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SAVING THE OCEAN WITH SCIENCE
2024 Program Coming Soon
March 20-24, 2024
SEA SCIENCE
FREE
The SEA SCIENCE SHOWCASE will bring you awesome interactive experiences, captivating talks, and some of the latest innovation and technology saving our seas.
DIVE IN and be inspired by world-leading innovations and incredible research solutions showcased by leading Australian marine scientists and universities such as the University of NSW, the University of Sydney, and the University of Technology Sydney.
Discover forward thinking projects such as
Algae growing, working to produce food and fibres,
Operation Crayweed, helping restore Sydney's coastal habitat,
And the Living Seawalls, a global Earthshot Prize Finalist. For more information on the Living Seawalls click HERE!
Science in your Swimmers
'SCIENCE IN YOUR SWIMMERS'TALKS 2023 PROGRAM
CONVERSATIONS CORNER HIGH TIDE ROOM
Saturday March 18 & Sunday MARCH 19
Our conversation corner offers you free inspirational talks from scientists and innovators, focused on ideas to better protect our ocean. Festival-goers can literally turn-up in their swimmers to hear from experts, uncover innovative technology and learn sustainable solutions.
SATURDAY PROGRAM
11:00-11:30am
ABC PANEL
Seafood - How Sustainable is Sustainable?
Hosted by ABC National Radio Presenter Cassie McCullagh - Join legendary chef, author and television presenter Neil Perry AM, Tony Worby, Director - Planet Portfolio & Flourishing Oceans, Minderoo Foundation and Jes Sammut, Associate Professor at UNSW, to delve into how science is helping us navigate the complexities of sustainable food.
11:45-12:45pm
ABC PANEL
The 30 by 30 Target
Hosted by ABC National Radio Presenter Cassie McCullagh - Join Tony Worby, Director - Planet Portfolio & Flourishing Oceans at Minderoo Foundation, retired GBR Captain Gordon Scott, USYD Associate Professor Eleanor Bruce, and USYD Research Associate John Turnbull, to learn how Marine Protected Areas and Sanctuary Zones play a critical role in protecting our marine environment and safeguarding our planet for future generations.
1:00-1:30pm
ABC PANEL
Surviving the Beach
Hosted by ABC National Radio Presenter Cassie McCullagh - Join Professor Rob Brander, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences at UNSW, Greg Neely from the University of Sydney - Charles Perkins Centre and Dr Jas Lawes, lead researcher at Surf Lifesaving Australia, to learn how innovative science is helping to make our beaches safer.
1:55-2:15pm
PANEL
Big Friendly Giants of the Sea
Hosted by Robin Mellon - Join wildlife scientist and superstar of STEM Dr Vanessa Pirrota, Macquarie University, Alex Jones, University of Sydney and Robert Harcourt, Honorary Professor of Marine Ecology, Macquarie University to discover what a Snot Bot collector is and other cool facts about these majestic giants of the sea.
2:25-2:35pm
TALK
Reviving Our Coral Reefs
In a period of unprecedented environmental change, coral reefs globally are being lost. Join Dr Emma Camp, Future Reefs Program Team Leader from the UTS Climate Change Cluster, to discuss the innovative science being implemented to revive our threatened reefs.
3:00-3:25pm
PANEL
Surfing into a Sustainable Future
Jointly hosted by Josh Kirkman, CEO of Surfers for Climate and brand and marketing director of Piping Hot Amy Low, join National Campaign Director of Surfrider Foundation Damien Cole and Founder/Program Director of Wavechange Tom Wilson, to discover the key players defined the world of sustainable surfing. .
3:40-4:00pm
TALK
Hullbot - Robots for Healthy Ocean
Join speaker Tom Loefler, cofounder of Hullbot, inventor and ocean technology entrepreneur, who will provide an overview of the importance of keeping hulls clean with underwater robots. Biofouling is responsible for 1% of global emissions, requires toxic antifouling paints that pollute our ocean and cause the transfer of invasive marine species. But that's not all. Find out how Hullbot is using their technology to help monitor endangered seagrass meadows, manage underwater pests and so much more.
11:30-11:45am
TALK
A Titanic Question - Our Ocean
Heritage
Our world ocean contains at least three million shipwrecks including the RMS Titanic, which Emily Jateff, from the Australian National Maritime Museum, was lucky enough to visit with James Cameroon. She will speak on her lifetime opportunity, the archaeology and what sites like Titanic can tell us about how to care for our ocean heritage now and into the future.
12:45-1:00pm
TALK
Soft Plastics - Everyone Needs
to Act !
Join speaker Janey Martin, a member of Waverely Council Power to the Future Intergenerational Program on Climate Change, to explore how soft plastics are contributing to climate change and what the public can do to reduce plastic consumption. Plastic production is accelerating climate change so much that by 2050 it will be responsible for 13% of the planets carbon emissions. We need to act.
1:40-1:50pm
TALK
Using Citizen Science to Save Our Coral Reefs
Join speaker John Sear, a CoralWatch ambassador, scuba diver and underwater photographer, who will provide an overview of the diversity and importance of coral reefs, demonstrating how easily anyone can contribute to citizen science using the CoralWatch coral health monitoring process . With 20 years of data already captured CoralWatch is now focussing on our local temperate corals.
