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How to pick the Raising the Bar talk that’s right for you

8 October 2019
Grab your friends, grab a drink and bring your curiosity. On 16 October, Raising the Bar Sydney is back! We're taking education out of the lecture theatre and into bars across Sydney.

On Wednesday 16 October you can enjoy two talks in one night; with academics delivering 21 talks across 11 bars in two different sessions – one at 6.30pm and another at 8pm.

That’s a lot of choices! Which is why we have put together a taste test of bars and talks so you can sample before you decide. 

Climate change and the rise of mosquitoes

Cameron Webb at Nick and Nora’s Parramatta

Summer’s just around the corner, and as soon as the temperature rises, mosquitoes come out to play. But what will happen as climate change warms up our cooler seasons? Will mosquitoes be a problem even in winter? And how much do we really know about them?

Pop down to Nick and Nora’s in Parramatta to hear mosquito expert Cameron Webb talk about the world of mosquitoes and where they come from, why they bite, and what climate change means for our relationship with the mosquito. And find out once and for all if they really are more attracted to you than to your friends.

Register for Cameron’s talk.

Rationalising fraud: Insights from offenders

Clinton Free at the Bristol Arms Hotel

Most crimes are committed on an impulse. However, fraud is frequently premeditated and perpetrated over a long period of time. For this reason, fraud is generally said to require an offender who is able to rationalise their misconduct.

Clinton Free has interviewed hundreds of fraud offenders in prisons across Australia and the U.S.A. to understand the way that offenders rationalise their misconduct. Join Clinton as he discusses how we can learn from, and potentially prevent, this crime.

Register for Clinton’s talk.

Back from the brink of extinction

Catherine Grueber’s talk at Button Bar

There’s no doubt about it — we’re in the midst of an extinction crisis. Human activity continues to endanger the populations of animal species worldwide. Luckily, there are enthusiastic conservation biologists working to save them. Catherine Grueber is using her genetics research to determine the most effective strategies for bringing populations back from the brink of extinction. She will discuss how the work being done today is helping to protect threatened species for the future and how to fix things when they go wrong.

Register for Catherine’s talk.

Seeking sustainability – one flush at a time

Jacqueline Thomas at Button Bar

What happens when you flush the toilet? It’s not something that many of us think about, but we need to. Globally, only 2.4 billion people have access to safe sanitation. That means there are over 4.6 billion people who don’t. Ever increasing quantities of human waste are contaminating our oceans and rivers with severe consequences for human health and the planet.

Join Jacqueline Thomas who will take you on her journey in seeking sustainability through improving sanitation across Africa, India, The Pacific Islands and Australia. She will weave the real-life, and sometimes humorous, realities of sanitation work with the global need to meet our sustainable development goals.

Register for Jaqueline’s talk.

Can we put an end to wrongful convictions?

Jason Chin at The Sussex Hotel

In the courtroom, forensic science is often leaned on by a jury to provide a conviction of guilt. We know, however, that the legal system doesn’t always get it right, both in Australia and abroad. With justice at stake, it raises the question, ‘why are our court rooms still getting it wrong?’ In the science world, the revelation of many surprising false discoveries led to the ‘open science’ movement which gave scientists the ability to verify (and often improve) each other’s work. So, why aren’t we doing the same in the forensic science world? In this talk Jason will discuss how the ‘open science’ approach could provide solutions to many of the problems that have plagued forensic science and bring an end to wrongful convictions.

Register for Jason’s talk.

Not sure which talk to see? Take the quiz to help you decide!

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