The Random Sample: Recent Episodes
ACEMS
Welcome to The Random Sample, a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical frontiers (ACEMS). In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. Featuring episodes from The University of Melbourne, The University of Adelaide, QUT and UNSW. To learn more about what the centre does, visit https://acems.org.au. For further resources and shownotes, visit https://acems.org.au/podcast
How do airlines schedule flights, logistics companies route deliveries, and supermarkets manage stock?
Many of these challenges are examples of linear programming problems – and one algorithm has dominated their solution for decades: the Simplex Method.
Widely regarded as one of the most important algorithms ever developed, the Simplex Method has helped organisations save vast amounts of time, money and resources.
But despite its remarkable success, one question has puzzled mathematicians for decades: why does it work so well in practice?
In this episode, Dr Sophie Huiberts from the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) explores one of optimisation’s biggest open questions: why is the Simplex Method so much faster than theory often predicts?
We also discuss Sophie’s research journey and how she brings her values and social awareness into her work as a mathematician.
Our host is Professor Kate Smith-Miles – Director of the OPTIMA ARC Training Centre, and a Professor of Applied Mathematics at The University of Melbourne.
Episode webpage: https://www.therandomsample.com.au/podcast/simplex-method/
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How are statistics and data science transforming advances in genetic sequencing into new insights about how people lived, formed families, and organised their societies thousands of years ago?
Our guests are Dr Adam “Ben” Rohrlach, an Australian statistician at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany, and Dr Simon “Jono” Tuke, Senior Lecturer in the School of Mathematical Sciences at the University of Adelaide. From their early collaboration during Ben’s PhD to their ongoing work today, they’ve combined mathematical rigour with archaeological and genetic research to help uncover patterns in ancient human life that would otherwise remain hidden.
Together, they’ve applied cutting-edge statistical methods to support major discoveries – including their contribution to the 2017 Eureka Prize–winning research confirming the connection between Aboriginal Australians and their ancestral lands.
In this conversation, we revisit that work and dive into their latest research, using ancient DNA to reconstruct family networks in a European society from over 1,300 years ago. It’s a fascinating look at how collaboration across disciplines – and the power of statistics – can bring us closer to understanding the lives of people from the distant past.
Our host is Dr Haripriya Sridharan – a MACSYS Research Fellow at The University of Melbourne.
Episode webpage: https://www.therandomsample.com.au/podcast/ancient-dna/
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In this episode of The Random Sample, we explore the science of scale – from the behaviour of granular materials to the remarkable world of nanotechnology. Professor Natalie Thamwattana, an applied mathematician from the University of Newcastle, shows how studying the very small can lead to big insights across science and engineering.
Her pioneering work in nanotechnology is helping unlock how some of nature’s smallest building blocks can tackle some of our biggest challenges – in medicine, energy, and electronics. In a field often dominated by heavy numerical simulations, Natalie was among the first to take a different path, developing analytical, formula-based approaches to understand the mechanics of carbon nanostructures.
Alongside her research, Natalie shares a deeply personal story of growing up in Thailand and forging a path into mathematics. It’s a journey shaped by resilience, curiosity, and the support of her family – one that led to an international career at the forefront of applied mathematics.
Our host is Cait Pryse – from The University of Melbourne.
Episode webpage: https://www.therandomsample.com.au/podcast/nanotechnology-natalie-thamwattana/
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Mathematics is often used to model how diseases spread. But what about the spread of information – or misinformation – about those diseases and their vaccines?
Professor Stacey Smith? from the University of Ottawa is a trans mathematician whose research focuses on modelling infectious diseases. Increasingly, her work has turned to the social and behavioural dynamics that shape anti‑vaccination sentiment.
In this conversation, we explore how mathematical approaches can help make sense of attitudes ranging from vaccine hesitancy to outright resistance, and why understanding these dynamics is critical for effective public health responses.
The episode is hosted by Eva Stadler, a postdoctoral research fellow in the Infection Analytics Program at the Kirby Institute at UNSW Sydney. Together, Eva and Stacey discuss how tools from the mathematical sciences can be applied well beyond traditional epidemiology, intersecting with psychology, sociology, and communication science.
This episode is part of a special two‑part series released to coincide with Women in Mathematics Day (12 May), celebrating the contributions of women – and those who identify as women – in the mathematical sciences worldwide. The other episode in the series explores how the mathematical sciences are playing an increasingly important role in understanding women’s health.
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Mathematics is not often associated with women’s health, yet the mathematical sciences are playing an increasingly important role in understanding pregnancy, reproductive health, and chronic conditions that disproportionately affect women.
Professor Alys Clark and Dr Claire Miller, both from the Auckland Bioengineering Institute at the University of Auckland, use mathematics to shed light on complex health challenges faced by women, including pregnancy and endometriosis.
In this episode, they highlight the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, particularly between mathematicians, biologists, and clinicians. In a twist on our usual format, Alys and Claire interview each other, offering a candid and engaging look at their research, their collaborations, and what it’s like to work at the interface of mathematics and medicine.
This episode is part of a special two‑part series released to coincide with Women in Mathematics Day (12 May), celebrating the contributions of women – and those who identify as women – in the mathematical sciences worldwide. The other episode explores how mathematics can help us understand the growing challenge of anti‑vaccination sentiment.
Episode webpage: https://www.therandomsample.com.au/podcast/maths-womens-health/
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Each year, the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Program recognises a small number of exceptional female early‑career researchers in Australia and New Zealand with a prestigious fellowship. In 2025, for the first time since the program began in 2007, the award went to a mathematician: Dr Maria Kleshnina from QUT’s School of Mathematical Sciences.
Maria’s research is in game theory – an interdisciplinary field grounded in the mathematical sciences that studies how people make decisions when their outcomes depend on the actions of others. In this episode, we explore why game theory matters, the kinds of real‑world problems it is designed to tackle, and how it has become a powerful way of thinking across economics, politics, and – in Maria’s area of interest – conservation.
Maria is a Senior Lecturer at QUT, an Australian Research Council DECRA Fellow, and a Chief Investigator with the Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future initiative. We spoke with her about her research, her career journey, and what it means to be awarded a L’Oreal-UNESCO Women in Science Fellowship.
Our host is Dr James Nichols.
Episode webpage: https://www.therandomsample.com.au/podcast/game-theory/
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The Kalman filter is a hidden mathematical tool with an enormous impact on our daily lives.
Most people have never heard of it – yet it quietly powers everything from spaceflight and aviation to our GPS, smartphones, and wearable devices.
Developed in the late 1950s and early 60s, the Kalman filter provides the optimal solution to this problem:
If you have an imperfect prediction of where something should be…
and a noisy measurement of where it seems to be…
what’s the best estimate of where it actually is?
And more remarkably – it lets you answer that question over and over again, in real time.
In this episode, we explore the origins, ideas, and lasting influence of the Kalman filter with two world‑leading experts, Laureate Professor Emeritus Rob Evans and Professor Bill Moran from The University of Melbourne.
Along the way, we unpack concepts like least squares, minimum mean square error, and even dip into probability and statistics, including Bayes’ Theorem.
But don’t let that scare you off – because this is a story about powerful mathematics hiding in plain sight – and quietly shaping the technology we rely on every day.
Our host for this episode is Dr Tom Kimpson, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with MACSYS at The University of Melbourne.
The episode webpage: https://www.therandomsample.com.au/podcast/kalman-filter/
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Scientists are generating more biological data than ever before, and new technologies now allow us to peer inside the cell in ways we couldn’t have imagined a decade ago. But even the most advanced tools can’t explain how a living cell actually works as a complete system.
That’s the challenge at the heart of the Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for the Mathematical Analysis of Cellular Systems (MACSYS). The Centre brings mathematicians and computational scientists together with biologists to pursue a bold goal: building a predictive, fully computational model of a living cell.
This is the second episode of our two-part series on MACSYS. Our guests are the leaders of MACSYS - Centre Director Professor Trevor Lithgow and Deputy Director Professor Jennifer Flegg. Together, they explore what a whole‑cell model is, why it matters, and how bridging wet‑lab and dry‑lab science is essential to tackling one of the most ambitious challenges in modern biology.
Our host for this episode is Dr Haripriya Sridharan – a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with MACSYS at The University of Melbourne.
Episode webpage: https://www.therandomsample.com.au/podcast/macsys-pt2/
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Understanding a living cell is one of the biggest challenges in modern science. Cells carry out an extraordinary number of tasks every second and understanding how all those processes fit together is central to biology.
But even with advanced experiments and mountains of data, scientists still don’t have a complete picture of what a cell does – or how it might respond to new conditions or interventions.
