Meliora: a podcast from the Sustainability & Resilience Institute

In episode 4 of the Social Impact Lab Meliora Autumn 2026 takeover we welcome Amirah Abu Bakar to discuss her SIL 100 Big Ideas and Social Impact Fund winning programme 'Projekt Lumina'.

Projek Lumina is an educational initiative supporting underprivileged secondary school students in Malaysia through workshops focused on essential life skills such as critical thinking, financial literacy and confidence-building.

At its core is a practical, student-designed booklet with interactive exercises and tools that enable continued learning beyond the sessions. Now continuing independently, the project aims to expand its reach by distributing these resources through community organisations, helping more students build confidence and plan their futures.

Guest: Amirah Abu Bakar

Host: Prof Simon Kemp

Producer: Ali Walker

Editor: Mya Harvey

In episode 3 of the Social Impact Lab Meliora Autumn 2026 takeover we welcome Lorinda Sokoli to discuss her SIL Pulse for Change winning programme 'Access Bridge'.

Access Bridge is a student-led initiative tackling healthcare inequality by helping vulnerable patients navigate an increasingly digital NHS. It focuses on older and isolated individuals, particularly those facing low health literacy, language barriers, or digital exclusion.

Through partnerships with GP practices and community settings, trained student volunteers provide one-to-one support via drop-in sessions, helping patients book appointments, understand medical information, and access online services. By combining human guidance with practical tools, Access Bridge aims to make healthcare more accessible, empowering patients and improving health outcomes.

Guest: Lorinda Sokoli

Host: Prof Simon Kemp

Producer: Ali Walker

Editor: Mya Harvey

In episode 2 of the Social Impact Lab Meliora Autumn 2026 takeover we welcome Ellie MacDougall to discuss her 100 Big Ideas and Social Impact Fund winner 'Chalk and Chats'.

Chalk and Chats is an inclusive community climbing group in Southampton that supports people of all abilities - especially those feeling anxious or isolated - by offering a welcoming space, group sessions, and 1:1 support to build confidence, connection and wellbeing.

Guest: Ellie MacDougall

Host: Prof Simon Kemp

Producer: Ali Walker

Editor: Mya Harvey 

We are delighted to open our latest Social Impact Lab takeover of the Meliora podcast from the Sustainability & Resilience Institute at the University of Southampton with an episode addressing the key achievements of the Social Impact Lab across the academic year 2025-2026.

Guest: Dave Light, Director of the Social Impact Lab, University of Southampton

Host: Prof Simon Kemp, Deputy Director of the Sustainability & Resilience Institute

Producer: Ali Walker, Digital Media Developer, University of Southampton

Editor: Mya Harvey, BSc Environmental Science student

It's a real privilege to be joined by the inspirational Francesca Trotman, Founder and Managing Director of the brilliant non-profit conservation organisation 'Love The Oceans'!

University of Southampton Alumna Francesca founded Love The Oceans at the frankly astonishing age of 21!  Since then she has built a hugely respected and globally recognised organisation whose pioneering research and conservation work spans fisheries, coral reef health, apex predators, and megafauna - all of which contribute to their ultimate goal of achieving higher biodiversity through community-driven conservation. Love The Oceans also empowers local communities through sustainable fishing practices, ocean education, and alternative livelihoods.

This episode is an off-shoot from a University of Southampton Alumni webinar I hosted where Francesca delivered a great presentation and answered a series of audience questions.  This webinar can also be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3RL5N_neoY 

We hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed recording it.

Guest: Francesca Trotman, Love The Oceans

Host: Prof Simon Kemp, University of Southampton

Editor: Ellie Howell, University of Southampton

We are absolutely thrilled to be joined by Corey Peterson, one of the true global leaders in sustainability in higher education!

Corey is the Chief Sustainability Officer at the University of Tasmania where he has transformed their sustainability work in the over 16 years he has worked there.  A consistently high performing institution in the THE Impact Ratings, Corey has again led UoT to Number 1 in the world in SDG 13 Climate Action in the 2026 ratings - just one of many indicators to demonstrate his positive contributions to sustainability.

We chat about Corey's career, how not only inspires but also learns from others, and why his type of job matters so much.  

We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did recording it!

Episode Guest: Corey Peterson, University of Tasmania

Episode Host: Prof Simon Kemp, University of Southampton

Episode Editor: Mya Harvey, University of Southampton 

Stefania-Myrto Staiculescu (BSc Geography) joins us to discuss her independent research project "Sustainability Across Borders: Comparing Student Attitudes and Behaviours at Southampton (UK) and Can Tho (Viet Nam) which is part of the Sustainability & Resilience Institute (University of Southampton) and Mekong Institute (Can Tho University) research collaboration.

