Eureka Talks Series: Science in the Age of Fake News

Ages: Recommended for ages 14+

In the third Eureka Talk, join us for a thought-provoking discussion on the challenges of science communication in the age of fake news. Hosted by Australian Museum Eureka Prize founder, Robyn Williams AO, this panel discussion will explore how science and fiction can be separated and whether science is being weaponised. Our panellists include Eureka Prize finalist and Chief Scientist of the University of New South Wales’ AI Institute, Professor Toby Walsh, and Eureka Prize winning journalist, Dyani Lewis.

After the talk, continue the conversation over a complimentary drink and nibbles in Hintze Hall.

The Eureka Talks Series shines a light on research and innovations changing the fields of Climate, Health and Science Communication. Hear from Australian Museum Eureka Prize winners, finalists and other science leaders as they share their experiences, challenges and discoveries in their particular fields of research. The Australian Museum Eureka Prizes were established in 1990 to celebrate the work of Australian scientists, and how their contributions are producing world-leading results that can influence the lives of many across the globe.

Robyn Williams AO, has been the presenter of the ABC Radio National science program, ‘The Science Show’ since 1975. He has had a long association with the Australian Museum, joining the Trust in 1984 and becoming President of the Trust in 1986, a position he held for eight years. In 1992, he initiated the Australian Museum Eureka Awards. In 1987, Robyn was proclaimed a National Living Treasure and in 1988 he was made a Member of the Order of Australia for service to science. Robyn has a long list of awards recognising his outstanding services to science, including Member of the Order of Australia, honorary doctorates from five Australian universities, and membership of the Australian Academy of Science – the first journalist to achieve such recognition.

Toby Walsh is Chief Scientist of UNSW.AI, UNSW's new AI Institute. He is a strong advocate for limits to ensure AI is used to improve our lives, having spoken at the UN, and to heads of state, parliamentary bodies, company boards and many others on this topic. This advocacy has led to him being "banned indefinitely" from Russia. Toby is a Fellow of the Australia Academy of Science and was named on the international "Who's Who in AI" list of influencers. He has written three books on AI for a general audience, the most recent is Machines Behaving Badly: the morality of AI.

Dyani Lewis is an award-winning science journalist based in Melbourne. She is a senior reporter for Nature where she covers research and science policy across Asia and the Pacific. During the pandemic, she wrote several in-depth investigations into contentious government policies such as lockdowns and vaccine mandates, and shone a light on how public health recommendations failed to keep up with the science. She was recognised with the 2021 Finkel Foundation Eureka Prize for Long-Form Science Journalism for her article Role Models in a Time of Pandemic. Her writing has been published in The Atlantic, Science, The Guardian, The Monthly, Cosmos Magazine, Smith Journal and others. Her first book was published in 2022. She has a PhD in plant genetics.