walk into a Sydney Ideas webinar... to discuss happiness. Can we find ways to be happier than we were before, while in the face of ongoing uncertainty and a global pandemic? Happiness. There are entire industries dedicated to helping us find it. Endless social media advice, self-help books and gurus promising health, wealth and happiness if only you do that one thing. But it can be hard to feel happy in the face of a pandemic – extended lockdowns, the chaos and uncertainty of working from home, of home-schooling, or simply feeling like everything is just relentless. What are we really chasing, and why? What is the difference between being happy with your life compared to being happy in your life Featuring: – Rebecca De Unamuno, award-winning improviser and comedian – Dan Nahum, economist with the Australia Institute’s Centre for Future Work – Dr Tim Sharp, Australia's very own 'Dr Happy', at the forefront of the positive psychology movement and founder of The Happiness Institute – Dr Caroline West, philosopher at the University of Sydney – Fenella Kernebone (Moderator), Head of Programming for Sydney Ideas This discussion was hosted on 26 August, 2021. For more information and resources, including the transcript; visit our website: https://bit.ly/3yAiFGO

Vaccines offer a way out of COVID but its success is not without challenges. How do we overcome the gaps in understanding so that we’re backing the best chance we have in keeping ourselves and the community safe? Facilitated by ABC’s Tegan Taylor (co-host of Australia's chart-topping health podcast, Coronacast), this discussion is grounded in the science, with insights from experts from the Faculty of Medicine and Health at the University of Sydney, including: – Professor Cheryl Jones, paediatric infectious diseases physician and Head of School and Dean of Sydney Medical School, who is also an ATAGI member; – Professor Kirsten McCaffery, Principal Research Fellow at the Sydney School of Public Health; – Professor Ramon Shaban, Professor of Infection Prevention and Disease Control; – Mustafa Dhahir, a current Doctor of Medicine student and Pharmacy graduate, with experience in community vaccinations and he uses social media to empower the public's understanding of health. We hope this discussion will help you get informed about COVID-19 vaccines and help you have productive conversations with friends and family. This discussion was hosted on 18 August, 2021. For more information, resources, including the transcript, visit our website: https://bit.ly/37Xhsyq

What does lockdown 2.0 mean for younger people and how does it impact on their mental health? Hear from our panel of passionate mental health experts and leaders including: – Dr Marlee Bower, Research Fellow at the Matilda Centre, whose work explores social determinants of mental health and understanding loneliness; – Lucinda (Lucy) Brogden AM, Chair of National Mental Health Commission – Swapnik Sanagavarapu, University of Sydney Student Representative Council President and Arts/Law student; – Dr Pranita Shrestha, Research Associate in the School of Architecture, Design and Planning, expert in housing affordability; and – Professor Maree Teesson AC, Director of the Matilda Centre, and Chair of Australia's Mental Health Think Tank, moderates the conversation. We discuss the “shadow pandemic” of deteriorating health, impacts of social connection and disconnection, government interventions and directions for reform, as well as practical advice to cope with such challenging times. This conversation was held on 21 July, 2021. For resources, including a transcript for the podcast, head to the Sydney Ideas website: https://bit.ly/3zFJSsM

Hear from Kate Crawford, Honorary Professor at the University of Sydney and one of the world's foremost scholars on the social and political implications of artificial intelligence. Timed for the Australian launch of her new book, 'Atlas of AI: Power, Politics, and the Planetary Costs of Artificial Intelligence', Kate speaks with Fenella Kernebone to explore how artificial intelligence is not objective or neutral but a technology of extraction. Hailed in Nature as an essential read, Kate's book "exposes the dark side of AI success" by taking us on a journey that uncovers how planetary computation is fueling a shift toward undemocratic governance and increased inequity. For further links and resources, including a transcript for this podcast, visit our website: https://bit.ly/3yLBV4P This conversation was recorded on 6 July, 2021.