In recent years, sustainability has become increasingly relevant, and universities are recognised as key to promoting and shaping students' environmental attitudes and behaviours. Students across all disciplines and international contexts should develop environmental awareness because they are future decision-makers who will determine the success of sustainable development. The aim of this study is to assess how sustainability attitudes and behaviours among students differ at the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom and Can Tho University in Viet Nam. A qualitative research study using NVivo was conducted, with 24 semi-structured interviews. The results revealed overall high levels of sustainability awareness at both universities, but a gap between the awareness and pro-environmental behaviours. Students at Can Tho University reveal that their sustainable behaviour is strongly linked to university-led and collective initiatives that encourage student engagement. However, at Southampton, students showed less enthusiasm for university initiatives and described more individual daily changes, such as transport choices and waste management. Although these findings are useful, further research could expand participant selection and look at multiple participant groups, such as the public, to help develop sustainable behaviours for the whole community.

Contact Stefania on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefania-staiculescu-0744812a9/

Guest: Stefania-Myrto Staiculescu, BSc Geography

Host: Prof Simon Kemp

Producer & Editor: Jack Dinham

The Meliora Podcast Student Research Symposium is part of the 2026 Student Takeover Season where we celebrate the fantastic sustainability research work of our Undergraduate Students.

Massimo Risoli (BA Geography) joins us to discuss the research project "The Left Behind in Can Tho, Viet Nam : Smart Cities, Climate Change and Everyday Inequality" which is part of the Sustainability & Resilience Institute (University of Southampton) and Mekong Institute (Can Tho University) research collaboration.

In this episode Massimo discusses his dissertation, based on qualitative fieldwork in Can Tho, the largest city in the Mekong Delta in Viet Nam. Drawing on thirteen semi-structured interviews, a focus group, and an interview with a local NGO conducted in June 2025, the research explores how smart city development shapes everyday experiences of flooding, digital inclusion, and urban inequality.  

Building on Ayona Datta’s (2018) concept of digital visibility, the research argues that digital legibility increasingly determines which places, people and problems receive political attention and investment. While every participant identified flooding as a defining part of daily life and almost all had experienced climate-related displacement, none associated smart city development with climate adaptation. Rather than reflecting a lack of awareness, this reveals a deeper governance logic in which digitally visible forms of development are prioritised over long-term climate resilience.  

The episode highlights why placing local voices at the centre of sustainability and smart city policies is essential if urban development is to be genuinely inclusive.

Key readings

• Datta, A. (2018). The digital turn in postcolonial urbanism: Smart citizenship in the making of India’s 100 smart cities.
• Hollands, R.G. (2008). Will the real smart city please stand up?
• Heeks, R. (2022). Digital inequality beyond the digital divide.
• Tran, T.A. (2020). From free to forced adaptation: A political ecology of the ‘state–society–flood’ nexus in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta.   

Guest: Massimo Risoli, BA Geography

Host: Prof Simon Kemp

Producer & Editor: Jack Dinham

The Meliora Podcast Student Research Symposium is part of the 2026 Student Takeover Season where we celebrate the fantastic sustainability research work of our Undergraduate Students.

We are joined by Sadie Entwistle (MSci Marine Biology) to discuss a fascinating research project "Why the UK needs to plant more seagrass and protect what we already have. Projecting carbon stocks and storage rates of a UK subtidal seagrass bed" 

In this student takeover episode of the Meliora Podcast, Sadie joins us to discuss the hidden potential of seagrass ecosystems in mitigating climate change. We address how seagrass restoration as a nature-based solution can be used to support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 13 (Climate Action) and 14 (Life Below Water). The importance of the seagrass beds in storing atmospheric carbon for decades to centuries is explored, as well as why the UKs seagrass ecosystems are needing protection under a changing climate and increasing human disturbance.

Sadie’s research project titled “Projecting carbon stocks and storage rates of Zostera marina beds, Studland Bay, UK” provides novel estimates of the amount of carbon stored per year, and across the entire meadow, at Studland Bay (Dorset, UK). She takes us through the rationale for the research, how the project was born, and the methods used to obtain results using the ICUN’s Blue Carbon Manual. We discuss how these results differ from the few existing studies found elsewhere in the UK, and what this may mean for the future of seagrass restoration.

You can explore Sadie’s research further by accessing her Linkedin for a full PDF of the study. Sadie Entwistle - www.linkedin.com/in/sadie-entwistle-082673395

For more information of the methods used, please follow the link to the ICUN’s Coastal Blue Carbon Manual:

https://iucn.org/content/coastal-blue-carbon-manual

Guest: Sadie Entwistle, MSci Marine Biology

Host: Prof Simon Kemp

Producer & Editor: Jack Dinham

The Meliora Podcast Student Research Symposium is part of the 2026 Student Takeover Season where we celebrate the fantastic sustainability research work of our Undergraduate Students.

