PAST LIVE LECTURE EVENTS
Polar Bears - From Tip to Tail
Presented by Robin Aiello
Polar bears – probably the most iconic Arctic mammal – spend so much time in the ocean that they are scientifically classified as a marine mammal. In order to endure the extreme Arctic conditions, they have some unique adaptations for surviving in one of the harshest environments and climates in the world. Join Robin as she takes you on a ‘tour’ of the Polar Bear, looking at its role in history, local cultural and its unique physiology.
Sunday 17th MAY 2020
Penguins and Parkas - Living and Diving as a Scientist in Antarctica
Presented by Robin Aiello
Penguins & Parkas – 4 months living on and under Antarctic Ice in the late 1980’s, scientists in Antarctica carried out ‘extreme’ research. Robin, with her team of 6 research scuba divers, was one of the first women in Antarctica to spend 4 months camping out “in the field” and diving under the thick sea ice of the Ross Sea. What were we looking for? Well…come and find out. Join Robin as she shares some of her fascinating, and sometimes hilarious, adventures of living and diving in Antarctica!
Sunday 24th May 2020
Goby and Blenny - I’m So Confused
Presented by Robin Aiello
We see them everywhere on the reef – on the sand, corals, sponges, sea fans, soft corals, sea whips – darting in and out. But personally, I can never remember which are gobies and which are blennies? And just when I think I have it all figured out, something that looks like a blenny is actually a goby. They live in the same places, right next to one another, and they have the dame general elongated body shape and act in similar ways. So how do you tell them apart? Join Robin as she explores these two groups of fish and takes a closer look at some specific individuals and their unique lifestyles and the important roles that they play within the reef ecosystem.
Sunday 31st May 2020
Intertidal - Murder and Mayhem
Presented by Robin Aiello
Murder & Mayhem – life & death struggles in the North Pacific The intertidal seems such a calm, peaceful place, with ocean tides rising and falling every day. But as a marine creature living there, it is a war zone. Danger lurks everywhere…all the time. When the tide is out the danger comes from above, when the tide is in, it comes from below. As a result, the animals living here have developed some of the most fascinating, complex adaptations to hunt prey for food as well as to escape voracious predators. Join Robin as she guides you through this battle field between tides. Be amazed at how intertidal animals survive in the most unlikely situations.
Sunday 7th June 2020
Arctic Mammals - Surviving the Big Chill
Presented by Robin Aiello
In the northern parts of Siberia, temperatures can drop to well-below freezing, and yet many land mammals remain active year-round. Each of these animals have developed special adaptations to not only avoid freezing, but also to find food in a snow-covered environment. Join Robin and take a closer look at how these animals not only survive, but thrive, in the amazingly harsh conditions that prevail for most of the year up here, above the Arctic circle.
Sunday 14th June 2020
Jellyfish - Floats like a butterfly, stings like a bee
Presented by Robin Aiello
Did you know that there are jellyfish all around us? In fact, jellyfish are found in all oceans and seas around the globe. They are not everyone’s cup of tea. Some find them vaguely repulsive. Some find them positively terrifying. But they have a certain grace that is mesmerizing. Come join Robin and explore how these creatures have survived 700 million years. Why are they more abundant today than ever before?
Sunday 21st June 2020
Shark Stories - Wild Encounters
Presented by Thomas Baechtold
Thomas lights up when he delves into the details of a great adventure. Sharks have captivated his attention and filled his dreams since he set out to explore the underwater world in the early 90s. In this Sunday's live event, Thomas will take you on an animated journey through his photos and videos and relive some of his epic apex predator encounters from around the world.
Sunday 28th June 2020
Salmon - Leap! A Salmon Story
Presented by Robin Aiello
Pacific Salmon are probably the most iconic fish from the west coast of North America. They start life way upstream in rivers and over the course of their lives they will migrate nearly all the way to Russia before returning to their natal river to mate and lay their eggs. They must survive many trials and tribulations, including, bears, eagles and sharks. Exactly how they survive such an arduous life has been the focus of many projects. Come join Robin as she shares with you the newest research into the secret lives of salmon.
