Dr Leanda thoroughly enjoys discussing all things Equity Diversity Justice Inclusion (EDJI) ecology aligned, but especially trapdoor spiders. Should you wish to contact them for a communication, please send a message with relevant details through the Contact area.
A list of their practical experience is below.
- Expert request for The Conversation, Curious Kids ‘Can spiders swim?’ https://theconversation.com/curious-kids-can-spiders-swim-257832
- Australian Geographic publication by Mason, L.D. & Lynch, C. ‘Rescuing the matriarch trapdoor spiders of the Porongurups’ [14th Jan 2025], https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/wildlife/2025/01/rescuing-the-matriarch-trapdoor-spiders-of-porongurup/
- Invited speaker Royal Academy of Engineering ‘Empowering resilience: key themes and insights from Frontiers symposium on climate adaptation’ [December, 2024] https://raeng.org.uk/blogs/frontiers-empowering-resilience
- Future Science Talks: Comedy Edition ‘Spider sex’ [October, 2024] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUBsOTi5lZg
- Invited guest speaker for Ravensthorpe Wildflower Festival [September, 2024] https://wildflowersravensthorpe.org.au/
- Invited panel speaker for ‘Voices across Moananuiákea’ at Hawaiian Conservation Conference [July, 2024] https://www.hawaiiconservation.org/conference/2024/
- Podcast interview ‘Inclusive Ecology: Bridging Science and Social Justice with Dr Leanda Mason’ [August, 2024], https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMwPb_4fzc4
- Artwork collaboration: Brennan, E. & Mason, L.D. ‘Trapdoor spiders: unlikely heroes in a heated world’ Mulberry Literacy (March, 2024) https://www.mulberryliterary.com/issue-viii/eav-brennan-dr-leanda-mason
- The Conversation article by Mason, L. D., Marsh, J., and Lowe, L. ‘This beautiful peacock spider was only found two years ago. Now it could be dancing its last dance’. [14th Oct 2024], https://theconversation.com/this-beautiful-peacock-spider-was-only-found-two-years-ago-now-it-could-be-dancing-its-last-dance-238437
- Fireside Chats [3rd September, 2024] “Exiting the eye of a storm navigating from the Sorthern star within, in ☲Fireside☲ series 5, Jo Pollitt, Nancy Mauro-Flude and Leanda Mason share a glimpse into the Contemporary Ecofeminist Education (CEE) research project” https://www.youtube.com/watchv=kWlDV_HnTSo&list=PL6pYTIbaiE4jJDyKrIDMJuC3kS5Tbf8TT
- ABC article ‘Experts, citizen scientists team up to rescue rare trapdoor spiders in WA’s Porongurup Ranges’ [15th February, 2024]: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-15/mass-trapdoor-spider-relocation-in-porongupup-range-wa/103461454
- Public talk ‘Trapdoor spiders of Perth’ for Western Australian Naturalists Society [2nd October, 2020]
- Guided spider expert walk for Great Southern Bioblitz Survey at Star Swamp Bushland [26th November, 2020]
- Public talk ‘Trapdoor spiders of Perth’ for Probus Club of Byford [12th August, 2020]
- Public talk ‘Trapdoor spiders of Perth’ at Glyde-In Community Centre [14th February, 2020]
- The Conversation article by Mason, L. D., ‘Don’t like spiders? Here are 10 reasons to change your mind’ [7th January, 2020]: https://theconversation.com/dont-like-spiders-here-are-10-reasons-to-change-your-mind-126433
- Quoted in ABC Science ‘Australia’s frogs, reptiles and invertebrates are at risk of extinction from bushfires too’ by Jo Khan [8th January, 2020]: https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/
- Quoted in The New York Times ‘Some of Australia’s Smallest Species Could Be Lost to Wildfires’ by Helen Sullivan [9th January, 2020]: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/09/science/australia-fire-ecology-insects.html
- Radio interview with Great Southern ABC Radio ‘Social Spiders in Possum Nest Boxes’ [4th December, 2019]
- Quoted in The New York Times special The Lives They Lived ‘Barbara York Main, the Australian Lady of the Spiders’ by Alan Burdick [23rd December, 2019]
- Quoted in ABC Off Track ‘Barbara York Main – Australia’s Spider Woman’ by Ann Jones [25th May, 2019]: https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/offtrack/the-worlds-oldest-spider/11138262
- Quoted in ABC Science ‘Barbara York Main, Australia’s spider woman and Wheatbelt advocate, author and poet’ by Ann Jones [25th May, 2019]: https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2019-05-23/vale-barbara-york-main-spider-woman/11133516
