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Event_
The Species Showdown
Wednesday 14 August, 6:30-8pm
Join us this National Science Week for The Species Showdown. Scientists will go head to head in the ultimate scientific rumble in the jungle.
Get ready to engage your mind and join us for some serious fun as six University of Sydney scientists face off in a battle of wits about the survival of species on our planet.
Different viewpoints will be explored, ideas exchanged, and assumptions challenged. Take your seats and settle in for an evening of thought-provoking discussion and lively sparring. It’s time to throw down for The Species Showdown!
Hosted by Associate Professor Alice Motion with special guest researchers from the Faculty of Science.
- Debate 1: EARTH vs SPACE
We should stop the search for life on other planets and protect the species we have here on Earth.
- Debate 2: JURASSIC PARK vs NOAH’S ARK
Bring back the Tasmanian Tiger or save the Tasmanian Devil?
- Debate 3: HUMAN INTELLIGENCE vs ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
The robots are coming, resistance is futile, and they will be smarter than us.
The Speakers
Associate Professor Alice Motion
School of Chemistry
Alice is an Associate Professor and Deputy Head of School in the School of Chemistry where they lead the Science Communication, Outreach, Participation and Education (SCOPE) Research Group. Alice's research and practice is centred on ways to better connect people with science. Alice leads the Breaking Good Initiative and Learning By Doing Team, which share science with schools through citizen science. Alice writes a monthly column for Chemistry World magazine and is the founder and co-producer of ‘Live from the Lab’, a celebration of Australian science, music arts and culture.
Associate Professor Tanya Latty
School of Life and Environmental Sciences
Associate Professor Tanya Latty’s research focuses broadly on insect behaviour and ecology with a particular interest in the intersections between entomology, behaviour, pest management and bioinspired technology. Her recent research directions include understanding the impacts of urbanisation on insect pollinators, developing methods for predicting and preventing colony collapse in honeybees, and using eusocial insects and slime moulds as models for bio inspired technologies.
Dr Laura Driessen
School of Physics
Dr Laura Driessen is a postdoctoral researcher in the School of Physics at the University of Sydney. Her research uses Australia’s SKA Pathfinder (ASKAP) telescope in Western Australia, to search for powerful flaring stars, known as radio stars, and the planets that might be orbiting them. She is a member of the 2023-2023 Science and Technology Australia Superstars of STEM cohort and was recently named one of ABC Radio National’s Top 5 for 2024 and will spend a fortnight in residency at the ABC later this year.
Professor Dieter Hochuli
School of Life and Environmental Sciences
Professor Dieter Hochuli leads the Integrative Ecology research group at the University of Sydney. His research focuses on how biodiversity responds to the unique pressures of urbanisation, identifying how we can better support and conserve nature in cities. This means he and his team spend a lot of time studying the ecology of iconic insects, spiders, birds and mammals in and around urban environments, exploring how they interact with the humans who share their world with them.
He can often be found trying to convince people that flies are as important as bees, that insects need more respect, that annoying birds are pretty special animals, and that we should slow down and take the time to celebrate the extraordinary everyday natural world in our cities and beyond.
Professor Carolyn Hogg
School of Life and Environmental Sciences
Professor Carolyn Hogg has been working on the conservation of threatened species for over twenty-five years both in Australia and overseas. Carolyn is currently the co-lead for the Australasian Wildlife Genomics Group, Professor in the School of Life & Environmental Sciences, Deputy Director of the Sydney Environment Institute, and the Science Lead for the Threatened Species Initiative.
Working closely with both academic and conservation management partners Carolyn is developing better tools and technologies to integrate molecular genetics into real-time conservation management decisions with a suite of Australian species such as Tasmanian devils, koalas, bilbies, orange-bellied parrots and more.
Dr Taylor Szyszka
School of Chemistry
Dr Taylor Szyszka is a postdoctoral research associate in the School of Chemistry at The University of Sydney. She is a synthetic biologist developing protein technologies with applications in agriculture, biomanufacturing, and bioremediation.
In addition to her work as a researcher, she is an avid science communicator; speaking at SXSW Sydney 2023, performing science stand up comedy at Sydney Fringe and Sydney Comedy Festival, and co-creating a synthetic biology card game called Remediate! In 2022 she was selected as one of Science and Technology Australia’s Superstars of STEM, a program that increases the visibility of women and non-binary STEM experts.
Dr Reuben Rideaux
School of Psychology
Dr Reuben Rideaux is an NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow and Senior Lecturer in the School of Psychology, and an Honorary Senior Research Fellow in the University of Queensland’s Brain Institute. He has a particular interest in developing new methods for understanding brain function and dysfunction, such as bio-inspired artificial intelligence systems, high resolution functional MR spectroscopy, and neural decoding.
Reuben was named one of the Top 20 Under 40 Biomedical researchers in Australia 2022 and is the Executive Secretary of the Australian Cognitive Neuroscience Society. He regularly speaks about his work to research groups, health professionals, politicians, and the media.