Join Department of Security Studies and Criminology senior lecturer Dr Julian Droogan in the latest Pioneering Minds podcast to hear him discuss some of the most pertinent issues of our time.

Dr Droogan covers Islamic State’s motivations, the current state of Australia’s border protection, and how the tension in the South China Sea may affect our national security.

In honour of Mental Health Month in New South Wales, we continue to share information to help remove the stigma associated with mental health and anxiety.

Last week, Professor Jennie Hudson, Director of the Macquarie University Centre for Emotional Health, gave tips for adults on how to manage stress.

This week on the Pioneering Minds podcast, she discusses the genetic markers that indicate anxiety in children and the most effective ways that parents can help their children avoid and overcome anxiety and depression.

Register for Jennie Hudson’s presentation ‘Happy People? Improving our Children’s Emotional Health’ as part of the Macquarie Minds Showcase.

“When I was four or five years old, my mother took me out to the backyard… Halley’s Comet was coming around. She was taking an astronomy class at the time and she said, ‘Lee, there’s a comet there’. I don’t think I actually knew what I was looking at, but I still just remember very vividly how dark and interesting the sky was looking… and that just set me on this path.”

In this week’s episode of Pioneering Minds, we journey to the final frontier with Dr Lee Spitler from the Department of Physics and Astronomy, where we discuss life among the stars, from supernovas to Star Wars, and address the age-old question: are there extraterrestrial lifeforms out there?

This week on the Pioneering Minds podcast we sit down with Dr Rowan Tulloch from the Department of Media, Music, Communication and Cultural Studies to discuss the stigma and changing nature of gamification, and its effects on education and gender representation.

“I think the main thing that gamification can give us as teachers is the possibility to open up a dialogue with students and to help guide them into the practices that we take for granted,” Rowan says.

Rowan’s innovative ‘The Game Change’ software recently won him a $50,000 prize in the Optus Future Makers competition. Read more about Rowan’s win on Macquarie’s Research Impact blog.

He also recently received an Australian Award for University Teaching (AAUT) citation (formerly known as an OLT citation). The national learning and teaching award comes with a $10,000 prize.

“The people in power protect their power – and that’s what I see when I see these arguments about women, when I see these arguments about married people, when I see these arguments about homosexual people. It is the people at the top who protect their position.”

“Climate scientists are the most peculiar scientists in the world, because we wake up every day hoping that we’re wrong.”

On this week’s episode of the Pioneering Minds podcast, we speak to Distinguished Professor Lesley Hughes about being a voice of climate change, the current nature of public and scientific debate, and the most effective ways to communicate climate change messages.

Listen to previous Pioneering Minds episodes on Soundcloud.

Why is it more difficult to learn a new language as an adult?

Distinguished Professor Katherine Demuth answers this question in this week’s linguistic-themed episode of the Pioneering Minds podcast. We also discuss the latest innovative methods used to better understand and measure language development in young children.

Listen to previous Pioneering Minds episodes on Soundcloud.

This week on the Pioneering Minds podcast we speak to Luan Heimlich, Director of FIRST^® Australia, about the future of robotics and the importance of the FIRST robotics program in inspiring a young generation of technologically-minded creators. Listen and subscribe:

Listen to previous Pioneering Minds episodes on Soundcloud.

This week the Pioneering Minds podcast speaks to neuroanthropologist Professor Greg Downey about how culture informs us, the vital importance of research and the amazing potential of the brain.

Listen below and then tell us in the comments what you thought of the podcast.

Listen to previous Pioneering Minds episodes on Soundcloud.

This week, you’ll be fascinated by the insights of Professor Michael Gillings, evolutionary biologist and top four finisher in the Australian lecturer of the year poll, six years straight.

Talking to journalist Adam Norris, Michael covers everything from teaching as a form of entertainment, to the evolution of language, to the precarious future of the world as we know it.

Listen below and then tell us in the comments what you found most interesting in the podcast.

Listen to previous Pioneering Minds episodes on Soundcloud.