QUT Institute for Future Environments

About this podcast

The Institute for Future Environments (IFE) is a transdisciplinary research and innovation institute at QUT that brings together researchers and students to collaborate on large-scale projects relating to our natural, built and digital environments. The IFE generates knowledge, technology and practices that make our world more sustainable, secure and resilient. Transcripts of IFE podcasts are available upon request.

QUT Institute for Future Environments

Episodes

2020
The assault on journalism and why it matters - Professor Peter Greste (UNESCO Chair in Journalism and Communication, University of Queensland)
The freedom of journalists to do their jobs and report in the public interest has been under threat since the US terror attacks in 2001. The imprisonment of Peter Greste along with two of his Al Jazeera colleagues in Egypt in 2013 on terrorism charges has been followed in recent years by similarly concerning incidents in Australia and overseas that have thrown a sharp spotlight on the erosion of press freedom. In this Grand Challenge Lecture, Peter Greste explores how journalism became a target and what we can do about it.
December 14, 2020
55 min
Insights into cutting-edge environmental research - Dr Marten Winter (German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research)
IFE Distinguished Visitor Lecture recorded on 29 April 2020 at QUT. This presentation discusses the model used to conduct research at the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) and its Synthesis Centre (sDiv). Dr Winter discusses iDiv/sDiv's successes and challenges, and the strategies used to bring people together to work on cutting-edge environmental research.
August 25, 2020
39 min
Urban Energy-Hub: An approach for higher integration of renewable generation in urban energy systems - Associate Professor Vahid Nik (Lund University/Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden)
IFE Distinguished Visitor Lecture - recorded 15 February 2018 at QUT. Providing society with the energy it needs is getting more challenging by the day, thanks to greater emissions, urbanisation and climate change. This podcast discusses an initiative called Urban Energy Hub which aims for a higher integration of renewables in urban energy systems and how this has worked in practice in Switzerland and Sweden.
August 25, 2020
39 min
Towards greener storage and transfer of energy - Professor Wojciech Grochala (University of Warsaw, Poland)
IFE Distinguished Visitor Lecture - recorded 31 January 2020 at QUT. While the energy consumption of our world steadily increases at the rate of three per cent per year, fossil fuel resources are steadily consumed, and energy-related geopolitical tensions rise at an alarming rate. Humans inevitably seek alternative energy sources, new methods of storing energy for stationary and mobile applications, and energy savings. This lecture will describe ventures into the world of hydrogen fuel, as well as potential new families of room temperature superconducting materials based on silver (2+) compounds for non-resistant conduction of electric current.
August 12, 2020
54 min
Towards 2020: driving urgent action to limit the effects of climate change - Andrew Higham (Chief Executive, Mission 2020)
IFE Grand Challenge Lecture - recorded 26 July 2019 at QUT. We have entered the time where climate change is not a distant concern, but one that is undermining basic human development and survival around the world right now. As fear and alarm increases in communities across the globe, have we reached the point of no return? Is it too late to mitigate our climate emergency, or is there still hope for a cleaner, better planet? In this Grand Challenge Lecture, Andrew Higham reviews progress towards the 2020 climate turning point and elaborates on the necessary diplomatic and political pathway to keep the promise of the Paris Agreement alive.
August 11, 2020
41 min
Challenges and opportunities on the path to a sustainable Queensland - Professor Paul Bertsch (Interim Queensland Chief Scientist)
IFE Grand Challenge Lecture - recorded 1 May 2020 at QUT. Professor Bertsch explores the scientific and technological trends and opportunities that will help shape a sustainable future for Queensland. He examines the science and technology trends and challenges as Australia moves towards a population of 50 million and covers topics such as technology drivers, the circular economy, synthetic biology in sustainable food production, the current COVID-19 pandemic and emerging challenges and opportunities.
August 10, 2020
54 min
2019
Contemplating a renewable hydrogen energy future - Professor Masakazu Sugiyama (University of Tokyo)
IFE Grand Challenge Lecture - recorded on on 23 August 2019 at QUT Gardens Point. Many challenges and opportunities lie ahead as we contemplate a renewable hydrogen energy future. The transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources is our highest priority to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, mitigate global climate change and ensure human life is sustainable for the centuries to come. Future possibilities include large-scale solar generation plants, a potentially lucrative hydrogen export industry for Australia and new farming and food production pathways.
December 12, 2019
72 min
Australia's STEM future - Professor Lisa Harvey-Smith (University of NSW)
IFE Grand Challenge Lecture recorded at QUT on 6 September 2019. Astrophysicist and Australian Government Women in STEM Ambassador, Professor Lisa Harvey-Smith will discuss the grand challenges facing Australia’s STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) industry, particularly highlighting emerging opportunities in astrophysics, supercomputing and space. Professor Harvey-Smith will also examine how barriers to the equal participation of women in STEM threatens Australia’s effectiveness to tackle these new challenges, and explain how the implementation of the new national Women in STEM Decadal Plan hopes to transform the sector.
November 18, 2019
69 min
Moving beyond practical reconciliation in higher education - Angela Barney-Leitch (QUT Pro Vice-Chancellor, Indigenous Strategy)
IFE Grand Challenge Lecture - recorded 25 October 2019 at QUT. Is it time to move past the era of ‘practical reconciliation’ to something more substantive and defined by Indigenous Australians? This presentation will discuss the challenges and opportunities that QUT is facing while undertaking the redevelopment of its strategic plan and the vision for Indigenous Australian engagement and empowerment.
November 12, 2019
44 min
Towards an optimised strategy for cleaner air - Professor Urs Baltensperger (Paul Scherrer Institute, Switzerland)
The Earth's atmosphere is contaminated by many pollutants, all of which are harmful to life and the environment. The need to clean up our air for the future health of the planet is widely understood and accepted, but how do we remove these contaminants safely and efficiently?
November 1, 2019
52 min
Tools for synthetic pathway expression and engineering in Pichia pastoris - Professor Toni Glieder (Graz University of Technology)
