UNSW’s Engineering the Future podcast is a space for thought-provoking conversations about the bold ideas that will impact society over the next two decades.
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City sabotage and cyber spectacles: The where and wear of smart technology
From smart homes and cities to business and healthcare, smart technology is promising to enhance efficiency, convenience, and connectivity in daily life. But with it comes growing concerns about data security, reduced privacy, and the control of information.
Dr Sebastian Sequoiah-Grayson, Senior Lecturer in Epistemics at UNSW's School of Computer Science and Engineering, and senior experience strategist Dr Erika Whillas join STEMM journalist, Neil Martin, to discuss how smart technology will change the way we live and interact with our communities in the future - and how best to deal with the challenges it will undoubtedly create.
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42:17
For a circular economy, water needs to go round and round
Too much water in the form of flooding, or too little water in the form of drought. Two of the biggest global challenges when it comes to water are at completely opposite ends of the spectrum.
UNSW Associate Professor Kristen Splinter, and water
engineering executive Daniel Lambert join STEMM journalist Neil Martin to talk about the potential solutions to those crucial problems.
They discuss the importance of ensuring the ever-increasing global population has safe water to drink, and enough water to also grow suitable amounts of food, while also dealing with issues around flooding and sea
level rises.
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44:36
The net-zero emissions by 2050 challenge needs everyone to play their part
Industrial decarbonisation is a fundamental way Australia and other countries around the world can achieve 'Net Zero' emissions targets by 2050, and therefore fulfil promises made in the Paris Agreement to help reduce climate change.
David Eyre, CEO of the UNSW Institute for Industrial Decarbonisation, and engineering and manufacturing executive Shay Chalmers join STEMM journalist Neil Martin to talk about the challenges of decarbonisation as populations grow and demand for products such as cement, steel, plastic and ammonia rise as a result.
They will explain why fostering collaborations and partnerships is important to keep producing such important materials while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and provide analysis about new decarbonisation technologies, revealing how technical and economic feasibility is just one part of the whole process.
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43:33
A supersonic jet for people like Taylor Swift, flying cars for everyone else
Supersonic commercial planes are making a comeback, but it may be only high flyers that can afford them.
For everyone else, our cities could soon drastically change as flying cars (but not as we imagine them) are set to extend the reach of our cities and slash commute times.
UNSW senior lecturer in aerospace design, Dr Sonya Brown, and sustainable aircraft designer Andrew Moore join STEMM journalist Neil Martin to talk about the future of flight. They also debunk myths about hydrogen fuel dating back to the Hindenburg blimp disaster, discuss the use of drones to save lives by fighting bushfires, and explain the tricky balancing act needed to make flying more sustainable.
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45:15
Insects, Ozempic and the science fiction of all your food in a single pill
800 million people currently go to sleep hungry, but 1 in 4 of us are predicted to be obese by 2035. Securing access to food for everyone and making it sustainable for our planet are some of our greatest challenges. Professor Johannes le Coutre, the leader of UNSW’s food program, and Katherine Samaras, Laboratory Head of the Garvan Institute and specialising in diabetes and obesity prevention, join STEMM journalist Neil Martin to talk about potential solutions for keeping us fed and the planet happy. They discuss why looking back to old agricultural techniques could hold some answers, and how diabetes drug Ozempic isn’t the fix for over-eating.
UNSW’s Engineering the Future podcast is a space for thought-provoking conversations about the bold ideas that will impact society over the next two decades.
From exciting developments in nuclear technology and major transformations in the mining industry, through to the universal impact of Artificial Intelligence, we speak with leading academics and industry leaders about the technological marvels that will define our future.
Together, we’ll discover how world-changing action starts with fearless thinking in innovative engineering.
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