2012 Magazine Podcasts

The podcast is presented by Gareth Mitchell, a lecturer on Imperial's Science Communication MSc course and the presenter of Click Radio on the BBC World Service, with help from the Communications and Development Division pod squad.

If you have feedback that you’d like to share or ideas for future editions, we’d love to hear from you – please contact Laura Gallagher on  l.gallagher@imperial.ac.uk or +44 (0)20 7594 8432, or tweet us  @ImperialSpark.

You can also download our magazine podcasts from iTunes by following this link ( Imperial College London Magazine iTunes), if you do not have iTunes installed you will be prompted to do so.

9 May edition

In this edition, we find out how bad badgers in the media affect the way that diseased animals are treated and hear why champagne corks are popping all around the College.

Listen to the complete streamed podcast - 9 May 2012

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• News roundup - Royal Society appointments for Imperial scientists, the announcement of a new mission to Jupiter and a study into the diagnosis of breast cancer.
• Celebrating Sanka day - Simon Watts talks to local children visiting Imperial as part of Sanka day, celebrating the College's Japanese connections ahead of the London 2012 Olympic games.
• Caricaturing Britain's badgers - Gareth Mitchell interviews Dr Angela Cassidy about how cultural depiction of badgers can change ideas about culling the animals when they spread diseases like Bovine TB.
• Research supporting Paralympians- J-P Jones meets Dr Dominic Southgate, Project Manager for the Rio Tinto Sport Innovation Challenge project which features in Universities Week 2012.

18 April edition

In this edition, an update on strategies to prevent malaria transmission, and a visit to the new carbon capture pilot plant opening on campus.

Listen to the complete streamed podcast - 18 April 2012

Or listen to individual chapters

• News roundup - A warning of the threat to ecosystems and food security from fungal diseases, and a look forward to the Imperial Festival.
• Biting back against malaria - Professor George Christophides and Dr Tony Nolan discuss their efforts to prevent mosquitoes from spreading malaria.
• Imperial pilots carbon capture - Colin Smith goes behind the scenes at the new carbon capture facility on campus, where students will be trained in advanced technologies.
• School pupils plan Mercury colonies - Fiona Larner reports from the International Space Settlement Design Competition held at Imperial.
• Varsity Rugby 2012 - Simon Watts reports from this year’s clash between Imperial College and Imperial Medicals at the Twickenham Stoop Stadium.

21 March edition

In this edition, a librarian ponders the future of academic publishing, and a mathematician suggests that patterns we see in data might not be as helpful as we think.

Listen to the complete streamed podcast - 21 March 2012

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• News roundup - Biological machine components made by yeast, generating energy from human waste, and gene therapy for cystic fibrosis.
• Academic publishing: is there a better way? - Debbie Shorley, Director of Library Services, questions whether it's right for universities to spend large sums on journal subscriptions.
• Fight the power laws - We’re very good at spotting patterns in data, but applying simple mathematical models isn’t always useful, argues Professor Michael Stumpf.
• TEDx at Imperial: the elevator pitch - Gilead Amit, part of the student team behind Imperial’s first TEDx event, is challenged to champion the series of inspirational talks.

29 February edition

In this edition, we discover why neutrinos appeared to be in such a hurry and hear why virus scientists want to publish details of how to create more transmissible strains of bird flu.

Listen to the complete streamed podcast - 29 February 2012

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• Old antibiotic could help fight TB- An Imperial study has found that doxycycline prevents lung destruction caused by tuberculosis bacteria.
• Neutrinos: not so fast- Faulty wiring appears to be responsible for an apparent violation of the universe’s speed limit observed by scientists in Italy last year.
• Do we need the leap second? - Tom Whyntie discusses whether our clocks should be tethered to the rotation of the Earth.
• Bird flu studies must be published – Wendy Barclay - Controversial research into transmissible strains of H5N1 influenza should not be censored, argues the Professor of Virology.
• The truth about wind power- We need a more informed public debate on renewable energy, says Dr Robert Gross.

8 February edition

Researchers enlist schoolchildren to measure pollution, a prize-winning essay writer shares his tips, and two experts offer contrasting views on whether Mars’s surface could have harboured life.

Listen to the complete streamed podcast - 8 February 2012

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• Schoolchildren get involved in pollution research - Dr Mark Richards explains how pupils in Brighton are helping Imperial scientists monitor air pollution around their schools.
• News: Black holes and revelations - Brain scans illuminate the effects of magic mushrooms, black holes reveal surprising life-giving qualities and how the body clock could be linked to diabetes.
• Why care about discovering the Higgs boson? - 2011 Science Challenge winner Andrew Purcell reads from his essay and offers advice to this year’s entrants.
• Is there life on Mars? - Dr Tom Pike explains why his data cast doubt on the possibility of life having existed on the Martian surface, but Professor Mark Sephton hasn’t given up the search.
• Exhibition Road completes its transformation - Perspectives on the new-look street design from mayor Boris Johnson, Professor Mike Bell and other road users.

18 January edition

What secrets will the Large Hadron Collider reveal in 2012? Our latest podcast looks at the year ahead for Cern, plus turning wrapping paper into biofuel, using art to treat mental health problems, and diagnosing traumatic brain injury.

Listen to the complete streamed podcast - 18 January 2012

Or listen to individual chapters

• 2012: the year of the Higgs boson? Last year ended with promising results from the Large Hadron Collider, but Professor Jordan Nash is keeping the champagne on ice.
• News roundup - How pike relocation is threatening native species in Italy and a new look at how effective weight loss surgery is as a treatment for type 2 dia betes.
• Turning waste paper into biofuel - Unwanted Christmas cards and wrapping paper could provide enough energy to send a bus to the moon more than 20 times, according to Imperial researchers.
• My Life On Mars - Michael Crawford, Professor of Mental Health Research, considers what he would take with him on a lone voyage to the Red Planet.
• Brain probes to assess traumatic injury - Professor Martyn Boutelle from the Department of Bioengineering on new technology for assessing the severity of traumatic brain injury.

Podcast archive

• 2011 podcasts
• 2010 podcasts
• 2009 podcasts
• 2008 podcasts
• 2007 podcasts