5 Things About...

How bad is Melbourne's housing affordability crisis? Where do we sit in comparison to the rest of the world? What have negative gearing and capital gains taxes have to do with it and what can government do? In this episode Tamara Heath from the Faculty of Business and Economics chats with University of Melbourne Associate Professor of finance Greg Schwann about Melbourne's housing market and how young people can break into it.

Producers: Tamara Heath and Claudia Hooper

Audio engineering: Gavin Nebauer

Editors: Arch Cuthertson, Claudia Hooper and Tamara Heath

5 Things About... is a training podcast created by Dr Andi Horvath for the University of Melbourne

Hollywood links forgeries with art heists, but how does crime in the art world really operate? What are the tips and tricks in detecting a fake and why do we get so caught up on the 'genuine' article? In this episode, art historian Dr Felicity Strong chats with Dr Andi Horvath to paint a picture of the intriguing world of fakes and forgeries.

Producers: Claudia Hooper, Dr Andi Horvath and Dr Felicity Strong

Editing: Arch Cuthbertson, Claudia Hooper and Dr Felicity Strong

Audio engineering: Chris Hatzis

5 Things About... is a training podcast created by Dr Andi Horvath for the University of Melbourne

Dr Felicity strong was a PhD candidate at the time of recording, but has since graduated.

We know that stroke rehabilitation requires motivation and an absence of stress. But how can we create spaces that are both motivating and calming? How can we make sure that there are enough stimuli to encourage neuroplasticity and recovery of lost function? In this episode, Jan Chamberlain, Program Manager at the Centre of Research Excellence in Stroke Rehab and Brain Recovery chats to PhDc Ruby Lipson-Smith about the intersections of architecture, psychology and neuroscience and discovers that the majority of spaces for stroke rehabilitation are not currently fit for purpose.

Episode recorded: 13 July 2017

Producers: Gavin Nebauer, Chris Hatzis, Andi Horvath and Jan Chamberlain

Audio engineer: Arch Cuthbertson

What can we learn when we don't treat comics as low-brow entertainment, but as important historical sources? What do the changes in representation of masculinity tell us about our feelings towards war? And who is Sergeant Rock? In this episode, we thumb the pages of some well-worn and traded comics, revealing the changing attitudes towards war and American patriotism, showing just how political comics can be. So, pop on your bat phones and marvel at PhDc Richard Young's encyclopaedic knowledge of comic culture.

Producers: Richie Young, Matt Atkins and Claudia Hooper

Consulting producer: Andi Horvath

Audio engineering: Arch Cuthbertson

Editing: Arch Cuthbertson and Claudia Hooper

Voiceover: Chris Hatzis.

Interviewer: Matt Atkins

Guest: Richie Young

How do you practice cross-country skiing in Parkville? What's the best way to maintain equilibrium between commitments? And... how much do you lift? These are all serious questions for serious student athletes. They're commonwealth stars or aspirants and they're balancing their study with training regimes. We gate-crashed the Elite Athletes morning tea to find out what sporty, student life is like for them.

Episode recorded: 26th May 2017

Producers: Andi Horvath and Claudia Hooper

Audio Engineering and editing: Arch Cuthbertson

Special thanks to Brendan Parnell

What does it mean to be an 'appearance activist'? Mellissa Kavenagh from the Centre of Research Excellence in Disability and Health meets Australian writer Carly Findlay. Carly is a passionate advocate for disability rights, with her activism reducing disability-related complaints in Melbourne's taxi services. Carly shows fearless determination in calling out discriminatory behaviours, but also raises the personal cost of being an advocate; the double-edge sword that is social media and the challenges and the expectations of speaking on behalf of marginalised groups.

Producers: Mellissa Kavanagh and Susanna Cornelius

Consulting producer: Andi Horvath

Production assistance: Claudia Hooper

Audio engineering and editing: Gavin Nebauer

Hear Greer: in 2013 the University of Melbourne bought the Germaine Greer Archive. In this podcast, we listen to the archivists who explain what it means to catalogue and comprehend a vast collection of print and audio material. We look specifically at audio recordings, made by Greer herself, between 1984 and 2008. From her musings while driving through the Australian countryside, earnest yearnings for a cuppa tea and the frustrations of a handheld Dictaphone on double-speed; we hear from audio archivist Kate Hodgetts about what it is like to have one of the greatest feminist of the 20th century in your ear.

Producers: Rachel Buchanan and Kate Hodgetts

Editors: Kate Hodgetts and Gavin Nebauer

Audio engineering: Gavin Nebauer

Production assistance: Claudia Hooper

5 Things About is a University of Melbourne training podcast and created by Dr Andi Horvath

In a serendipitous twist of fate, two Melbourne Law School employees named Sam Johnstone were brought together. They discuss the laws of the high seas, discovering that it's more than just the pirate's code. Uncovering the murky waters of disputed territories, the challenges of climate change and how international law can combat overfishing, join Sam Johnstone² on a swashbuckling (legal) adventure.

Interviewer: Sam Johnstone

Audio Engineering: Gavin Nebauer

Editing: Sam Johnstone, Arch Cuthbertson

Co-producer: Dr Andi Horvath

Production Assistance: Claudia Hooper

Voiceover: Chris Hatzis

Game of Thrones isn't the only place where you'll find interesting dragons. PhD candidate Maddie Ewers has been researching the Australian Tawny Dragon lizard and why it comes in four different colour varieties. Find out about her lizard larks, colour polymorphism and how to measure the bite force of raging reptile.

Interviewer: Alana Scnetzer

Audio Engineering: Gavin Nebauer

Editing: Julia Cleghorn, Alana Scnetzer, Arch Cuthbertson

Co-producer: Dr Andi Horvath

Production Assistance: Claudia Hooper

Voiceover: Chris Hatzis

It's pretty well accepted that teenagers are... strange. But why? What is it about the teenage brain that makes them so different to adults? Can neuroscience explain why they won't clean their rooms? Find out what's really going on up there from educational neuroscientist Jared Cooney Horvath.

Interviewer: Amy Bugeja

Audio Engineering: Gavin Nebauer

Editing: Amy Bugeja

Co-producer: Dr Andi Horvath

Production Assistance: Claudia Hooper

Voiceover: Chris Hatzis