Exploring Global Problems - Season 3

What is the future of AI and Chat GPT? Can digital technology help deter reoffending? Can we build systems that are safe, secure and resilient to any security threats? These and many other questions will be answered in season 3 of 'Exploring Global Problems’, where Swansea University academics discuss how their ground-breaking research helps to tackle global challenges.

In this 11-episode third season, academics will examine topics as diverse and important as protecting ourselves from cancer-causing chemicals, improving health care for autistic people and rethinking society’s relationship with cars. The new series also sees the return of regular presenter Dr Sam Blaxland, who over the next few months will take listeners through episodes featuring academics from a variety of disciplines.

Turning Waste into Wonder: Creative Solutions for Plastic Pollution

3 July 2023
Season 3, Episode 1

Dr Alvin Orbaek White reveals his revolutionary vision for sustainable technology from plastic waste and explains how, from data cables to energy applications, nanotechnology is transforming the world.

Listen to episode 1

Can we protect ourselves from cancer causing chemicals?

17 July 2023
Season 3, Episode 2

Professor Gareth Jenkins discusses how DNA can be mutated and how these mutations cause cancer, and how the chemicals around us, our lifestyle choices and our habits can increase or decrease the likelihood of our DNA mutating and developing into cancer.

Listen to episode 2

Can intervention prevent suicide in young people?

31 July 2023
Season 3, Episode 3

Professor Ann John explores suicide and self-harm prevention and how anonymised data can help to design interventions and develop policies to help inform and train professionals in contact with those who are at risk of suicide.

Listen to episode 3

Traffic, transport and our behaviour

14 August 2023
Season 3, Episode 4

Professor Ian Walker explores the phenomenon of ‘Motornormativity’ and discusses behaviours that are triggered automatically and unconsciously by the environment an individual finds themselves in specifically in the context of driving habits.

Listen to episode 4

Addressing cybersecurity risks of self driving vehicles

29 August 2023
Season 3, Episode 5

Professor Siraj Shaikh discusses the resilience of cyber physical systems which use digital components, such as autonomous vehicles, and their ability to function effectively and securely.

Listen to episode 5

Using digital technology to support people in the criminal justice system

11 September 2023
Season 3, Episode 6

Dr Gemma Morgan explores the real problems people face when leaving prison, and how harnessing digital technology in innovative new ways can support those leaving prison or on probation to stop offending and achieve positive outcomes.

Listen to episode 6

Generative AI: what is it and what are the implications for society?

25 September 2023
Season 3, Episode 7

Professor Yogesh Dwivedi and Dr Laurie Hughes talk about the potential benefits, challenges and risks associated with using generative AI platforms in education and the implications for wider society.

Listen to episode 7

How can we improve healthcare for autistic people

9 October 2023
Season 3, Episode 8

Dr Aimee Grant discusses how their research looks to uncover Autistic people’s lived experiences and healthcare needs to reduce and reverse health inequalities.

Listen to episode 8

The impact of the menstrual cycle in sport

23 October 2023
Season 3, Episode 9

Dr Natalie Brown discusses the perceptions and experiences of the menstrual cycle in elite sport and across schools in the UK, and how activity and good nutrition can manage menstrual-related symptoms.

Listen to episode 9

Woman reading book surrounded with space imagery

Science Fiction and its place in the Welsh language

13 November 2023
Season 3, Episode 10

Dr Miriam Elin Jones discusses her interest in science fiction, and how what could potentially be seen as an antithesis to Welsh-language culture, explores many relevant and pressing concerns, such as language death and a minority language’s uneasy relationship with technology.

Listen to episode 10

From Global to Local: the people's place in tackling climate change

27 November 2023
Season 3, Episode 11

Professor Karen Morrow and Dr Victoria Jenkins discuss global climate and environmental governance and what people and institutions can do to mitigate and adapt to the consequences of climate change.

Listen to episode 11

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