2:15-2:25pm
TALK
Feeling guilty when eating seafood? How to become Seafood Positive
Dr Chris Gillies, founder and CEO of Seafood Positive and the OneFishTwoFish sustainable seafood program, will discuss the ethical dilemma many ocean lovers face when eating seafood. Chris will share several tips and tricks to choosing sustainable seafood and help you overcome that guilty feeling when eating your next fish taco.
2:45-3:00pm
TALK
Wasted - Food & Climate Change
Food waste is a major climate problem. Larger landfill sites lead to a greater production of methane, impacting our oceans and marine life. To keep our oceans healthy we need to act fast and limit food waste. Listen to Amelie Medniuk, a member of Waverely Council Power to the Future Intergenerational Program on Climate Change, to learn about how a few quick and easy changes to our behaviour can have a positive impact on our beautiful oceans.
3:30-3:40pm
TALK
BluebottleWatch - Taking the Sting out of Swimming
Have you ever been stung by a bluebottle? Little is known about bluebottles and when to expect them at the beach. Through exploration of BluebottleWatch with Amandine Schaeffer, a researcher on oceanography at the University of NSW, we will shed new light on bluebottle dynamics, pathways, and distribution of bluebottles on our beaches.
SUNDAY PROGRAM
11:00-11:10am
TALK
I get by with a Little Kelp from Friends - Creating a Global Movement to Save our Kelp Forests
Kelp forests cover 1/3 of our coastlines and sustain cultures and economies, yet are in dramatic decline around the world and we are just starting to work to save them. Join Dr Aaron Eger, Program Director of Kelp Forest Alliance, to learn how you can join a global movement to protect and restore 4 million hectares of kelp forests by 2040.
11:30-11:50pm
PANEL
Ancient Wisdom Meets Modern Science
Hosted by Robin Mellon - Join Professor in Marine Ecology, Adriana Verges from UNSW, Robert Cooley, Senior Field Officer of the Gamay Rangers and Dr Mitchell Gibbs, the University of Sydney. Hear about traditional and contemporary Indigenous ocean governance working with modern science to benefit the health of our ocean.
12:40-1:00pm
TALK
Extreme Sailing for Science
Enjoy a thrilling story as Lisa Blair, Ocean Adventurer and Climate Activist, recounts her voyages around Antarctica, facing snowstorms, blizzards, 100 km/h winds and waves the height of a 5 story building where she nearly didn't live to tell the tale. Sailing her yacht, Climate Action Now, Lisa highlights the power of the individual action towards our sustainable futures.
1:50-2:00pm
TALK
Treating Corals Like Patients
In this presentation, Claire Reymond from the University of Sydney, will show you 3D computer topography (CT) scans of coral cores from One Tree Reef, Great Barrier Reef. Similar to an osteopath, reef doctors can examine the skeleton of corals to understand how, why, and when reefs have changed through time.
2:30-2:50pm
TALK
Whales and Carbon - Can Whales Really Save us from Climate Change?
Whales can make a contribution to carbon sequestration, but can they really save us from climate change? Join Dr Olaf Meynecke, the CEO and founder of Humbacks and Highrises, to explore the role that whales play in the global carbon cycle, pathways of their contribution to the carbon capture and how they enhance marine productivity by transforming our oceans.
11:10-11:30am
TALK
In Search of Mina Wylie - Rediscovering a Lost Australian Champion in the Archives
Mina Wylie (1891-1984) of Wylie's Baths in Coogee was the first woman to swim for Australia in the 1921 Olympic Games, becoming one of Australia's greatest swimmers. Join author Grace Barnes to explore the achievements of Mina Wylie, the context of women's early competitive swimming, and sexism in female sport.
12:00-12:30pm
PANEL
Sharks - Good, Bad or Ugly
Host Robin Mellon will be joined by legendary shark conservationist, film maker and photographer, Valerie Taylor, Dr Leonardo Guida, shark scientist and conservation lead at the Australian Marine Conservation Society, Captain Gordon Scott and Lawrence Chlebeck from Humane Society International. Learn more about these much-maligned but essential ocean residents and the work being done to protect them.
1:00-1:10pm
TALK
Saving Oceans,
One Used Pouch at a Time
Join Jack Aubort to learn how Zero Co works, how closed-loop supply chains help remove plastic from our ocean, beaches and landfill and why we should all aspire for forever use rather than single use.
2:00-2:10pm
TALK
How Ocean Warming Impacts Marine Plankton and Water Quality
Phytoplankton are diverse, abundant, and provide about half of the air we breathe through their photosynthesis. Join Professor Shauna Murray from UTS, to learn about how climate change is causing changes in the distribution and abundance of marine biodiversity, including plankton species that naturally produce toxins, and how as a result these harmful algal blooms are increasingly damaging fisheries, aquaculture and marine water quality.
OCEAN LAB WORKSHOPS
BONDI PAVILION
MARCH 23 & 24
On the weekend of the festival, FREE ocean lab workshops will be available on site for young ocean lovers.
FUTURE SCIENCE STUDENT EXPO
BONDI PAVILION
MARCH 21
On March 21st, we will be hosting a Future Science Student Expo for secondary school students to explore undergraduate degree options in the ocean science field. The morning session has booked out so get in quick for the afternoon slot!
Future Science Student Expo
Proudly Supported By
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