In the face of climate change, urbanization, population growth and many other grand challenges that our world faces, many inspiring individuals are stepping up ...
#37 - Brett Ferrin: "Safeguarding the ordinary" - achieving traffic safety planning and management in a data-rich, AI-powered world
Brett Ferrin, Vice President of Sales North America at Traffic Logix discusses the evolving and more complex nature of traffic safety management and gives insight into the many ways we can ensure safety on our roads for vehicle operators and other users. We discuss the implications of rapidly exploding amounts of data and the potential of artificial intelligence to revolutionize and upheave safety planning including driverless cars, generating new insights from data and changing human behaviour in general. Brett also reflects on his career and how several career changes have helped him gain a rich body of knowledge around traffic safety, planning and management.Podcast Intro/Outro Song: Starsky by Alex Keren (Check out more of his tunes over on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5vZ3lENfDLjkln8scBJ8mW)Chapters:0:00 Intro1:59 Guest Intro and Languages7:10 Getting into traffic and Traffic Logix10:23 The complexities of traffic12:42 Vision Zero16:38 Design with human behaviour in mind23:43 Leveraging real-time data insights25:03 NIMBY and the complexity of urban planning30:49 Traffic Calming Measures41:31 Future Challenges for Traffic Calming43:35 Influence of AI on the transport system49:21 A question of human control and freedom52:25 When nothing changes, nothing changes54:12 Brett's Future Trajectory56:48 Q&A Start57:15 What inspires you?58:27 Key moment, book, event1:02:49 If you had a magic wand?1:04:34 Biggest challenge to date1:07:57 Time Management1:10:38 Advice for young professionals1:12:31 Where can people find you?1:13:48 Final Message1:14:29 OutroDetailed shownotes over at: petermbach.com/podcast for more in-depth information about each episode.Join the community over at: linkedin.com/company/tgcpodcast and let's connect across the world!Subscribe and listen to the podcast (and do please leave a review/rating) on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts from. Your subscription/follow will greatly help the show grow and reach a wider audience.Hosted by Peter Marcus Bach (www.petermbach.com), follow me on: X (fomerly Twitter): @petermbach Instagram: @petermbach87 Subscribe to my channel on YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/PeterMarcusBach/
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1:15:43
#36 - Tables Turned: Part 1 - Guests ask me questions on the podcast origin story, life choices and more
To finish off 2024 and reflect on the 35 episodes of The Grand Challengers Podcast so far, here is a very special episode. Guests from across the show got to ask me a question of their choosing and I have compiled them into a special episode titled "Tables Turned". In this episode, we look into 22 questions relating to the origin story and plans for the podcast, what it has taught me, my life and career choices, me answering my own questions and advice I can offer. Join me in this beautiful moment of looking back on the past two years of the show and hear about the challenges and fun times that I have experienced!The podcast will return in 2025 with brand new episodes, brand new guests and even some familiar faces! Until then, I hope you enjoyed the listening experience so far and that this episode perhaps awakens your curiosity to check out the collection of existing stories offered by many inspiring individuals across broad ranges of topics.Podcast Intro/Outro Song: Astral Dance by Jimit (Check out more of Jimit's tunes over on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0hc1IxPxpmUgEIZGGUGrvm?si=z_uif82xQoqAqUy8KpB7JQ)Chapters:0:00 Preamble0:21 Intro1:36 Introducing the special episode3:34 Why the podcast5:28 The Ivory Tower8:05 How long9:37 Bloopers or not11:54 A guest wishlist15:41 An expanded guest wishlist19:03 Effect of the podcast on oneself21:24 How the podcast gives me hope23:17 How have things changed across the production26:41 Life and languages28:43 Why Engineering, what else37:22 Moving countries41:18 Home is where the heart is42:34 Staying in Switzerland45:35 More general life advice49:39 From my own PhD supervisor51:25 My questions thrown back at me51:45 If you had a magic wand?54:09 Advice for young professionals1:00:37 Wrap up - support the show1:02:20 OutroDetailed shownotes over at: petermbach.com/podcast for more in-depth information about each episode.Join the community over at: linkedin.com/company/tgcpodcast and let's connect across the world!Subscribe and listen to the podcast (and do please leave a review/rating) on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts from. Your subscription/follow will greatly help the show grow and reach a wider audience.Hosted by Peter Marcus Bach (www.petermbach.com), follow me on: X (fomerly Twitter): @petermbach Instagram: @petermbach87 Subscribe to my channel on YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/PeterMarcusBach/
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1:03:29
#35 - Yannick Back: The answers are beyond the "clouds" - the water-energy link for climate adaptation in a world of data ubiquity
Yannick Back, Research Fellow at the Unit of Environmental Engineering, Innsbruck University shares an alternative way of looking at planning for urban heat mitigation, which is the intrinsic link between water and energy fluxes. We discuss how Yannick has harnessed the power of remote sensing (both aerial and satellite data sets) and geographic information systems to develop new ways of assessing and mitigating urban heat in cities. We also hear Yannick's take on what is needed for alpine areas and the world to adapt to the challenges of climate change.Podcast Intro/Outro Song: Starsky by Alex Keren (Check out more of his tunes over on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5vZ3lENfDLjkln8scBJ8mW)Chapters:0:00 Intro1:59 Guest Intro and Ice Hockey5:16 Austria, not to be confused with Australia11:46 Getting into urban heat18:33 How a geographer integrates with engineers26:41 The rapid fine-scale approach and thermal comfort35:20 Adding computational fluid dynamics38:59 Surface energy fluxes - an alternative perspective to heat45:27 Is there a “magic” number for urban heat mitigation?50:31 The essential ink between water and energy54:07 Key future challenges for alpine regions55:58 The global data availability question58:37 Yannick’s future research plans1:00:34 Urban climate models vs. data ubiquity1:02:51 Q&A Start1:03:13 What inspires you?1:05:18 Key event, person, book1:07:57 If you had a magic wand?1:11:04 Biggest challenge in career to date1:14:59 Time management1:17:08 Advice for young researchers1:17:52 Where can people reach you?1:18:58 Final Message1:21:39 OutroDetailed shownotes over at: petermbach.com/podcast for more in-depth information about each episode.Join the community over at: linkedin.com/company/tgcpodcast and let's connect across the world!Subscribe and listen to the podcast (and do please leave a review/rating) on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts from. Your subscription/follow will greatly help the show grow and reach a wider audience.Hosted by Peter Marcus Bach (www.petermbach.com), follow me on: X (fomerly Twitter): @petermbach Instagram: @petermbach87 Subscribe to my channel on YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/PeterMarcusBach/
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1:22:55
#34 - Denise Mitrano: A world of plastics from macro and micro to nano - should zero plastics be the long-term goal?
