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MoU signed with University of Mumbai
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As mentioned above, the Oceans Institute and the Sindhu Swadhyay Sanstha School of Integrated Aquatic Education at the University of Mumbai have signed an MoU to promote marine research links across the Indian Ocean.
The signing was witnessed by OI Director Professor Peter Veth and UoM Pro Vice Chancellor Dr Ravindra Kulkarni, in the presence of WA Premier Mark McGowan, WA Government Trade Commissioner in Mumbai Peter Baldwin, Vice-Chancellor Professor Suhas Pednekar and Associate Professor Dr Vinayak Dalvie from UoM, and the Honourable Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister of Maharashtra State Relations.
Prof Veth said the memorandum provided an opportunity for both universities to develop new research collaborations across a broad range of marine research areas.
“The Oceans Institute is heavily focused on enhancing multidisciplinary research collaborations across the Indian Ocean, by engaging with institutes and organisations among the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) countries, as well as others that border or have interests in the Indian Ocean,” he said.
Pictured above: WA Premier Mark McGowan and Vice Chancellor of the University of Mumbai Prof Suhas Pednekar at the MoU signing.
Pictured below: The full official party at the University of Mumbai event (left) and Prof Peter Veth, Captain Nilimia Prabhu and WA Premier Mark McGowan (right).
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Naked Scientist and BBC comes calling for Charlotte
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The Ocean Institute’s Charlotte Birkmanis will hone her science communication skills with some of the best in the world, after winning an internship with BBC’s The Naked Scientists.
A marine biologist and PhD candidate with a special interest in marine predator behaviour, Charlotte will spend eight weeks living and working at The University of Cambridge as part of the opportunity, offered by the popular Naked Scientist himself – Dr Chris Smith.
“Alongside learning how to write articles and conduct interviews with leading scientists around the world, I'll edit and produce my own podcast, which will then be broadcast on The Naked Scientist,” Charlotte explains.
Pictured above and below: Life - never boring for Charlotte!
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Belinda and her special support crew prepare to give Breaksea Island penguins a helping hand
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The OI's Dr Belinda Cannell has received some special help in building nest boxes for little penguins at Breaksea Island in King George Sound, south-east of Albany.
The island, which was declared a nature reserve in 1969, provides a significant nesting and breeding site for little penguins and is thought to be home to one of the biggest penguin populations in WA.
Members of Albany MenShed have built 30 nesting boxes for the Breaksie Island colony to assist with research that Belinda is leading into potential threats that could affect the local penguins.
"When you look at Penguin Island (near Rockingham), we've seen the impact that climate change has had over the past eight years on numbers there," Belinda said. "Numbers have dropped by more than half in the last decade.
"There's less food resources now for the penguins and when the temperatures get above 33C, they can die from overheating. That's why we really need to look at the sorts of threats that could affect the penguins at Breaksea Island."
The nesting boxes built by the MenShed members imitate a penguins burrow or tunnel, allowing researchers to follow their behaviours.
Belinda hopes to be able to recruit some student assistants to help build on the "big deficit of information" about the birds. Information which will hopefully protect them into the future.
Top picture above: Dr Belinda Cannell (middle) with Albany MenShed members Karl Froehnelt (left) and Mick Bartlett (right).
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OI researchers prepare for groundbreaking second expedition to reveal the mysteries of our deep oceans
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While many of us are preparing for a little downtime come January, spare a thought for a team of Oceans Institute scientists who will be leading the first ever deep sea exploration of the Bremer and Leeuwin submarine canyon systems, south east and south west of Albany in WA's Great Southern region.
Led by UWA's Dr Julie Trotter and Dr Paolo Montagna from the Institute of Polar Science (IPS) in Italy, the researchers have been granted a rare opportunity to launch a deep-sea remotely operated vehicle (ROV) from aboard the oceanographic research vessel RV Falkor (pictured above), kindly provided by the philanthropic Schmidt Ocean Institute.
The ROV will give the team the first images of deep sea ecocsystems in the canyons, and will provide the team with the opportunity to collect samples such as deep-sea corals. 'Big picture' goals are to track changes in the ocean-climate systems that have occurred in these waters in time and space. These will provide a better understanding of the impact of increasing anthropogenic-driven climate change and the long-term 'natural' variability of the ocean-climate system.
Local schools are being invited to participate in a unique public outreach program including an onboard, live-feed video program, as part of the expedition which will run between 26 January and 26 February 2020.
The scientists also plan to revisit the Perth Canyon, the focus of their first deep sea mission in 2015.
If you'd like to know more, please contact Dr Julie Trotter.
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Five early career researchers awarded federal funding
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Five researchers at UWA, including Dr Hugh Wolgamot, from the Oceans Graduate School, have been awarded almost $2.05 million in Federal Government funding for projects that range from investigating Australian rare breed poultry and livestock conservation to working out whether cutting-edge cognitive approaches can help those with severe anxiety.
