The Minds Changing Lives

The Minds Changing Lives

LiSTNR

Removing needles from the diabetes testing process, research that could change the travel industry forever, these are just some of the breakthroughs that you’ll hear about in this podcast designed to stimulate your mind. Meet the people that are pioneering change through research and join host Shahni Wellington, in partnership with The University of Newcastle, as she explores the stories of online publication Hippocampus.

The pioneers prolonging premature goodbyes: advancing gynaecological cancer research and innovation

The pioneers prolonging premature goodbyes: advancing gynaecological cancer research and innovation

Every year, more than 1000 Australian women lose their lives to ovarian cancer, and countless others receive the devastating diagnosis of endometrial cancer. Professor Pradeep Tanwar, Director of the Global Centre for Gynaecological Diseases, is at the forefront of raising awareness and making significant strides in this field. In a conversation with host Shahni Wellington, he shares exciting developments concerning innovative blood tests capable of detecting ovarian and endometrial cancers at a

Oct 23, 2023 • 36:26

Classroom to courtroom: How students helped change Kathleen Folbigg's fate

Classroom to courtroom: How students helped change Kathleen Folbigg's fate

Kathleen Folbigg, widely now regarded as the victim of Australia's most egregious miscarriage of justice, was pardoned in 2023. However, a decade earlier, students at the University of Newcastle's Legal Centre, alongside experts and solicitors, would conduct analysis and research that would be of help in paving the way towards an eventual pardon. One of those students, Kate Wielinga, discusses her involvement in the case with host Shahni Wellington. Now a practising solicitor, she shares the lif

Oct 9, 2023 • 37:50

The resilience-building research and tech set to turn the tide on drought

The resilience-building research and tech set to turn the tide on drought

Drought in Australia presents a multifaceted challenge shaped by a diverse interplay of climatic, geographical, meteorological, and societal factors. According to Associate Professor Anthony Kiem, Hydroclimatologist and Director of the Centre for Water, Climate and Land, it needs a multifaceted solution too. Talking to host Shahni Wellington, Anthony discusses the Employability and Wellbeing Toolkit the Centre is developing with the University of Southern Queensland as part of the Southern Queen

Sep 20, 2023 • 31:59

Can cultural insight and the neuroscience of trauma change the conversation around young people's use of violence?

Can cultural insight and the neuroscience of trauma change the conversation around young people's use of violence?

Despite the increase in public awareness around young people's use of violence, many community youth programs fail to address the issue at its core. The Name. Narrate. Navigate program (Triple N) is the first of it's kind, harnessing the neuroscience of trauma and Aboriginal knowledge and practices to understand and address the context that's led young people to use violence – putting all the young people who come through the program at the center of their own narratives. Founder of the program,

Sep 4, 2023 • 33:34

One giant leap forward for the preservation of Australia’s last amphibians

One giant leap forward for the preservation of Australia’s last amphibians

Despite surviving not one, but two extinction events in its 200-million-year evolutionary history, modern day threats such as fire and disease, might have pushed Australia’s last surviving amphibian – the frog - to its limits. Thanks to the innovative approach taken by the University of Newcastle’s Conservation Science Research Group, this doesn’t have to be where the story ends. Dr Rose Upton tells host Shahni Wellington of the group’s ground-breaking methodology, delving into her work in cryop

Aug 14, 2023 • 33:13

The research making sure no child gets left behind

The research making sure no child gets left behind

Every year, 1800 students from refugee backgrounds step into a NSW school for the first time; many carrying unimaginable traumas. Educators worldwide have faced the challenge of not only accommodating these students but also helping them flourish – until now. In a compelling conversation with host Shahni Wellington, Professor Scott Imig presents his ground-breaking research, offering educators a toolkit to create spaces of wellbeing and belonging. Razia, a University of Newcastle graduate, share

Jul 31, 2023 • 29:50

The game-changing program revolutionising female participation in sport

The game-changing program revolutionising female participation in sport

It’s a sad reality that gender bias in sports leads young girls brimming with skill and potential to quit by the time they reach High School. Tackling the problem head on, the world-first Daughters and Dads Active and Empowered program equips fathers and their girls with the emotional and physical skills to identify inequities, be brave and succeed in sports. Founder of the program, Professor Phil Morgan tells host Shahni Wellington how the Activation Relationship led by fathers, lies at the cor

Jul 17, 2023 • 35:15

Could creative ageing be the key to preserving cognition?

