In the media

DECEMBER: The work of Amandine Schaeffer and a team of scientists from UNSW were highlighted in ABC News, opens in a new window. The team is creating a tool to forecast which beaches will be affected by bluebottles and when. 

NOVEMBER: Scott Sisson was interviewed by The Age ahead of the 2024 US election, where he discussed the role and purpose of pre-election opinion polls in their piece The polls say it’s neck and neck. But can you even trust them?, opens in a new window.

OCTOBER: Kristen Hunter was a co-author on research which uncovered fundamental flaws in one of the Australian government’s largest carbon offset projects. Findings from their paper in CSIRO Publishing's The Rangeland Journal were featured in articles by UNSW Newsroom, opens in a new window and The Age, opens in a new window. 

AUGUST: Shane Keating penned a piece for The Conversation, opens in a new window, addressing rumours that the Paris Olympics has a "slow pool problem". The article was also picked up by The Guardian, opens in a new window, and he was interviewed on-camera by ABC News for their story Is the Paris Olympic swimming pool slower?, opens in a new window.  

JULY: The Guardian's puzzle columnist Alex Bellos highlighted puzzles sourced from "Parabolic Problems: 60 Years of Mathematical Puzzles in Parabola" by David Angell and Thomas Britz in his weekly Monday column, opens in a new window.

Jan Zika spoke to the Herald Sun for an article Global warming: Why 2024 could be our hottest year, opens in a new window.

JUNE: Jake Oliver was contacted for comment for a piece by the Newcastle Herald, opens in a new window regarding a local letter saga. He was asked to estimate the probability of an extremely unlikely event.

Tom Stindl and Scott Sisson were contacted by the Sydney Morning Herald, opens in a new window to provide an estimate of the height of a "torpedo bomb" kick by Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs player Matt Burton. 

FEBRUARY: Tom Stindl was interviewed for the Herald Sun, opens in a new window discussing the likelihood of two family members sharing a leap year birthdate.

Tom Stindl and Jake Olivier gave separate interviews to Triple M about the odds of winning the $200 million Powerball jackpot. Jake Olivier also gave an on-camera interview to the 9 News, opens in a new window afternoon bulletin, and ABC Radio Sydney NSW Afternoons with James Valentine.

An article spotlighting Trevor McDougall, opens in a new window and his 2023 NSW Scientist of the Year win was published in The Senior.

JANUARY: Jake Olivier was interviewed by SMH, opens in a new window about the odds of winning the $150 million Powerball jackpot. 

A new study by Jake Olivier and colleague Soufiane Boufous revealing that overall cyclist fatalities have been decreasing over the past three decades was covered by UNSW Newsroom, opens in a new window, Cosmos Magazine, Canberra Times, AAP, and more. Jake Oliver was also interviewed about the study on ABC Canberra Breakfast radio. 

NOVEMBER: A piece about marine heatwaves by Shane Keating, Amandine Schaeffer, and colleagues was published in ABC News, opens in a new window. 

OCTOBER: Shane Keating co-wrote a piece for The Conversation, Climate change is disrupting ocean currents. We’re using satellites and ships to understand how, opens in a new window.

SEPTEMBER: A recent study, opens in a new window by Thomas Britz and colleagues was covered by several media outlets including the ABC, opens in a new window and The Conversation, opens in a new window. The research found that tens of thousands of small-scale hydro energy storage sites could be built from Australia’s farm dams, supporting the uptake of reliable, low-carbon power systems in rural communities.

A study by Amandine Schaeffer and UNSW colleagues about marine heatwaves gained traction across the science media. They co-wrote a piece in The Conversation, opens in a new window, and the research was featured in several science publications. 

AUGUST: Jan Zika was interviewed on ABC News, opens in a new window about proposed funding cuts to the Australian Antarctic program. 

JULY: Jan Zika was quoted in several media pieces - including The Age, opens in a new window and the Brisbane Times, opens in a new window - commenting on the recent declaration of an El Niño weather event. Climate experts warned that Australia is in "uncharted" bushfire territory.

JUNE: Jake Olivier was interviewed for several media pieces in the wake of the recent Hunter Valley bus crash. Head of Statistics Professor Olivier is Deputy Director of the Transport & Road Safety Research Centre (TARS). 

Professor Olivier and colleague Raphael Grzebieta (Professor of Road Safety, TARS) were interviewed for an article in SMH, opens in a new window, which discusses the issues of regulation concerning seat belts on buses, rollover crash worthiness standards for vehicles, and the availability of vehicle data/black box recorders to police.

