What's On at UWA

A public lecture by Professor Daniel Pauly, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, University of British Columbia and 2018 UWA Institute of Advanced Studies Visiting Fellow.

One of the expected responses of marine fishes to ocean warming is decrease in body size, as supported by evidence from empirical data and theoretical modelling. The theoretical underpinning for fish shrinking is that the oxygen supply to large fish size cannot be met by their gills, whose surface area cannot keep up with the oxygen demand by their three-dimensional bodies. Although this logic has been recently challenged, it will be shown, in the context of Gill-Oxygen Limitation Theory (GOLT) that gills, because they must retain the properties of open surfaces, cannot avoid being limiting for fish growth. Also, besides explaining (1) the growth patterns of fish, a wide range of biological features of fish and other water-breathing organisms can be understood only when gill area limitation is used as an explanation, including (2) the decline of food conversion efficiency with size; (3) the size at which they reproduce; (4) the phenomenon known as ‘abortive maturation’; (5) why the fish of a given species are larger at the cold end of their distribution ranges; (6) why fish move into deeper/colder waters when they grow bigger; (7) why the growth and food conversion efficiency of farmed fish declines when oxygen supply is reduced; (8) why fish perform temperature-driven seasonal migrations (9) why global warming induces poleward migrations; (10) why the flesh of tuna that have fought for a long time at the end of a fishing line becomes inedible; (11) why the otoliths of fish and the statoliths of invertebrates form clear daily rings in larvae and juveniles, but in adults; (12) many other phenomena that are never ben elucidated before, or even perceived as requiring an explanation. The GOLT thus appears to have the potential of a powerful theory capable of acceleration progress in marine biology and limnology and the corresponding applied discipline, ie, fishery science and aquaculture.

A public lecture by Veronique Florec, Research Associate, Centre for Environmental Economics and Policy, The University of Western Australia.

Plastic pollution in the ocean has become one of the most challenging environmental issues of our time. In 30 years, there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish! Thousands of marine animals and seabirds are being killed every year, either due to entanglement or from ingestion of plastic waste. To tackle a problem of this magnitude, we require a global solution. But in some circles where some of the most important decisions that affect our planet are made, women are either absent or only present in small numbers. Globally, women hold less than 15% of leadership positions in STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine) despite research showing that gender-balanced teams are more effective.

Homeward Bound wants to change this and, over a period of 10 years, it’s planning to build a global network of 1,000 women in STEMM and equipping them with leadership skills so that they can heighten their influence in policy circles. A global initiative, Homeward Bound is an intensive 12-month leadership program for women in STEMM that culminates in an expedition to Antarctica. The program aims to enhance the impact of women in science in order to influence policy and decision making as it shapes the future of our planet.

As part of the program, we conducted research on plastic pollution in the ocean and are now looking to bring about change in this area. So what happens when you put 80 women — all passionate about science, gender equity and the state of our planet — on board a ship for 22 days in Antarctica? In a visually beautiful presentation, Veronique will share her experience of participating in the program, the lessons learned throughout the year, her research on plastic pollution in the ocean, and the amazing visit to the white continent.

About this Series: All at Sea - Restoration and Recovery.

Our Oceans and coasts provide us with food, energy, livelihoods, cultural and recreational opportunities, yet they are coming under increasing pressure. This UWA Institute of Advanced Studies - Oceans Institute Lecture Series explores the wonders of our seas, the challenges they face and how research at UWA- in a diverse range of fields including marine science, ocean engineering, health, humanities and social sciences- are contributing to sustainability.

Please join us at this year’s Postgraduate Showcase: Frontiers in Agriculture, where some of UWA’s top postgraduate students undertaking research in agriculture and related areas will present their findings.

For more information, download the flyer http://www.ioa.uwa.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/3103493/PG-Showcase-Flyer-6-June-2018_FINAL.pdf

Register online at www.ioa.uwa.edu.au/events/register by Friday, 1 June 2018.

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is arguably the most powerful technique for the characterisation of materials structures at the micro-, nano- and sub-nanometer scales. Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy (EELS)is a TEM technique for composition and chemical environment or chemical bonding analysis. Image recording is critical for TEM study of materials. This presentation will focus on the newest development in the data acquisition and analysis of EELS and in camera technology. The new EELS technique enables the chemical bonding and electronic structural analysis for both light and heavy elements with very high energy resolution. The new TEM camera with ultra-high speed and detective quantum efficiency allows imaging beam-sensitive biomaterials and chemical materials with extremely low electron beam dose, which provides and effective solution to minimise structural degradation of the biomaterials and chemical materials during the TEM study process. Combination of state-of-art camera and EELS techniques offers an extremely powerful tool for the investigation of biomaterials and catalytic processes in nanoscale as well as the accurate quantitative elemental information.

