Hosted by The Ordinary Guy Updates Bimonthly Ratings | Genre science / education Debut 16 October 2006 Website www.brainsmatter.com | |
Brains Matter is a science podcast aimed at showcasing science. Published every couple of weeks, the podcast features interviews predominately with scientists, covering a diverse range of topics. It is available via the Brains Matter website and through iTunes iTunes podcast directory. Brains Matter is a member of the Science Podcasters Network, and has been recommended by the Science Teacher's Association of Victoria (Australia), and the Monash University's Monash Science Centre for science students.
Contents
Host
The host's non de plume is The Ordinary Guy, and lives in Melbourne, Australia. He was inspired to do a show about sciences after being fed up with the lack of science coverage in mainstream media He has also appeared on other shows either as a host or in collaboration, such as the Mr Science Show and 365 Days of Astronomy podcast
History
The show started in September 2006, initially as a "one-man" show, with the host explaining various scientific concepts. By episode 8, the show adopted an interview-style format featuring experts in their field.
Guests
Guests on the show are from a wide variety of backgrounds, and include high profile academics: historians, physicists, astronomers, immunologists, computer scientists, philosophers, and those in charge of large science projects. Past guests have included IAU members and Nobel Prize winners.
Famous interviewees include Nobel Laureate Professor Peter Doherty, Professor John Lattanzio, a foremost expert in AGN stars in the International Astronomical Union, Dr Mark Boland, from the Australian Synchrotron and Deputy Director of the Australian Council for Accelerator Science, astronomer Pamela Gay, author and TV personality Simon Singh, Astronomer and Young Australian of the Year Bryan Gaensler, Nobel Laureate Professor David Karoly and SETI Institute's Senior Astronomer, Seth Shostak, amongst others.
Elephants
Starting in 2008, Brains Matter has been running an ongoing series of interviews with Professor Roger Short, a world leading expert on elephants, on the topic of the plight of elephants, and in particular the Asian elephant.
One of the listeners was so inspired by the series of interviews, that he contacted Professor Short, and they are in the process of setting up a charity to save the Asian Elephant called "Never Forget Elephants". This is, to date, ongoing. They have both publicly thanked the Brains Matter podcast for inspiring this.
National Science Week
The Brains Matter podcast has been an active participant in the International Year of Astronomy 2009, the International Year of Science 2009, and Australian National Science Week every year, including relevant shows and interviews for each, and for Australian National Science Week, live shows. In July 2010, Brains Matter was listed as a finalist in the National Science Week Microblogging category awards for the Big Blog Theory competition.