IFE Distinguished Visitor Lecture recorded on 28 June 2019. Pichia pastoris, one of the most commonly used eukaryotic expression hosts, was reassigned to the genus Komagataella in 1995 and divided into the three species: Komagataella phaffii, K. pastoris and K. pseudopastoris. Most biotechnological applications for protein expression employ the species K. phaffii. Innovative concepts for the K. phaffii genome and expression cassette engineering enable improved protein expression and extend the fields of application for this non-conventional yeast. In particular, great potential can be seen in synthetic pathway expression and biological manufacturing of chemicals, where the lack of tools for engineering have so far limited the range of possible applications. Recent advances in this field now offer new opportunities for efficient expression of multiple genes by simple molecular engineering and balanced co-expression to optimise product yields and compositions.
October 31, 2019
55 min
Novel prototyping methods for emerging contexts - Dr Scott Davidoff (Mission Operations, NASA Jet Propulsion Lab)
IFE Distinguished Visitor Lecture, recorded at QUT on 17 July 2019.Dr Scott Davidoff from NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab discusses virtual reality (VR), artificial reality (AR), data science, and other discoveries and technologies of the digital age, and how these achievements can be used with prototyping techniques to overcome obstacles and become a force multiplier for research.
October 29, 2019
51 min
Data for the planet: driving solutions for resilient cities, disaster risk reduction and infectious diseases - Dr Simon Hodson (Executive Director, CODATA)
IFE Distinguished Visitor Lecture - recorded 7 June 2019 at QUT.The digital revolution offers opportunities for science to discover unsuspected patterns and relationships in nature and society, on scales from the nanoscale to the cosmic, from local health systems to global sustainability. Access to global data has created the potential for scientific disciplines to achieve more holistic understanding of the complexity that underlies human challenges by exposing their deep structure through the integration of data across relevant disciplines.
October 22, 2019
43 min
The mineral supply of 'smart cities': resourcing a more sustainable techno-urban transition - Professor Saleem Ali (Member, UN International Resource Panel and Professor at University of Delaware)
IFE Distinguished Visitor Lecture - recorded 9 July 2019 at QUT.As urbanisation increases around the world, there’s a growing push to create smarter cities through the implementation of technologies such as artificial intelligence and the internet of things. Smart cities have the potential to use resources more efficiently, but they also require substantial infrastructure, which comes with its own costs.In this podcast, Professor Saleem Ali discusses how the digital architecture of smart cities can be reconciled with the material needs of developing the infrastructure to run them.
October 18, 2019
42 min
The global imperative - Leanne Kemp (Queensland Chief Entrepreneur)
IFE Grand Challenge Lecture - recorded 3 May 2019 at QUT.Queensland's Chief Entrepreneur and CEO of technology enterprise Everledger, Leanne Kemp, shares World Economic Forum predictions on the industries of the future, the important sustainability challenges and choices we face, and the skill sets needed for success in the future. She also shares best practice examples from around the world.
October 18, 2019
33 min
How good are Brazilian environmental policies, and how bad could they be? - Professor Jean Paul Metzger (University of Sao Paulo)
IFE Distinguished Visitor Lecture - recorded 5 June 2019 at QUT. The effective implementation of environmental policies has a huge impact on the conservation of biodiversity. However, policies can change according to the socio-economic and political situation. Brazil is facing an important political transition that could impair environmental policies, affecting biodiverse regions with negative impacts around the world. This Distinguished Visitor Lecture provides a critical evaluation of Brazilian environmental policies (how good they were), and discusses future political scenarios (how bad they could be). A particular emphasis will be given to the new Brazilian Forest Code, the main law that protects native vegetation on private properties.
October 8, 2019
46 min
Molecular imaging tools to understand the inorganic chemistry of cells - Associate Professor Elizabeth New (University of Sydney)
IFE Distinguished Visitor Lecture - recorded 30 May 2019 at QUT.Associate Professor New's research involves developing molecular imaging tools to understand the interactions of metals with cellular functions, with a focus on fluorescent and magnetic resonance sensors. In this lecture, she presents progress made in studying three main aspects of cellular inorganic chemistry: imaging the metabolites of metal-containing drugs; tools to study cellular metal pools; and studies of redox homeostasis of cells varies with drug treatment. The lecture will specifically cover strategies to optimise the properties of molecular imaging sensors.
September 17, 2019
47 min
Why Scientists And Politicians Are Incompatible - Professor Herbert Huppert (University of Cambridge)
IFE Distinguished Visitor Lecture, recorded 30 April 2019 at QUTAlthough there would be great benefits to both sides were they to work productively together, scientists and politicians sing from different pages of the hymn book. Presented by Professor Herbert E. Huppert, recipient of the Australian Academy of Science 2019 Selby Fellowship, this Distinguished Visitor Lecture examines the often knotty and difficult relationship between science and politics.
August 5, 2019
50 min
Our Planet, Our Health - Professor Kate Jones (University College London)
IFE Grand Challenge Lecture, recorded 12 April 2019 at QUTToday, we live longer and more prosperous lives than ever before. As a species, we have made huge advances to create conditions for better health for billions of people, however this progress is taking a heavy toll on the planet's natural systems. In this lecture, Professor Jones explores the links and interdependencies between our health and the health of our planet, with particular reference to understanding how rapid global environmental change impacts the emergence and spread of high-impact infectious diseases like Ebola or SARS. She also outlines how recent advances in the resolution and coverage of remote-sensing satellite data and cutting-edge machine-learning algorithms open up the possibilities of developing global early warning systems to prevent and manage future epidemics.
July 17, 2019
55 min
Your AI Future - Professor Toby Walsh (University of New South Wales)
IFE Grand Challenge Lecture, recorded 15 March 2019 at QUTArtificial intelligence offers considerable promise - the robots can perhaps take the sweat, and do all the dirty, dull and difficult jobs - but how do we ensure the future is bright? How long even do we have before machines are as capable as us? And when they are, how can we be sure they'll behave ethically and to our benefit?
April 11, 2019
42 min