The ARC Centre of Excellence for the Mathematical Analysis of Cellular Systems – or MACSYS – aims to change that. MACSYS brings together mathematicians and computational scientists to work alongside biologists toward a bold goal: creating a predictive, fully computational model of a cell.
The Random Sample is excited to partner with MACSYS as our principal new partner organisation. To introduce you to the Centre’s work, we’re bringing you a two-part series. This first episode takes a mathematical lens, featuring two of the Centre’s mathematical modellers and Chief investigators: UNSW Professor Adelle Coster and QUT Professor Mat Simpson.
Together, we explore how modelling helps make sense of biological data, how collaboration across disciplines pushes science forward, and why whole‑cell modelling demands both mathematical insight and biological intuition.
Our host is Tim Macuga.
Episode webpage: https://www.therandomsample.com.au/podcast/macsys-pt1/
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Technology is transforming how we understand society. For decades, researchers relied on surveys to learn about populations. But today, data comes from everywhere - administrative records, social media, and even fitness trackers.
In this episode, we explore this shift with Professor Frauke Kreuter - a global leader in social data science. She explains how combining traditional survey methods with diverse data sources can help answer critical questions about health, education, and public policy, while also revealing the challenges of bias in digital data.
Recently, Frauke has made a bold move into artificial intelligence and large language models (LLMs). She shares why this transition matters, how AI is reshaping social research, and what the future holds for data-driven insights.
Our host is Cynthia Huang.
Episode page: https://www.therandomsample.com.au/podcast/social-data-science/
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For decades, surveys have been the backbone of official statistics - helping us measure everything from population trends to economic activity. But response rates have been falling dramatically across the world for the past few decades. This decline is forcing statistical agencies to rethink how they collect the data we all rely on.
In this episode, we explore the shift toward multi-source data with our special guest, Dr Anders Holmberg, General Manager and Chief Methodologist for the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
What is multi-source data, how is it collected, and what are the challenges for official statistics agencies as they move to these new data sources?
Our host is Professor James Brown, Professor of Official Statistics and current head of discipline for Mathematical Sciences at the University of Technology Sydney.
Episode webpage: https://www.therandomsample.com.au/podcast/multi-source-data-abs/
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Modern slavery is often hidden in corporate supply chains, making it hard to detect and eliminate. Countries like Australia now require companies to publish annual reports on their efforts to combat slavery - but with thousands of reports, no government can read them all.
That’s where Project AIMS comes in. Led by Adriana Bora at the QUT Centre for Data Science, Project AIMS explores how cutting-edge AI can be used to compare thousands of these reports. To push this work further, Adriana helped organise a global hackathon, bringing together teams from around the world to develop innovative solutions.
In this episode of The Random Sample, we meet Adriana and members of the winning hackathon teams – from South Africa, Cameroon, and Australia – who share how data science can make the invisible visible and why technology can play a vital role in ending modern slavery.
Our host is Tim Macuga.
Episode webpage: https://www.therandomsample.com.au/podcast/aims-hackathon/
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We recently celebrated World Statistics Day on 20 October.
To mark the occasion, the Statistical Society teamed up with the Australian Data Science Network for a lively online panel discussion on a topic of growing importance: trust in data.
The expert panel brought together a wealth of experience from government, academia, and industry to explore the real-world challenges of building and maintaining trust in data.
Since both the Statistical Society and the Australian Data Science Network are partner organisations of The Random Sample, we’re excited to share that discussion with you here.
The discussion was moderated by Lynne Giles, an Associate Professor of Biostatistics at The University of Adelaide and President of the Statistical Society of Australia.
The panellists are:
- Dr Lucy Farrell is Director of Data Strategy in the Australian Centre for Disease Control Establishment Strategy Branch at the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing.
- Associate Professor Kalinda Griffiths is a Yawuru woman living and working on Larrakia Country. She is an epidemiologist and the Director of Poche SA+NT at Flinders University.
- Dr Ben Harrap is Vice President of the Statistical Society of Australia and a biostatistician who loves all things data.
- Simon Jackman is a leading analyst of public opinion, elections and electoral systems and an Honorary Professor at the University of Sydney.
- Dr Sue Keay is Director of the UNSW AI Institute and an expert in robotics, AI, and automation.
- Dr Aaron Snoswell is a senior research fellow in AI accountability at the QUT Generative AI Lab.
Episode webpage: https://www.therandomsample.com.au/podcast/data-we-can-trust/
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Coral reefs are among the most diverse and valuable ecosystems on Earth – but they’re also among the most vulnerable.
Thanks to climate change, pollution, and other human impacts – coral reefs are in crisis. The need for fast, coordinated action has never been greater.
One of the biggest challenges is getting accurate, up-to-date data, especially from remote or isolated reef systems. Without that data, it’s hard to know where the damage is happening, how fast it’s progressing, or what actions might help.
That’s where ReefCloud comes in. ReefCloud is a digital platform that brings together the world’s coral reef monitoring community. It combines artificial intelligence, statistical analysis, and data visualisation to help scientists and decision makers to understand reef changes and respond to them faster and more effectively.
In this episode, we talk to Dr Manuel Gonzalez-Rivero, a Research Team Leader with the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS). He also leads ReefCloud.
Our host is Dr Julie Vercelloni, a research scientist at AIMS.
- Episode webpage: https://www.therandomsample.com.au/podcast/reefcloud/
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The art of engagement for the Australian Bureau of Statistics
How do you make statistics and complex data not just understandable - but engaging?
For the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), the answer is simple: meet people where they are - on social media.
From pop culture and sports to quirky factoids, the ABS social media team uses fun, relatable content to build a massive following. How massive? We’re talking hundreds of thousands of followers across multiple platforms.
Once they’ve got your attention, they make sure the important ABS material is right there in the mix - explained clearly and accessibly.
In this episode, we speak with Heather Lansdowne, the leader of the ABS social media team, about how they’re changing the way people connect with statistics.
Our host is Tim Macuga.
Episode webpage: https://www.therandomsample.com.au/podcast/abs-social-media/
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What does it really mean for something to be complex - and how can mathematics help us make sense of it?
In this episode of The Random Sample, our guest is Professor Michael Small, leader of the Complex Systems Group at the University of Western Australia. Michael’s research uses mathematics to uncover hidden patterns in the chaos of the world around us - from social networks and pandemics to psychiatric illness and engineering problems.
Michael also shares candid thoughts on the pressures of academic publishing. Plus, we also dive into the rise of artificial intelligence, where Michael argues AI won’t replace mathematics - but it will change it.
It’s a wide-ranging discussion – hosted by Dr Mehwish Nasim, a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering at the University of Western Australia.
Episode webpage: https://www.therandomsample.com.au/podcast/complex-systems-michael-small/
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In today’s data-driven world, questions around who controls data, how it’s used, and who benefits from it are more pressing than ever. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, these questions carry even deeper significance—rooted in histories of exclusion, marginalisation, and misrepresentation.
In this episode, we explore the vital issue of Indigenous data governance and sovereignty with Levi-Craig Murray, an Aboriginal man of Wakka Wakka and Kubi Kubi descent.
Levi brings deep insight to this conversation, drawing on his experience as the former Strategic Manager of Indigenous Data with the Indigenous Studies Unit at the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health. Now undertaking full-time postgraduate study, he continues to advocate for reshaping how Indigenous data is understood, governed, and respected.
Released during NAIDOC Week 2025, this episode invites listeners to reflect on the role of data in shaping futures—and how we can all contribute to more inclusive and culturally informed data practices.
Our host is Dr Bernadette Hyland-Wood from the QUT Centre for Data Science.
Episode webpage: https://www.therandomsample.com.au/podcast/indigenous-data/
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The Random Sample steps into the dynamic world of interdisciplinary research—viewed through the lens of data science and statistics. Our guest is a true leader in collaborative science: Professor Galit Shmueli.
Galit is the Tsing Hua Chair Professor at the Institute of Service Science at National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan, the inaugural editor-in-chief of the INFORMS Journal on Data Science, and a Fellow of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics.
In this episode, she shares her insights on building meaningful connections across disciplines — and reflects on the role of artificial intelligence and large language models in shaping the future of research.
Our host is Cynthia Huang.
Episode webpage: https://www.therandomsample.com.au/podcast/interdisciplinar…ch-galit-shmueli/
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A few short years ago, it was one of the most hyped technology fields around. But after all that excitement, where are we now with autonomous vehicles — or driverless cars?
In this episode, we go under the hood to explore how AVs gather and use data, and the complex mathematics that helps them navigate a messy, unpredictable world.
