ILLUMINATA: Recent Episodes
Charlotte & Emily
Welcome to ILLUMINATA podcast! We are two PhD students from The University of Queensland that want to highlight the importance of women in agriculture who are part of the STEM community. We are so proud to be part of this and we want to share with you the real life of some extraordinary women making a difference in their field.
After one year we are coming back with a new episode about our PhD journey and what we learnt during this marathon! We hope that you'll enjoy it! Cheers & glitters
1:00 - Intro and life update
3:20 - How a PhD works in Australia
4:00 - PhD is a unique experience, including submission
6:00 - Take care of your mental health, Practice self-care and get support
15:00 - Focus on the things that you can control and always do your best
18:00 - The best thesis is a finished thesis,It’s all about the baby steps
24:40 - Feeling strange during the whole process is normal
27:00 - Submission can be a mix of emotions
33:00 - So what’s next after PhD? Post-PhD blues?
This is a special episode with a suprise at the end!
We hope that you will love it!
Let’s the new year illuminate our next achievement/s!
ILLUMINATA Ep. #24 Dr Kate Burke author of the book 'Crops People Money & You: The Art of Excellent Farming’ has a practical and pragmatic approach to farming. Based on thirty years of experience as an agricultural scientist in the dryland cropping sector, she knows how to connect the dots of science, people and money. With a unique blend of evidence, insight and empathy, Kate encourages readers to clear the fear and take the steering wheel toward Excellent Farming.
@ThinkAgri
Link to buy the book:
https://www.thinkagri.com.au/product/crops-people-money-you/
ILLUMINATA Ep. #23 Agronomist Beth Penrose moved from the United Kingdom to Australia in 2017 to start her own research group at the University of Tasmania in Hobart. Her research focuses on improving soil and plant nutrition for human and animal health, whether that is increasing concentrations of beneficial nutrients, or reducing concentrations of contaminants. She regularly works between disciplines, collaborating with researchers in health and nutrition, food science, aquaculture, zoology, geology and education. Her previous work looked at using genetic variation in mineral uptake by grasses to reduce transfer of radioactive caesium and strontium to cows in contaminated areas. Beth is a member of the GRDC Community of Practice for Crop Nutrition and is the Secretary of the Australian Grassland Association. She is also the Tasmanian representative for Researchers in Agriculture for International Development (RAID) and sits on the Tasmanian Committee of the Crawford Fund.
@bethpenrose linkedin research profile
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01330-2
Episode #22: Emma Ayliffe is an agronomist, farmer, business founder and agri-tech innovator. She has been named the 2021 Young Farmer of the Year. Emma is a co-founder of agribusiness, Summit Ag and also co-founded Yacker – a free app that connects people in the agricultural sector. She has been recognised for her advocacy work, innovation and passion. She hopes to see more young people involved in agriculture in the future. Emma is also a crop doctor on the side and works as an agricultural consultant, helping farmers from Griffith to Lake Cargelligo with production.
Episode #21: Dr Elizabeth Chapman (Liz) grew up surrounded by green fields and countryside in the heart of Somerset, England. Elizabeth did her PhD, entitled, ‘Balancing the Genetics of Source to Sink to Increase the Productivity of Bread Wheat’, at John Innes Centre in collaboration with KWS-UK. Here she gained her love of fieldwork, applied breeding and plant physiology, excitingly integrating phenotypic and genotypic data to gain both a genetic and agronomic understanding of the importance of staygreen traits. Elizabeth recently joined Carlsberg Research Laboratory as part of the ‘Crops for the Future’ team. . Elsewise she’ll be found running or cycling round the parks, harbours and streets of Copenhagen, knitting, baking...and attempting to learn dansk-selvfølgelig!
ILLUMINATA Ep. #20 Dr Millicent Smith is a plant physiologist with expertise in legume crops. Now she is a Lecturer in Crop Physiology at the School of Agriculture and Food Sciences at the University of Queensland. Typically working at the whole plant or crop level, her research is focused on understanding the above- and below-ground mechanisms that underpin adaptation to abiotic stress and the impacts of changing resource availability on yield and seed nutrient content. Millicent has extensive experience developing and applying novel chemical, isotopic and physiological phenotyping techniques and technologies across scales from lab to field.
ILLUMINATA Ep. #19: In today’s episode we interview Siobhan Smith, she is currently in her final year studying a Bachelor of Agriculture/ Business. Throughout her time at university she has been the President of the Rural Undergraduate Society at the University of New England and she also was a NSW Rural Achiever Finalist.