Denise Mitrano, Assistant Professor in the Environmental System Science Department at ETH Zurich sheds some light into the topic of plastics pollution, from macro and micro to nano. Trained as an analytical chemist, we hear how Denise is using her skills to better understand how we can quantify, replace and reduce the sources for better environmental and human health protection. We also reflect on the role that science needs to play in future legislation around environmental protection and some tips on being an academic in a very dynamic discipline.Podcast Intro/Outro Song: Starsky by Alex Keren (Check out more of his tunes over on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5vZ3lENfDLjkln8scBJ8mW)Chapters:0:00 Intro1:59 Guest Intro and getting out of your comfort zone6:25 Discovering environmental chemistry and nanomaterials13:17 Contaminants of emerging concern16:16 Denise’s journey to Switzerland18:00 Plastics 10124:53 Two historical examples of plastics management27:23 Can we create a plastic-free world?30:36 Denise’s Research Pillar 1 - Analytical34:40 Denise’s Research Pillar 2 - Transport and Fate41:23 Metal-doped Microplastics47:39 Denise’s Research Pillar 3 - Policy and Regulation51:43 Denise’s Future Research Trajectory57:43 Q&A Start58:00 What inspires you?58:56 If you had a magic wand?1:01:16 Key event, person, book1:02:59 Time management1:05:07 Biggest challenge in career to date1:07:44 Advice for young researchers1:08:44 Where can people reach you?1:09:07 Final Message1:09:45 OutroDetailed shownotes over at: petermbach.com/podcast for more in-depth information about each episode.Join the community over at: linkedin.com/company/tgcpodcast and let's connect across the world!Subscribe and listen to the podcast (and do please leave a review/rating) on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts from. Your subscription/follow will greatly help the show grow and reach a wider audience.Hosted by Peter Marcus Bach (www.petermbach.com), follow me on: X (fomerly Twitter): @petermbach Instagram: @petermbach87 Subscribe to my channel on YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/PeterMarcusBach/
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1:10:59
#33 - Bill Hunt: America's evolving stormwater management, our innate connection to water and walking your "Camino"
Bill Hunt, Professor and Extension specialist at North Carolina State University, USA shares with us his journey from a love of hydrology to creating major impact in America's stormwater management. We cover his achievements in the field of stormwater green infrastructure, his current activities in ancient Roman engineering and hear his wisdom on life lessons he has learnt along the way and our vital connection to water. Life is a journey and Bill's incredible advice can help you find our own path to walk.Podcast Intro/Outro Song: Starsky by Alex Keren (Check out more of his tunes over on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5vZ3lENfDLjkln8scBJ8mW)Chapters:0:00 Intro1:59 Guest Intro and Hurricane Season4:43 Our first meeting6:26 The engineering or economic studies debate12:31 Your interest as a child foretells your future18:58 What is an Extension Specialist?23:25 Humility led to insights on mosquitos in stormwater wetlands28:56 The growing to do list around water quality32:41 How diverse is stormwater management in the US?38:01 The versatility of bioretention systems42:10 Tips on maintenance of stormwater green infrastructure46:41 Bill's PhD bioretention system after 20 years48:42 Bill's recent book on stormwater green infrastructure51:16 From stormwater to ancient Roman water management56:43 Our connection to water1:01:22 Finding your calling1:03:58 Tackling inequalities in cities1:09:15 Q&A Start1:09:36 What inspires you?1:12:12 Key event, person, book1:14:47 If you had a magic wand?1:17:50 Biggest challenge in career to date1:26:03 Time management1:28:52 Advice for young researchers1:30:24 Where can people reach you?1:31:41 Final Message1:34:15 OutroDetailed shownotes over at: petermbach.com/podcast for more in-depth information about each episode.Join the community over at: linkedin.com/company/tgcpodcast and let's connect across the world!Subscribe and listen to the podcast (and do please leave a review/rating) on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts from. Your subscription/follow will greatly help the show grow and reach a wider audience.Hosted by Peter Marcus Bach (www.petermbach.com), follow me on: X (fomerly Twitter): @petermbach Instagram: @petermbach87 Subscribe to my channel on YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/PeterMarcusBach/
In the face of climate change, urbanization, population growth and many other grand challenges that our world faces, many inspiring individuals are stepping up to tackling these challenges in their own unique ways. Hear the passionate story of inspiring guests, which I interview on each episode. We learn about how their journeys along the cutting edges of science, engineering, technology and design has shaped them as a person, all while are creating new solutions and ways of thinking for an uncertain future. Each episode offers nuggets of advice for aspiring young professionals who want to make our world a better place.
New Zealand