The Perth USAsia Centre is honoured to host Ms Frances Adamson, Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for a public presentation on ‘The Indo-Pacific: A WA Perspective'. The Indo-Pacific region is a central focus of the 2017 Foreign Policy White Paper. The White Paper recognised Australia’s shifting regional landscape, and identified the promotion of an open, inclusive and prosperous Indo-Pacific region as critical for both Australia’s and the region’s security and prosperity. Due to its unique position on the Indian Ocean, and as a commercial gateway for Australia to the region, Western Australia has a significant role to play in the Indo-Pacific. This event provides the opportunity to gain insight into the role of Western Australia can play in Australia’s foreign policy approach to the Indo-Pacific region. We look forward to welcoming you at this exclusive event.

An 'All at Sea' public lecture by Professor Anas Ghadouani, Head, Aquatic Ecology and Ecosystems Studies and Programme Chair, Environmental Engineering, The University of Western Australia.

Do you think you’re water literate? More than 80% of Australians know little about the most important thing keeping them alive. Where do you think you use the most water? Washing? Flushing? Watering the garden? Wrong – and Professor Anas Ghadouani, a passionate and self-confessed water geek, has some surprising news for you. But if you love chocolate he has some not-so-great news too… Anas is passionate about all aspects of water engineering and management. With more than 20 years of experience, which took has taken him all over the world while researching water in a wide and diverse range of environments, Anas has developed a unique, integrated and solution-focused approach for the study of water issues. In this public lecture Anas will discuss ways to reduce your water footprint and close the loop on the water cycle at a local level.

All at Sea: Restoration and Recovery Series- Our oceans and coasts provide us with food, energy, livelihoods, cultural and recreational opportunities, yet they are coming under increasing pressure.

This UWA Institute of Advanced Studies - UWA Oceans Institute Lecture Series explores the wonders of our seas, the challenges they face and how research at UWA- in a diverse range of fields including marine science, ocean engineering, health, humanities and social sciences- are contributing to ensure sustainability.

For the first time in Perth, join ten world-leading UWA researchers as they escape their labs and lecture theatres to bring impactful talks into ten Perth City bars. Raising the Bar Perth is for one night only, so bookings are essential.

A public lecture by Professor Serge Rivière, 2018 UWA Institute of Advanced Studies Visiting Fellow.

Throughout seven years of exile, which was marked by frustration and hope, followed by disillusionment and anger born of an inability to influence events and an increasing sense of futility, the support of friends on Isle de France kept Flinders afloat. In a letter to Captain Augustin Baudin of 10 January 1806, Flinders acknowledged that his Mauritian entourage had been most hospitable, but he added:

“I am as happy as the peculiar circumstances of my detention will permit me to be; but a man who is suffering in his rank and fortune, who is prevented from the credit due to his labours, who is losing his time, and is unjustly kept from his country and his family, cannot be supposed to be very happy”.

Yet in his Voyage to Terra Australis, as he left the Isle de France in June 1810, he expressed genuine sadness. What light does Flinders’ correspondence shed on the personality and intellectual development of the celebrated explorer? For one who had built his fame on voyages of discovery, imprisonment on an island was especially galling and non-productive. This lecture will explore the circumstances and impact of Flinders’ long period of maritime inactivity in Mauritius which provided ample opportunities for reflection and introspection. Cultural displacement often combines with relative solitude to broaden the mind and deepen one’s self-knowledge, leading to moments of epiphany. Thus, total immersion in another culture had, partially at least, a beneficial effect on Matthew Flinders, as he found himself at the cross-roads of the cultures of two nations in conflict.

Marc Serge Rivière, born in Souillac, Mauritius, was Laureate of the Royal College of Curepipe in 1965 on the Arts side. He completed an MA at Aberdeen University (Scotland, 1970), a postgraduate MA at McMaster University (Canada, 1971), a PhD at Glasgow University (Scotland, 1980) and a Dip.ed. at Monash University (Australia, 1982). From 1970 to 2008, he lectured on French and Francophone Literature and Cultural Studies in Scotland, Canada, Australia, France, Ireland and Mauritius (as Visiting Professor at UoM from 2003-2005). On his retirement in 2008, he was awarded the title of Professor Emeritus of Limerick University, Ireland. He was decorated by the French Government as Chevalier de l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques in 2005.

