In early September 2011, I attended the Brisbane Writer’s Festival and participated in a number of events. One was an excellent discussion with Ian Lowe, my co-author on the book “Why vs Why: Nuclear Power“, which unfortunately wasn’t recorded, but was a terrific exchange. The other was a joint session I did with Prof Bryan Gaensler, called “Geeks, Freaks and Eggheads“.
This event was filmed by the ABC and broadcast this week on ABC’s program “Big Ideas“. Here is the blurb:
Science has transformed our world in many ways, but the popular image of the lab-coated scientist with Coke bottle glasses persists.
Barry Brook is a leading environmental scientist with a slew of awards for his research. Former Young Australian of the Year, Bryan Gaensler, is known around the world for his groundbreaking work on dying stars, interstellar magnets and cosmic explosions. Neither fits the “geek boy” stereotype.
So, at the Brisbane Writers Festival, Radio National’s Paul Barclay drills them on why it’s so hard to shake.
Barry Brook is a leading environmental scientist, holding the Sir Hubert Wilkins Chair of Climate Change at the University of Adelaide’s Environment Institute. He’s published three books, over 150 refereed scientific papers and regularly writes popular articles for the media. Brook runs a popular climate science and energy options blog, bravenewclimate.com. He is also co-author of the book, “WHY vs WHY: Nuclear Power”.
Bryan Gaensler is an award-winning astronomer, former Young Australian of the Year and winner of the Young Tall Poppy award. His new book is called “Extreme Cosmos”.
Paul Barclay is a Walkley award-winning broadcaster and journalist with ABC Radio National. He is the presenter of “Australia Talks” and “Big Ideas”, and co-presenter of “Australia Talks Movies”.
Click on the image below to access the .MP4 video file (198 MB), or click here to go the ABC page and see other viewing options.
We cover a wide range of issues, from the perception of science in the community, the need for better communication by scientists (written and spoken), ‘hot button’ issues like climate change, biotech and the Big Bang, and the future of science in Australia. The moderator, non-scientist Paul, is terrific. For me, it was a 54 minutes enjoyably spent. I hope you get something out of it too.
Science is fun and exciting — let’s always keep that in mind!
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