Meliora: a podcast from the Sustainability & Resilience Institute

In this episode of the Meliora Podcast from the Sustainability & Resilience Institute (SRI) at the University of Southampton we explore the intersections between theatre and sustainability.  We are joined by Victoria Briggs to discuss the development of her ambitious and exciting new theatre project, Earth Mother. 
 
This is an eye-opening discussion addressing an area of critical importance in how we tackle sustainability challenges through a lesser-explored lens.  Some of the most exciting work in the sustainability sector is happening through the arts so we hope you will enjoy this episode. 

To book a ticket to the work in progress show and panel discussion please click here: https://www.mayflower.org.uk/whats-on/earth-mother-shout-2024/# 

Episode guest: Victoria Briggs
Episode host: Prof Simon Kemp (SRI Deputy Director)
Episode editor: Libby Kale (SRI Intern)

In this episode of the Meliora Podcast from the Sustainability & Resilience Institute (SRI) at the University of Southampton we (virtually) travel to Ghana for a discussion on Climate Change and Health research, collaboration, community engagement, and outcomes with Dr Michael Head and Jessica Boxall. 
 
This is a fascinating discussion with many lightbulb moments that are only possible through the engagement, support and personal stories approach taken by Michael and Jessica over their many years of working in Ghana.

Episode guests: Dr Michael Head & Jessica Boxall
Episode host: Prof Simon Kemp (SRI Deputy Director)
Episode editor: Libby Kale (SRI Intern)

Engage with us on instagram and X: @meliorapodcast

In this student episode of the Meliora Podcast from the Sustainability & Resilience Institute (SRI) at the University of Southampton we explore the work of the University of Southampton Environmental Science Student Society (EnvSoc) with the President and Committee members.  

Through this episode, six of the committee members discuss the society, its current goals and potential goals for the future. EnvSoc is a society for all Environmental Science students or Students interested in the environment. The society works to emphasise sustainability within the university while also creating a safe space for students to interact with one another and help their local communities through conservation and other environmental work. 

Host: Jack Dinham
Guests: 
Tejal Harihar
Finlay Lillaywhite
Toby Phoenix
Daisy Powell
Bethany Seaman
(The host and all guests are Environmental Science students at the University of Southampton).

Episode editor: Jack Dinham

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In this episode of the Meliora Podcast from the Sustainability & Resilience Institute (SRI) at the University of Southampton we have a big panel discussion about the SRI visit to the 2024 Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research Assembly at the University of Manchester, UK.

The Tyndall Centre is "a partnership of universities bringing together researchers from the social and natural sciences and engineering to develop sustainable responses to climate change. We work with leaders from the public and private sectors to promote informed decisions on mitigating and adapting to climate change." (Tyndall Centre, 2024).

In this episode you can listen to the thoughts, expectations, experiences, outcomes, and dancing activities of the SRI representation of staff, early career researchers and an undergraduate student, as well as a little dive into the impressive partnership work conducted by the Tyndall Centre.

Hear from our episode guests: Prof Craig Hutton (SRI Director), Prof Lindsay-Marie Armstrong (SRI Deputy Director), Dr Alice Brock (SRI SDG Project Officer), Grace Compton (SRI Policy Officer), Early Career Researchers Laurence Cannings (Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Oxford), Gracie Horton (SCDTP), Chloé Combs (INSPIRE), and Ruby Fox (BSc Biomedical Sciences student).

Thanks to Jack Dinham for managing to turn by far the largest number of guests on our podcast into the usual brilliantly edited episode! Also, apologies for my mic levels - due to the number of guests we had to make some adjustments to equipment and rightly sacrificed my mic-stand!

Episode guests listed above
Episode host: Prof Simon Kemp (SRI Deputy Director)
Episode editor: Jack Dinham (SRI Intern)

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In this episode of the Meliora Podcast from the Sustainability & Resilience Institute at the University of Southampton we have a lovely, relaxed chat with another of our most wonderful and entertaining alumni, the amazing Bitsy Pout.

Our chat covers Bitsy's background, how and why she became dedicated to nature and wider sustainability issues, how she decided to become an Environmental Scientist, her brilliant work as a student leader at university level, Bitsy's contributions to the national Education for Sustainable Development Guidance and subsequent Earth and Environmental Science Subject Benchmark Statement,  her conservation volunteering work in the UK and overseas, and we conclude with her graduate role as an Ecologist at BSG Ecology. 

Bitsy is a real star, someone I always enjoy working with and spending time with, and we hope you enjoy this episode!

Episode guest: Bitsy Pout
Episode host: Prof Simon Kemp
Episode editor: Jack Dinham

Engage with us on instagram and X: @meliorapodcast

Welcome to Season 4 of the Meliora Podcast from the Sustainability & Resilience Institute at the University of Southampton.  In this first episode of the season we return to 'Careers in Sustainability' with a great chat with Kate Otto and Samantha James, two inspirational sustainability advocates, teachers and leaders at the largest Sixth-Form College in the UK, Barton Peveril College in Eastleigh, Hampshire. 

Kate is a Chartered Geographer, the Royal Geography Society Ordnance Survey Award for Excellence in Geographical Teaching at Secondary Level, and Geography A-level teacher at Barton Peveril College.  Samantha is the College Sustainability Lead, creator and lead of the brilliant 'Big Barton Give Back Day' and Director of Curriculum – Media, Film, and Technology.

