• Foodie Pharmacology with Dr Cassandra Quave – Can food culture help combat non-communicable lifestyle diseases? We explore this question and more in the first episode of Season 6 of the Foodie Pharmacology podcast with Dr. Cassandra Quave. This week’s guest is Chef Robert Oliver, an award-winning author, TV host, food ambassador, and renowned New Zealand chef with restaurants in cities like New York, Miami, Las Vegas, and Sydney. Chef Oliver discusses his passion and in-depth knowledge of Pacific cuisine, the significance of local foods, and the impact of his initiative, the Pacific Island Food Revolution. This movement aims to fight lifestyle diseases in the region by revitalizing and promoting traditional Pacific cuisine and sustainable farming methods. Join Dr. Quave and Chef Oliver as they delve into his innovative work, the unique flavors of the South Pacific, and how food and culture can foster social and economic transformations while promoting health and sustainability. Click the link to listen Pacific Island Food Revolution with Chef Robert Oliver

• The Pacific Food Island Revolution (PIFR) continues to be televised to record numbers of people in the Pacific Islands. But do Australia and New Zealand harvest the soft power benefits of the show? And to what extent has PIFR influenced healthier eating in the region? In this episode we explore the soft power of television through the program often referred to as the MasterChef of the Pacific. Click on the link below to listen on Statecraftiness – Investigating Influence in the Pacific

• Food has always been a means of nourishment and pleasure, but it is also deeply connected to culture and health. In the Pacific Islands, a region rich in unique biodiversity and vibrant food traditions, this connection between food, culture, and health is particularly evident. This week, Dr. Quave speaks with Dr. Vincent Lal, manager of analytical services at the University of the South Pacific Institute of Applied Sciences, about the diverse dietary consumption patterns and unique foods of the Pacific Islands. Vincent highlights the importance of access and benefit sharing as well as the values of underutilized indigenous foods like ‘kava’. The conversation encapsulates efforts to boost food resilience in these island regions, their mission to build a younger generation of regional scientists and their collective hope under the FoodEdu initiative. This podcast is sponsored by The Periodic Table of Food Initiative in association with the American Heart Association. The views and opinions in this podcast are those of the presenters and represent the synthesis of science. For more information on the Periodic Table of Food Initiative, please visit https://foodperiodictable.org  Click the link to listen to the full podcast on Underutilized foods of the South Pacific with Dr. Vincent Lal

Mainstream Media

Click on the links below to access coverage of IAS activities by the Media.

• Experts gather to discuss food data – Click here for the full article from the Fiji Times 14/08/23
• Step towards addressing diet-related diseases – Click here for the full article from the Fiji Times 29/08/23
• USP launched Fiji’s first-ever Invasive Alien Species Symposium – Click here for the full article on Fiji Village  09/02/23
• Newly Opened Biofuel Laboratory To Boost Energy Sector – Click here for the full article from the Fiji Sun 18/12/22
• USP’s Dr Poinapen honoured as a Fellow. Click on the link for the full article from the Fiji Times
• New partnership agreement signed for Ridge to Reef project with the Fiji Locally Managed Marine Areas (FLMMA) Network, World Wide Fund for Nature Pacific, the Pacific Islands Rainforest Foundation and USP’s Institute of Applied Sciences. Click on the link for the full article from the Fiji Times
• The Access Benefit Sharing is a vital project for Fiji – Katonitabua. Click here for the full article from Fiji Village.
• The Institute of Applied Sciences continues with the RESCCUE Fiji project with an Environmental Exchange Programme for Taveuni and Kadavu traditional leaders. Click here for the full article from SPREP.
• The Fiji Times and Fiji Sun newspapers featured a full page article on the Memorial held for the IAS former Directer, the late Professor William (Bill) Aalbersberg. Click here for the full advert.
• Fiji Times features IAS Icthyologist Lekima Copeland in the Sunday Times. Click here for the full article.
• The Fiji Times featured IAS Staff Tomasi Tikoibua’s  attendance at the International Coral Reef Leadership & Management Program. For the full article, click here.
• IAS Herbarium staff attend Plants Mo Pipol Program in Vanuatu. Click here for the full report.
• IAS Staff, Tomasi Tikoibua participates in the International Coral Reef Leadership & Management Program 2017. Click here for more.
• IAS BioFuel Staff attend the National Stakeholder Consultation Workshop. Click here for more.
• IAS Scientific Officers attend refresher training on Ecological Sustainability Evaluation of Seafood (ESES) rapid assessment methodolgy. Click here for more.
• Reserve for the Future- RESCCUE Fiji activities in Ra as covered by the Fiji Times. Click here for the full article.
• RESCCUE Fiji Project Outreach in Ra as covered by Fiji TV News.

USP Tukutuku

Click on the links below to access coverage of IAS activities by the USP Tukutuku

Fiji Government commends Wildlife book by USP researchers. /

USP and Griffith University to establish the Pacific Water Centre

IAS leads local mitigation of Ocean Acidification Project in Fiji

IAS awarded the Fiji Ridge to Reef (Fiji R2R) Project

In loving memory of a mentor, leader and scholar: Professor William (Bill) Aalbersberg

USP successfully coordinates RESCCUE Fiji Project

USP influential in region’s first BSD

IAS Advisory Committee discusses way forward

USP implements Mangrove Reforestation Project in Fiji

Mercury Sampling Training benefits IAS staff

IAS Lab Staff Trained on Equipment Maintenance.

IAS Scientific Officer empowered on coral reef management