This is a very special episode of Sci_Burst – our first ever live recording!!!

Press play to learn about third places, the science and hope of community, and accessible futures.

Thanks to our live audience, videographer, and Woden Library staff for making this such a cosy and special recording xx

This project is supported by Inspiring Australia ACT and the ACT Government. Our equipment for this live recording was also made possible by YWCA Canberra.

Episode time stamps:

0:00 Episode intro

2:53 What are third places?

14:06 The science of community and third places

34:23 Hopeful community futures

45:27 Good News segment

Want more? Here are some things we spoke about in this episode that we recommend:

- The Great Good Place (1989) by Ray Oldenburg

- Closure of ‘third places’? Exploring potential consequences for collective health and wellbeing (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S135382921930735X)

- Integrating the environmental and genetic architectures of aging and mortality (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-024-03483-9)

- What are Third Places and Why Do They Matter? (https://www.shankerinstitute.org/blog/what-are-third-places-and-why-do-they-matter)

- 'Third places' are good for your wellbeing and wallet. Here is how to find yours (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-14/third-spaces-benefits-wellbeing-and-wallet/103577022)

- Libraries are becoming 'community living rooms' keeping regional Australians connected (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-05-31/libraries-offer-safe-space-and-inclusion-in-regional-communities/105312932)

Good News Stories:

https://www.theguardian.com/wellness/2024/feb/02/prioritize-friend-relationships-loneliness-health

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/mar/13/playing-thriving-reef-sounds-underwater-speakers-save-damaged-corals

#scicomm #community #thirdplaces #hopefulfutures #solarpunk #libraries #walkablecommunities #accessibility

Loved the Superman (2025) movie and looking for more #punk hope? 👩‍🎤 You've come to the right place! Listen to this episode to learn all about the punk of #solarpunk, where it came from, and how it differs (in a very good way!) from other -punk genres like #cyberpunk and #steampunk 😎🤙 Kindness and optimism, with a dash of #sustainability, are officially IN!☀️🫶💛

Episode Time Stamps:

0:00 Episode intro1:36 What even is 'punk'? Definitions

14:52 Punk in Solarpunk vs punk adjacent genres

35:00 Towards a punk-i-fied future

41:14 Good news segment

Want More? Here are some of the things we spoke about in this episode that we recommend:

- Punk Identities, Punk Utopias: Global Punk and Media edited by Matt Grimes

- “Solarpunk” & the Pedagogical Value of Utopia" by Isaijah Johnson (https://www.susted.com/wordpress/content/solarpunk-the-pedagogical-value-of-utopia_2020_05/)

- Where is the Punk in Solarpunk? Questioning Tradition and Innovation in an Eco-optimist Digital Aesthetic? by Théo Maligeay (https://hal.science/hal-04295131v2/document)

- Global cyberpunk: Reclaiming utopia in Japanese cyberpunk film by Sasha Myerson (https://www.liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk/doi/10.3828/sfftv.2020.21)

- Planting Seeds of Hope: A Survey of Solarpunk Futures by Dilan Guner

- Solarpunk: Notes toward a manifesto by Adam Flynn (https://hieroglyph.asu.edu/2014/09/solarpunk-notes-toward-a-manifesto/)

Good News Stories:

https://www.euronews.com/green/2025/04/17/clean-energy-from-rain-scientists-generate-electricity-from-falling-droplets

https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/infant-rare-incurable-disease-first-successfully-receive-personalized-gene-therapy-treatment

#scicomm #popculture #radicaloptimism #kindness

What are solarpunk systems and can they help us toward a more positive future?

Join Ella and Isabel in the first episode of this Solarpunk season of Sci_Burst!

This episode is for you if:

- you're new to Solarpunk

- you like Solarpunk and want to explore it more

- you're interested in positive stories

- you want to imagine a sustainable and attainable future

- you see wider connections in the world around you

- you LOVE fiction (particularly sci-fi and speculative fiction)

Episode Time Stamps:

0:00 Episode Intro

1:57 Solarpunk Recap

6:22 What are Solarpunk systems?

8:03 Fictional Solarpunk systems

29:58 Current Solarpunk systems

56:54 Future Solarpunk systems

1:11:31 Good News segment!

Want More? Here are some of the things we spoke about in this episode that we recommend reading/listening/watching/loving :

- Solar Power (discless music box) by Lorde

- Ecotopia by Ernest Callenbach

- Monk and Robot series by Becky Chambers

- Rewilding the Urban Soul by Claire Dunn

- Feral by George Monbiot

- Economics of rewilding by Emmanuel Faure et al.