Our chat covers the importance of engaging sixth-form students in sustainability action and education, how the SDGs fit into and across curricula, and provides a window into just how rewarding and impactful a career in secondary education can be!  We cover many issues across this episode and we hope you enjoy our chat!  In keeping with the focus of the conversation, this episode is edited by one of the Barton Peveril College students, Evan Kemp.

Apologies for my host audio levels being lower than the guests - I had the mic turned down too low in the recording (as I'm generally too loud) and amplifying it in editing made it very 'hissy' - although some might argue I should always be nice and low in the mix, and it is definitely preferable having the guests louder and with higher quality sound........

Episode guests: Kate Otto and Samantha James, Barton Peveril Sixth Form College
Episode host: Prof Simon Kemp
Episode editor: Evan Kemp

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It is with a heavy heart that we close the student takeover season of the Meliora podcast with an episode all about our amazing co-creators, editors and interns Lily Killner and Sophie Green who are about to graduate and leave us :(

In this episode we chat about how Sophie and Lily applied for an internship that wasn't actually quite what they were sold, how clueless we were with everything when starting the co-creation of the podcast, what it's like to be a student intern whilst also completing their degree studies, and their plans for the future.  We then close with a sad farewell (for now).

This episode marks the end of an era.  We wouldn't have even got to recording and releasing an episode if it wasn't for these two wonderful colleagues. I will be forever grateful, will really miss working with them, and they are obviously always part of the podcast team.

Guests: Lily Killner (BSc Environmental Science Graduate) and Sophie Green (BSc Geography Graduate)
Host: Prof Simon Kemp
Editor: Lily Killner

In this Student Takeover episode of the Meliora podcast from the Sustainability & Resilience Institute (SRI) at the University of Southampton we are joined by our SRI Work Placement student and guest editor Alisha Ashworth who discusses the work of the SRI and the future of our world with our Director Prof Craig Hutton. We address a wide range of topics from the perspective of young people going through school and college, along with views around our collective futures.

Editor: Alisha Ashworth
Guests: Alisha Ashworth and Prof Craig Hutton
Host: Prof Simon Kemp

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In this episode of the Meliora Podcast Student Research Symposium we are joined by Francois-Xavier Lecomte (MSci Marine Biology with Oceanography) to discuss his dissertation 'Relationships between top marine predators and oceanographic features in the Southern Ocean'.

 In the dynamic Southern Ocean, marine predators movement behaviours are intricately shaped by oceanographic conditions. This study utilized data from 17 top marine predators in the RAATD dataset spanning from 1991 to 2016 to investigate how environmental variables—including sea surface temperature (SST), chlorophyll a concentration (Chl), sea level anomalies (SLA), and sea ice—affect their spatial dynamics and habitat preferences. Using a Generalized Additive Mixed Model, we assessed how these factors influence predator interactions with ocean currents. Additionally, an integrated step-selection function analysis elucidated habitat preferences across species and their various breeding stages. Our findings highlight a significant correlation between movement directions and current dynamics, with species-specific preferences for oceanographic features such as eddies and frontal systems. While SST, SLA, and Chl consistently influence habitat selection across all species, only SST significantly impacts habitat selection across all breeding stages. Moreover, some species demonstrate avoidance behaviour toward areas with sea ice. These results underscore the importance of considering individual species ecological needs and behaviours in marine conservation strategies, especially given the rapidly changing conditions of the Southern Ocean. Our study emphasizes the critical role of sophisticated modelling techniques in understanding predator-prey dynamics and habitat utilization, which are essential for creating effective marine protected areas and management plans. Future research should focus on enhancing model resolution and integrating more comprehensive environmental data to better predict and manage marine predator populations within shifting global ocean conditions, thereby ensuring their long-term survival and ecological balance. Additionally, adaptive management strategies are needed to respond to unpredicted changes in habitat conditions and predators responses.

The Meliora Podcast Student Research Symposium is part of the 2024 Student Takeover Season where we celebrate the fantastic sustainability research work of our Undergraduate Students.

Episode Guest: Francois-Xavier Lecomte 
Episode Host: Prof Simon Kemp
Episode Editor: Libby Kale

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In this episode of the Meliora Podcast Student Research Symposium we are joined by Aeronautics and Astronautics student Manisha Mahesh Kumar to discuss her dissertation 'Route Optimisation for Space Debris Removal'.

Manisha discusses her unique approach for space debris removal and remediation with particular focus of SDG9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure and SDG11: Sustainable Cities and Communities. She explains the current state of the space environment and major events that contributed to space debris accumulation. She elaborates on how a satellite moves through space and how the different manoeuvres it makes contribute to the algorithm design. Manisha details how the algorithm can be tailored by the user to suit the mission profile. We also talk about the comparison of this algorithm to existing heuristics with regards to the computational power used and the optimality of the generated route. Finally, we explore her journey throughout completion of this project. To help listeners grasp the complexity of this issue, she suggests visiting AstriaGraph, a platform for visualizing all bodies, including debris, orbiting the Earth in real-time.

AstriaGraph: http://astria.tacc.utexas.edu/AstriaGraph/

The Meliora Podcast Student Research Symposium is part of the 2024 Student Takeover Session where we celebrate the fantastic sustainability research work of our Undergraduate students.

Episode Guest: Manisha Mahesh Kumar

Episode Host: Prof Simon Kemp

Episode Editor: Libby Kale

Engage with us on Instagram and X: @meliorapodcast