What are the challenges still standing in the way? And how close are we, really, to letting go of the wheel?
Our guest is Professor Michael Milford, Director of the QUT Centre for Robotics – and someone who’s been working on this problem for much of his career.
Our host is Dr James Nichols.
Episode webpage: https://www.therandomsample.com.au/podcast/autonomous-vehicles/
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We’re diving into the design and development of the tools that have transformed data science and statistical programming — with none other than Dr Hadley Wickham.
Hadley is the Chief Scientist at Posit (formerly RStudio), where he leads the Tidyverse team. This team is behind some of the most widely used open-source packages in the R programming language — including dplyr and ggplot2. These tools have empowered thousands of data scientists and researchers to explore complex datasets and communicate insights through compelling visualisations.
In this episode, Hadley shares key lessons he’s learnt from over two decades of building and maintaining open-source software. We also look ahead, as he discusses where he sees data science tooling headed — and the principles that will shape its future.
Our host is Cynthia Huang.
Episode webpage: https://www.therandomsample.com.au/podcast/hadley-wickham/
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Researchers and decision-makers face a familiar challenge: data exists, but it’s often locked away. Once research is published, the underlying data and analysis frequently vanish into private repositories—accessible only through time-consuming permissions or technical expertise. For those working on urgent issues like climate change and public health, these data silos slow progress and limit impact.
In this episode, we look at AusEnHealth, a project aiming to change that. As Australia’s first national digital environmental health decision support platform, AusEnHealth is being designed to bring together fragmented datasets and make them easier to access, explore, and use. The goal is to offer interactive visualisations and built-in analytics that deliver rapid insights—even for those without the time, tools, or training to process complex data on their own.
Our guest for this episode is Dr Aiden Price, a Senior Research Fellow with the QUT Centre for Data Science and one of the lead researchers in this project.
Our host is Tanya Dodgen, a PhD Candidate at QUT.
Episode webpage: https://www.therandomsample.com.au/podcast/ausenhealth/
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Artificial Intelligence, or AI, is no longer a futuristic concept. It’s here, embedded in almost every technology we use. It’s one of the most transformative forces of our time, and in this episode, we’re unpacking what that means, focusing on the powerful engines behind it: large language models, or LLM’s.
A year and a half ago, The Random Sample did an episode exploring the science behind ChatGPT and its groundbreaking use of LLM’s. Fast forward to now, and the A-I landscape has already shifted dramatically. The pace of innovation is staggering.
Today, we’re bringing back our guest from that previous episode. Simon Angus is a Professor in the Department of Economics at Monash University. Simon is also a Principal Investigator with SoDa Labs at Monash Business School, a research lab that applies new tools from data science and machine learning to answer social science questions. Simon will help us navigate what’s new, and what we should be thinking about as AI continues to reshape the world.
Whether you’re new to AI and unsure where to start, or already exploring how it can transform your work or life, this episode has something for you. Understanding this transformative technology isn’t optional. It’s essential – and Simon is here to break it all down in a way that’s clear, approachable, and practical.
Our host is Pranita Shrestha, a PhD Candidate at the Action Lab in the Faculty of Information Technology at Monash University.
Episode webpage with links: https://www.therandomsample.com.au/podcast/beyond-chatgpt-ai-landscape/
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This is the second part of our special two-part series, where we dive into the surprising and unexpected ways artificial intelligence, or AI, and the law intersect.
This episode takes a closer look at the evolving efforts to regulate AI—an urgent issue that governments and leaders across Australia and around the world are tackling right now.
We delve into the complexities of assigning responsibility and managing risks in AI systems—especially when so many hands contribute to their creation. How do you hold a system accountable when its impacts can be so widespread and unpredictable?
Our guest is Dr. Henry Fraser, a Research Fellow in Law, Accountability, and Data Science at QUT and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision Making and Society. His research focuses on developing laws that encourage responsible automated decision-making.
Our host for this series is Dr. Aaron Snoswell, a senior research fellow in A-I accountability at the QUT Generative AI Lab, and co-lead of the Responsible Data Science and A-I program at the QUT Centre for Data Science.
There is more information and links to some of Dr Fraser's work on our website: https://www.therandomsample.com.au/podcast/ai-law-part-2/
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This is the first of our two-part series on a topic that’s sweeping the headlines: Artificial Intelligence or A-I. But we’re taking a different angle, one that many in the data and mathematical sciences might not consider often, but absolutely should. We’re talking about the law! This series will dig into the surprising intersections between A-I and legal frameworks—and the ways in which they’re increasingly intertwined. This episode gets into the here and now – how A-I is already impacting legal practice and policy. Our guest, Associate Professor Michael Guihot from QUT’s School of Law, is an expert on the intricate connections between emerging technologies and the legal system. He studies the societal impacts of innovations like A-I and how they challenge traditional legal frameworks. Guihot also brings A-I into his classroom, giving future legal minds hands-on experience with the technology that will shape their field. Our host for this series is Dr. Aaron Snoswell, a senior research fellow in A-I accountability at the QUT Generative AI Lab, and co-lead of the Responsible Data Science and A-I program at the QUT Centre for Data Science. Episode webpage: https://www.therandomsample.com.au/podcast/ai-law-part-1/
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High school mathematics in Australia is often driven by one thing: those high-stakes Year 12 exams. In this episode, we take a fresh look at how high school maths is taught. We’re joined by someone who’s making waves in education: Donna Buckley, a mathematics and cybersecurity teacher from John Curtin College of the Arts in Western Australia. In 2023, Donna received the Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Secondary Schools, recognised for inspiring students of all backgrounds to see the power of maths beyond the classroom and even opening their eyes to careers in STEM. Donna brings a unique perspective on the gap between what mathematicians do and what high school maths has become. Donna also shares how she is shaking things up in the classroom, inspiring creativity, and connecting maths to her students’ interests – whether it’s the geometry of fashion, the patterns in textiles, or even using Dr. Seuss to introduce concepts in AI and chatbots. This episode covers a lot of ground on the perceptions of maths and how it’s taught, so get ready for an eye-opening discussion.Our host for this episode is Rose Crocker, an applied mathematician with the Australian Institute of Marine Science. You can find links to what Donna talked in the episode on our website: https://www.therandomsample.com.au/podcast/maths-education-donna-buckley/
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Atherosclerosis is a silent but deadly condition. It happens when your arteries get clogged with plaque, restricting blood flow and putting you at serious risk for heart attacks and strokes. But here’s the fascinating part: maths is stepping up to help doctors and scientists understand how this condition develops and progresses.
In this episode, we’re joined by two brilliant minds who organised a recent research program at MATRIX, Australia’s residential institute for the mathematical sciences. University of Oxford Professor Helen Byrne sits down with the University of Sydney’s Professor Mary Myerscough. Together, they unpack the complexities of using maths to model biological conditions like atherosclerosis.
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The 2024 WIMSIG Conference celebrates the achievements of women, trans and gender diverse people in the mathematical sciences.
WIMSIG stands for the Women in Mathematics Special Interest Group. The group is a part of the Australian Mathematical Society.
WIMSIG just wrapped up its third-ever conference with a big gathering in Sydney.
In this episode, we’ll explore how WIMSIG came into being, why it’s so important, and what it means for all those who attend a WIMSIG conference.
Our guests are:
- Professor Jennifer Flegg – The University of Melbourne and Chair of the WIMSIG Executive Committee
- Professor Jessica Purcell – Monash University and President of the Australian Mathematical Society (AustMS)
- Professor Lesley Ward – University of South Australia and Chair of the 1st WIMSIG Conference
The host is Dr Sevvandi Kandanaarachchi, a Senior Research Scientist at CSIRO.
Episode link: https://www.therandomsample.com.au/podcast/wimsig-conference/
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The Perils of "Publish or Perish".
This episode of The Random Sample is the final instalment in our special three-part series on navigating the world of academic and scientific publishing.
In it, we dive deep into the dilemma - and what many see as the pervasive mindset - known simply as publish or perish.
Our guest is QUT statistician Professor Adrian Barnett. As part of all the research he does, Adrian uses the power of statistics to reveal the pressures and pitfalls of the current system.
Plus, we explore questions like:
- Can things change?
- Should they?
- What can academics and journals do to make the system better?
Our host for this episode is Dr James Nichols, a mathematician and Lecturer at the Australian National University.
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The Challenges of Publishing Interdisciplinary Research.
This episode of The Random Sample is the second instalment in our special three-part series into the world of academic and scientific publishing.
