Welcome to The Random Sample! In this podcast, we share stories about mathematics, statistics, data science and the people involved. This is a collaboration between the Australian Data Science Network (ADSN), the Statistical Society of Australia (SSA), the Australian Mathematical Society (AustMS), the OPTIMA ARC Training Centre, the MATRIX Mathematical Research Institute, and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers (ACEMS). ACEMS created the podcast in 2018. F ...
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Make Me Data Literate features Dr Linda McIver interviewing fascinating people who work with Data, asking the question: What is the one thing you wish everyone knew about data? From Maths Education to Misinformation, we'll cover everything that's interesting about Data Science and how it affects us all.
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Helping us to make sense of the many impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic through science. Why is it so hard to crush this pandemic and will we solve this complex problem? Digging through the science of the coronavirus and other infectious diseases, we look at how we got here, and what comes next. In these uncertain times, this 8-part series shares the stories of Australian scientists to help make sense of a mutating virus and to give us hope. This is a science podcast from Burnet Institute, a ...
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Mathematics, creativity & connection: Rethinking maths education in Australia
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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 20…
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Maths Models Shed New Light on Hidden Heart Risks – with Professors Helen Byrne & Mary Myerscough
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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…
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Shaping the Equation: The 2024 WIMSIG Conference
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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…
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The Publication Puzzle: Navigating the World of Academic Publishing - Pt 3
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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 Ad…
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The Publication Puzzle: Navigating the World of Academic Publishing - Pt 2
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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 o…
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The Publication Puzzle: Navigating the World of Academic Publishing - Pt 1
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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 pr…
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Trailer: The Publication Puzzle - Navigating the World of Academic Publishing
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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! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Av ACEMS
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Grapes & Algorithms: the Data Science of Sustainable Winemaking
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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 a…
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Coping with Climate Anxiety - with Dr Alexandra Knight
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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 …
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"Every decision that we make, whether we're thinking about climate change, poverty, you know happiness, agriculture... how do we feed everyone, how do we clothe them, all of that is underpinned by data and mathematics.Av Dr Linda McIver, Australian Data Science Education Institute
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Scientific Graphic Design for Communicating Research - with Dr Jess Jopf
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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…
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The Mathematics of Bushfires - with Professor Jason Sharples
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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 c…
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Understanding Maths Struggles - with Dr Jacob Paul
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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 a…
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Building Blocks of the Universe - with Professor Alessandro Sfondrini
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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 organ…
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Using maths to explore the music of Taylor Swift - with Dr Nathan Garland
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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 …
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"The rise of populism has been substantial across the advanced world, indeed across developing countries as well. So those of us who believe in data need to be strong proponents of the publication of those data even when it produces results that make us uncomfortable.Av Dr Linda McIver, Australian Data Science Education Institute
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"We do not teach people that making mistakes is not just right, but it's the only way of learning. It's the only way of becoming better."Honestly, I want to turn this whole episode into pull quotes! Go listen!Av Dr Linda McIver, Australian Data Science Education Institute
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"So like while we would never believe that if we saw a stone rolling down a mountain, that if we all just stared at it and willed it back up the hill, it would do that, we do tend to believe that if we all individually do our part for the environment or ask people to just individually act that because people want that to be so and want that to work…
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Fiona Tweedie: data governance is not a topic that gets a lot of love. people yeah switch off when they hear it, but it really is the makes a huge amount of difference to what you're able to do with data (and not just avoiding big regulator fines)Av Dr Linda McIver, Australian Data Science Education Institute
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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 ap…
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The Maths of Wi-Fi with Professor David Skellern
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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 199…
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Mark Gray on technology. "people have developed a kind of implicit trust in the way that technology works. And I think partly it's because they don't actually understand how it works. And so, they just choose to trust it. I mean, I've got a lot of experience in programming. ...I would not trust a computer-driven car to not hurt me."…
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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 i…
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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-qualif…
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"Behind every business problem is a human being with some kind of need. And if we understand that, we can solve it and increasingly now every business is a data driven business, but you can't let data be the only thing you need to, we need to focus in on the human problems we're trying to solve. And that's probably one of the things that is making …
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What you need to know about Referendum Polling with Professor Simon Jackman
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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 J…
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Communicating Statistics & Probability with Professor Jeffrey Rosenthal
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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…
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A truly thought provoking conversation about data and accessibility with an amazing Software Engineer and Accessibility Expert & Advocate, Larene Le Gassick. "The most popular statistic that is shared about disability is that, you know, if you don't consider accessibility in the web or in mobile apps, you are excluding at least 20% of folks who mig…
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Cracking the Code on the Spread of Mis-and-Disinformation on Social Media
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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 misinfo…
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