All at Sea: Restoration and Recovery Series - Our oceans and coasts provide us with food, energy, livelihoods, cultural and recreational opportunities, yet they are coming under increasing pressure. This UWA Institute of Advanced Studies - UWA Oceans Institute Lecture Series explores the wonders of our seas, the challenges they face and how research at UWA- in a diverse range of fields including marine science, ocean engineering, health, humanities and social sciences- are contributing to ensure sustainability.

This session will be useful for researchers who are applying for grants, tenure or promotion; or who generally wish to monitor their research performance. It will cover finding:

Evidence of quality for journals in which you have published – journal rankings, inclusion on esteemed journals lists. Citation numbers for individual publications (metrics from Google Scholar, Web of Science and Scopus). Benchmarking of articles in publications that are indexed by Web of Science – Incites. Your h-index – a measure of the productivity and citation impact of your published body of work (from Google Scholar, Web of Science and Scopus). Australian and international Library holdings for books or book chapters. Altmetrics (alternative metrics) for individual publications, such as downloads numbers, social media mentions. Media mentions. The presenter will be available for 15 minutes after the seminar for questions.

Speaker: Andrea Fuller is a Professor in the School of Physiology and Director of the Brain Function Research Group at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. Her primary research focus is in the areas of thermal and conservation physiology, with an emphasis on understanding the physiological plasticity available to mammals to cope with climate change, and methods to improve the physiological welfare of mammals during game management practices. She has published more than 100 peer-reviewed articles, hosted seven postdoctoral fellows, and supervised 10 Doctoral and 13 Masters students to completion. She has served as chair of the Thermal Physiology Commission of the International Union of Physiological Sciences, and is an editorial board member of the journals Conservation Physiology; Temperature; and Koedoe - African Protected Area Conservation and Science.

Abstract: Fundamental to predicting the ecological consequences of climate change is understanding the physiological mechanisms available to mammals to cope with changing environments. Much of what we know about how mammals respond to heat is based on studies of mammals in the laboratory setting. Although this approach identifies what an animal can achieve physiologically, it does not reveal what an animal actually will do in its natural environment, where it is subjected to a complex array of stressors. Indeed, data obtained from free-living mammals reveal that we need to monitor the responses of mammals in their natural habitats if we wish to understand how they will prioritise competing homeostatic systems in changing environments, and the consequences of that prioritisation for their fitness.

Ocean sustainability is a complex challenge facing humanity, requiring a multi-disciplinary approach to understand and tackle. The Master of Ocean Leadership brings together expertise from engineering, science, law and environmental management to equip graduates with the skills to lead teams who will solve these challenges.



Presentation: 6:15pm – 7:00pm



Learn about the course from Dr Marco Ghisalberti, Program Chair of the Master of Ocean Leadership, whose research specialities include ecohydraulics and environmental and experimental fluid mechanics.



Networking: 7:00pm – 8:00pm



Please enjoy complimentary refreshments while you talk to our experts from fields such as oceanography, hydrodynamics, coastal engineering and marine ecology. This is your opportunity to ask specific questions and hear more about what it’s like to study the Master of Ocean Leadership and where the degree can take you.



This event is suitable for current or recently graduated students of undergraduate degree at UWA and other institutions.

An 'All at Sea' public lecture by Professor Christophe Gaudin, Head of Oceans Graduate School and Director Wave Energy Research Centre.

Energy security is a critical issue in the 21st century and marine renewable energy resources are an important component of the blue economy agenda in Australia and internationally. Compared to other forms of renewable energy, wave energy is more consistent and more concentrated, but this industry is still in its infancy.

UWA is a global leader in ocean engineering and recently received $3.75 million from the Western Australian State Government to establish The Wave Energy Research Centre (WERC) in Albany. This announcement of a wave energy development project and research centre demonstrates a welcome investment by the Western Australian state government into marine renewable energy. WERC will be a knowledge hub for the wave, tidal and offshore wind energy industries and is set to play an active part in Albany’s transformation into Australia’s marine renewable energy capital.

In this public lecture Professor Gaudin will discuss why marine renewable energy is an important component of the blue economy agenda and why Western Australia is one of the most promising wave and tidal energy locations in the world.