- Interviewed in podcast ‘Every Little Thing’ by Annette Heist [28th June, 2019] :https://gimletmedia.com/shows/every-little-thing/team
- Interviewed in CSIRO Publishing Journals ‘In-Spidering Research: Dr Leanda Mason and the world-famous Trapdoor Spider’ [27th June, 2019]: https://blog.publish.csiro.au/leanda-mason-trapdoor-spider-number-16/
- Radio interview with ABC Radio ‘Trap Door Spiders, Number 16 and Barbara York Main’ by Andrea Gibbs [24th May, 2019]
- Q&A Panel, and radio interviews with RTR, Curtin 100.1, and ABC Radio for promotional event screening of ‘Sixteen Legs’ with Neil Doran in Perth [throughout May, 2019]
- Interviewed by PBS Newshour ‘New genus and several species of mygalomorph spiders in Columbia’ by Vicky Stein [12th March, 2019]
- Public talk for Royal Society of Western Australia ‘Trapdoor spiders of Perth’ at Kings Park [18th March, 2019]
- Public talk for Noranda Rotary Club ‘Trapdoor spiders of Perth’ at Noranda Recreation Centre [25th February, 2019]
- Expert consultant for a play called ‘#16 work in progress’ by Finn O’Branagain [22nd Feb, 2019]
- Public talk for Western Australian Insect Study Society ‘What makes a species newsworthy?’ [18th December, 2018]
- Interview for Nine Entertainment ‘Thirsty male trapdoor spiders face fierce predators to look for females who refuse to leave their burrows’ by Danielle Maguire [22nd August]: https://pickle.nine.com.au/2018/08/22/15/22/trapdoor-spider-wasp-predators
- Presentation at Perth Science Festival ‘Trapdoor spiders of Perth’ [18th August]
- Invited speaker at Australian Science Festival opening gala Perth ‘World’s oldest spider’ [10th August, 2018]
- Interviewed for Curtin News story ‘Perth’s trapdoor spiders living on ‘burrowed’ time’ by Zoe Taylor [20th June, 2018]:(https://news.curtin.edu.au/stories/perths-trapdoor-spiders-living-burrowed-time/)
- Podcast ‘How old was the world’s oldest spider’: [June] https://wascicomm.podbean.com/ Radio interview with 4ZZZ CSA On-Air Discussion: ‘43 Year old WA Trapdoor spider passes on’ [10th May, 2018]
- Public talk for Urban Bushland Council ‘The Effects of Urbanisation on Trapdoor Spiders in Perth’ [10th May, 2018]
- Radio interview with Radio New Zealand (RNZ): ‘Studying the world’s oldest spider’ by Jesse Mulligan [3rd May, 2018]: https://bit.ly/2OQQOy4
- Radio interview with Evenings with Christine Anu on ABC Radio Sydney ‘World’s oldest spider’ [April, 2018]
- Radio interview with Curtin 100.1 FM ‘Seasonal predation of trapdoor spiders’ [April, 2018]
- RTR ‘Trapdoor spiders in Perth’ and ‘Intense fires threaten conservation-significant trapdoor spiders [April, 2018]
- Radio interview with Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) Radio ‘The world’s oldest spider was killed by a parasitic wasp’ [30th April]: https://bit.ly/2PavLVi
- Interviewed for Curtin Instagram story ‘curtinlifeaustralia: Leanda Mason’ [2018]
- Interviewed for Particle (SciTech publication): ‘Trapdoor spiders of Perth’ by Michelle Wheeler [24th April, 2018]:https://particle.scitech.org.au/earth/trapdoor-spiders-of-perth/
- Phone interview with Alan Burdick, a journalist from The New Yorker published ‘Elegy for the world’s oldest spider’ [5th May, 2018]: https://www.newyorker.com/science/elements/elegy-for-the-worlds-oldest-spider
- Phone interview with Avi Selk, a journalist from The Washington Post who published ‘The extraordinary life and death of the world’s oldest known spider’ on [1st May, 2018]: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2018/05/01/the-extraordinary-life-and-death-of-the-worlds-oldest-known-spider/
- Follow-up interview with Rebecca Boyle [18th July, 2018] for article ‘Avi Selk eulogizes the long life and too-soon death of Spider 16, and what she taught us’: https://niemanstoryboard.org/stories/avi-selk-eulogizes-thelong-life-and-too-soon-death-of-spider-16-and-what-she-taught-us
- Guest speaker at Byford Senior Highschool [2017]
- Public talk for Friends of the Porongurups [2017]
- Public talk for Western Australian Insect Study Society [2016]
- Public talk for Kings Park festival of science seminar [2016]
- Public talk for Friends of Star Swamp and Trigg Bushland [2015]