Naturally Speaking

In this episode Dr. Dave Bailey and undergraduate students Youssra Bennadji and Lauren Wilson speak with Naturally Speaking’s John Smout and Caroline Sharp about some of the aspects of the Tropical Marine Biology field course. This is a final year option offered as part of the School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine (SBOHVM)’s Zoology programme. Together they explore what we can expect when embarking on these trips. Exploring the fun and challenges of diving in Egypt, how the programme works, and hearing from professional and student perspectives is just a part of what we highlight in this episode.

Ingrid Salazar Zamudio edited the podcast.

Intro and outro music sampled from: “The Curtain Rises” and “Early Riser” Kevin MacLeod [CC BY 3.0]. 

Join Hollie French and Holly Niven in this episode as they sit down with Jessie McCarthy and Euan Bennet to discuss how different stakeholders perceive risks to horses in racing.

How do these risks arise on race day? Where may public perceptions differ from those within the racing industry? And how did Jessie and Euan develop this research project in the first place?

In this conversation, they explore the key themes identified through interviews with participants: ‘Managing Risk, or Managing the Message?’, ‘The Balance between Tradition and Progress on Reducing Risks’, and ‘Attributing Responsibility and the Public Disconnect’, all drawn from their recent publication (linked below). This episode offers a thoughtful, nuanced look at the complexities surrounding horse welfare and communication in the sport.

You can read Jessie’s and Euan’s full study here: https://beva.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/evj.14561

Jessie McCarthy is a graduate of the Animal Welfare, Ethics, and Law Masters at the University of Glasgow and a final-year Veterinary Medicine student at the University of Surrey.

Euan Bennet is a Lecturer in Research and Numerical Skills in the School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine at the University of Glasgow.

If you enjoyed this conversion you might also like Episode 98 – Horse Racing: Fatal injuries, risk factors and evidence-based interventions.

Holly Niven and Hollie French conducted the podcast. Caroline Sharp and Shennice Knight edited the podcast. Holly wrote the podcast blurb. Intro and outro music sampled from: “The Curtain Rises” and “Early Riser” Kevin MacLeod [CC BY 3.0]. The blog cover photo is an AI generated image, created using image generator in ChatGPT.

In this episode Dr. Oskar Brattstrom and undergraduate students Bridget Nielsen and Katie Mulholland speak with Naturally Speaking’s Anders Erlandson, Caroline Sharp and Taya Forde about some of the aspects of the Ecology and Conservation of African Ecosystems field course. This is a final year option offered as part of the School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine (SBOHVM)’s Zoology programme. Together they explore what can we expect when embarking on these trips. Exploring the intricacies of conservation practices in East Africa, how the programme works, and hearing from professional and student perspectives is just a part of what we highlight in this episode.

Whether you are a student or just a nature enthusiast, this conversation uncovers a trip to one of the most beautiful ecosystems on earth, while talking about the motivations and challenges for this wonderful programme.

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This podcast was edited by: Anders Erlandson. Web content was edited by Ingrid Salazar Zamudio.

Intro and outro music sampled from: “The Curtain Rises” and “Early Riser” Kevin MacLeod [CC BY 3.0]. All images courtesy of Dr Oskar Brattstrom.

Parenting can be a full-time job, and so can pursuing a PhD. For those wearing both hats, how do you manage them effectively? If you are navigating this path or simply curious, jump right into this very interesting and insightful podcast.

The conservation continues from Episode 97 with Anna Formstone – a PhD student at SBOHVM and a parent herself – joined by six other PhD parents as they share insights on balancing the demands of parenting with academic life.

In part 2, they talk more about building a schedule that works for them to accommodate childcare, raising a family and school work; working with their supervisors, managing finances and future plans.

This podcast was edited by Holly Niven and the blog post blurb was written by Praise Adeyemo.

Intro and outro music sampled from: “The Curtain Rises” and “Early Riser” Kevin MacLeod [CC BY 3.0]. Feature image AI generated through ChatGPT.

In this episode, Holly Niven and Taya Forde speak with Euan Bennet, Lecturer in Research and Numerical Skills at the University of Glasgow and expert in risk factor analysis in Equine Sports. He introduces us to common fatal horse racing injuries and talks about his most recent paper https://doi.org/10.1111/evj.14503 where he uncovered novel risk factors associated with fatal injuries in race horses. He shares with us how his work supports evidence-based interventions and regulatory changes aimed at reducing fatal injury risk, as well as giving us an overview of exciting avenues for future work.

This podcast was edited by Holly Niven.

Feature image AI-generated through WordPress.

