Smart Talk

The current and future uses of robots in health care and education is discussed by Dr Craig Sutherland from the University of Auckland during the 2019 Raising the Bar night.

Listen to Dr Craig Sutherland discussing the use for robots are in health and education.

From stealing our jobs to overthrowing humankind, robots get a hard time in the media.

But what does a future with robots really look like? Spoiler alert: It's not quite like Arnold Schwarzenegger wielding a gun as The Terminator, or the medical droid which repaired Luke Skywalker's arm in the Star Wars movie series. 

This captivating talk covers everything you've ever wanted to know about robots, from their limitations, to a world where robots and humans co-exist.

Craig touches on how they have changed health care and education so far and, critically, where they have failed to make a difference.

What will they even look like in the future? And what tasks would a robot doctor or robot teacher do, versus what a person does?

About the speaker

Dr Craig Sutherland is a professional teaching fellow in the Department of Electrical, Computer and Software Engineering, where he teaches the next generation of engineers to build robots and other systems.

Previously, he worked in the Centre for Automation and Robotics Engineering Science (CARES), where he explored how people and robots can interact together, and how to improve robots in healthcare. Prior to getting a PhD in Human Computer Education, he worked in healthcare, education and software engineering.

Craig's research focuses on two areas: how robots interact with people and how people learn to program  computers. These interests conclude in teaching children how to program  robots, especially his own. He regularly visits schools around Auckland to introduce robots and programming, so the next generation will be inspired to improve our robots.

Raising the Bar was recorded in association with the University of Auckland

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The history and current trends in economics, and Bhutan's alternative to GNP, is discussed by Dr Ross McDonald from the University of Auckland during the 2019 Raising the Bar night.

  Listen to Dr Ross McDonald discussing how the 18th-century economic theorist Adam Smith is misrepresented, and why one kind of happiness is better than another 

Is money or happiness more important?

For the fourth King of Bhutan the answer was clear. In 1972 he declared that his country would pursue a goal of maximising happiness instead of economic growth, sparking an international debate.

As the King put it: "Economics is a means to an end and can never be an end in itself."

The idea of economics in this essentially Buddhist view is that business and money are a means to human flourishing and that in the modern world happiness and wellbeing are increasingly sacrificed in the name of economic growth.

In this thought-provoking talk Ross speaks about the growing international movement which aims to redefine how we understand and use economics, and the value that we place on happiness.

About the speaker

Dr Ross McDonald is a multiple-award winning teacher working in the areas of economic justice, sustainability and economic development.

He has worked on educational advancement with the United Nations, on the economics and psychology of wellbeing with the OECD and played a significant role in the development of Bhutan's unique approach to development in the form of gross national happiness.

Ross was an inaugural teaching fellow at the University of Auckland Centre for Learning Advancement and Research and teaches courses in organisational ethics and sustainability.

Raising the Bar was recorded in association with the University of Auckland

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The interrelationship between the history of propaganda and our world of digital surveillance is discussed by Dr Ethan Plaut from the University of Auckland during the 2019 Raising the Bar night.

Listen to Dr Ethan Plaut discussing the intertwined history of propaganda and digital surveillance.

Whether you're handling your digital business or just scrolling for the lulz, every moment you're online could be commodified twice over: while advertisers and propagandists purchase shards of your attention, the surveillance industry simultaneously extracts a constellation of data points about who you are and exactly what you're doing.

Many people believe these processes converge when all that data is used to microtarget and more effectively persuade you. But, Plaut explains in this talk, the truth is much more bizarre.

And how this new technology works echoes traditional examples of propaganda such as Leni Riefenstahl's notorious anti-Semitic film Triumph of the Will, a manifestation of Nazi ideology.

Some messages are targeted at us to drum up business or anger, belief or doubt. But some messages are generated by one algorithm to trick another algorithm - without regard for the human audiences caught between.