- An Exploration of Environmental Values in Outer Space by Michael Aaron Lindquist

- Mad Max by George Miller

- Furiosa by George Miller

- Strange World by Don Hall

- Wikipedia by YOU (seriously we love contributing to wikipedia and thank all the amazing contributors)

Welcome to a teaser for our upcoming third season of Sci_Burst! Here we introduce your Sci_Burst podcast hosts, tease our next season's theme, hint towards some of our upcoming episodes, and even drop a big exciting piece of news. It's Season 3 and we're trying something completely different: video! Whether you like to listen, watch, or somewhere in-between - we've got the podcast for you and this time we're going SolarPunk. Join us as we start this sustainable, punk, and community podcast with a teaser of all that's to come.

Sci_Burst is a science in pop culture podcast hosted by Isabel and Ella, two next gen science communicators based at the Australian National University. Our episodes cover everything from science in film and video games to comics, music, toys and beyond! Sci_Burst can be enjoyed by anyone and everyone, no matter your level of expertise. We’re here to make science accessible in a fun way, spark further discussions about all things STEM, and grow a community of people happy to be nerdy about science in pop culture. Learn more about us here: https://popsicule.weblogs.anu.edu.au/

Follow us on our socials for more science in pop culture content!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sci_burst/

LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/company/sci-burst

Mastodon: https://mastodon.social/@sci_burst

Want to get in touch? Email us at [email protected]

On this sunny Sunday morning we bring you our final episode for Season 2! Join us, and special guest Isaac Martin, as we talk all things renewable energy ☀️, technologies of the desert 🐪, and the future of Australian car culture 🚗✨

We explore Australia’s #potential as a sustainability hub & clean energy superpower 💚💛, the impacts & innovation of initiatives like the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge & ANU Solar Racing 🏎️, and all this alongside #popculture like Max Max and Summernats 😎

…and if you listen till the end, you’ll discover our theme for Season 3 😉😉

To kick off 2025, we bring you a fascinating episode on archaeology and pop culture, featuring special guest and budding archaeologist Phoebe Barnes!🏺⛏️🦴

Do you love Tomb Raider? 🪦🧩 Indiana Jones? 🤠🛕 Jurassic Park? 🦖🦕 Then this episode is for you.

We touch on archaeogaming 👾, representations of archaeologists on screen vs archaeologists irl 🗿📜, and the mix and bleed of scientific thinking and the humanities.

We hope you enjoy it!

What do ballon art and storytelling have in common? They are both great avenues for Science Communication AND are skills of this episode's guest: Dr Chloe Lim.

Join us as we enter the amazing world that is SciComm for Kids! We're talking DIY science kits, STEM themed books, and even baking.

This feel good episode also touches on being a business babe and a shining light for CALD voices in STEM. So press play and enjoy :)

Does thinking of maths make you spiral? Don't worry! This episode we are joined by teacher-in-training and maths enthusiast Will Roberts to talk to us about maths anxiety across reality and fiction!

Struggling to think of maths teachers in your favourite high school tv show? Scarred by maths classrooms? The two may be more related than you think!

Join us as we look for the beauty in mathematics, and have hope in the future of maths classrooms with empathetic and passionate teachers like Will. All this & more, just press play >>

Add to the conversation! Let us know your thoughts on our socials @sci_burst or via our gmail [email protected] ✨ Stay nerdy and we'll see you in the next episode.

Why do science labs look like *that* ?

What is alchemy?

What came before the science we know today?

And what does spiderman have to do with all of this?

Our guest Lilia deep dives with us into the history of science talking about alchemy, astrology, greek myths, spiderman, star trek and so much more.

If you've ever wanted to know why evil/mad/genius science labs look like *that* in fiction - you've come to the right place!

Add to the conversation! Let us know your thoughts on our socials @sci_burst or via our gmail [email protected] ✨ Stay nerdy and we'll see you in the next episode.

In this cinematic episode of Sci_Burst our special guest Professor Kenneth Lampl from the ANU School of Music joins to talk about the history of music in movies.

From John William's handwritten music to Hans Zimmer's film score digital revolution, learn with us how technology, cinema, people, and sound, continue to influence each other throughout time.

Curious to know how King Kong and Star Wars changed how we listen to movies forever? You need only to press play!

Add to the conversation! Let us know your thoughts on our socials @sci_burst or via our gmail [email protected] ✨ Stay nerdy and we'll see you in the next episode.