Intro and outro music sampled from: “The Curtain Rises” and “Early Riser” Kevin MacLeod [CC BY 3.0]

Balancing Parenthood and a PhD: when your research proposal isn’t the only thing keeping you up at night!

What happens when two major life challenges collide: undertaking a PhD and raising a child? In the UK, women now outnumber men in doctoral research positions, making the issue of balancing a PhD with caring responsibilities more relevant than ever.

Anna Formstone, a PhD student at SBOHVM, knows this first-hand. After having a baby during her first year, she became curious about how fellow PhD students at SBOHVM were managing the demands of both academia and family life and how well supported they felt in the process. In this episode of Natural Speaking, Anna speaks with six PhD parents, five mothers and a father, at SBOHVM who are navigating that balance.

Their conversation explores everything from maternity leave (and how policies differ between funders) to work schedules, future careers, and the realities of doing fieldwork as a parent. They discuss the challenges they have encountered but also the surprising positives that doing a PhD while being a parent can bring.

This podcast was edited by Shennice Knight.

Intro and outro music sampled from: “The Curtain Rises” and “Early Riser” Kevin MacLeod [CC BY 3.0]. Feature image AI generated through ChatGPT.

In this episode, Taya Forde speaks with Jos Bongers – a veterinary clinician specializing in neurology. She tells us all about the University of Glasgow’s Small Animal Hospital Seizure Clinic – the first of its kind in Scotland.

This podcast was edited by Shennice Deandrea Knight.

Feature image AI generated through WordPress.

Intro and outro music sampled from: “The Curtain Rises” and “Early Riser” Kevin MacLeod [CC BY 3.0]

In this episode of Naturally Speaking, PhD students Mar Pineda and Nic Strowbridge interview our 2024 Darwin Day speaker, Professor Rebecca Kilner FRS, an evolutionary biologist as well as the Head of Zoology and Director of the Museum of Zoology at the University of Cambridge. Professor Kilner shares her journey into the field of evolutionary biology which began in her sixth form after being inspired by popular science books on evolution.

Professor Kilner’s research focuses on the evolution of parental care, particularly in burying beetles. Her experiments have shown how these beetles adapt their care strategies in response to environmental pressures, revealing rapid evolutionary changes. She emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary approaches, integrating genomics, proteomics, and biomechanics to enhance our understanding of evolutionary biology.

We also find out about Professor Kilner’s passion for public engagement and the role of natural history museums in our communities, as well as the role it can play on aspiring scientists. Tune into the podcast to learn more about Professor Kilner’s academic journey and work in public engagement. We hope you enjoy the discussion!

Banner image: Lesser Vespillo Burying Beetle (Nicrophorus vespilloides) by Ludivine Lamare via Wikimedia Commons

Are we using the right statistics? It is a contentious question in science. Statistics may seem like a hard, objective discipline, but there are in fact many different opinions and methods when it comes to analyzing our data. Today on Naturally Speaking we are discussing the two main schools of statistics; frequentist and Bayesian statistics. We also discuss if we are teaching statistics correctly and what are the obstacles for biology students faced with learning statistics.

In this episode of Naturally Speaking, two PhD students navigating the world of statistics talk to two of SBOHVMs leading statisticians; Dr Sofie Spatharis and Prof. Jason Matthiopoulos. Sofie teaches undergraduate statistics, laying the ground work of statistical theory. Jason teaches Bayesian stats as a master’s course, building on the framework provided by Sofie to explain Bayesian theories and the practicalities of this field. We hope you enjoy this interesting discussion.

Feature image: AI image generated in Canva.

Post: Graeme Cullen and Rachel Lennon.

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Intro and outro music sampled from: “The Curtain Rises” and “Early Riser” Kevin MacLeod [CC BY 3.0]

The International Day of Women and Girls in STEM is on February 11th and celebrates the fantastic work of women and girls in STEM. Our University is full of many amazing women doing incredible work in the field of STEM, providing countless role models for young women aspiring to be scientists. However, this wasn’t always the case, with prejudice keeping women outside of STEM based disciplines for many years. It was through the persistent and unflinching work of a few women that the way was paved, allowing so many others to follow in their footsteps and create a more diverse scientific field today.

In this episode of Naturally Speaking we are speaking to Pat Monaghan, the Regius Professor of Zoology at SBOHVM. She shares her experiences as a woman working in this field, and how things have changed over time.

Feature image: AI image generated in Canva.

Post: Rachel Lennon, Edited by Graeme Cullen

Subscribe to automatically receive all our latest content or just our podcasts. We are also available on iTunes and other podcast providers.

Intro and outro music sampled from: “The Curtain Rises” and “Early Riser” Kevin MacLeod [CC BY 3.0]