The projects are funded under the Discovery Early Career Researcher Awards (DECRA) scheme through the Australian Research Council (ARC). Federal Member for Curtin Celia Hammond visited UWA to meet the funding recipients and learn more about the projects they are undertaking.
“The number and range of research grants awarded to UWA through DECRA show its depth and breadth as a comprehensive university and the high regard with which its researchers are held nationally and internationally,” Ms Hammond said.
Professor Robyn Owens, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), said developing and supporting the research of early career researchers was absolutely critical to the University’s future success.
Pictured below: Prof Robyn Owens (left) and Celia Hammond (right) with Dr Hugh Wolgamot from OGS.
Thanks to Nicholas Smith from the UWA central media team for the awesome pics and to our own Rob Pemberton for props and location!
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WE WERE OUT IN THE COMMUNITY AS ALWAYS
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A winning team at the Fremantle Ports Maritime Open Day
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Marine science impacts everyone in different ways and we love sharing our insights with others through community outreach. It is an important part of the Ocean Institute's 'reason for being'.
Ably led by Marion Cambridge, we were out in force at the Fremantle Ports Maritime Open Day (2019) last month where Marion, Mitchell Booth and Jane Edgeloe gave up part of their weekend to talk all things seagrass with children and adults alike. As these photographs by Angela Rossen and Sophie Campagna show, they were quite a hit! A huge thank you to all who were involved in the day and in making it such a success.
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OI Director gives keynote address at the Australian Water Association WA Water Awards Dinner
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It's hard to keep up with OI's Director Prof Peter Veth!
'The Original Blue Economy: 50,000 years off the NW Shelf' was the title of his keynote address at the recent Australian Water Association WA Water Awards Dinner, which was very well received by all in attendance.
Sounds like a fabulous evening all round with a packed room congratulating the many award winners.
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'Houtman Abrolhos - A Natural History' launched at IOMRC
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We are so lucky at the OI to occupy space at the IOMRC, giving us front row seats to some of the best speakers in the country. Dr Chris Surman is a UWA alumnus, marine ecologist and one very talented photographer and author. He's spent the past 35 years exploring and researching the Houtman Abrolhos - 122 islands and associated coral reefs located 60km off the Geraldton coastline. We were thrilled Chris chose to launch his new book “Houtman Abrolhos, A Natural History” at IOMRC. Good luck with it all Chris!
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NOTICEBOARD: Short but still important
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MALAYSIA CONTACTS: If you have any contacts with Malaysia or are working in this space please touch base with OI Deputy Director Prof Julian Partridge.
CALLING ALL GO PROS: Have an old Go Pro you want to get rid of? The OI is working on a project where we will be sharing these with our scientific colleagues and collaborators in countries less fortunate than ours. Contact the OI's Business Support Manager Robert Pemberton for more details or drop your camera into his office.
Q&A WITH ARC ASSESSORS: Are you planning on submitting an ARC application in the upcoming Discovery/Fellowship rounds? If that's a yes, click here for details of a Q&A panel sessions taking place on Monday in the Bayliss Building.
COMMENT ON WA GOVT CLIMATE CHANGE ISSUES PAPER: A reminder that the WA Government callout for comment on their climate change issues paper closes on 29 November, in just over a week. Don't miss this opportunity to have your say. Read a fact sheet by the EDO on the issues paper here, and make your submission to the government directly, via this link.
* Have an item for the noticeboard? Send it through to liz.mcgrath@uwa.edu.au for inclusion.
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AND LAST, BUT DEFINITELY NOT LEAST
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New project to polish up our knowledge of Batavia silverware
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An international collaboration using sophisticated 3D imaging and new technology will detect and recreate intricate data from corroded 17th century European silverware, giving further insight into cultural exchange between Europe, Asia, and Australia some three centuries ago.
Western Australian and Dutch historians, archaeologists and curators, led by UWA, will use 3D scanning technology to further investigate a unique collection of 17th century silverware from Amsterdam discovered by the WA Museum from the wreck of the Dutch East India vessel, Batavia.
Shipwrecked on the Houtman Abrolhos Islands in 1629, the Batavia was carrying a shipment of relatively unknown silver objects which were later recovered during the 1970s. The wreck was excavated by a team of maritime archaeologists from the WA Museum, and the silverware and other artefacts are held in the Museum’s Collection.
Read more.
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DNA may hold the clue to protecting endangered species says UWA
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A new method for analysing DNA collected from waterways which can help identify endangered bird species has been developed with the help of researchers from UWA.
The DNA analysis method developed with researchers from Charles Darwin Uni and the Northern Territory’s Department of Environment and Natural Resources provides a new way of understanding the distribution of endangered birds by analysing DNA collected in waterways where they drink.
The research, to be published in Endangered Species Research Journal, offers new possibilities to support conservation efforts and increase understanding of birds that are scarce and hard to capture data on.
The team developed a probe to locate DNA in water samples of the critically endangered Gouldian Finch (Erythrura gouldiae), a grassfinch endemic to the savanna woodlands of northern Australia.
Read more.
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