In it, we delve into the challenges of publishing interdisciplinary research with special guest, Professor Xiao-Li Meng, founding editor-in-chief of the Harvard Data Science Review. We explore:
- How to choose a journal when the research crosses disciplinary boundaries
- The important role researchers in the mathematical and data sciences can play in this type of research
- The challenges editors and reviewers face with interdisciplinary research
Plus, Professor Meng discusses his motivation for creating the Harvard Data Science Review, and what he does to challenge researchers to communicate their research more broadly.
Our host for this episode is Cynthia Huang, a PhD Candidate in the Department of Econometrics and Business Statistics at Monash University.
Episode webpage: https://www.therandomsample.com.au/podcast/the-publication-puzzle-part-2/
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We’ve all heard the saying, “publish or perish”. But what does that really mean in today’s world of academic publishing?
Scientific publishing has been shaping knowledge since the 17th century. Today, it's bigger, and more complex, than ever. Yet, for many inside the world of science, it remains a maze of confusion. For those outside of it, it’s practically a black box.
In a special three-part series, The Random Sample will take you behind the scenes to explore the realities of the publication process. This episode is the first in this series.
We’ll begin by answering some fundamental questions:
- How does academic publishing really work?
- What factors influence the decision on where to publish?
- And what happens when a journal reviews a submitted paper?
Our guest is University of Melbourne mathematician Distinguished Professor Peter Taylor, who shares his perspective as both an Academic and editor-in-chief of two applied probability journals.
Our host is Dr Sevvandi Kandanaarachchi, a Senior Research Scientist with CSIRO.
Episode page: https://www.therandomsample.com.au/podcast/the-publication-puzzle-part-1/
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Starting Wednesday, 28 August, The Random Sample will bring you a special three-part series exploring the world of academic publishing. Listen to this short trailer so you know what to expect!
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Here’s something to toast to. Australia’s wine industry is leading the way when it comes to a very important issue: sustainability.
And Data Science is helping the industry do that!
In this episode, we explore the Data Science project being carried out by the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI), how and why it started, and how grape growers and wine makers are coming to embrace these new data-driven efforts.
Our guests are Mardi Longbottom, General Manager for Industry Development and Support at the AWRI, and Bryce Polley, a PhD Candidate at the QUT Centre for Data Science and the University of Adelaide working with AWRI.
Our host is Tim Macuga, Senior Project Officer for the QUT Centre for Data Science and the Australian Data Science Network.
Website link: https://www.therandomsample.com.au/podcast/data-for-sustainable-winemaking/
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Have you heard of, or are you experiencing, eco-grief or climate anxiety? For many STEM researchers, including those in the mathematical and data sciences, this is becoming a very real thing as they explore and tackle problems and questions about the environment and climate. But just how serious of a problem is this for the STEM community? A group of women, who met as part of their involvement with the Homeward Bound project, have decided to team up and find out. They just completed of survey of researchers to find out how climate change is affecting the people who study it. In this episode, we explore some of what they have already uncovered. Plus, some tools and some messages of hope they have for anyone who might be experiencing these feelings. Our guest is Dr Alexandra Knight, an Ecologist and Environmental Sociologist at Charles Sturt University. Our host for this episode is Rose Crocker, an applied mathematician with the Australian Institute of Marine Science. NOTE: We understand this discussion may affect some of you. If so, head to our webpage for this episode. We have provided a list of contacts and resources for climate anxiety and eco-grief support: https://www.therandomsample.com.au/podcast/climate-anxiety-alexandra-knight/
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People love stories. That simple fact all too often gets lost by scientists when it comes to communicating research. In this episode, we chat to someone who helps researchers tell their stories. Not with words. But visually, using graphic design. Dr Jess Hopf decided to combine her two passions, science and graphic design, into a business where she helps researchers communicate their work by incorporating visual components. Our host is Cynthia Huang, a PhD Candidate at Monash University in the Department of Econometrics and Business Statistics. Episode website: https://www.therandomsample.com.au/podcast/scientific-graphic-design/
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It’s only been a few short years since we witnessed the power of bushfires here in Australia. The summer of 2019 and 2020 brought us Australia’s most catastrophic bushfire season ever. The 2019-20 bushfires destroyed more than 3,000 homes, killed more than 30 people, and torched tens of millions of hectares of land and forest. With the effects of climate change, it’s more important than ever that we understand how bushfires move and grow. Our guest for this episode is Jason Sharples, a Professor of Bushfire Dynamics at UNSW Canberra – and Director of the UNSW Bushfire Research Group. In this episode, we explore how Jason uses mathematics to model bushfires to better understand the complex interactions between bushfires, different terrains, and atmospheric conditions. Our host for this episode is Dr James Nichols, a mathematician and Lecturer at the Australian National University. Episode webpage link
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Why do some people struggle with maths? In this episode, we chat with Dr Jacob Paul from The University of Melbourne’s School of Psychological Sciences, where he leads the Maths at Human Scale Lab. The focus of his research is to understand maths learning disorders, including something called dyscalculia. Jacob tells us what it means for children and adults with dyscalculia and what that looks like in their lives. Plus, what he’s doing to raise awareness and improve support for people who struggle with it. Our host is Cynthia Huang, a PhD Candidate at Monash University in the Department of Econometrics and Business Statistics.
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This episode of The Random Sample gives you a glimpse into some of the mathematics and physics that is used to understand the building blocks of the universe. A research program at the MATRIX mathematical research institute earlier this year explored the deep connections between mathematics, quantum field theory, and string theory. One of the participants in that research program was Professor Alessandro Sfondrini from the University of Padua in Italy. In this episode, he gives us a taste of the theoretical and highly advanced mathematics work that he does. Plus, he tells us what he does to communicate it to broader audiences. We have a special guest host. Dr Gabriele Tartaglino-Mazzucchelli is an ARC Future Fellow and Senior Lecturer at the University of Queensland. He was also one of the organisers for the MATRIX research program featured in this episode. https://www.therandomsample.com.au/podcast/building-blocks-of-universe/
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We admit it - even The Random Sample can't resist the hype around the world's biggest music star - Taylor Swift. Almost on a dare from his wife - and to make a point with his students - Griffith University's Dr Nathan Garland decided to open up his mathematical toolkit and explore the music of Taylor Swift. In this episode, Nathan tells us what he used from his mathematical toolkit and what he uncovered about Taylor Swift's music. Our host for this episode is Rose Crocker, an applied mathematician with the Australian Institute of Marine Science. Episode page: https://www.therandomsample.com.au/podcast/taylor-swift-music/
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In this episode, The Random Sample switches things up a bit. The people who usually ask the questions on this podcast, our hosts, are actually our guests.We explore why these researchers wanted to also become podcasters and what they’ve learnt along the way by hosting this podcast. Our hosts turned guests for this episode are: Rose Crocker is an applied mathematician with the Australian Institute of Marine Science; Cynthia Huang is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Econometrics and Business Statistics at Monash University; Dr James Nichols is a mathematician and lecturer at the Australian National University; Dr Sevvandi Kandanaarachchi is a Senior Research Scientist at CSIRO. Our host for this episode is Peter Taylor, a Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor of Mathematics at The University of Melbourne.
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It’s hard to imagine a time before Wi-Fi – or what we’d do without it. Especially, if you’re under the age of 25. But thanks to the work of some brilliant Australian scientists, wireless internet is a part of our everyday lives. Our guest for this episode is Professor David Skellern, one of the Australian scientists who won the race in the late 1990’s to get functioning wireless technology to market. In their words, they had cut the wires that computers needed to talk to each other. Professor David Skellern shares his research and life journey with us, taking us back to his early days working in radio astronomy. Then, how he combined that experience with his love of mathematics, and his background as an electronic engineer, to eventually get to a point where he knew Wi-Fi was possible. Finally, how he helped bring that idea to fruition. It’s a fascinating journey! Our host for this episode is Dr James Nichols, a mathematician and Lecturer at the Australian National University.
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This episode of The Random Sample introduces you to three brilliant statisticians! The three have been selected to present the inaugural Horizon Lectures at the upcoming Australian Statistical Conference next month. The Statistical Society of Australia established the Horizon Lecture awards for this year’s conference to recognise emerging leaders in Australia’s statistics community, and their contributions to advancing statistical practice. The three awardees are Dr Marijke Welvaert with the Australian Red Cross Lifeblood, Assoc. Professor Andrew Zammit Mangion from the University of Wollongong, and Assoc. Prof Margarita Moreno-Betancur with the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute. It’s a fascinating discussion about the importance of statisticians, the communication of statistics, and how statistics is evolving with the emergence of data science, machine learning and AI. Our host for this episode is Dr Sevvandi Kandanaarachchi, a Senior Research Scientist with CSIRO.
