The Solutionists, with Mark Scott
Big challenges need big solutions. Meet the minds making it happen.
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Join Mark Scott, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Sydney, and get ready to view the world from a different perspective.
From our own wellbeing to the preservation of the planet, The Solutionists dives into the most pressing issues of our time and introduces you to the people unearthing the seeds of remarkable solutions.
THE SOLUTIONISTS SUMMER THROWBACK: Heatwaves kill more people than natural disasters combined, and Australia’s fiery summers are only getting hotter. Leading heat expert Ollie Jay is working on keeping the planet cool, and he can help you stay safe when temperatures soar.
Who owns Australian history? Who gets to tell Australia’s story? These are questions a museum curator can’t ignore – find out how modern museums are transforming into storytelling centres, platforming communities who hold deep knowledge about our nation.
Philosophy and politics professor Alexandre Lefebvre believes you’re probably a liberal, even if you don’t realise it. He explains why, and teaches you how to live a more purposefully liberal life.
Treating chronic health conditions is expensive, and the cost is only rising as more and more people develop these conditions. Some experts say that if things don’t change, nations won’t be able to fund anything but healthcare. Nutrition and longevity expert Luigi Fontana explains what a more proactive healthcare system could look like – and he’s got the evidence to show it works.
Why is trust breaking down across Australia? Lenore Taylor, editor-in-chief of the Guardian Australia, explains how we got here, and what we can do to build trust again.
There’s no one else on the planet just like you. So why do you take the same medicine as everyone else when you get sick? Professor David James sees a better way... And it starts with your genes.
We'd all like to think we can solve big problems alone, but that's just not possible for the climate crisis. That's why Professor Deanna D'Alessandro is pulling together a team of expert physicists, chemists, psychologists, business leaders and policy makers to sprint towards the goal of Net Zero by 2050.
Rae Cooper is Professor of Gender, Work and Employment Relations at the University of Sydney. She says Australia hasn’t come nearly far enough in the fight for gender equality at work, and there’s a few reasons why.
Ian Goldin, Professor of Globalisation and Development at the University of Oxford, says cities are the greatest engines of innovation. They’re melting pots, bringing together the top performers and brightest minds from all over the world. But they’re hotbeds of inequality, and that inequality is only growing.
More than one million Australians are living with an eating disorder (such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia, or binge eating) and anorexia is the nation’s deadliest mental illness. Dr Maguire teaches you the signs to look out for, the risks around social media, and how to help someone recover from a “completely curable” illness.
As the climate changes and populations boom, water supplies are under increasing pressure.
The idea of drinking water that was once swirling down your toilet bowl or kitchen sink may make you feel squeamish, but it could hold the key to future water security.
University of Sydney Professor Stuart Khan explains the promise of purified recycled water, and how it can future-proof water supplies in a thirsty nation prone to drought.
“There is the opportunity to start thinking more about a circular economy and how we might reuse the water that we’re currently discharging.”
Professor Khan points out that all water on Earth is recycled – the water you’re drinking “has quite likely been drunk by dinosaurs in the past” and could be described as “purified dinosaur pee”.
But there’s a huge psychological hurdle involved in drinking water that’s gone from ‘toilet to tap’. So how do you sell the idea to a skeptical public? You’ll hear from Dee Madigan, creative director of advertising agency Campaign Edge and a regular on ABC TV show Gruen.
You’ll also get a taste of how the technology works as you go inside Sydney Water’s Purified Recycled Water Demo Plant, with plant manager James Harrington.
When Sophie Gee’s husband was suddenly rushed to hospital, her life was plunged into uncertainty.
Amid the chaos, she discovered a surprising source of strength: her study of classic literature, and in particular, the works of Jane Austen.
Sophie, who was Associate Chair of the English Department at Princeton until she came to the University of Sydney as a Vice-Chancellor's Fellow, says stories have made her more resilient. “Literature teaches us how to be uncertain, how to tolerate discomfort, how to tolerate difficulty,” she says.
Arts and humanities degrees sometimes get a bad rap, but Sophie argues they are more valuable than ever in the age of AI.
She says stories cut through in a way science cannot – just look at the documentary My Octopus Teacher – and equip you with the skills you need to have “truly transformational ideas”.
“Storytelling is one of the most important ways to have access and equity to new pathways. If you’re able to tell your story, you’re able to change your life.”
She also makes the case for returning to old favourites, whether it’s Shakespeare or Harry Potter. And she weighs in on the value of Book Tok.
Sophie Gee is an alumna and a Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow at the University of Sydney.
“If you’re going to have a breakdown, try not to have it in a top secret secure naval dockyard.”
You might know Alastair Campbell as the formidable former press secretary of British prime minister Tony Blair and co-host of popular podcast The Rest is Politics.
But back in 1996, when Alastair was a high-flying tabloid journalist, his mind suddenly unravelled. “I was hearing voices and seeing things that weren’t there.”
Alastair thought his breakdown would spell the end of both his marriage and his career. But these days, he sees it as the best thing to ever happen to him. He offers candid insights into his struggles with addiction and depression.
