Episodes
Tuesday Jun 22, 2021
7. Human dimensions of tourism sustainability
Tuesday Jun 22, 2021
Tuesday Jun 22, 2021
The tourism industry has faced many challenges because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It has also forced the industry to address some difficult questions; from the impact tourism has on sustainability, access to travel to the impact of over-tourism.
In this episode of Exploring Global Problems, Dr Maggie Miller and our host, Dr Sam Blaxland discuss the human dimensions of tourism sustainability and the role we play as tourists within the global community.
They also consider the potential future of the tourism industry, as well as Maggie’s work and research in Nepal, particularly the role of Sherpas and their absence from much of the external discourse. If you would like to learn more about this topic, watch Maggie’s documentary https://vimeo.com/210223199. They also reference the Netflix documentary Sherpa https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/80076001.
Most recently, Maggie’s research has focussed on access to and representation within adventure tourism, particularly the role gender plays in determining how people engage with adventure tourism activities and associated entrepreneurial adventures.
Tuesday Jul 27, 2021
8. Nanotoxicology and Nanotechnology – It’s in the Little things
Tuesday Jul 27, 2021
Tuesday Jul 27, 2021
Could nanotechnology, the technology as small as viruses, found in your mobile phone, see an end to animal testing? It sounds a bit sci-fi, but Professor Shareen Doak and her team thinks the answer is quite literally in the little things. When we say little we mean tiny, smaller than the width of a human hair.
In this episode, Professor Doak delves into her team’s world of nano-genotoxicology. Their work looks at how these tiny particles used in day-to-day items, and medicines may cause DNA damage potentially causing cancer.
Professor Doak’s work looks at how we can create regulatory tests and tools for nanotechnology as they proliferate in our societies. The tests she is developing are creating better and more reliable ways of testing products with the potential to leave the need to leave animal testing redundant.
Tuesday Aug 03, 2021
9. Exploring the Universe: Inspiring the next generation of scientists
Tuesday Aug 03, 2021
Tuesday Aug 03, 2021
More and more young people are choosing to study STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) subjects at University but there still exists a gender imbalance when looking at the number of girls choosing to study Physics post-16.
In this episode of Exploring Global Problems, Dr Sarah Roberts and our host, Dr Sam Blaxland discuss the importance of role models and Physics teachers in making the subject more exciting for their pupils, and how astronomy can be used as a hook to inspire and enthuse all school children to study Physics and STEM subjects.
They also discuss Dr Robert's own work with the Faulkes Telescope Project, an educational outreach project aimed at engaging young people in science. They talk about the ability of school pupils to carry out real research with real scientists, and what discoveries schools have made using the Faulkes Telescopes. If you would like to learn more about this project, please visit the Faulkes Telescope Project website.
More recently, Dr Roberts has had funding from STFC (Science Technology Facilities Council) to run an astronomy outreach project in Wales called 'Stardust Hunters' where primary school children are encouraged to plan scientific investigations, hunting for dust from space in their gardens and school yards. For more information on this project, please visit the Stardust Hunters website.
Thursday Sep 16, 2021
10. Batteries for a sustainable future
Thursday Sep 16, 2021
Thursday Sep 16, 2021
In this episode of Exploring Global Problems, Professor Serena Margadonna and our host, Dr Sam Blaxland discuss the role of batteries in the fight against climate change and the need for better batteries for a decarbonised society.
Her work has been inspired by the simple realisation that major advances in modern technology are always driven by the availability of materials which possess a number of functionalities and are able to operate at different length scales, in harsh conditions such as extremes of pressures/temperature and highly corrosive environments.
Professor Margadonna over the years has acquired knowledge and know-how in a number of fields in science starting from her chemical background, indispensable for the design and production of new materials, through condensed matter physics and process engineering.
To find out more about Swansea University's research, visit https://www.swansea.ac.uk/research/
Tuesday Oct 12, 2021
11. How do we prove human rights violations?
Tuesday Oct 12, 2021
Tuesday Oct 12, 2021
In this episode of Exploring Global Problems, Professor of Law Yvonne McDermott Rees and 2020 Hillary Rodham Clinton Global Challenges Programme scholars Charlotte Morgan and Andrea Stanišić discuss child poverty, environmental human rights, and how social media evidence can be used for accountability for mass human rights violations.
Yvonne’s research focuses on international criminal law, human rights law, and the law of evidence. She recently led a large Economic and Social Research Council-funded project on the use of open-source evidence for human rights fact-finding. Yvonne has published in leading journals including the American Journal of International Law, Leiden Journal of International Law, Journal of International Criminal Justice, International Criminal Law Review, and Law, Probability, and Risk.
Charlotte’s research examined whether children in Wales are unable to access their rights due to the socioeconomic disadvantage that they experience, and how this disadvantage has been worsened by Covid-19. She works as a Policy and Public Affairs Intern at British Heart Foundation Cymru, addressing health inequalities in Wales.
