The Weird and Wonderful World of Smell Science with Dr. Kate Mclean
Wed Nov 12 2025
Joining us on the show for this episode is graphic designer, cartographer, and smellwalk guide, Dr. Kate Mclean. Kate's work is at the intersection of human-perceived smellscapes, cartography, and the communication of 'eye-invisible' sensed data. She uses a range of media including digital design, watercolor, animation, and sculpture to encourage and stimulate people to consider smell in new ways.
For this conversation, we explore the sense of smell; how it works, why it's important, and what happens when we strengthen our ability to intentionally smell the world. We then talk about her work of mapping smellscapes in urban environments and all of the implications that come with it. You can stay tuned into Kate's work by heading over to Sensorymaps.com
Show Topics
- What Are Smellmaps?
- What is the Physiology of Smell?
- Is Smell Conditioned?
- Smell and Memory
- Smell and Home
- What Happens When We Lose Our Smell?
- Becoming more Sensationally Aware
- Smell and our Perception of Time
- Smell and Cooking
- Smell and Design
More
Joining us on the show for this episode is graphic designer, cartographer, and smellwalk guide, Dr. Kate Mclean. Kate's work is at the intersection of human-perceived smellscapes, cartography, and the communication of 'eye-invisible' sensed data. She uses a range of media including digital design, watercolor, animation, and sculpture to encourage and stimulate people to consider smell in new ways. For this conversation, we explore the sense of smell; how it works, why it's important, and what happens when we strengthen our ability to intentionally smell the world. We then talk about her work of mapping smellscapes in urban environments and all of the implications that come with it. You can stay tuned into Kate's work by heading over to Sensorymaps.com Show Topics - What Are Smellmaps? - What is the Physiology of Smell? - Is Smell Conditioned? - Smell and Memory - Smell and Home - What Happens When We Lose Our Smell? - Becoming more Sensationally Aware - Smell and our Perception of Time - Smell and Cooking - Smell and Design