This week we’re joined by forest ecologist, tree climber, and science tour guide Yoav Daniel Bar-Ness, founder of Giant Tree Expeditions. From climbing the world’s tallest flowering plant to mapping Hiroshima’s atomic survivor trees, Yoav has spent decades exploring the lives and legacies of trees across the globe. In this episode, we explore how Tasmania’s towering forests can tell powerful stories and how Yoav is using science tourism to reconnect people with these extraordinary landscapes.

Show theme music: Kevin MacLeod

Thank you to the whole TWICS team for the incredible behind-the-scenes volunteering every week! 

Host: Dr Hannah Moore (@HannahClareMoore)

Production: Dr Simin Salarpour (@SalarpourSimin)

Media & Promotion: Ella Burgun 

In today’s episode, we take a walk down an unusual road: the pathway inside our own brains. 

Dr James Crane tells Olly about his work in neuroanatomy, how neural pathways and hormones can lead to avoidance behaviour, and how we even go about studying what’s in our heads to begin with. 

Show theme music: Kevin MacLeod

Thank you to the whole TWICS team for the incredible behind-the-scenes volunteering every week! 

Host: Dr Olly Dove (Insta: ols_dove)
Production: Richard Siu (Insta: richard.siu.photography)
Media & Promotion: Georgia Stewart (@ggstew25)

From marsupial reproductive biology to microscopic anatomy - aka histology - the scale of Dr Jamie Chapman’s work in how bodies function has gotten progressively smaller over the years.

What hasn’t gotten smaller is Jamie’s big-picture look at the teaching of histology within Australian medical degrees. In today’s episode, Jamie tells Olly and Meredith about histology’s place within the curriculum, as well as how technology and flexible learning opportunities can help students thrive.   

Show theme music: Kevin MacLeod

Thank you to the whole TWICS team for the incredible behind-the-scenes volunteering every week! 

Host: Dr Olly Dove (Insta: ols_dove)

Co-Host: Dr Meredith Castles (@MeredithCastles)

Production: Ryan Smith

Media & Promotion: Zi Yi Kho

In today’s episode, Dr. Sam Rose opens the operating curtains to give us a glimpse into her journey of becoming a doctor. 

Dr Sam tells Olly and Tegan about how she went from high school to medical school to becoming a paediatric advanced trainee! She talks about the highs and the lows of becoming a doctor and what her future as a doctor for kids might look like!

Show theme music: Kevin MacLeod

Thank you to the whole TWICS team for the incredible behind-the-scenes volunteering every week! 

Host: Dr Olly Dove (Insta: ols_dove)

Co-host: Tegan Clark (Insta: scientist.tegan)

Production: Hannah Moore (@HannahCMoore)

Media & Promotion: Katya Bandow (Insta: @katyabandow)

In this episode, we dive into the journeys of two Tassie scientists—TWICS’s own Dr. Meredith Castles and Dr. Jane Younger—who have been selected as part of Science & Technology Australia’s prestigious Superstars of STEM program. This initiative is designed to elevate the visibility of women and non-binary people in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, equipping them with media and leadership skills to become role models for future generations.

Meredith and Jane share their unique paths into STEM, the impact they hope to make as Superstars, and why representation in science communication is more crucial than ever. They also discuss the challenges women in STEM face, the power of mentorship, and how we can inspire the next generation of scientists.

Show theme music: Kevin MacLeod

Host: Dr Olly Dove (@olly_dove)

Co-Host: Dr Meredith Castles (@MeredithCstles)

Production: Dr Simin Salarpour (@SalarpourSimin)

Media & Promotion: Emma Hamasaki (@EmmaHamasaki)

In this episode of That's What I Call Science, hosts Dr. Olly Dove and Emma Hamasaki interview Ann Kristin Lund Johansen from the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies. Originally from Norway and having studied in the UK before coming to Tasmania, Ann Kristin discusses her PhD research on the drivers of ice mass loss in East Antarctica. She explains the importance of studying ice mass loss for accurate sea level rise projections, her use of Full Stokes equations in her research, and how her international academic journey has shaped her scientific perspective. Beyond her scientific work, Ann Kristin shares her passion for dance, outdoor activities, and poetry, highlighting how these artistic pursuits complement her scientific research.

Show theme music: Kevin MacLeod

Host: Dr Olly Dove (@olly_dove)

Co-Host: Emma Hamasaki

Production: Ryan Smith

Media & Promotion: Georgia Stewart (@ggstew25)

“Education, perhaps more than anything else, is a passport to a better life” beautifully sums up the work and aim of the Peter Underwood Centre for Educational Attainment. In today’s episode, Kate and Tegan sat down with Georgia Sutton who is the Manager of the Children’s University Tasmania, a program under the Peter Underwood Centre that provides informal learning opportunities to schools and communities across Tasmania. Georgia talks about the important work delivered by the Children’s University and how it fosters important skills like confidence and curiosity. We also dive into how young people across Tasmania are engaging in STEM and what the future of education in Tasmania could look like. 

Show theme music: Kevin MacLeod

Thank you to the whole TWICS team for the incredible behind-the-scenes volunteering every week! 

Host: Dr Kate Johnson (@KatePlantPhys)

Co-Host: Tegan Clark (@scientist.tegan)

Production: Dr Simin Salarpour (@SalarpourSimin)

Media & Promotion: Zi Yi Kho

In this episode of That's What I Call Science, host Dr. Olly Dove interviews regular co-host Emma Hamasaki about her diverse career path. Emma shares her journey from studying marine science at the University of Tasmania to becoming a passionate science communicator involved with projects like Redmap and Curious Climate. She discusses her work with the Centre for Marine Socioecology, her experience performing at TedX, and her current role with the Greens party. This episode offers listeners insight into the intersection of science, communication, and politics through Emma's personal and professional experiences in lutruwita/Tasmania.

Show theme music: Kevin MacLeod

Host: Dr Olly Dove (@olly_dove)
Co-Host: Emma Hamasaki
Production: Richard Siu
Media & Promotion: Katya Bandow (@katyabandow)

Join TWICS’s three co-managers on a bus-turned-restaurant in a Hobart pub on a sunny day.  With relaxing ambient pub sounds, Anna Abela and Dr Olly Dove chat with Dr Kate Johnson about her experience doing postdoctoral research in Switzerland and a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowship in Barcelona, Spain. Hear the challenges and highlights of Kate’s experience so far plus advice to ECRS considering applying for fellowships and conducting research overseas. Share in the joy of a rare in-person reunion of Olly, Anna and Kate!

Show theme music: Kevin MacLeod

Host: Dr Olly Dove (@olly_dove)

Co-Host: Anna Abela (@annaoabela)

Production:  Hannah Moore (@HannahCMoore)

Media & Promotion: Emma Hamasaki (@EmmaHamasaki)

The United Nations Climate Change Conference is the biggest climate conference in the world, bringing together Government officials, scientists, industry groups and civil society to solve the climate crisis. So how did a PhD student find herself travelling to Azerbaijan to fight for climate justice at COP29? 

In this episode, Olly sits down with Tegan Clark to discuss her journey to COP29. She takes us behind the scenes of what it’s actually like to attend the biggest climate conference as a young person. Tegan also discusses her work with IncludeHer and advocating for better representation of diverse scientists in the Australian curriculum. 

Show theme music: Kevin MacLeod

Host: Dr Olly Dove (@olly_dove)

Production: Dr Meredith Castles (@MeredithCastles)