Recently I had the pleasure of being invited onto the ABC radio for a slot on Creepy But Curious. The Creepy But Curious show is hosted by Anna Moulder and has been in existence since 2013, at least. The University of New England (UNE) has a team of regular presenters, including Assoc. Prof. Nigel Andrew, Dr Paul McDonald and Dr Kirsti Abbott, that discuss all things creepy, crawly and ultimately curious.
My invite was delivered after some of the regular UNE team had discussed the 'newbie' in Environmental and Rural Sciences. It seems that my previous research on pine beetles fit the the category as did my growing interest in Christmas beetles and eucalypts. Obviously I accepted the invite. After settling into the studio sound room and passing the sound check, I finally met Anna... on radio. The whole process was quite fascinating as you hear the show live, but you also hear all the behind the scenes commentary as Anna shifts in and out of talking to the person who is currently live, to preparing the next person, to answering calls.
The interview was a really fun experience and Anna and I have agreed to keep in touch for further slots in the future. I must say though, that listening to yourself and noting all the minor mistakes in what you said is a bit of a curse. My big foot-in- mouth moment is saying that beetles eat and feed on the same thing, rather than eat and breed. Oh well, I am sure I will get better at this.
If you want to check out my interview (The problematic mountain pine beetle), or any of the other Creepy But Curious slots, go to the link below.