Where does Australia’s culture of innovation come from, if it exists at all?
Dr Jonathan Englert unravels the conundrum, fresh from his PhD looking into Australian innovation, where he interviewed various inventors and explored his relationship to Australian culture.
We uncover the stories of inventors like Barry Marshall, who rejected the establishment to change medicine forever, Lawrence Hargrave whose kites paved the way for flight, and David Skillern, a leader of the Wifi team.
Comedian Mandy Scotney, still on her PhD journey, joins us with her insightful and hilarious takes, biting commentary and tales of wombat poo.
Promised notes from the episode:
It’s vaguely cube-shaped. The reason? Biomechanical engineers, who were studying how it becomes cube-shaped, postulated that perhaps it is to signpost their territory (it doesn't roll away). Research into how wombats make it cubed was done at the Georgia Institute of Technology…yep, in the USA. Biomechanics researcher on the study, David Hu, says, the wombat's strategy could help engineers design better ways to shape valuable or sensitive materials.
Hosted by Rachel Rayner, Science Explainer
Links for more:
Credits
Producer: Rachel Rayner, Science Explainer
Guests: Jonathan Englert, Mandy Scotney
Music: Michelle Cashman
Editing: HoboHut Media
Made possible through Meta Australia Journalism Fund, administered by the Walkley Foundation, with support from Comedy Victoria.
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