Inspired by the era of agricultural innovation, Siobhan believes this is the
most exciting time to be a young woman in agriculture. Her goals for the future
include promoting sustainability, innovation and future farming opportunities
with determination to push the industry benchmark to new heights.
ILLUMINATA Ep. #18 Renne Anderson is an agronomist, cotton farmer and an advocate for sustainable farming. In 2019 she won the Nuffield Australia farming scholarship which allowed her to travel overseas to meet experts in agricultural research and communication throughout Europe, the United States and Canada on her study tour. Having worked in agronomy for 20 years, Renée has observed many barriers to effective adoption of better environmental management practices and consumer communications, and is motivated to research strategies to overcome these barriers.
@cottonfarmgirl
@cottonaustralia
ILLUMINATA Ep. #17 Fiona Lake is a professional photographer who has specialised in agriculture, rural regions and aerial photography for more than thirty years. These days she focuses on passing her knowledge to others - drone pilots, photographers, people in agriculture and rural residents thinking of starting up small businesses, sometimes in the most remote parts of the continent. Fiona recently was the winner of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalism 2020 Star prize for photography for her exquisitely - composed aerial image of a bullock team published by the the Queensland Country Life last September
ILLUMINATA Ep. #16 Gillian Fennell is a wife, mother, jill of all trades who is trying to make a life not a living in remote outback South Australia. A passionate rural advocate and board member of Livestock SA & Cattle Council Australia. Described variously as a fighter, thinker, cattlewoman and humanist, she tries to look after and elevate the people around her, and make her industry a better place for everyone who wants to be a part of agriculture.
ILLUMINATA Ep. #15 Meg Kummerow founded Fly the Farm in September 2017. Her business is dedicated to ensuring that Australian Farmers and Agribusiness professionals get the right drone solution for their needs. Meg is passionate about Australian Agriculture and continues to work with several Grain Industry organisation alongside running Fly the Farm. She is a Mum of two children with an interest in technology and who attend a small, rural school. Meg founded Robot Farm because she saw that there was a need to provide not just STEM products, but support and resources to Parents and Teachers alike. Robot Farm is a project to immerse rural kids in science, technology and coding using robots.
Fly the Farm
Robot Farm
ILLUMINATA Ep. #14 Karen is our CRISPR-Cas9
Queen and her research is focused on the improvement of cereal crops using genomic and biotechnological tools, enhancing their qualities and performance for the food and feed industries. In a bold move from the cold Canada
to sunny Australia, her passion for science and innovation has fuelled her
career in academia where she is now undertaking a postdoctoral fellowship.
Listen to this legend and get inspired!
Dr Karen Massel profile
Hotter, drier, CRISPR: editing for climate change
ILLUMINATA Ep. #13 In this episode with talk with the only and one Dr. Anika Molesworth. Passionate about rural communities and healthy ecosystems, she is committed to help create sustainable and vibrant farming landscapes now and for the future. Anika speaks and writes on agro-ecological systems resilience, and have a passion for building the capacity of farmers to respond to climate change, both here in Australia and around the world. Her dedication to raising awareness of climate change impacts on farms, and most importantly, what action can be taken to reduce emissions and adapt to changing conditions has gained widespread notability.
https://www.anikamolesworth.com/
ILLUMINATA Ep. #12. In this episode with talk with Shannon Speight (nee Landmark). Graduating as a veterinarian from the University of Sydney,her career commenced working as a vet with live export in North Queensland, followed by time with a mixed practice in Charters Towers and Longreach. Shannon was awarded the Zanda McDonald Award in 2019, an award that highlights talented and passionate young individuals working in agriculture. Shannon has founded Black Box Co, an innovative SaaS (Software as a Service) product that ingests raw data across the beef supply chain to inform prediction, forecasting and key production insights.
ILLUMINATA Ep. #11. In this episode with talk with Dr. Marina Fortes. She is a cattle geneticist, lecturer, and researcher at the University of Queensland. Besides teaching molecular genetics and bioinformatics, her group is working on developing genomic technologies to improve genetic gain in livestock. We chat about her journey from being a veterinarian in Brazil, to pursuing a career in academia in Australia while also juggling motherhood. She's the co-creator of the UQ's Women in Science podcast that highlights the stories of inspiring women in STEM.
ILLUMINATA Ep. #10 In this episode we are chatting with Sera our new member that joined our team! We chat about her science journey and sharing a bit of her experience in this field to inspire younger generations of girls to undertake a science career.
