Welcome to the Citizen Science Show, a place to share stories of purpose about ecology.
We explore the diverse activities of passionate people who record observations, gather empirical evidence and use technology to uncover scientific proof for positive social, cultural and political change.
We hope that these stories will inspire and encourage you to take action and become a Citizen Scientist.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
#206 From Gold Mines to Gumboots: Rod Ingersoll's Unlikely Path to Redclaw
How does a frog surveyor end up running a wildlife sanctuary in the PNG Highlands, working with gold mines, earning an OBE and then farming redclaw in far north Queensland? Dani sits down with Rod Ingersoll, environmental scientist, conservationist, farmer and author of Crayfish Cashflow: From Gold Mines to Gumboots.
Rod talks about his 22 years in Papua New Guinea, where he survived kidnappings and hundreds of gunpoint encounters, and helped protect 200,000 hectares of wilderness that turned up more than 50 species new to science. He tells us how he bought an aquaculture farm while looking for a single barramundi and lost it all in Cyclone Jasper. He also explains how he rebuilt with grants, volunteers and citizen science, running his own trials on pond aeration and redclaw trapping that challenge what many farmers believe.
It's a conversation about resilience and community, and about how much you can learn from your own backyard.
In this episode:
- Running a PNG wildlife sanctuary with no outside management
- Talking his way out of danger as the "Jungle Warrior"
- Working inside the mining industry to protect wilderness
- Surviving Cyclone Jasper and rebuilding Barron River Redclaw
- Farm-based research on aeration and trapping techniques
- Aquaponics, food security and starting small
Content note: This episode includes a reference to suicide. If you need support, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.
More Information
https://book.australianredclaw.com/ (https://book.australianredclaw.com/)
https://www.aquaponicgardener.com.au/ (https://www.aquaponicgardener.com.au/)
https://barronriverredclaw.com.au/ (https://barronriverredclaw.com.au/)
https://www.facebook.com/BarronRiverRedclaw (https://www.facebook.com/BarronRiverRedclaw)
https://www.facebook.com/AustralianRedclawCrays (https://www.facebook.com/AustralianRedclawCrays)
https://www.facebook.com/AquaponicGardener (https://www.facebook.com/AquaponicGardener)
If you enjoy this podcast, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts.
Leave us a review and share this show with your friends.
It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.
Contact the Show
We are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.
You can email us at: info@citizenscienceshow.com (mailto:info@citizenscienceshow.com)
Watch on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/@citizenscienceshow (https://www.youtube.com/@citizenscienceshow)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
25 Sept 2026
#205 Giving Nature a Hand: Carolyn Hall on Rehydrating Australia, One Creek at a Time
Where does the water go when it rains, and what happens when we help the landscape hold onto it?
In this episode, John Marsh talks with Carolyn Hall, CEO of the Mulloon Institute, a not-for-profit restoring the health of Australian landscapes through landscape rehydration, science and community engagement. Carolyn explains how the Institute grew from a single farm pilot into a 23,000 hectare catchment project, why winning farmers' trust comes before moving any earth, and what twenty years of data reveals about more water, not less.
She shares how restored creeks help protect Sydney's drinking water, buffer against drought, flood and bushfire, and even brought native fish back from the brink, plus the regulatory red tape doubling the cost of restoration, and simple ways city dwellers can reconnect with the waterways around them.
More Information
https://mullooninstitute.org/ (https://mullooninstitute.org/)
https://www.scienceaustralia.org.au/carolyn-hall/ (https://www.scienceaustralia.org.au/carolyn-hall/)
https://waterpartnership.org.au/partner-logos/mulloon-institute/ (https://waterpartnership.org.au/partner-logos/mulloon-institute/)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNK3wAtDHq0 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNK3wAtDHq0)
https://www.facebook.com/MulloonInstitute/ (https://www.facebook.com/MulloonInstitute/)
If you enjoy this podcast, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts.
Leave us a review and share this show with your friends.
It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.
Contact the Show
We are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.
You can email us at: info@citizenscienceshow.com (mailto:info@citizenscienceshow.com)
Watch on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/@citizenscienceshow (https://www.youtube.com/@citizenscienceshow)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
19 Sept 2026
#204 TAFE NSW's Nick Whalan-Daniels on AR Welding, AI and the Future of Advanced Manufacturing
Recorded live in the Citizen Science Show podcast booth at the Hunter Science Festival, Dani sits down with Nick Whalan-Daniels, Head Teacher for the TAFE NSW Manufacturing Centre of Excellence at Tighes Hill, to talk about a stand packed with augmented reality welding, robotics and renewable energy demonstrations.
Nick explains how the new centre is training the Hunter's next generation of advanced manufacturing workers, why the region's shift away from coal is creating fresh skills gaps in renewable energy, and how "micro skills" and "micro credentials" are opening trade pathways to people who've never picked up a tool.
Plus, why Nick thinks AI is a tradesperson's friend, not their replacement.
More Information
https://www.tafensw.edu.au/specialty-schools/manufacturing-centres-of-excellence (https://www.tafensw.edu.au/specialty-schools/manufacturing-centres-of-excellence)
About the Hunter Science Festival 2026
https://newcastlemuseum.com.au/what-s-on/current-events/national-science-week-hunter-science-festival (https://newcastlemuseum.com.au/what-s-on/current-events/national-science-week-hunter-science-festival)
https://www.hish.org.au/ (https://www.hish.org.au/)
If you enjoy this podcast, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts.
Leave us a review and share this show with your friends.
It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.
Contact the Show
We are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.
You can email us at: info@citizenscienceshow.com (mailto:info@citizenscienceshow.com)
Watch on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/@citizenscienceshow (https://www.youtube.com/@citizenscienceshow)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
Who has been a guest on Citizen Science Show
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Michelle Neil
Olly Pitt
Andre Borell
Ali Beikzadeh
Sarah Han-de-Beaux
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
419
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
17 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 63 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
73
Social presence
0
YouTube
66
Engagement
68
Contact Citizen Science Show
Guest appearances
Does not typically book guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
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