Professor Olivier was interviewed for another piece in SMH, opens in a new window, focused on lobbying by parent groups for seat belts to be installed on buses. 

Professor Olivier was interviewed for a piece in the Canberra Times, opens in a new window, which discusses seat belt laws for buses across Australia.

Another piece in SMH, opens in a new window which sought comment from Prof Olivier covers the investigation by a bus industry taskforce into the adequacy of bus and coach safety regulation in NSW.

MAY: Jake Olivier was interviewed for an article, "Election fraud claim casual with the truth on informal voting, opens in a new window", which features in the Australian Associated Press' FactCheck. He helped to debunk a claim that the high number of informal ballots cast at some NSW voting centres provides statistical evidence that the 2023 NSW election was rigged.

DECEMBER: Shane Keating wrote a piece for The Conversation exploring the science of fluids, Slip, slop, slurp! The surprising science of sunscreen, sand and ice cream, opens in a new window.

NOVEMBER: Daniel Mansfield was featured on BBC REEL, opens in a new window, discussing the maths of ancient Babylonia. 

Fedor Sukochev was announced as the top researcher, opens in a new window in the field of Mathematical Analysis in The Australian’s Research Magazine, which publishes an annual list of the top researchers and best research institutions across 250 individual fields of research nationally. 

In addition to Professor Sukochev's top researcher ranking, UNSW Mathematics and Statistics topped the list for the fields of Algebra and Computational Mathematics.

AUGUST: Daniel Mansfield's research discovery, opens in a new window revealing that ancient clay tablet Si.427 could be the oldest known example of applied geometry sparked a vast amount of global mainstream media and social media attention. The story featured in outlets such as The Guardian, The New York Times, Daily Mail, New Scientist, The Economist, ABC, SMH, The Age and many more. 

JULY: Rohitash Chandra co-authored an article in The Conversation, opens in a new window, which focuses on recent innovative research to discover copper deposits in order to supply the growing renewable energy technology industries.

APRIL: Jake Olivier was interviewed by ABC Radio Sydney about unmarked speed camera vehicles and recent changes to the speed limit in the Moore Park area. There has been a general push for 40km/h zones or less in areas with a fair amount of pedestrian or cycling traffic. A paper published by Prof Olivier in 2019 estimated the probability of a pedestrian fatality given an impact speed; it works out to about five per cent probability at 30km/h. The paper can be found here: The relationship between impact speed and the probability of pedestrian fatality during a vehicle-pedestrian crash: A systematic review and meta-analysis, opens in a new window.

Shane Keating and Moninya Roughan wrote a piece for The Conversation, opens in a new window about the role of ocean currents and the fascinating things they can reveal. 

MARCH: Moninya Roughan was interviewed by 7 News, opens in a new window and ABC about ocean currents within the context of the investigation into the disappearance of Sydney businesswoman Melissa Caddick.

FEBRUARY: Daniel Mansfield was interviewed by Diffusion Science radio about Mesopotamian arithmetic and geometry.

OCTOBER: Thomas Britz was interviewed on ABC Melbourne's 'Breakfast with Sammy J' programme, discussing the size of a trillion [dollars].

AUGUST: Daniel Mansfield penned a piece for The Conversation, opens in a new window, addressing a viral TikTok video which raised questions about the origin and existence of maths. He was also interviewed on ABC radio about the viral video. 

Head of Statistics, Jake Olivier, was quoted in an SMH article, opens in a new window about speed's impact on fatalities and serious injuries in vehicle crashes. 

JULY: Thomas Britz was interviewed about the probability of winning the lottery on ABC Radio Hobart.

JUNE: Jake Olivier contributed to an ABC News article, opens in a new window analysing the accuracy of Australia's coronavirus figures. 

MAY: Thomas Britz was interviewed for a piece, The mystique of mathematics: 5 beautiful maths phenomena, opens in a new window, for the UNSW Newsroom. The article generated some additional media interest: it was also picked up by Cosmos Magazine, was Tweeted by The Mathematical Association of America, and Thomas Britz was interviewed on ABC Radio Hobart. 

JANUARY: Shane Keating wrote a piece for The Conversation, opens in a new window about the science of ocean waves.

DECEMBER: Jake Olivier spoke to SMH, opens in a new window about pedestrian and road safety and the role of increased speeds. 