We are joined by Ronnie Lam to discuss a fascinating research project "Analysing the intersection between music education and young people in care" along with many wider important issues.

In this episode we address the important question "In What Ways Can Institutions Increase Access to Music for Looked After Children for Them to Have the Benefits of Music Education?"

There is little research on the intersection between music education and young people in care. The barriers are individualistic to broad, with placement, support and funding being some examples, with impact from Progress 8 and the removal of the English Baccalaureate to current ongoing reforms in the children’s care system. Even though some music hubs and institutions are providing music provisions to young people in care, there are problems in knowledge of these provisions and relationships to the local authorities. Conducting interviews, looking at policy, statistics and quotes from people who are care-experienced, I display what current issues there are and what approaches we should take to bridge the gap.

Guest: Ronnie Lam, BA Music

Host: Prof Simon Kemp

Producer & Editor: Jack Dinham

Further reading:

Biddulph, Max. ‘Failed by the System: The Views of Young Care Leavers on Their Educational Experiences, Barnardo’s Policy and Research Unit, and Supporting Children in Public Care in Schools. Pastoral Care in Education 24, no. 4 (2006): 49–49. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0122.2006.00390.x.

Bull, Anna. Class, Control, and Classical Music. Oxford University Press, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190844356.001.0001.

Carrie Wilson. ‘How I Am Fighting the Stereotypes of Looked after Children’. Social Care Network. The Guardian, 18 May 2012. https://www.theguardian.com/social-care-network/2012/may/18/looked-after-children-care-system.

Children’s Commissioner. The Big Ask - The Big Answer. September 2021, 58.

Coles, Thomas. ‘Why Are Looked After Children Fixed Term Excluded from School? Using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis to Understand the Process’. Ed.D., University of Exeter, 2012. https://www.proquest.com/docview/1654741660/abstract/820815F28BDE4829PQ/1.

Frogley, Catherine, Mary John, Ruth Denton, and Dawn Querstret. ‘“They Don’t Meet the Stereotypes in the Boxes…”: Foster Carers’ and Clinicians’ Views on the Utility of Psychometric Tools in the Mental Health Assessment of Looked after Children’. Adoption & Fostering 43, no. 2 (2019): 119–36. https://doi.org/10.1177/0308575919841752.

Gumble, Daniel. ‘Major Victory For Music Education as Government Scraps EBacc’. UK Music, 10 November 2025. https://www.ukmusic.org/news/major-victory-for-music-education-as-government-scraps-ebacc/.

Hibbard, Shannan, and Erin Price. ‘Trauma: A Compassionate Lens for Music Teaching’. In The Oxford Handbook of Care in Music Education, OUP, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197611654.013.35.

Hugman, Catriona. ‘Misrecognition or Recognition? A Critical Discussion of Care Experience as a Protected Characteristic’. Critical and Radical Social Work 13, no. 2 (2025): 214–30. https://doi.org/10.1332/20498608Y2024D000000067.

Humphrey, Ryan David. ‘Music Making and the Potential Impact for Looked after Children’. MA, York St John University, 2018. https://ray.yorksj.ac.uk/id/eprint/3539/1/Humphrey%20Ryan%20David%20Final%20Thesis.pdf.

Murris, Karin. ‘The Epistemic Challenge of Hearing Child’s Voice’. Studies in Philosophy and Education 32, no. 3 (2013): 245–59. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11217-012-9349-9.

O’Donnell, Chloé, Rachel Sandford, and Andrew Parker. ‘Physical Education, School Sport and Looked-after-Children: Health, Wellbeing and Educational Engagement’. Sport, Education and Society 25, no. 6 (2020): 605–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/13573322.2019.1628731.

‘Rethinking “Bad Behavior” : A Compassionate Response to “Acting Out” in Music Education’. In Trauma and Resilience in Music Education. Routledge, 2021. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003124207-1.

‘Should Care Experience Be a Protected Characteristic?’ Children’s Commissioner for England, 26 October 2023. https://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/blog/should-care-experience-be-a-protected-characteristic/.

Terry Galloway. ‘Latest List of Councils to Have Passed the Protected Characteristics Motion for Care Experienced People’. 17 September 2025. https://www.careleaveroffer.co.uk/blog_articles/5277-latest-list-of-councils-to-have-passed-the-protected-characteristics-motion-for-care-experienced-people.

Terry Galloway. Letter to Housing Minister Regarding Discrimination in the Planning System. n.d. Accessed 30 April 2026. https://www.careleaveroffer.co.uk/blog_articles/4125-letter-to-housing-minister-regarding-discrimination-in-the-planning-system.

The Centre of Social Justice. Survival of the Fittest? Improving Life Chances for Care Leavers. The Centre of Social Justice, 2014. https://www.centreforsocialjustice.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/CSJ_Care_Report_28.01.14_web.pdf.