The University of Melbourne Up Close

[ The University of Melbourne Voice Vol. 3, No. 1  14 April - 12 May 2008 ]

Podcasts to feed your mind

If you like to catch up with cutting edge knowledge while doing other things – whether walking the dog, jogging, or lazing by a pool – check out Melbourne University Up Close, a fortnightly audio talk show delivered by podcast, download and on-demand streaming.

Up Close digs into research and cultural offerings at the University, explores the issues of the day and gives a glimpse behind the scenes in one of the world’s premier knowledge precincts.

Listeners download Up Close in about 80 countries. Transcripts of episodes are available on the Up Close webpage.

Some recent episodes are highlighted below.

Marketing Luxury Brands

“If you look at the Asian region ... all great luxury trends, all great brands have found success first in Japan.”

Associate Professor Mark Ritson Episode 36 [26 min 02 sec]

Mark Ritson (Melbourne Business School) focuses his research on marketing communication and branding. He talks about the changing nature of the global luxury goods market.

Interviewed also is Andrew Wu, head of luxury giant LVMH’s China operations, about selling luxury in Asia. Andrew was recruited to spearhead LVMH’s entrée into China, establishing the Christian Dior brand there.

Cities and Extreme Events

“We are developing a new material which is a polymer-based material – a spray on – so that it can be sprayed on concrete walls and brittle masonry to improve the blast resistance.”

Associate Professor Priyan Mendis Episode 34 [16 min 08 sec]

Associate Professors Priyan Mendis and Nick Haritos reveal how cities stand up to extreme events like explosive blasts and tsunamis.

Priyan Mendis [Civil and Environmental Engineering] is a specialist in protective technologies for structures. Nick Haritos [Civil and Environmental Engineering] is a specialist in structural dynamics of both land-based and offshore structures.

Mathematics of Biology

“One of the major challenges in mathematical biology is trying to understand how to integrate at the population level to the cell level, to the intra-cell level and how to model all those three levels.”

Professor Kerry Landman Episode 33 [14 min 45 sec]

Kerry Landman [Mathematics and Statistics] is an applied mathematician committed to cross-disciplinary research. Currently, Kerry is collaborating with experimentalists on several exciting projects in the areas of developmental biology and tissue engineering.

Genetic Testing and Young People

“When I came to this topic of genetic testing in children, there had been much written by lawyers and ethicists, clinicians and counsellors... I wanted to know whether young people actually experienced those impacts themselves and how they felt about genetic tests they’d had.”

Dr Rony Duncan Episode 31 [13 min 22 sec]

Dr Rony Duncan (Centre for Adolescent Health, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute) works in the field of Medial Ethics. She uses empirical evidence to add to bioethical debates that arise as a consequence of advances in science. In 2006 Dr Duncan received a Young Tall Poppy Award for her achievements as a young scientist.

Love life of the Mountain Brushtail Possum

“If a female [mountain brushtail possum] does have to travel a long way because those resources have been disturbed, then a male, we presume, is much better off just sticking with one female, and at least being assured of fathering her young.”

Dr Jenny Martin Episode 30, 11 min 50 sec

Behavioural ecologist Dr Jenny Martin (Zoology) explains how studying Australia’s Mountain Brushtail Possum has helped us understand how ecological change affects animal mating behaviour.

upclose.unimelb.edu.au