OCTOBER: Jake Olivier analysed data for ABC's Fact Check, opens in a new window to help investigate the credibility of a claim by former Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce that the Nationals represent Australia's poorest electorates.

MAY: In the wake of the recent Federal election and many misleading opinion polls, Scott Sisson co-authored a piece in The Conversation, opens in a new window about improving poll design and thus their accuracy. 

APRIL: A recent paper by David Harvey, opens in a new window that describes a new method for multiplying together huge numbers attracted a broad range of media interest, garnering mentions in publications and outlets such as New Scientist, Science News, ABC, Triple J and BBC World Service. 

FEBRUARY: Yanan Fan's study looking at student bias, opens in a new window towards teachers attracted attention in the print and broadcast media. Yanan was interviewed by the ABC about the research. 

Jake Olivier's research, opens in a new window demonstrating a clear link between helmet laws and a dramatic reduction in cycling fatalities appeared in several national media outlets, including SMH, opens in a new window and ABC radio. 

Jake Olivier spoke to ABC's 7.30 program, opens in a new window about his research on the impact of car speed on pedestrian fatality. Articles, opens in a new window also appeared across the print media.

NOVEMBER: Then Head of Statistics, Scott Sisson, appeared in an Australian Academy of Science video, opens in a new window discussing the reliability of opinion polls. 

AUGUST: Jake Olivier was interviewed for a Channel 10 news bulletin about the likelihood of winning the record $100 million Powerball jackpot. 

JULY: Shane Keating and Darryn Waugh wrote a piece for The Conversation in the lead-up to Prof Waugh's public lecture on 30 July at UNSW, The enduring impact of the ozone hole on climate.

Jake Olivier was interviewed for a piece for ABC Fact Check, 'Are ABC employees or journalists five times more likely to vote for the Greens than the general population?, opens in a new window'. 

JUNE: Scott Sisson co-authored two articles for The Conversation, 'A survey needs to involve how many people before I'm convinced?, opens in a new window' and 'Could Australia win, really? The science of predicting the World Cup champion, opens in a new window'.

APRIL: Chris Tisdell was interviewed for an article in news.com.au, opens in a new window discussing new research which shows that one in three Australians are unhappy with their choice of university or university degree.

Thomas Britz was interviewed by local radio station radio TLC FM on the work and experience of being a mathematician.

MARCH: Jake Olivier spoke to Triple J Hack, opens in a new window for an article about the effect of helmet laws and bicycle rider participation. The article cited his meta analysis on helmet usage, which concluded that helmets reduce the chances of a serious head injury by nearly 70 per cent and of fatal head injuries by 65 per cent.

Jake Olivier was also interviewed on 15 March on Focus with Cassie McCullagh (ABC Radio). 

JANUARY: When Trevor McDougall received a Companion of the Order of Australia, the news appeared across several news media outlets, including SBS which ran a feature, opens in a new window about Prof McDougall. 

AUGUST: Daniel Mansfield and Norman Wildberger's research unlocked the mystery of an ancient Babylonian tablet. The research attracted local and worldwide media attention.

JULY: Jake Olivier was interviewed for ABC's 'The World Today' program, opens in a new window, in a feature about Australian bike sharing schemes.

JULY: Norman Wildberger was interviewed for a piece in SMH, opens in a new window about the Kepler Conjecture.

MAY: Moninya Roughan and Amandine Schaeffer's research about the intensification of marine heatwaves was featured in the Sydney Morning Herald. 

APRIL: Jake Olivier spoke to ABC Radio National, opens in a new window for their broadcast, Minimum passing distances for cars and bikes: do they work?

MARCH: Jake Olivier was interviewed on ABC Radio Mornings, opens in a new window with Jon Faine to discuss the compelling case for bike helmet safety.

SEPTEMBER: Jake Olivier has continued his run of media appearances, this time featuring widely across print and broadcast media, opens in a new window highlighting his review into bike helmet use and injury, which is the largest study of its kind ever undertaken. 

JUNE: Jake Olivier spoke to 7 News , opens in a new windowabout the odds of winning the lottery.

APRIL: Jake Olivier once again analysed data for ABC's Fact Check, opens in a new window. The report investigated whether industrial disputes decreased under the operation of the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC), and if they increased after the commission was abolished.