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There is still a lot of work to do before Australian girls and women have an equal opportunity to learn, work and engage in STEM. So says the Australian Government’s Department of Industry, Science and Resources.
The Department’s 2023 STEM Equity Monitor shows that:
- Women make up 37% of enrolments in university STEM courses.
- Only 15% of STEM-qualified jobs are held by women.
- Only 23% of senior management and 8% of CEOs in STEM-qualified industries are women.
To tackle the serious issue of gender equity in STEM, Science and Technology Australia (STA) created the Superstars of STEM program in 2017. Its aim is to break the stereotypes about who can – and already does - work in STEM.
In this episode, STA CEO Misha Schubert tells how the Superstars of STEM program equips brilliant diverse STEM experts with advanced communication skills and opportunities so they can be role models and media experts for others to see.
We also talk to a current and past Superstar of STEM about what the program has meant to them. They are:
- Dr Muneera Bano, Principal Research Scientist at CSIRO’s Data 61.
- Dr Melissa Humphries, Senior Lecturer in the School of Computer and Mathematical sciences at the University of Adelaide.
Our host is Rose Crocker, an applied mathematician with the Australian Institute of Marine Science.
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On Saturday, October 14th, Australians head to the polls to decide the Voice to Parliament Referendum. In this episode, we’re not looking at the referendum, but rather the polling around it. Plus, what makes referendum polling different to polling in a regular election. Our guest is Professor Simon Jackman from the University of Sydney. Professor Jackman has three decades of experience researching, teaching, and communicating about political science and data science in the United States and Australia. Until last year, Simon led the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney. Before that, he spent 20 years at Stanford University. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Society for Political Methodology. Our host is Cynthia Huang, a PhD Candidate at Monash University in the Department of Econometrics and Business Statistics.
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Have you ever seen something on the news or in your social media feed and think, what are the odds of that happening? University of Toronto Professor Jeffrey Rosenthal is the author of the book, “Struck by Lightning – the Curious World of Probabilities”. In it, he explores how we should look at the randomness all around us and in the world, and why we overestimate the chance of some things happening, while underestimating others. Plus, he talks about the challenge of communicating these statistical and mathematical ideas to a broader audience. Our hosts are Cynthia Huang and Tim Macuga.
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For many of us, we rely on social media to get a lot of the information we’re interested in. But how does all that information move across these different platforms? It’s a question that researchers in the data and mathematical sciences at The University of Adelaide have been studying for years. Included in that research is the study of how misinformation and disinformation spreads on social media. Our guests for this episode are Professor Lewis Mitchell, Director of the Adelaide Data Science Centre, and Bridget Smart, who recently completed a Masters at The University of Adelaide. As part of her research, she worked to understand and model the processes behind malicious activity in our online social networks. They also talk about some of their latest research, which includes the spread of disinformation in the Russia-Ukraine war. Plus, why the mathematical and data sciences are so important in examining this problem, and how recent changes to social media, specifically, Twitter, could change that research. Our host is Rose Crocker, an applied mathematician with the Australian Institute of Marine Science.
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Here’s something weird to think about. Can fluids think? No, we’re not talking about a liquid metal shape-shifting creature like what we saw in Terminator 2. We’re asking, can fluid systems make computations?
In this episode, we chat with Professor Eva Miranda, head of the Laboratory of Geometry and Dynamical Systems at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia in Spain. She’s on a mission exploring one of math’s most famous open problems – the existence of solutions of the Navier-Stokes equation, which governs the flow of fluids such as water and air.
Since the 1800’s, researchers interested in how fluids flow have turned to Navier-Stokes. To investigate Navier-Stokes, Eva and her colleagues have constructed an abstract mathematical machine, a theoretical fluid computer, if you will.
In this podcast, Professor Miranda tells us how a post from Australian Mathematician Terrence Tao inspired her, how she used geometry to construct her fluid computer, and why she believes that Navier-Stokes might not always be physically valid.
Our host for this episode is Dr James Nichols.
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Sometimes interesting research starts with a question faced by industry. That question may lead to other questions – and maybe even shine light on a broader research problem not specific to that industry. Collaboration between academia and industry allows researchers to identify and explore these new and interesting problems. One way that’s being done is through Industry PhDs. In this podcast, we explore what an industry PhD is, how it’s different than a traditional PhD, and what it’s like to collaborate with industry partners as you pursue a PhD. Our host is Dr Sevvandi Kandanaarachchi, a Senior Research Scientist with CSIRO.
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This is a special edition of The Random Sample! We’re on the road at the World Statistics Congress taking place from 15-20 July in Ottawa, Canada. The Congress is put on by International Statistical Institute (ISI) and is the largest congress worldwide for statisticians and data scientists.
In this podcast, we hear from Stephen Penneck, ISI President; Kerrie Mengersen, ISI Vice President; Anil Arora, Chief Statistician for Statistics Canada; Eric Rancourt, Asst. Chief Statistician & Chief Data Officer for Statistics Canada; and John Bailer, former ISI President and host of the “Stats & Stories” podcast.
Our host for this episode is Tim Macuga, Senior Project Officer for the QUT Centre for Data Science and the Australian Data Science Network.
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Our guest is Mine Çetinkaya-Rundel, a Professor in the Department of Statistical Science at Duke University in the United States. Mine’s work is so much more than just educating students about statistics and data science. She’s a big proponent of what she calls ‘open education’, the open source sharing of how stats and data science are taught, and innovating the pedagogy. In this episode, we explore how Mine is doing this, and why this type of work is so important. Our host is Cynthia Huang, a PhD Candidate at Monash University in the Department of Econometrics and Business Statistics.
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For three decades, University of Queensland Professor Hugh Possingham has combined his two passions – mathematics and nature – into a career dedicated to making an impact with conservation efforts around the world. Hugh recently completed a two-year term as Queensland’s Chief Scientist. He served as Chief Scientist of the Nature Conservancy, is the former director of four national research centres, and is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science. His conservation efforts include his lab’s development of Marxan which was used to underpin the rezoning of the Great Barrier Reef. Marxan is now the most widely used conservation planning software in the world. In this episode, we explore the importance of mathematics in the field of conservation and the challenges of communicating the maths and science to decision-makers. Our host is Rose Crocker, an applied mathematician with the Australian Institute of Marine Science.
BONUS MATERIAL, including a clip where Prof Possingham talks about mentoring: https://www.therandomsample.com.au/podcast/hugh-possingham/
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Ever watch a TV courtroom drama where they question an expert witness? Chances are, you’ve never seen an actor portray an expert witness who is a statistician. But statisticians can have a big impact inside real courtrooms. Our guest is Professor Ian Gordon, Director of the Statistical Consulting Centre at The University of Melbourne. Among the consulting work he does includes being an expert witness in legal cases. In this episode, we explore how statisticians get involved in legal cases, what that legal work looks like, and we look at some of the big cases Ian has worked on. Our host is Cynthia Huang, a PhD Candidate at Monash University in the Department of Econometrics and Business Statistics.
Links & bonus material: https://www.therandomsample.com.au/podcast/statisticians-in-legal-cases/
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100 years after Albert Einstein predicted their existence, scientists in 2015 detected gravitational waves for the first time ever. The historic discovery was the culmination of decades of research and hard work. In this episode, we explore the importance of gravitational waves and the theoretical and technological efforts that allowed researchers to finally detect them.
Our guest is Distinguished Professor Susan Scott, from The Australian National University, and a senior member of the gravitational wave detection team. Our host is Dr James Nichols, a mathematician and Lecturer at ANU.
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We explore the field of discrete optimisation and how industries and companies use it to make decisions for complex problems. Our guest is Monash University Professor Peter Stuckey, a pioneer in constraint programming (CP) which is a powerful approach to solving discrete optimisation problems. Professor Stuckey explains why he believes optimisation is the intelligence behind AI. Our host is Dr Sevvandi Kandanaarachchi.
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It’s one of the most pressing, if not the most pressing, question facing scientists: what impact is climate change having on our planet’s future? In this episode, we chat with world-renowned climate researcher Professor Lisa Alexander from UNSW who is helping answer that question with her research to understand and build better climate models. Our host is Rose Crocker.
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Since its release in late 2022, Open AI’s Chat G-P-T has most everyone talking about it, and even trying it.Schools, universities, and businesses are scrambling to figure out how it can be used, or whether to even ban its use. But here at The Random Sample, we’ll leave that debate to others, at least for now. Instead, we’d rather take a look under the hood of ChatGPT and see what it really is and how it works, or in some cases, doesn’t work! Our guest is Assoc. Professor Simon Angus from Monash University and our host is Cynthia Huang.