Sunday 5th July 2020
Papua New Guinea - Stories Of Sailing Into The Unknown In The 90’s
Presented by Robin Aiello
In the early 1990’s, Robin was a member of two scientific expeditions to some of the most remote sections of coastal Papua New Guinea. So remote, that some villages had never seen a white woman before! Join Robin in a storytelling session as she relives many of her adventures – including chewing betelnut with a village Chief, being ‘healed’ by a traditional medicine man, having to prove if she was a “boy or girl”, and taking a day trip that turned into a 4-day adventure to the highlands and witnessing the very first appearance of the now-famous Mudmen at the Goroka Sing Sing.
Sunday 26th July 2020
Absolutely Crab-ulous - My Favourite Weird and Wonderful Crabs
Presented by Robin Aiello
Virtually everyone knows what a crab looks like, particularly when served up on a dinner plate with drawn butter! But crabs come in all sorts of colours, sizes and shapes. From no bigger than a pea to monster crabs that walk across the sea floor. Although all 6000 species of crabs have a similar overall body architecture, there are some that possess incredibly unique adaptations surprising behaviours that are captivating and often very comical. Join Robin as she explores the world of crabs and introduces you to some of her favourite crabby friends.
Sunday 9th August 2020
A Few Funky Fish – Which Is Your Favourite?
Presented by Robin Aiello
There are more than 20,000 species of fish swimming around in the world’s oceans – so deciding which ones are ‘my favourite’ is nearly impossible. But there are a few really cool fish that most of you have probably never heard of, but they stand out in the world of fish as being particularly unique. Between them there is (1) a fish with a mouth full of molar teeth and a great big bulbous nose…(2) another that is the most physically asymmetrical fish on earth…(3) another little fish with the BIGGEST attitude…(4) a tiny but really slimy fish that is probably the strongest fish in the ocean…(5) the heaviest bony fish that can weigh more than a pickup truck and lays more than 300 million eggs each season…and (6) a bonus fish with a face that only a mother could love. Come join Robin as she explores the unique adaptations and antics of these amazing fishes.
Sunday 23rd August 2020
Shark Stories Continued - Encounters From Around The World
Presented by Thomas Baechtold
Thomas lights up when he delves into the details of a great adventure. Sharks have captivated his attention and filled his dreams since he set out to explore the underwater world in the early 90s. In this Sunday's live event, Thomas will take you on an animated journey through his photos and videos and relive some of his epic apex predator encounters from around the world.
Sunday 6th September 2020
It Came From Beneath the Sea – Mermaids and Sea Monsters
Presented by Robin Aiello
For centuries, sailors have told tales of remarkable huge sea monsters! Are they real? Do they exist...or were they merely figments of their imagination? Join Robin as she explores the legends and ‘documented’ records of some of these elusive sea monsters, some which have been sighted all around the world!
Sunday 2oth September 2020
Schooling Fish - Off To School We Go
Presented by Robin Aiello
We travelling through some of the most productive waters of the world, with thousands of fish, some of which form huge aggregations, or ‘schools’. Until recently, scientists had no idea how fish managed to swim together in perfect unity without bumping into one another. Join Robin as she brings to light the newest research on how and why fish form such large schools and how predators have adapted ways to catch them.
Sunday 18th October 2020
Parlez-vous Fishé? – How Fish Talk To Each Other
Presented by Robin Aiello
The underwater world is NOT a silent place as Jacque Cousteau once said. In fact, it’s very noisy, and most of the sounds come from fish. Have you ever wondered if fish communicate with one another? Do they shout to keep intruders away? Or whisper sweet-nothings to each other? Fish, in fact, have many different adaptations for communicating surprisingly complex messages to one another – some even use covert codes so no other fish can ‘overhear’ their conversation. Join Robin and explore the secrets behind fish language.