Likewise, your personal data could be used immediately to develop artificial intelligence, or that data could sit idle for years, awaiting unlikely uses of which the governments and corporations that surveil us haven't yet even dreamt.

About the speaker

Dr Ethan Plaut is a lecturer in Media and Communication at the University of Auckland specialising in computational media, disconnection and communication avoidance, digital journalism and propaganda, and media ethics.

He previously held postdoctoral fellowships in both Computer Science and Rhetoric at Stanford University and is also a former journalist, which included spending three years at an independent newspaper in Cambodia.

Raising the Bar was recorded in association with the University of Auckland

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The pros and cons of legalising cannabis is explored by Professor Benedikt Fischer from the University of Auckland during the 2019 Raising the Bar night.

Listen to Prof. Benedikt Fischer on the societal and health issues associated with the legalisation of cannabis.

Nothing divides a room quite like one of the country's burning issues of the moment: cannabis legalisation and its pros and cons.

What are the short and long term health effects of cannabis use? How would we best reduce cannabis-related health harms under legalisation? What will legalisation mean for young people? Would decriminalisation be a better option?

With the cannabis policy referendum looming, the country is scrambling to get to grips about what New Zealand's best options are for cannabis control.

Benedikt Fischer discusses different models of cannabis legalisation, regulatory options for use and supply control, and the potential consequences of legalisation. His talk is based on scientific knowledge, and the recent history of different approaches towards cannabis which have been put into effect round the world.

About the speaker

Professor Benedikt Fischer is the Hugh Green Foundation Chair in Addiction Research at the University of Auckland's Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences. Previously, he held senior academic positions including the Addiction Psychiatry Chair at the University of Toronto and the Applied Public Health Research Chair at Simon Fraser University in Canada.

Benedikt's interdisciplinary science focuses on health and social correlates of psychoactive substance use and related co-morbidities (such as mental health) as well as evidence-based interventions and policy. He has worked on public health-oriented frameworks for cannabis control for two decades and acted as scientific advisor to the Canadian Government in developing its cannabis legalisation framework.

Raising the Bar was recorded in association with the University of Auckland

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Corruption at government level and within society is discussed by Assoc. Prof. Tim Kuhner from the University of Auckland during the 2019 Raising the Bar night.

Listen to Assoc. Prof. Tim Kuhner on how corruption has intensified inequality around the world

Donald Trump has made corruption in the United States more famous than ever. But American democracy was downright rotten before Trump, says Tim Kuhner, and this talk explains why that is - and why New Zealanders should care.

It turns out that, despite its reputation as one of the least corrupt countries, New Zealand has serious vulnerabilities to government of, by, and for the wealthy.

Tim explains why that is and why, if you don't already care about this, you should!

Corruption, plutocracy, and kleptocracy will all be household names after this talk. And yet, it's not a total downer - it turns out that there are ample reasons for hope.

About the speaker

Tim Kuhner is a writer and law professor known for his critical approaches to the state of democracy today. He is the author of Capitalism v. Democracy: Money in Politics and the Free Market Constitution (Stanford University Press, 2014), a book that received acclaim from the Harvard Law Review, Thomas Piketty, and Lawrence Lessig. He is also the co-editor of Democracy by the People (Cambridge University Press, 2018), an edited volume on campaign finance reform. Tim teaches courses on anti-corruption law and comparative constitutional law at the University of Auckland. 

Raising the Bar was recorded in association with the University of Auckland

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The increasingly Pacific nature of New Zealand society is explored by Assoc. Prof. Damon Salesa from the University of Auckland during the 2019 Raising the Bar night.

  Listen to Assoc. Prof Damon Salesa on how NZ is becoming more Pacific by the hour

"Pacific people and communities have become an outstanding source of innovation and leadership in New Zealand. They have charted a new future for our country in ways most New Zealanders have yet to appreciate.

As New Zealand rapidly becomes more Pacific, these changes have begun to shift from the edges of New Zealand to its centres.