Associate Professor of Geotechnical Engineering at UWA, Professor Christophe Gaudin is Director of the newly established Wave Energy Research Centre in Albany and Head of the Oceans Graduate School, a multi-disciplinary research group of about 100 oceanographers, structural, hydrodynamics and geotechnical engineers.

About the All at Sea: Restoration and Recovery Series - Our oceans and coasts provide us with food, energy, livelihoods, cultural and recreational opportunities, yet they are coming under increasing pressure. This UWA Institute of Advanced Studies - UWA Oceans Institute Lecture Series explores the wonders of our seas, the challenges they face and how research at UWA- in a diverse range of fields including marine science, ocean engineering, health, humanities and social sciences- are contributing to ensure sustainability.

While the trend toward an increasingly integrated Indo-Pacific was initially viewed from the perspective of economics, trade and energy flows, it is increasingly apparent that the rise of the Indo-Pacific era also has major implications for national defence and regional security. The 2018 Western Australian Indo-Pacific Defence Conference will convene strategic thinkers from the military, industry, academic and government in Perth Australia, home to Australia’s largest naval base, a growing defence industry, and a vibrant civic and academic community. Defence West in the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation in partnership with the Perth USAsia Centre at The University of Western Australia will convene the 2018 Western Australian Indo-Pacific Defence Conference. This event will examine the broader geo-strategic environment of the Indo-Pacific and the important role Australia will continue to play in the region via its expertise in defence capability and resources. We also hope to showcase regional opportunities to WA-based industries, as well as national and international stakeholders. This conference will promote the State’s defence capability to national and international defence stakeholders. The aim is to provide new and relevant information from high-level speakers to educate and inspire our local industry, and to assist them in becoming world class and globally competitive (export ready).

An exhibition featuring artwork inspired by 'Our Living Planet'. The theme emphasises that our Earth is a beautiful, living planet and that through the ingenuity and creativity of those in the UWA scientific and cultural community, it shall remain a vital and healthy home for all living things. We are all working together to protect our living planet.

Visitors to the exhibition between 13 and 17 November will be invited to vote for their favourite artworks from amongst the finalists displayed.

There are three prizes of $1000 AUD; the Vice-Chancellor's Prize, the Davies Prize and the Head of School Prize. The Head of School prize is selected by people's choice and the Head of School.

This unique panel discussion brings together UWA research and graduate experts, who are tackling what is arguably the most pressing issue facing our planet. Discover the latest advice and knowledge for understanding the problem and what you can do to help.

Then, join speakers and fellow alumni for refreshments, take in the Biology as Art gallery exhibition and enjoy a special musical performance by School of Music grad Thea Rossen. We would love to see you there.

Ocean plastic pollution, waste and the recycling “crisis” are hot topics. Cleaning up plastic waste and improving recycling systems are important but “turning off the tap” to reduce the problem at the source is critical. Plastic Free July is a global movement sharing ideas and solutions to help millions of people to be part of the solution to plastic pollution – so we can have cleaner streets, oceans, and beautiful communities.

From a humble office initiative in Perth to one of the world’s most widespread environmental movements the Plastic Free July has inspired 120 million participants in 170 countries. Hear the story behind this award winning behaviour change campaign and learn how you can be part of the solution.

Sponsored by UWA Oceans Institute

Coral Sea Foundation CEO and underwater photographer Dr Andy Lewis, and well-known Western Australian artist Larry Mitchell, have travelled together through the islands of New Guinea on several voyages over the last decade.

They share a passion for the region and a commitment to raising awareness of its ecological value and assisting the indigenous communities to sustainably manage their natural resources. Lewis and Mitchell have long discussed the idea of a promotional evening featuring a joint exhibition of photography and paintings to support this cause.

Funds raised from the sale of the artistic works would be used directly to support the work of the Coral Sea Foundation in Melanesia.

Don't miss inspirational UWA alumna, marine biologist, ocean educator and blue whale researcher Asha de Vos as she talks about her ground-breaking work as the founder of Oceanswell, Sri Lanka's first marine conservation, research and education organisation.

Asha was named 2018 Sri Lankan of the Year for championing 'our ocean giants'. Her story is one you need to hear.

Join us at this 1 hour free public talk to hear from world-leader in deep sea biology, Dr Alan Jamieson from the Five Deeps Expedition and Newcastle University UK. Dr Jamieson will talk on exploring the deepest points on planet Earth and the amazing discoveries made.

Refreshments will be served following the presentation.