Ascend Your Story

As the co-founder of LateNite Films, Chris Hocking knows what it’s like at the ground level of indie filmmaking and animation.It’s this experience that’s helpedChris to understand filmmakers as people - and develop software that not only makes filmmaking easier, but more fun.In this episode of Ascend YourStory, Chris explains his story starting out hanging backstage with techs as a child to co-founding a production company and developing software used by hundreds of thousands around the world.Ascent Media produces science, tech and research storytelling through video, photo, livestream and podcast.Find out more at ⁠ascentmedia.com.au⁠Find out more about Chris’ work at ⁠latenitefilms.com and ⁠fcp.cafe⁠

Does bombarding people with facts erode trust in science even more? Dr Tom Carruthers is a science communicator, strategist and creative whosplits his time between Canberra, Australia, and Prague, Czechia. With a PhD inbiological chemistry and a master’s in science communication, Tom draws ongovernment, academic, media and agency experience to reshape how society valuesscientific expertise. He’s on a mission to help scientists get the community on board withevidence based science, without overwhelming them. He joins us this week onAscend Your Story. Ascent Media produces science, tech and research storytelling throughvideo, photo, livestream and podcast. Find out more at carruthers.studioascentmedia.com.au

Compost fires are a major issue in the Australian environment, sparkingmajor concerns for bushfires and even triggering parliamentary inquiries intothe phenomenon. Patrick Blampied is a self described “born tinkerer” - originallystarting in the media, his tinkering led him to the software industry andeventually AgTech, where he co-founded Rhino Instruments. Rhino Instruments has been working on the issue of compost fires andcreated an innovative solution to managing a tricky problem. Ascent Media produces science, tech and research storytelling throughvideo, photo, livestream and podcast. Find out more at rhinoinstruments.com.auascentmedia.com.au

Citizen science can play a hugerole in tackling some of the environment's biggest challenges.Researcher Brady Hamilton islooking for Australians to pitch in on Pesticide Watch - a citizen scienceprogram to test water quality across Australia so we can track and do somethingabout the impact pesticides are having on our waterways.He joins us on Ascend Your Storyto tell us how Pesticide Watch came to be and how you can get involved.Ascent Media produces science,tech and research storytelling through video, photo, livestream and podcast. Find out more at:https://blogs.deakin.edu.au/pesticidewatch/ascentmedia.com.au

Despite now being an experienced diver and underwater photographer/videographer, Sam O’Reilly hated the feeling of sand in his bathers and seaweed under his feet as a child.Chatting to Dr Prue Francis, Sam finds out why seaweed is more important than most people realise and how she built a career as a seaweed scientist, science communicator, children’s book author and key member of the Australian Marine Sciences Association.In this episode of Ascend Your Story, Dr Francis explains why we need to engage young people in our oceans.Ascent Media produces science, tech and research storytelling through video, photo, livestream and podcast.Find out more at ascentmedia.com.au

Rhys Clarke is a man of whiplash - from a family of Holden devotees to working for Ford, from a lover of combustion engines to an electric car advocate - Rhys knows how to tinker, adapt and iterate.At RMIT he became a driver, engineer and chief of the electrical team for their Formula SAE Racing team which became part of his journey to working for one of the world’s biggest car manufacturers.In this episode of Ascend Your Story, he tells us how he came to embrace electric vehicles and develop a career in the automotive industry.Ascent Media produces science, tech and research storytelling through video, photo, livestream and podcast.Find out more at:ascentmedia.com.au

Depending on who you ask, dingoes are a marvel of Australian wildlife or a pest wreaking havoc across the land - but do dingoes play a more vital role in Australia’s ecosystems than previously thought?Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at Deakin University Euan Ritchie believes dingoes are misunderstood and his research aims to educate the community about the role these creatures play in Australian ecosystems.Professor Ritchie is also a prolific science communicator, having inspired millions of people across the world to learn more about wildlife and biodiversity.In this episode of Ascend Your Story, he tells us why researching animal poo is a vital tool, how he became a science communicator, the challenges ahead in a warming planet and some good stories we’re seeing in Australian conservation.Ascent Media produces science, tech and research storytelling through video, photo, livestream and podcast. Find out more at:ascentmedia.com.auEuan Ritchie's website:euanritchie.org

70 Australians a day suffer from a cardiac arrest outside of hospital environments and sadly only 12% treated by paramedics survive.Would you know what to do if someone went into cardiac arrest? Every second matters, with the rates of survival dropping by 10% every minute a person isn’t receiving CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) or defibrillator care.Marj Devereux is a health educator with St John Ambulance Victoria. She’s passionate about everyone in Australia learning CPR, as the reality is something is better than nothing at all when faced with a cardiac emergency.In this episode of Ascend Your Story Marj explains how her career in health promotion began, what to do if someone goes into cardiac arrest and how to use a defibrillator and why it’s important to get these devices out into the community.Ascent Media produces science, tech and research storytelling through video, photo, livestream and podcast. Find out more at ascentmedia.com.auSt John Ambulance VICstjohnvic.com.au

Electric Vehicles or EVs are cheaper to run, cleaner for the air, and backed by tech that keeps improving. They're the smarter, quieter, and faster choice for a world moving away from petrol.Our guest today, Rob Asselman, is a marketing and communications professional with over 15 years of experience in the energy sector, including working with innovative startups and ASX100 enterprises. He is a self-confessed 'Energy Nerd' and the head of marketing at Chargefox, Australia’s largest EV charging platform.‍