COVID-19 has fundamentally changed the world we live in. Moving forward, how might we navigate work, health and wellbeing, and safety with COVID as an ongoing and evolving factor in the long-term? Hear from academic experts at the University of Sydney, as they share insights into lessons from the pandemic and what it might mean for us all into the future. We discuss: – What we’ve learned about COVID-19 in the past 18 months – Australia’s approach to managing the health crisis – What a long-term COVID-normal looks like The panel: – Professor Julie Leask, Faculty of Medicine and Health – Professor Ramon Shaban, Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Faculty of Medicine and Health – Professor Tania Sorrell, Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Faculty of Medicine and Health – Professor Maree Teesson, The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use – Fenella Kernebone (Moderator), Head of Programming at the University of Sydney This discussion was recorded on 15 June 2021. For more information, visit sydney.edu.au/sydney-ideas

During the pandemic last year, many of us delayed our health check-ups, from going to the dentist to cancer screenings, and much more. This has major flow on effects across all parts of society. So this discussion is the health check we need today: What issues were left unaddressed by Australia's pandemic response? How do we reset the agenda, and rethink the health system - to provide better care, and prevent further strain? Hear from experts in oral health, ethics, lifestyle and chronic disease, and government and policy. Featuring: –Associate Professor Melody Ding, The University of Sydney School of Public Health – Dr Kathryn MacKay, Sydney Health Ethics, The University of Sydney School of Public Health – Dr Brendan Murphy, Secretary of the Department of Health – Professor Heiko Spallek, Head of School and Dean, The University of Sydney School of Dentistry – Professor Robyn Ward (Moderator), Executive Dean and Pro Vice-Chancellor Medicine and Health, University of Sydney For further links and resources, including a transcript for this podcast, visit our website: https://bit.ly/3vsmOv2 This discussion was recorded on 10 June, 2021. It was a virtual event hosted by the University of Sydney. We acknowledge the tradition of custodianship and law of the Country on which the University of Sydney campuses stand. We pay our respects to those who have cared and continue to care for Country. Music: Buoancy by Chad Crouch (CC BY-NC 4.0), from https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Chad_Crouch/arps-ii/buoancy

It's been a big year. We’ve put together a few of our key talks, with leading thinkers from the University of Sydney and beyond to reflect on 2020 and what might lie ahead in 2021. Take a listen, and dive into the longer talks. Sydney Ideas will be back with more talks and ideas in the new year! FEATURING: – Mark Scott AO, The road ahead [00:00:00] – Professor Tim Soutphommasane, Combating viral panic [00:00:27] – Professor Ian Hickie, COVID-19 and mental health [00:0035] – Professor Julie Leask, The vaccination gap [00:00:57] – Professor Jaky Troy, In this together [00:01:10] – Sam Mostyn, Rebuilding Australia's future [00:01:35] – Mariam Mohammed, What will the future of women's work look like? [00:01:50] – Roxanne Moore, Raising the age of criminal responsibility [00:02:08] – Dr Gareth Bryant, The asset economy [00:02:34] – Professor Guy Standing, The basic income imperative [00:02:51] – Minister Matt Kean, Charging ahead with clean energy [00:03:00] – Professor Dianne Wiley, Running out of water [00:03:31] – Bruce Pascoe, Perennial Soil [00:03:44]

Black holes are the most mysterious objects in the universe; matter and space folded into an enigmatic knot from which not even light can escape. The 2020 Nobel Prize awarded research into black holes, thinking about the unthinkable, and seeing the unseeable. But just what did these extraordinary scientists do? Tune in as we try to unravel the puzzle. FEATURING – Professor Geraint F. Lewis, University of Sydney. Geraint's research focuses on cosmology, gravitational lensing and galactic cannibalism, all with the goal of unravelling the dark-side of the universe. – Professor Peter Tuthill, University of Sydney. Peter is an expert in astrophysical imaging; studying stars and their immediate environments with unprecedented resolution. This public talk was held virtually and recorded on 2 December 2020. For further resources, including the transcript, visit our website: https://bit.ly/36wwXfZ