Alastair also takes you inside 10 Downing Street at some critical moments in history, such as the death of Princess Diana, and the controversy over the Iraq War. “Deep down, I wish it never happened. But at the same time, I can still defend the decisions that Tony Blair made at the time.”
You’ll hear Alastair’s take on what’s gone wrong in politics and how to fix it. Plus, what could happen to democracy if Donald Trump is re-elected as US President.
If you had a clone of yourself, what would you want it to do?
Professor Danny Liu pictures a classroom in the not-too-distant future where teachers work alongside AI ‘clones’ to help their students learn.
“It’s not about replacing them as teachers. It’s about empowering them and making them more effective.”
The role of artificial intelligence in education has been hotly debated, with concerns about cheating creating headlines. But what if we could harness regenerative AI to transform education for the better?
Danny Liu says AI can herald a new era of personalised learning, and he explains how he’s grappling with issues around student integrity and AI bias.
You’ll also go inside the classroom of Matthew Esterman at Our Lady of Mercy College Parramatta to find out how he’s rethinking assessments in the digital age.
“It’s going to be a massive challenge for students to prove that work is their own in a world where you can press a button and have an assignment done for you.”
If you go into your backyard right now, you’ll be able to find a species of insect that is new to science. Tanya Latty guarantees it – even if you live in the inner city.
Tanya has loved creepy crawlies since she was little, and is now an entomologist at the University of Sydney. “You would be surprised how many things we don't know. There are all sorts of critters, most of which are probably unidentified.”
But around the world, insects are in trouble. “We’re almost certainly losing species faster than we’re naming them.”
The decline of pollinators such as bees, beetles, butterflies, and flies has enormous implications for people and the planet. One in every three mouthfuls of food you eat is thanks to a pollinator (and that includes chocolate!)
“I worry about that slow creep. How many can we lose before things just get crummy? We might be closer to that than we think,” Tanya warns.
Tanya sheds light on the challenges around insect conservation and explains how you can help pollinators.
You’ll also visit Whites Creek Community Garden with Professor Dieter Hochuli, and get to know some of his favourite pollinators. Dieter leads the Integrative Ecology group at The University of Sydney.
After her son died of SIDS, Dr Carmel Harrington left her job as a lawyer to devote her career to finding answers.
“You blame yourself. You must have missed something. How can such a catastrophic event occur without any sign or symptom?”
Her groundbreaking research into SIDS opened up another mission: to wake society up to the critical importance of sleep.
Carmel is the managing director of Sleep for Health. High-flying CEOs and even the Australian military are now turning to her expertise in a bid to master the art of sleep.
The stakes are high. In our wired world shut-eye often proves elusive – and that can have deadly consequences.
Sleep loss is linked to heart disease, cancer, dementia and depression, and it also affects your ability to think and learn.
Carmel explains how to sleep better, the incredible things that happen when you sleep (Brain washing! Memory encoding!), and what to do about technology in the bedroom.
She’ll also teach you how to spot subtle signs of sleep deprivation.
“One of the big things I like to talk about is, have you lost joy? So often with A-type personalities, we are very good at meeting the challenges of the day - but how good are you at enjoying the joy in your life?”
Carmel’s latest book is The complete guide to a good night's sleep.
University of Sydney Clinical Professor and Neonatologist Adrienne Gordon helps save the lives of tiny babies in intensive care. They constantly amaze her. Their unique personalities. How fast they learn. The way they can be so close to death and yet go on to thrive.
Adrienne shares what parents need to know about the first 1,000 days, the critical period from conception to the age of two.
We’re all living longer, and in many countries, a baby born today could easily live to 100.
Professor Andrew Scott is a world-leading expert on longevity, a Professor of Economics at London Business School and the author of The 100-Year Life.
But longevity isn't about 'being old for longer’. Andrew says it gives us the chance to completely rethink the stages of our lives. You will have more time – as much as 100,000 extra hours – and you need to act now to set yourself up for the best possible future.
You’ll also hear from a group of movers and shakers at a Dance Health Alliance class in Sydney about the upsides of being older.
Dr Kate Harrison Brennan is the director of the Sydney Policy Lab and a University of Sydney alumna. Her work brings people together to collaborate on solutions to the most pressing challenges of our time. In this episode, she shares practical ways to bring people together – be it at work, at home, or in the public policy sphere.
And Dr Richard Harris reflects on what the Thai cave rescue taught him about teamwork and trust.
Eddie Woo, alumni of the University of Sydney and the teacher you wish you had, is here with a lesson on embracing learning at any age. He also gets personal, reflecting on his own life, how the death of his mother shaped his view of growth mindset, and how he came to realise teaching isn’t about knowing all the answers.
Heatwaves kill more people than all natural disasters combined – but because they’re not visually dramatic, we underestimate how dangerous they are. Professor Ollie Jay, whose groundbreaking research has informed the likes of Google and the Australian Open, has another way of showing us how dangerous heatwaves can be.