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There's a global movement underway to tackle gender equity issues in Data Science. In 2015, Women in Data Science, or WiDS, was created. What started out as a conference at Stanford University has now grown into a worldwide initiative, with events in more than 200 countries, including Australia. In this episode, we chat with the Co-founder and Executive Director of the WiDS movement, Emeritus Professor Margot Gerritsen.
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Every two years, Australia’s applied mathematics community invites a distinguished international academic to speak at universities across Australia.
This year, the AMSI-ANZIAM Distinguished Lecturer is Professor Konstantin Avrachenkov, Director of Research at France’s National Institute for Research in Digital Science and Technology, or INRIA.
The Random Sample caught up with Prof Avrachenkov at the recently held ANZIAM 2023 Conference in Cairns. Also joining us for this episode is his PhD Supervisor from some 20 years ago, Emeritus Professor Jerzy Filar.
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With the explosion of data everywhere, how do you prepare for the exciting new careers and jobs of the future, when many of them don't exist yet? With maths, of course!
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The Fields Medal is the top award in mathematics and for only the second time ever, a woman has won it. In this episode, we explore the problem that Ukrainian mathematician Maryna Viazovksa solved and why it's so important.
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The Statistical Society of Australia turns 60 years old this year. In this episode, we celebrate this big milestone as we explore what the Statistical Society offers its members, look back at some of its history, and peek into the future, especially with the recent emergence of data science. Our guests are current SSA President Professor Ian Gordon, and SSA Immediate Past President, Associate Professor Jessica Kasza. The host is Cynthia Huang.
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One of the biggest challenges facing scientists in Australia is trying to protect and save a national treasure, the Great Barrier Reef. To do that, though, they need to understand it better. But this is not just a problem for ecologists and marine biologists to tackle. Mathematical and data scientists are heavily involved in the effort to save the reef. In this episode, we explore some of the questions they are tackling, what we’re learning because of them, and what the future might hold. Our guests are Dr Juan Ortiz from the Australian Institute of Marine Science and Professor Michael Bode from QUT’s School of Mathematical Sciences.
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We are excited to announce The Random Sample is coming soon!
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At the end of 2021, our Centre, the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers, finishes up. ACEMS brought together researchers across the mathematical sciences, from the theoretical to the very applied. In this episode, we explore the impact ACEMS has had on those sciences, and beyond, to organisations in government and industry. Plus, our most important legacy - the next generation of research leaders and teachers. The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
Mathematics is exciting, enjoyable, and can surprise you, right? To help students to experience that when they do maths in the classroom, ACEMS has helped foster and grow a program called 'MathsCraft'. The program is designed to introduce to students in years 5 to 10 to the ‘doing’ of mathematics like, well, a mathematician! In this episode, we talk to three teachers in South Australia who are now introducing MathsCraft concepts into some of their teaching. The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
Thanks to the efforts of ACEMS Chief Investigator Rob Hyndman, the School of Business at Monash University now recognises software as a first class research output. In this episode, we will explore the role of software in the research process, including both the opportunities and challenges for researchers creating it, and whether other universities might follow the lead set by the Monash Business School in recognising the importance of software. The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
The European Meteorological Society just awarded an ACEMS researcher and her colleague in the Netherlands its top prize for innovation in meteorology. Their project sets out to develop new statistical methods to quality control wind data captured by amateur, or citizen, scientists and integrate that data with wind observations from official weather stations. That could give forecasters and others who need information on the weather a lot more data to base their decisions on. In this episode, we explore how they plan to use stats to bring credibility to crowdsourced weather data. The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
Monash University Professor of Statistics Di Cook is considered a world leader in Data Visualisation. In this episode, Di shares some of her new, innovative work into Data Visualisation. She also discusses why she is such a big proponent of reproducible research and open-source software. The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
Aurore Delaigle is a professor of statistics at The University of Melbourne, an ACEMS Chief Investigator, and a Fellow of both the Australian Academy of Science and the American Statistical Association Aurore’s passion is using statistics to tackle challenging questions that solve real, practical problems. In this episode, we explore some of the different problems she is taking on with her statistical expertise. The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
What does mathematical research look like? If you visit Australia's residential mathematics research institute, you might be surprised by what you see. It's called MATRIX and it's located in regional Victoria. In this episode, we explore the importance of mathematics research, how it's done, and the unique environment MATRIX provides for mathematicians to make their research happen. The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
Ever wonder how the impossible becomes possible on the big screen? Not surprisingly, there's a lot of maths and stats that can make amazing things happen in your favourite movies. In this episode, we chat with a man who uses mathematical tools to create that movie magic. It's a must listen for anyone who's ever asked the question in maths class, "when am I ever going to use this stuff?". There are few cooler answers than what you'll hear in this episode! The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
Companies from many different sectors are all starting to realise one thing - that mathematics can help them make better decisions. That's the goal of a new ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centre. It's called OPTIMA and its aim is to bring cutting-edge optimisation research to industry. In this episode, we explore the field of optimisation and why Centre Director Kate Smith-Miles believes OPTIMA is poised to tackle some very interesting and challenge industry problems. The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
The Safe Blues project was created to see in close to real-time how social mobility and epidemic spread interact. To test its mobile technology, the Safe Blues team has been conducting an experiment in New Zealand at the University of Auckland City Campus. The experiment took a turn, though, when Auckland went into lockdown a few weeks ago. In this episode, we explore how lockdown is both an opportunity and a challenge for this experiment. The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
Our guest is QUT Distinguished Professor Lidia Morawska who led the push to get health organisations to finally recognise the airborne spread of COVID-19. She is now leading an effort to change the way buildings and homes are ventilated to help prevent the spread of not just COVID, but other respiratory illnesses like the flu and the common cold. The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
Thousands of species around the world are being threatened by land clearing to make way for agricultural or urban development. To track land clearing, researchers are now turning to free satellite imagery to try to see what's going on in certain areas. But there's one big problem. At any given time, two-thirds of the earth is covered by clouds. To get around that, an ACEMS team developed new statistical modelling techniques to predict what the clouds are covering up in those images. The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
When things go your way, or don’t go your way, how much of that is luck? Do we overvalue or undervalue a process or a person's performance because of how things eventually turn out? Do we need to take into account things out of our control? In this episode, we explore these questions and look into whether we need to do more to give some people a second chance. The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
Every five years, the Australian Bureau of Statistics conducts a national Census. In this episode, we explore what's new with this year's Census, how COVID is impacting it, and what's being done to avoid a repeat of what happened on Census night in 2016. The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
In a world that’s more data-driven than ever before, we need people who can analyse and find the hidden stories within the data. In this episode, we explore the future of statistics with two early career statisticians who took very different paths to get where they are now. We also give you a sneak peak at the upcoming Early Career and Student Statistician’s Conference. The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
She is considered one of Australia’s greatest mathematicians. Professor Cheryl Praeger turned her passion for the mathematics of symmetry into a long and distinguished career at the University of Western Australia. In this episode, we chat with Cheryl about her career, her mathematics, the many honours she has been given, and her passion for advancing mathematics education and women in STEM. The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
What can maths do for you? A new children’s book aims to give youngsters – and their parents and teachers – a glimpse of what’s possible if they study maths. It's called "Wondrous Worlds" and in this episode we chat to the author, ACEMS PhD Candidate Katie Buchhorn. The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
In May, the mathematical sciences community celebrated international women in mathematics day. To mark the day, ACEMS hosted a panel discussion titled, "The Road Ahead for Women in STEM". Featuring three female leaders in Australian academia, we explored efforts to increase diversity in maths and science.