Happy international women’s day! Welcome to this special episode honoring our incredible women! We have prepared a very special message from our Illuminata guests about the importance of highlighting women in agriculture, so sit tight and enjoy.
Ever wondered what a career in science would be like? Or how to get into research? What is it like to do a PhD? These questions and many more will be answered by UQ researchers in celebration of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2021! We are delighted to have the following researchers from The University of Queensland's School of Chemical and Molecular Biosciences (SCMB) and the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI) joining us online to share their journeys and give advice to aspiring scientists in a 1-hour Q&A panel event:
- Dr Kirsty Short, ARC DECRA Research Fellow, SCMB
-Prof. Anna Koltunow, Centre for Crop Science, QAAFI
-Dr Dilani Jambuthenne, Centre for Crop Science, QAAFI
-Dr Elizabeth Ross, Research Fellow, Centre for Animal Science, QAAFI
Co-hosted by QAAFI PhD candidate and host of Illuminata podcast, Charlotte Rambla, and Wonder of Science Program Officer and medical research associate, Dr Natalie McKirdy.
ILLUMINATA Ep. #9. In this episode we chat with the amazing Prof. Yasmina Sultanbawa. Originally from Sri Lanka, she is a food scientist focusing on the agribusiness development framework, specifically in the area of food processing, preservation, food safety and nutrition. She works with Australian native plant foods focusing on incorporating these plants in mainstream agriculture and diet diversification and working with indigenous communities to develop nutritious and sustainable value added products from native plants with a positive socio-economic impact.
Prof Yasmina Sultanbawa profile
Uniquely Australian Foods
Aboriginal websites where you can find products to try:
Kaiyu super foods
Bindam Mie
ILLUMINATA Ep. #8. In this episode we chat with the amazing Bianca Das, a soil scientist currently doing her PhD at the University of Queensland and CSIRO Agriculture and Food in Australia. She is passionate about soils, science communication, global agricultural development and nutrition security and human rights. On 2019, Bianca participated in the world-class leadership, strategic and science initiative and outreach for women: the Homeward Bound Program, which culminates with a month of training in Antarctica. Listen to her unique journey now!
Bianca Das profile
ILLUMINATA Ep. #7. In this episode we are chatting with the fabulous Dr Heather Smyth a flavour and sensory scientist who has been working with premium food and beverage products for over fifteen years. She is researching the human sensory experience of Australian foods, finding new pathways for adding distinctive Australian qualities to our home-grown food and beverage products.
Dr Heather Smyth profile
Uniquely Australian Foods
ILLUMINATA Ep. #6. In this episode we are chatting with the amazing Dr Jill Fernandes, a decision scientist at the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland. Dr Fernandes and her colleagues have been involved in establishing a UQ impact initiative called The Animal Welfare Collaborative (TAWC). TAWC is a broad network of individuals, companies, and organisations working together to improve animal welfare.
Dr Jill Fernandes Profile
The Animal Welfare Collaborative (TAWC)
Twitter: @LetsTAWC
Instagram: @lets_tawc
ILLUMINATA Ep. #5. In this episode we are chatting with Prof. Mary Fletcher, a natural product organic chemist. Her current work focuses on the identification and analysis of natural toxins in a range of plants, fungi and agricultural products. Such toxins can affect both human and animal health posing risks to livestock production, food safety and market access.
Professor Mary Fletcher profile
ILLUMINATA Ep. #4. In this episode we are chatting with the amazing Prof. Anna Koltunow has a formidable record of accomplishment in plant reproduction research and translating that research into gains in agricultural sectors. She was selected by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to head an international collaborative research venture between six research organisations and a multinational seed company to develop technologies so smallholder African farmers could economically save seed from cowpea and sorghum hybrids.
Prof. Anna Koltunow profile
ILLUMINATA Ep. #3. In this episode we are chatting with Dr Barbara George-Jaeggli originally from Switzerland, we are talking about her path and why she came to Australia. We are talking about how she manages her failure, how to be in a male dominated world and how to be successful even putting life before career.
Dr Barbara George-Jaeggli Profile
Welcome to ILLUMINATA! We are two young researchers from The University of Queensland that want to highlight the importance of women in agriculture. In this episode we are chatting with Emily about her science journey and sharing a bit of her experience in this field to inspire younger generations of girls to undertake a science career.
Emily Mantilla Profile
Welcome to ILLUMINATA! We are two young researchers from The University of Queensland that want to highlight the importance of women in agriculture. In this episode we are chatting with Charlotte about her science journey and sharing a bit of her experience in this field to inspire younger generations of girls to undertake a science career.
Charlotte Rambla Profile