Andrea conducted research in environmental human rights, exploring developments and trends in the human rights approach to environmental protection. She worked at think tank Centre for Democracy and Human Rights in Montenegro and cooperated with ClientEarth and American Bar Association on research projects.
To find out more about Swansea University's research, visit https://www.swansea.ac.uk/research/
Tuesday Oct 26, 2021
12. Combating terrorists’ online activities
Tuesday Oct 26, 2021
Tuesday Oct 26, 2021
Professor Stuart Macdonald discusses his research into counterterrorism with our host Dr Sam Blaxland in this episode of Exploring Global Problems. The episode explores Stuart’s work on terrorist’ use of the internet, particularly cyberterrorism and online propaganda and radicalisation.
Stuart’s most recent work on terrorist propaganda has examined violent jihadist narratives, their dissemination via social media, and legal and policy responses. Prior to this, his work focused on cyberterrorism, examining definitional issues, threat assessment and questions of response.
To find out more about Swansea University's research, visit https://www.swansea.ac.uk/research/
Tuesday Nov 09, 2021
13. The impact of COVID-19 on children’s physical activity
Tuesday Nov 09, 2021
Tuesday Nov 09, 2021
Children’s physical activity levels are associated with both physiological and psychosocial health. Current physical activity guidelines recommend children to engage in at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity every day. However, despite this, it is estimated that over a third of children fail to meet these recommended guidelines, with a common barrier suggested to be technology.
In this episode of Exploring Global Problems, Professor Kelly Mackintosh along with our host, Dr Sam Blaxland discuss the impact COVID-19 has had, specifically on children’s physical activity. They later explore the importance and health benefits associated with exercise and discover how we can all make some positive changes to our lifestyles by embedding physical activity into our daily routines.
Professor Mackintosh is primarily interested in children’s physical activity and health, and in particular, school-based interventions. Within this area her work focuses on physical activity measurement and the role of behaviour change in developing physically active young people. Professor Mackintosh is currently the Director of Research Staff for the Faculty of Science and Engineering, and leads the Exercise, Medicine and Health Research Group. Her research focusses on physical activity measurement and promotion, with a particular interest and focus in children.
To find out more about Swansea University's research, visit https://www.swansea.ac.uk/research/
Tuesday Feb 08, 2022
Tuesday Feb 08, 2022
In this episode of Exploring Global Problems, our host Dr Sam Blaxland is joined by 2021 Hillary Rodham Clinton Global Challenges scholars, Felicity Mulford and August Dichter, along with Politics lecturer Dr Bettina Petersohn.
Felicity discusses her research, which focuses on mass starvation as a weapon of war, while August shares his research on state sponsored disinformation campaigns and weaponising the internet.
Dr Bettina, the programme lead of the new BSc Leadership for Global Challenges, talks about Swansea University’s new undergraduate programme, which is launching this year. She also discusses her own research on cooperation and global challenges, addressed from local, national and international levels.
To find out more about research at Swansea University, visit https://www.swansea.ac.uk/research/
Friday Jun 30, 2023
Friday Jun 30, 2023
With almost 60% of all plastic ever produced still polluting our planet, there are enormous issues posed by the massive volume of plastic waste present in our environment. However, by repurposing this massive stockpile of plastic waste into something more valuable we can turn this problem into a solution that benefits us all and paves the way for a brighter, cleaner future
In this episode, in discussion with Dr Sam Blaxland, Dr Alvin Orbaek White, formerly an Associate Professor in Chemical Engineering in the Faculty of Science and Engineering, unveils the incredible power of plastic waste. As one of the world's foremost experts on nanoengineering, Dr. Orbaek White discusses the ground-breaking potential of waste plastic, and how it can be transformed into valuable materials such as hydrogen gas and carbon nanotubes (CNTs). These powerful and versatile materials are the future of innovation, used in everything from cables and batteries to MRI scanners.
Dr Alvin Orbaek White is formerly an Associate Professor in Chemical Engineering and former Welsh Government Sêr Cymru II Fellow at Swansea University. He is also an entrepreneur having recently started up his own company TrimTabs to commercialise the sustainable energy knowledge that he has discovered.
Friday Jul 14, 2023
Friday Jul 14, 2023
In this episode, Professor Gareth Jenkins, in discussion with Dr Sam Blaxland, reveals how DNA can be mutated, how these mutations cause cancer, and how the chemicals around us, our lifestyle choices and our habits can increase or decrease the likelihood of our DNA mutating and developing into cancer.
Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for nearly 10 million deaths in 2020. Figures suggest 1 in 2 of us will get cancer in our lifetime. Despite these statistics, there are measures we can take to protect ourselves by reducing exposure to carcinogenic chemicals which cause DNA mutations.
Professor Gareth Jenkins, Professor of Biomedical Sciences at Swansea University, is a leading global expert in this field. We also learn of the huge advancements in cancer diagnostic technologies such as liquid biopsies and the identification of biomarkers that flag pre-cancerous conditions. Discover how Gareth's research is pushing innovation to enable the early detection of cancer – the Holy Grail in cancer research for better patient outcomes.