What would it mean for New Zealand to recognise and embrace its Pacific talent and finally act like a Pacific nation? Damon says we need to adapt to a future that has already happened.

In this talk he illustrates how New Zealand's future is increasingly a Pacific one, across economic, social, political, cultural and creative dimensions.

About the speaker

Dr Damon Salesa is a scholar of Pacific politics, history, technology, culture and society.  He is the University of Auckland's Pro Vice-Chancellor Pacific.

He is a prizewinning author of works on the Pacific, New Zealand, race and politics and author and editor of a number of books including Tangata o le Moana (2012) and Island Time: New Zealand's Pacific Futures (2017). His book Racial Crossings (2012) won the Ernest Scott Prize.

Damon is a graduate of the University of Auckland and Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar. Samoan-born and raised in Glen Innes, he hails from Satapuala and Falealupo.

Raising the Bar was recorded in association with the University of Auckland

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Beauty treatments for women during the Renaissance are discussed by Dr Erin Griffey from the University of Auckland during the 2019 Raising the Bar night.

Listen to Dr Erin Griffey on the beauty treatments and regimes undertaken by women in the Renaissance

Looking flawless hundreds of years ago was no easy feat but, for royal women of Tudor and Stuart England, beauty was of extreme significance.

Beauty was closely associated with purity, goodness and even chastity. In a bid to uphold a righteous reputation, queens invested vast amounts of time and money to make themselves look wealthy, virtuous and gorgeous.

Constrictive undergarments, resplendent fabrics and glittering jewels adorned their bodies, while elaborate and sometimes toxic beauty routines were used to complete their look.

These women were constantly on show and keenly aware of the importance of appearances at all times. In this captivating talk Dr Griffey examines the pressure a royal woman endured to prove her superiority, health and wealth to the public eye. Along the way, she reveals how some beauty treatments have changed little over the centuries.

About the speaker

Dr Erin Griffey is an associate professor of Art History at the University of Auckland and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, London. She is a specialist in early modern visual and material culture and has published widely on the Stuart court. Her monograph, On Display: Henrietta Maria and the Materials of Magnificence at the Stuart Court, was published by Yale University Press in 2015. She has appeared on the BBC's Fake or Fortune as well as Charles I's Treasures Reunited. She is also the co-author and editor of Sartorial Politics: Fashioning Women at the Early Modern Court.

Raising the Bar was recorded in association with the University of Auckland

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The role of gut bugs in health is explored by Dr Wayne Cutfield from the University of Auckland during the 2019 Raising the Bar night.

The role of gut bugs in health is explored by Dr Wayne Cutfield at the 2019 Raising the Bar night.

Listen to Dr Wayne Cutfield on recent discoveries about the importance of gut bugs to our health

Who made the call to eat a second scone at the coffee shop? You or your gut bugs?

These tiny but influential bacteria that live in our bodies are called gut microbiome - and they may be manipulating more aspects of your life than you realise.

Studies show that our gut bugs influence not only our health but also our mental wellbeing, behaviour and appetite.

Dementia, anxiety, autism, liver disease and a host of other issues can be linked to our gut bugs. So how can we fix gut bugs gone bad?

The solution probably isn't what you'd expect.

Brace yourself, because one of the most exciting new frontiers of medical research will unveil itself in this remarkable talk by one of New Zealand's experts in the field.

Dr Wayne Cutfield

Dr Wayne Cutfield is a professor of paediatric endocrinology at the University of Auckland and director of A Better Start National Science Challenge. He was previously director of the Liggins Institute. He has published more than 250 peer-reviewed manuscripts in leading journals that include the New England Journal of Medicine and the Lancet. He was featured in the perspectives section of the Lancet in 2015. His research interests include the gut microbiome, understanding our microbiome and microbiome treatment. He has also focused on early life events that impact long-term health and wellbeing. He balances a busy clinical career with his research activities.

Raising the Bar was recorded in association with the University of Auckland

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details