Get on board with Tram Talks

This summer, embark on a whole new train of thought and let Tram Talks get you up to speed with the latest research by some of Deakin University’s most inspiring academics.

Tram Talks brings the lecture theatre to wherever you are with a series of bite-sized free podcasts on topics including Australian robotics, the Melbourne housing market, ‘portion distortion’ and overeating, and representations of Islamic politics in media.

Track down the brand-new Tram Talks tram – number 179 – and scan the on-board QR code as it trundles along routes 5, 6, 8, 16 and 72 or simply access the podcasts from the Tram Talks website until 10 April.

Trisca Scott-Branagan, Executive Director of Marketing, explained that at an average length of 10 minutes, Tram Talks are the perfect way to get a taste of what Deakin University has to offer.

“We find that people choose online study because they’re busy balancing work and life,” Ms Scott-Branagan said.

“People are time-smart and they tend to maximise opportunities in their day, like commuting, for study.

“This insight formed the basis of Tram Talks. The talks provide an insight into the exceptional thinking and approaches of our academics while also demonstrating how Deakin helps people incorporate study into their daily routine.”

The full range of Tram Talks includes:

• Dr Paul Harrison, Deakin Business School: effects of marketing and advertising on consumer behaviour;
• Professor Greg Barton, Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation: stemming the tide of terror and how Islamic politics are represented and misrepresented in media;
• Dr Euan Ritchie, School of Life and Environmental Sciences: natural predators in the Australian wild and the valuable role they play in our ecosystem;
• Associate Professor Tim Crowe, School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences: ‘portion distortion’ and how it makes us overeat;
• Dr Patrick Stokes, School of Humanities and Social Sciences: the ethics of death in the social media era;
• Dr Fiona Gray, School of Architecture and Built Environment: the Melbourne Lovability Index Survey;
• Dr James Mullins, Centre for Intelligent Systems Research (CISR): where Australian robotics has been and what the future holds;
• Dr Sophie Goldingay, School of Health and Social Development: the challenges women offenders face in prison;
• Professor Richard Reed, Deakin Business School: the benefits and risks of investing in housing and Melbourne market predictions;
• Associate Professor Bonnie Yim, School of Education: how the earliest years of our education shape our lives;
• Dr Steve Fraser, School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences: the emerging field of Exercise Physiology and the benefits in hospitals; and
• Associate Professor Jacob Cybulski, Deakin Business School: business analytics and it’s applications in day-to-day life.