Different Conversations

Prof Steve Greenfield is a member of the Westminster Law School at the University of Westminster. He is part of the Centre for Law, Society and Popular Culture and the founding editor of the Entertainment and Sports Law Journal (ESLJ). He also has a huge passion for sports.

In the aftermath of the failed European Super League, Brad talks to Steve about how the announcement of the ESL was such a PR disaster, as well as some of the wider issues of sport as a commodity, and the growth of law in the entertainment industry.

During the conversation, they talk about:

• The story behind the failed European Super League

• The study of law with other academic disciplines

• How football fits into English culture and identity

• The growth of law in the entertainment industry due to changes in technology

• Broadcasting rights in cricket and the birth of the Indian Premier League

• Venture capital investing in New Zealand’s international rugby union team

Learn more about Steve Greenfield:

https://www.westminster.ac.uk/about-us/our-people/directory/greenfield-steve

Make sure to subscribe to find out when the next conversation takes place. You can also follow Different Conversations on Twitter to keep in touch: https://twitter.com/different_cast

About Different Conversations Podcast:

Dr Brad Elliott, a senior lecturer in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Westminster, brings together a cross-section of Westminster colleagues to engage in some interesting, unusual and unexpected discussions for his bi-weekly podcast Different Conversations.

Lewis Dartnell is an author, presenter and Professor of Science Communication at the University of Westminster. He is best known to the public as a popular science writer, especially for The Knowledge: How to Rebuild our World from Scratch.

In this episode of the Different Conversations Podcast, Brad talks to Lewis about the recent moves NASA has made in space exploration. They also discuss how the Perseverance Rover landing on Mars has been an impressive and exciting step towards understanding more about the Red Planet.

During the conversation, they also talk about:

• NASA's Mars Exploration Programme and the challenges currently being faced.

• What will the findings of NASA's Mars Rover mean for us?

• The techniques scientists will use to explore the surface of Mars.

You can find out more about Lewis Dartnell’s book Origins - How The Earth Shaped Human History here: http://lewisdartnell.com/en-gb/2019/01/origins-earth-made-us/

You can follow Lewis Dartnell on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/lewis_dartnell

Learn more about Lewis Dartnell: https://www.westminster.ac.uk/about-us/our-people/directory/dartnell-lewis

Subscribe to our YouTube channel and get regular updates on new episodes. You can also follow Different Conversations on Twitter to keep in touch: https://twitter.com/different_cast​

About Different Conversations Podcast:

Dr Brad Elliott, a senior lecturer in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Westminster, brings together a cross-section of Westminster colleagues to engage in some interesting, unusual and unexpected discussions for his bi-weekly podcast Different Conversation

Prof Catherine Loveday is a principal lecturer and teaching fellow of Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Westminster. She is a memory scientist and her research covers autobiographical memory, musical memories and memory ageing.

On International Women’s Day, Brad talks to Catherine about her work in memory science, how our brains change over time, and her love of music and how it has a profound impact on our memory. She also talks about myth-busting in her book, The Secret World of the Brain.

During the conversation, they also talk about:

· Prof Loveday’s background in memory science

· Are male and female brains fundamentally different?

· How our environment can change our brain

· What does it mean to be conscious?

· Why important memories in our lives are linked to music?

· The idea that music taps into basic human emotions

· How our memory is affected by ageing

You can find out more about Catherine’s book The Secret World of the Brain: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31368315-the-secret-world-of-the-brain

You can follow Catherine Loveday on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/cathloveday​

Learn more about Catherine Loveday https://www.westminster.ac.uk/about-us/our-people/directory/loveday-catherine

Make sure to subscribe to find out when the next conversation takes place. You can also follow Different Conversations on Twitter to keep in touch

https://twitter.com/different_cast

​

About Different Conversations Podcast:

Dr Brad Elliott, a senior lecturer in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Westminster, brings together a cross-section of Westminster colleagues to engage in some interesting, unusual and unexpected discussions for his bi-weekly podcast Different Conversations.

Dr Francis Ray White is a senior lecturer in Sociology at the University of Westminster. Dr White focuses their work on the area of gender studies and the discourse around gender-neutrality and the body.

For LGBT History Month, Brad talks to Francis about their work around gender identity and the intersection between gender, sexuality and sociology. They bring up the topics of de-gendering institutional facilities and the idea of feminist biology.

During their conversation, they also discuss:

• Gender as a binary concept

• The legal issues around gender-neutral pronouns

• Non-binary people in higher education

• The history and development of gender-neutral bathrooms

• The historical and cultural notions of gender

• The idea of a division between sex and gender

• Dr White’s research in fat studies and fat people

You can find out more about LGBT History Month here: https://lgbtplushistorymonth.co.uk/​

You can follow Francis Ray White on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/dr_francisray ​

Learn more about Francis Ray White and their work here: https://www.westminster.ac.uk/about-us/our-people/directory/white-francis-ray

Make sure to subscribe to find out when the next conversation takes place. You can also follow Different Conversations on Twitter to keep in touch

https://twitter.com/different_cast​

http://blog.westminster.ac.uk/difference

About Different Conversations Podcast:

Dr Brad Elliott, a senior lecturer in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Westminster, brings together a cross-section of Westminster colleagues to engage in some interesting, unusual and unexpected discussions for his bi-weekly podcast Different Conversations.

Professor Miriam Dwek is a cancer researcher and a professor of cancer biology at the University of Westminster. She also has many other interests including art and pushing forward the diversity and inclusion agenda.