QUT Institute for Future Environments

About this podcast

Categories

About this podcast

Categories

QUT Institute for Future Environments

Episodes

The assault on journalism and why it matters - Professor Peter Greste (UNESCO Chair in Journalism and Communication, University of Queensland)

Insights into cutting-edge environmental research - Dr Marten Winter (German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research)

Urban Energy-Hub: An approach for higher integration of renewable generation in urban energy systems - Associate Professor Vahid Nik (Lund University/Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden)

Towards greener storage and transfer of energy - Professor Wojciech Grochala (University of Warsaw, Poland)

Towards 2020: driving urgent action to limit the effects of climate change - Andrew Higham (Chief Executive, Mission 2020)

Challenges and opportunities on the path to a sustainable Queensland - Professor Paul Bertsch (Interim Queensland Chief Scientist)

Contemplating a renewable hydrogen energy future - Professor Masakazu Sugiyama (University of Tokyo)

Australia's STEM future - Professor Lisa Harvey-Smith (University of NSW)

Moving beyond practical reconciliation in higher education - Angela Barney-Leitch (QUT Pro Vice-Chancellor, Indigenous Strategy)

Towards an optimised strategy for cleaner air - Professor Urs Baltensperger (Paul Scherrer Institute, Switzerland)

Tools for synthetic pathway expression and engineering in Pichia pastoris - Professor Toni Glieder (Graz University of Technology)

Novel prototyping methods for emerging contexts - Dr Scott Davidoff (Mission Operations, NASA Jet Propulsion Lab)

Data for the planet: driving solutions for resilient cities, disaster risk reduction and infectious diseases - Dr Simon Hodson (Executive Director, CODATA)

The mineral supply of 'smart cities': resourcing a more sustainable techno-urban transition - Professor Saleem Ali (Member, UN International Resource Panel and Professor at University of Delaware)

The global imperative - Leanne Kemp (Queensland Chief Entrepreneur)

How good are Brazilian environmental policies, and how bad could they be? - Professor Jean Paul Metzger (University of Sao Paulo)

Molecular imaging tools to understand the inorganic chemistry of cells - Associate Professor Elizabeth New (University of Sydney)

Why Scientists And Politicians Are Incompatible - Professor Herbert Huppert (University of Cambridge)

Our Planet, Our Health - Professor Kate Jones (University College London)

Your AI Future - Professor Toby Walsh (University of New South Wales)