Could creative ageing be the key to preserving cognition?

The positive influence of creativity on the ageing brain is well reported, but until now, scientific evidence of its impact on cognitive function has been lacking. Associate Professor Helen English and Professor Frini Karayanidis from the University of Newcastle are undertaking critical research to investigate the impact of creative ageing on cognition with programs that invite older adults to participate in song writing or art. Funded by Dementia Australia, the study aims to identify the import

Dec 4, 2022 • 34:11

Second chances and social justice: the program giving the wrongfully convicted a voice

Second chances and social justice: the program giving the wrongfully convicted a voice

Being accused of a crime we didn’t commit is the stuff of nightmares for many. It’s an injustice The Bridge of Hope Innocence Initiative is helping correct by connecting criminology and law students with real cases where new evidence suggests a miscarriage of justice has occurred. Associate Professor Dr Xanthe Mallet, renowned forensic anthropologist and criminologist who established an extension of the RMIT program at The University of Newcastle, speaks to the impact of wrongful conviction on t

Nov 20, 2022 • 34:14

Uncharted territory: uncovering the secrets of the seafloor

Uncharted territory: uncovering the secrets of the seafloor

Submarine landslides pose a significant tsunami threat to coastal communities, and, in May of 2022, eight undergraduate students and a team of researchers from The University of Newcastle set sail on the CSIRO RV Investigator to explore this risk. Dr Hannah Power, Associate Professor of Coastal and Marine Science and Alternate Chief Scientist on The Voyage, explains the potential impact and origins of underwater landslides, and we also hear from Dr Michael Kinsela, Lecturer in Coastal and Ocean

Nov 6, 2022 • 35:05

Re-imagining a renewable energy future

Re-imagining a renewable energy future

Green Hydrogen could play a significant role in the global effort to decarbonise with researchers from the University of Newcastle leading the charge in the production and manufacturing of the captivating chemical. But what is hydrogen and how can it be green? Dr Jessica Allen, senior lecturer in chemical engineering, de-mystifies the nexus between hydrogen and energy production and we also meet one of the minds making Green Hydrogen possible, Laureate Professor Behdad Moghtaderi. Renewable ener

Oct 23, 2022 • 33:04

The research into tackling techniques that could be a game changer

The research into tackling techniques that could be a game changer

High-contact sports like rugby league are synonymous with conversations around physical safety and concussion. Someone who knows that all too well is Timana Tahu, a Barkindji man, NRL legend and Senior Manager of Elite Indigenous Pathways. Timana has spent years trialing safer tackling techniques on the field, and now, with the help of neuropsychologist Dr Andrew Gardener at the University of Newcastle his techniques are being scientifically validated. Hear about Timana’s personal journey with c

Sep 25, 2022 • 30:48

The new initiative empowering kids to raise their voice

The new initiative empowering kids to raise their voice

Starting kindergarten without the skills to be able to speak clearly is a reality many children face. Waitlists as long as two years to see a speech pathologist disproportionately affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.  It’s an issue the University of Newcastle, the Gunawirra Organisation, Scribbly Gum Dalai and Dalaigur preschools, and the Vonwiller Foundation are working hard to address with the establishment of a new community-centred program led by students. Hear from Mum, Ta

Sep 11, 2022 • 33:47

The innovation set to simplify the lives of people with diabetes

The innovation set to simplify the lives of people with diabetes

For children diagnosed with diabetes, adjusting to frequent painful finger-pricks can be mentally and physically draining. But thanks to breakthrough technology from the University of Newcastle, diabetics worldwide may soon be able to swap the needle for a pain-free saliva-based test which could be printed from the comfort of your very own home one day. Host Shahni Wellington sits down with mum Teresa who discusses the impact of a diabetes diagnosis on a young child and family, and we meet her d

Aug 28, 2022 • 29:42

The Minds Changing Lives - Trailer

The Minds Changing Lives - Trailer

Removing needles from the diabetes testing process, research that could change the travel industry forever, these are just some of the breakthroughs that you’ll hear about in this podcast designed to stimulate your mind. Meet the people that are pioneering change through research and join host Shahni Wellington, in partnership with The University of Newcastle, as she explores the stories of online publication Hippocampus.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 1, 2022 • 2:26

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