To highlight World Cancer Awareness Day 2021, Brad talks to Miriam about the current science around cancer research, how this has changed over the decades, and how she has contributed to the development of new treatments.

During their conversation they also talk about:

• Will there ever be a cure for cancer?

• Breast cancer survival rates and how this has changed

• Professor Dwek’s contribution to the treatment of cancers

• The Breast Cancer Cookbook

• The intersection of art and science

• Work-life balance in academia

• Professor Dwek’s work in diversity and inclusion in the workplace

Find out more about World Cancer Awareness Day here:

https://www.worldcancerday.org

You can follow Miriam Dwek on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/miriamdwek ​

Make sure to subscribe to find out when the next conversation takes place. You can also follow Different Conversations on Twitter to keep in touch

https://twitter.com/different_cast

​

Learn more about Professor Miriam Dwek

https://www.westminster.ac.uk/about-us/our-people/directory/dwek-miriam

Learn more about the Breast Cancer Cookbook and buy a copy here:

https://www.westminster.ac.uk/research/groups-and-centres/cancer-research-group/projects/diet-and-lifestyle-research/breast-cancer-cookbook

About Different Conversations Podcast:

Dr Brad Elliott, a senior lecturer in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Westminster, brings together a cross-section of Westminster colleagues to engage in some interesting, unusual and unexpected discussions for his bi-weekly podcast Different Conversations.

Justin Haroun is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Westminster. He established the Westminster Centre for Resilience, which aims to transform stress and negative patterns into resilience using physiological and behavioural biometrics. 

For most of 2020, stress and how we cope has been at the forefront of people’s minds. Brad and Justin discuss the flip side and look at ideas of resilience, contemplation and mindfulness and how this can be channelled to deal with stressful situations to bounce forward rather than bounce back. 

During the conversation they also talk about:

• What is resilience?

• Why Christmas is bad for stress and wellbeing?

• Different industries that need resilience training

• The idea of a common human experience

• How to deal with uncertainty

• Different techniques to deal with stress

 You can follow Justin Haroun on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/justinharoun

Make sure to subscribe to find out when the next conversation takes place. You can also follow Different Conversations on Twitter to keep in touch https://twitter.com/different_cast 

Learn more about Justin Haroun https://www.westminster.ac.uk/about-us/our-people/directory/haroun-justin

About Different Conversations Podcast:

Dr Brad Elliot, a senior lecturer in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Westminster, brings together a cross-section of Westminster colleagues to engage in some interesting, unusual and unexpected discussions for his bi-weekly podcast Different Conversations.

Dr Jay-Marie Mackenzie is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Westminster. The topic of mental health is very much in the public consciousness due to the events of 2020 with the various lockdowns because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Brad examines these issues with Dr Mackenzie and has a discussion around some difficult topics such as suicide, self-harm and mental health at university. 

During the conversation they also talk about:

• Suicide prevention and how to help people struggling with suicidal thoughts

• Dr Mackenzie’s research around suicide and her work with the Samaritans  • Mental health problems in general and a greater understanding of these issues 

• How the COVID-19 pandemic could see an increase in mental health problems • The positives of the COVID-19 pandemic for better community relations

• The issue of university students who self-harm 

Below is the website about self-harm that Dr Mackenzie mentions in the podcast 

https://cherishsupport.co.uk/ 

You can also follow Dr Mackenzie on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/drjaymack 

Make sure to subscribe to find out when the next conversation takes place. You can also follow Different Conversations on Twitter to keep in touch https://twitter.com/different_cast 

Learn more about Dr Jay-Marie Mackenzie https://www.westminster.ac.uk/about-us/our-people/directory/mackenzie-jay-marie  

About Different Conversations Podcast: Dr Brad Elliot, a senior lecturer in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Westminster, brings together a cross-section of Westminster colleagues to engage in some interesting, unusual and unexpected discussions for his bi-weekly podcast Different Conversations.

Professor Graham Smith has made a career of studying democracy, trying to enhance, engage and change the way that we conduct democratic practices. In this Different Conversation, filmed the day of the 2020 USA presidential elections, we discuss if Trump can break American democracy, better ways to partake in representation, and why small groups of people really can change the world. 

Join Brad Elliott in Season 2, episode 2 of Different Conversations with Professor Graham Smith.

Fat. Seemingly no one likes it. But has fat been given a bad name?

Join Brad Elliott in a Different Conversation with Louise Thomas, Professor of Metabolic Imaging about her career researching different types of fat, understanding individual differences in fat, wet toes, artificial intelligence, stand-up comedians and unexpected social influences.

Find Professor Louise Thomas on twitter at @ImagingFat

Or her profile page – https://www.westminster.ac.uk/about-us/our-people/directory/thomas-louise

Link to the Wikipedia page for TOFI – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TOFI

Stand-up routine on ‘thin-fat’ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5oTCeOXe9I&feature=youtu.be&t=176

**Explicit language warning for this week’s podcast**

In a conversation that starts and ends on sexuality and the law, but weaves in consent, mistresses, covertly observing public sex acts in the South of France, and the finer points of procedural ethics, this week has Brad Elliott joined by Dr Victoria Brooks, Senior Lecturer in Law. Join us for this Different Conversation.

Find Victoria on twitter @V_Eleuteria

Or her academic profile at https://www.westminster.ac.uk/about-us/our-people/directory/brooks-victoria