What does it take to test a vaccine? Among other things, some very important mathematical and statistical methodology! This episode doesn't tackle the specifics of any of the different COVID-19 vaccines, but rather it explores some of the maths and stats that was needed in their testing. We also hope to make you better consumers of all the news you see and hear when it comes to the different vaccines. The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
For an eighth straight year, the Pint of Science Festival has just kicked off in Australia. Its aim is to give everyday people a chance to meet and interact with Australian scientists and find out what they’re doing is and also, to combat the stereotypes associated with science. In this episode, we’ll explore how the festival works, and meet two women who are taking part so that they can change the way people feel about maths and stats! The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
The term mathematical modelling takes on a whole new meaning for a group of Australian mathematicians. In this case, they are models. Or should we say, role models. They are part of the just-released “Australian Women of Mathematics” exhibit, launched as part of the 2021 International Women in Mathematics Day celebrations. In this episode, we introduce you to the exhibit, how it came together, and how it shares the stories of the women who are featured. The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
Mathematics has a numbers problem – at least when it comes to gender equity. But what if we could use maths to help fix the problem? That's just what Dr Eugenia Cheng is proposing we do. She's the author of a new book, "X+Y: A Mathematician's Manifesto to Rethinking Gender". In this episode, she describes how a mathematical approach to this issue could be the key to moving forward. The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
In the last decade, a controversy called the 'replication crisis' rocked the scientific community. The crisis centered around the fact that many scientific studies were difficult or even impossible to reproduce. At the heart of the issue is statistical significance. In this episode, we explore the crisis, the questions around significance, and the possible solutions that are being considered. The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
The International Prize in Statistics is considered the top award in the field of statistics. This year, it was awarded to Harvard Biostatistician Professor Nan Laird. In this episode, we chat with Professor Laird about the award as she looks back on her career. Joining us is one of her former PhD students turned colleague, Harvard Professor Garrett Fitzmaurice. The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
When it comes to the number of women in mathematics, the numbers are low. In this episode, we explore why that is, the role women are being asked to play in making that change, and why many women are battling imposter syndrome. The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
Have you heard someone say they weren't good at maths or hated it at school? Is there such a thing as a 'maths person'? What does a mathematician do? In this episode, we make the case for maths, why it's important students not give up on it too soon and, more importantly, why they should do as much as they can. The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
An Adelaide man, Graeme Denton, recently set a world record for the tallest free-standing soap bubble. It reached up 10.75 metres, or more than 35 feet, from the ground high into the air. ACEMS Chief Investigator Professor Matt Roughan did the maths that verified the record-breaking bubble attempt. In this episode, we talk to Graeme and Matt about the world-record-breaking soap bubble, what needed to be done to mathematically verify it, and what bubbles can teach us about maths and science! The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
Data can unlock the answers to a lot of questions. But few researchers are asking some of the questions that QUT Professor Adrian Barnett is. In this episode, we explore some of the interesting problems and questions Adrian has looked into, why he chose them, and why he believes it’s more important than ever that we have access to open data sources. The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
In the race for gold, athletes are always looking for a competitive edge. But could that edge now come from the mathematical sciences? There is more data than ever available now about athletes – and that data can tell us a lot about how these competitors are doing – or even how they might perform in the future. To do that, though, we need statistics to bring meaning to all that data. In this episode, we explore the ever increasing role of data and statistics in athletic performance and sports. The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
Moreton Bay, off the coast of Southeast Queensland, is home to an incredible array of iconic marine species like dugongs, turtles, dolphins, whales, fish, sharks and rays. But because it's so close to Brisbane, it's also a very busy bay for recreational and commercial traffic. And that's only going to increase. In this episode, we introduce you to a new project that will use statistical analysis - and some very cool technology - to try to show how what's happening above the surface is impacting the marine life below it. The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
We explore the connections between mathematics and Aboriginal culture and how they can be used to transform how Aboriginal students learn maths. Also in this episode, we look into how these connections, and this education, might help all students and teachers when it comes to teaching and learning maths. The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
We sit down with four university students from around Australia who are studying maths and stats. When did they realise they wanted to study the mathematical sciences? The four students are at various stages of their academic journey. What has it been like so far? And do they think they’ve made the right choice and why? Our hope with this episode is to maybe get some young people to think about maths and stats as a field of study, or at least something to think about. The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
What can you do with a mathematics education? For Casey Briggs, he's turned it into a career with the ABC. In this episode, Casey talks about his role in communicating data and statistics, especially when it comes to a story like the COVID-19 pandemic. The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellencefor Mathematical and Statistical frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
From business to biology, Professor Kerry Landman has taken her love for applied mathematics and made a huge impact. For some 40-years, she has devoted her career to cross-disciplinary research to help solve a wide range of problems. In 2019, she was named a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science. In this episode podcast, Kerry talks about her career, some of the people who have impacted her life over the years, and what she's doing now in retirement to make a difference. The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
Do you ever stop and think about how much time you spend on your mobile phone, or binge-watching your favourite TV show? Not surprisingly, tech companies and apps actually make those predictions - and they also sell those predictions. In this episode, we look investigate the disturbing possibility that companies might take it a step further by also getting us to do what they were predicting - or at least pushing us closer to our predicted behaviour. The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
One of the biggest issues we face is the deliberate spread of false information over platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. Because of the network properties of those platforms, it’s not hard to see how wrong, or even dangerous, information can end up in the news feeds and the minds a lot of people. In this episode, we explore what a team of researchers is doing to tackle this problem. The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
Bayesian statistics help decide what email you get is spam. It can assess security and medical risks, decode DNA, enhance blurry pictures, help explain stock market volatility, predict the spread of an infectious disease, and its methods were even used by Alan Turing in World War 2 to crack the secret of the Nazi enigma code. In this episode, we explore the history of Bayes' theorem, the ideas behind it, and why it's really becoming a powerful statistical tool in the 21st century. The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
It’s one of the fastest growing areas of mathematics, and for good reason. Mathematical biology tackles problems involving things like genetics, diseases, epidemics, ecology, population growth and extinction. The list could go on and on. In this episode, we explore the field of mathematical biology as we chat with one of Australia's rising stars in the field, QUT Professor Matthew Simpson. The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
Professor James McCaw is one of the leaders of the pandemic modelling group advising Australia's National Cabinet. In this episode, Professor McCaw talks about the role mathematical modelling played in Australia's response to COVID-19, and we explore how this crisis has given many people a glimpse into how maths and stats can play a key role in tackling problems they wouldn’t expect. The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au
The closest thing to a crystal ball that many organisations and businesses have to look into the future is what’s called a forecast. Not for weather, but for so many other things like product sales, or unemployment figures, or energy usage. In this episode, ACEMS Chief Investigator Professor Rob Hyndman gives us a glimpse into how forecasting works and how it continues to develop. The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
How do you know if a new drug will do what it claims to do? Or a new policy will have a desired effect on a population? Many experts believe the best way to answer questions like those are to use 'randomised trials'. In this episode, we explore why and how randomised trials are used, what happens when they're not, and how they might be used even more in Australia to drive decisions and policy. The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
In the build up to the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals started preparing for the worst. On a normal day, they operate at or around 100 per cent capacity. But in the past few weeks – during this pandemic – something strange has happened. Those numbers have dropped. But why? In this episode, we explore that question, and also look at why ACEMS researchers are closely tracking hospital emergency department data. The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellencefor Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
In the search for clues in tracking the presence or spread of COVID-19 in communities, sometimes experts need to look in some spots they'd rather not. Australia's Chief Scientist is mobilising a team to look for such data in the dirty wastewater that leaves homes and businesses every day. In this episode, we explore why that data could provide important information on what's going on with the pandemic in Australia. The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellencefor Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
How well do social distancing measures work when it comes to controlling the spread of COVID-19? Which ones can we start to remove? And when? The problem with these questions is time. It takes days, even weeks to see if a certain measure or measures are working. In this episode, we introduce you to a project called 'Safe Blues'. Its aim is to provide a way to get these answers in a more real-time fashion, by tapping into the power of your mobile device. The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics,statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
Antarctica – one of the most remote places on the planet. Few people will ever get the chance to see it. But every year, 100 women who are making an impact in STEMM do get the chance to go as part of project known as Homeward Bound. One of the 100 women chosen for the 2019 Homeward Bound voyage was ACEMS Associate Investigator Dr Patricia Menendez. In this episode, Patricia tells us about her amazing trip and how she wants to use it to inspire more girls and young women to consider a career in maths and stats. The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
Chances are you’ve heard of bitcoin – or blockchain – or both. But what are they? How did they start? And what does their future look like? In this episode, we explore those questions and look at how, mathematically, they are a rich source for some really interesting problems and solutions. The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers (ACEMS). In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