MARCH: Jake Olivier featured in a Channel 10 Eyewitness News broadcast, opens in a new window, which discussed proposed laws which would require skateboarders and scooter riders to wear helmets. The decision is pending the outcome of a review ordered by the NSW government.

FEBRUARY: Research undertaken by PhD student Isaac Donnelly and collaborators from UNSW Psychology was widely covered across science media, opens in a new window. The study, published in Nature Communications, revealed that complex human brain activity is driven by the same simple universal rule of nature which can explain other phenomena, such as the spots on a leopard.

JANUARY: Chris Tisdell was quoted in a piece for the Australian Financial Review, opens in a new window which looked at Australia's 'deteriorating mathematics skills'. Chris Tisdell highlighted some of the challenges within the current educational landscape.

DECEMBER: Jake Olivier was consulted by ABC's Fact Check, opens in a new window to help investigate the veracity of a claim by Deputy Leader of the National Party, Barnaby Joyce, that the constituents his party represents are worse off than those in other electorates.

NOVEMBER: Three of our oceanography researchers appeared in a photographic exhibition, opens in a new window focusing on scientists, dubbed Wild Researchers, by an award-winning photographer.

AUGUST: John Murray appeared in a short documentary, part of a series commissioned by The Guardian Australia featuring Australian scientists. The documentary, 'No Researcher is an Island, opens in a new window', focuses on one of Professor Murray's collaborators, Dr Geoff Symonds of Calimmune.

Thomas Britz and collaborators at BEES, UNSW, and University of Tasmania, published an article, opens in a new window, together with commentary, opens in a new window in The Conversation, which attracted international media attention. Their research suggested that reintroducing devils to the mainland would lead to reductions in fox and cat numbers. Foxes and cats are arguably the greatest living threat to our native mammals, so any reduction in their abundance is going to be of great benefit to our struggling native mammal species.

JULY: Gary Froyland was quoted in a National Geographic article, '(Re)parting the Seas, opens in a new window'. The short piece discusses ocean 'borders', which have remained largely unchanged for almost a century. Prof Froyland contends that the boundaries 'reflect geopolitics'. The article, which arose from Prof Froyland's joint research, opens in a new window with our former PhD student Robyn Stuart plus Erik van Sebille (formerly of UNSW's CCRC), advocates for a revision of boundaries, based on present-day knowledge of currents and natural basins, while taking into account the origin of polluted plots of rubbish which litter the ocean. The piece also appeared in the French, Dutch, and Spanish online versions of the publication. 

**School members Moninya Roughan, Shane Keating, Amandine Schaeffer, and Carlos Rocha joined a research trip on CSIRO vessel Investigator, which inadvertently discovered ancient volcanoes off the coast of Sydney. The story generated a media storm, opens in a new window, with coverage appearing widely across the mainstream media.

**During a trip to Austria for a conference, Josef Dick was the subject of an article in a local newspaper, nachrichten.at, opens in a new window.

FEBRUARY: An article about PhD student Isaac Donnelly's Fulbright Scholarship was published in the Northern Star newspaper, 'Bright spark wins prized award, opens in a new window'. 

DECEMBER: James Franklin was interviewed on the Philosopher's Zone program, opens in a new window on ABC's Radio National. The program was called 'Does maths matter?'.

NOVEMBER: Chris Tisdell was interview by The Australian, in an article entitled 'Maths lecturer number one with students, opens in a new window'.

SEPTEMBER: Gary Froyland co-authored a piece that was published in The Conversation, 'Redrawing the map could reveal ocean garbage patch culprits, opens in a new window'.

DECEMBER: The School's Limits to Growth symposium, opens in a new window attracted ample media attention. ABC radio's PM program recorded talks by Graciela Chichilnisky, Clive Hamilton and Ken Henry. 

SKY TV filmed the afternoon sessions and the Limits to Growth Q&A for Australia's Public Affairs Channel (Foxtel). 

AAP and Financial Review came to report on Ken Henry's talk, and SMH requested copy of Ken Henry's speech for publication. Part of his talk was quoted in an article in The Australian. 

An article by Bruce Henry and Isaac Donnelly was published in The Conversation, opens in a new window in the lead-up to the symposium.

FEBRUARY: Articles about Jake Oliver and his team's research appeared in both SMH and The Conversation, opens in a new window. Their study revealed the value of mandatory helmet laws, which are currently up for debate, and the correlation between injury severity and the lack of a helmet. 

In March, their work was mentioned, opens in a new window in two prominent injury prevention publications.