Every two years, AustMS and AMSI choose a prominent mathematician to tour Australia. This year's Mahler lecture series speaker is Dr Holly Krieger, originally from the United States, but now at Cambridge University. In this episode, Holly talks about her research, her outreach to female students and young researchers, and her tour of Australian universities. The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers (ACEMS). In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
The world of data science has seen a massive explosion of interest in the last decade. It’s more important than ever before to be able to work with data, visualise it and find the meaning in it. One man who is helping hundreds of thousands of people do just that – is statistician Hadley Wickham. Hadley is now the Chief Scientist at RStudio.In this episode, Hadley talks about his groundbreaking work, and shares his journey on how he got to where he is now.The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers (ACEMS). In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
How do we find the stories that are hidden inside of statistics and data? And how can we better communicate those stories? In this episode, we meet the co-creator of the "Stats and Stories" podcast. We explore the challenges, opportunities and importance of communicating statistics, especially in this data-driven world that we live in. The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers (ACEMS). In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
What if we could change the way a lot of students feel about mathematics? In this episode, we introduce you to ACEMS' flagship outreach program, MathsCraft, which is designed to supplement what is already being taught in classrooms. MathsCraft allows kids to experience things like the creativity of maths, collaboration, having ideas, exploring those ideas, and coming up with new ideas and questions. The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellencefor Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers (ACEMS). In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
Using maths to understand a hospital ICU: How many beds should a new hospital include for its intensive care unit? Not enough is bad for those who need the care. Too many is bad for the hospital, especially cost-wise.In this episode, we explore how maths can be used to explore the problem and others like it. It’s also a fascinating example of how maths can reveal a lot about what’s happening all around us! The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
In May 2019, there were more than a dozen "Women in Maths" day celebrations around the Australia. Maybe the biggest event in Australia took part in South Australia. In this episode, we talk to three of the women behind that big event, what they did, why it was so important, did anything come of it, and what’s ahead when it comes to the issue of gender equity. The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers (ACEMS). In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
There's no denying the popularity of the Marvel Comics Universe (MCU) - and all the movies that are a part of that franchise. In fact, it's the most popular movie franchise ever. But what if you could use maths to help explain the popularity of the MCU? That's just what Professor Matt Roughan is doing. Interestly enough, he uses some ideas from ecology to predict a movie's popularity. The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers (ACEMS). In this show, we share stories about mathematics,statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
Few things have changed the legal system over the past few decades as much as the use of forensic evidence – most notably, DNA.DNA evidence can provide powerful evidence in support of a person’s guilt – or innocence. The key, though, is making sure it’s used and interpreted properly.In this episode, we talk to Professor David Balding, one of Australia's top forensic statisticians, about some of the key cases he's worked on. They include providing key statistical analysis in some very high-profile murder cases, and he also helped prove that the remains found buried under a car park were those of a medieval king.The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
The role of algorithms can’t be understated in the technological world we now live in. But can we trust algorithms?It turns out, the question of trust may not be about the algorithms themselves, but rather how we test them.In this episode, we talk to Professor Kate Smith-Miles, who leads a team that recently launched a groundbreaking web platform to test algorithms. The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics,statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
Space junk and micrometeoroids present serious problems for any satellite or ship that ventures into earth's orbit. While we don't yet have graviton-based deflector shields like in Star Trek, there are some shield technologies that we use today to protect the craft. In Episode 13 (Part 2 of this 2 part series), Sevvandi and Anthony continue their discussion about protecting spacecraft with two special guests: Dr Shannon Ryan (DST Group) and Prof William Schonberg (Missouri University of Science & Technology). The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
Space junk and micrometeoroids present serious problems for any satellite or ship that ventures into earth's orbit. While we don't yet have graviton-based deflector shields like in Star Trek, there are some shield technologies that we use today to protect the craft. In this episode, ACEMS Associate Investigators Dr Sevvandi Kandanaarachchi and Dr Anthony Mays talk about the problem of space junk and some statistical models that are used to predict the effectiveness of a shield.
In this episode, we explore an innovative project designed to help the Great Barrier Reef. It's called Virtual Reef Diver, and the project was named by ABC Science as its 2018 Citizen Science Project for National Science Week. The best part of the project is that you, or anyone in Australia or around the world, can help with the project from the comfort of your home or office.ACEMS Communications and Media Officer Tim Macuga hosts this episode. He interviews the project leader for Virtual Reef Diver, ACEMS Associate Investigator Dr Erin Peterson.
We look back at the life of Helen Newton Turner, an Australian statistician and a statistical geneticist who made some amazing contributions to science starting in the 1930s and spanning over a 40 year career.Helen started off as a secretary, and worked her way up to become an accomplished statistician, principle scientist and world-renowned leader of CSIRO's program in sheep breeding research.The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
Imagine your life now without a mobile phone or WiFi. The digital revolution is probably the biggest change we've all seen in our lifetimes. But how did we get to this point, when it wasn't that long ago that people were using the telegraph, or morse code, to communicate?In this episode, ACEMS' Jono Tuke chats with his ACEMS' colleague at The University of Adelaide, Prof Matt Roughan. They introduce us to the concept of "information theory", and how some of the concepts that we saw being used in morse code, or even a game of scrabble, have got us to where we are now.
ACEMS' Yanan Fan is a statistician at UNSW. But in this episode, she reaches out to three women in STEM - Dr Alina Ostafe: Senior Lecturer in Pure Mathematics at UNSW, Dr Sarah Martell: Senior Lecturer in Astrophysics at UNSW, and Prof Emma Johnston: Professor of Marine Ecology & Ecotoxicology, Dean of Science at UNSW, and President of Science & Technology in Australia (STA). Discover what their science is like, why maths is so important, and the importance of getting more women into STEM.The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
Louise Ryan is one of ACEMS Chief Investigators, and like many of ACEMS’ CIs she has had an amazing career of unlikely and unplanned opportunities. In this episode Jessie Roberts chats with Louise about her career and what advice she has for PhD students and early career researchers.In addition to her role in ACEMS, Louise is a Distinguished Professor of Statistics at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Adjunct Professor of Biostatistics at Harvard University, and is President of the International Biometric Society (IBS).The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
Why aren’t there more women in maths or in STEM? What’s being done about that, and why is it that so important?In this episode, Dr Giang Nguyen and ACEMS PhD Student Caitlin Gray chat with one of Australia’s best known mathematicians, a woman who has blazed a trail for others to follow her: Prof Nalini Joshi from The University of Sydney. They also explore why a maths education is more important now than ever.The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
You’ve probably all heard of STEM—Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics—and that it is important that our younger generations become proficient in these skills if they are going to be adequately armed to participate in the workforces of the future. Well as you may have already figured out if you have listened to any of our other podcasts, we focus on the M as in Mathematics.But have you ever wondered what kind of career a focus on mathematics would give you?In this episode, Steve Psaltis chats with Ellie Foxcroft, an expert in optimisation with Biarri. The pair will be discussing exactly what that means. How Ellie uses mathematics, and why mathematics and statistics is important in everyday life.The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.
For the average person listening to news stories about the latest poll or what conclusions have been drawn from one survey or another, it’s easy to take that information at face value. But should you? Should you be more sceptical about the conclusions these claim to show us? In this episode, ACEMS Deputy Director Scott Sisson chats with expert statistician Melanie Black from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, and QUT Associate Professor Adrian Barnett about how surveys work, why we need them, and what you need to look out for before you’re convinced.The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.For further resources, visit the shownotes at https://acems.org.au/podcast/episode4-surveys
How does your phone, computer know the word that you are trying to type and autocorrects for you? How do online shops suggest other books etc for you to buy?Jono Tuke is an ex-vet and now a statistician at ACMES. His area of focus is applied statistics covering such diverse topics as medical statistics, social networks and ancient DNA. He is passionate about trying to convince everyone that statistics can be done and should be done by everyone.In this episode, Jono explains distances and how they can be used in places you had no idea they could be, and then he chats with Ben Rohrlach on how DNA was used to confirm the connection to country of Australian aboriginals.The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.For further resources, visit the shownotes at https://acems.org.au/podcast/episode3-distance
In 1960, Australian mathematician AG Doig co-authored a paper titled ‘An Automatic Method for Solving Discrete Programming Problems’. This became a seminal paper in the field of linear programming. The paper created a tool that allowed computers to do something they were uniquely good at: solving optimisation problems. As computing has become more and more powerful, this tool has become widely used in transport logistics, shift rostering, and even to assist in cancer radiotherapy decisions.In this episode Kate Lowry speaks with the author of this paper, AG Doig, or as most people know her, Alison Harcourt about her life as a mathematician in Australia.The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.For further resources, visit the shownotes at https://acems.org.au/podcast/episode2-alison-harcourt
“It could happen to you”, so the saying goes, and it certainly has happened to some. But how likely is it, really, that you’ll win big by playing the lottery, poker machines, or casino games? Is it worth playing the same game over and over, waiting for the big one? Ever wondered how casinos can afford all the glitz?In this episode, our Director Peter Taylor and Outreach Officer Anita Ponsaing talk about gambling – from a mathematician’s point of view. For further resources, visit the shownotes at https://acems.org.au/podcast/episode1-gambling The Random Sample is a podcast by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical frontiers. In this show, we share stories about mathematics, statistics and the people involved. To learn more about ACEMS, visit https://acems.org.au.