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July 2024 | View previous edition
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Waypoint is AIMS' newsletter, delivering a regular selection of AIMS news and achievements directly to your inbox.
We hope you enjoy this edition.
AIMS News
"On-demand" coral spawning a gamechanger, speeding critical research
For the third year in a row, aquarists from the National Sea Simulator have replicated environmental cues to induce coral spawning, months ahead of their natural cycle.
Fish chomper stoppers could help baby corals rehabilitate reefs
In a new paper, an AIMS at JCU PhD candidate field tested specially designed cradles for baby corals that help prevent fish eating them and increase their chance of survival to optimise reef restoration.
3D digital twin to enhance understanding of the Great Barrier Reef
Photo-realistic 3D images that will aid recovery and management efforts could be produced faster and more accurately thanks to a new partnership between AIMS and La Trobe University.
Annual summary on Great Barrier Reef condition due out soon
The Long-Term Monitoring Program (LTMP) team surveyed 94 reefs across the northern, central and southern Great Barrier Reef this survey season. Most of the routine underwater surveys won't have captured the impacts from the two cyclones that crossed the central region or the mass coral bleaching event, the fifth since 2016, as reefs were surveyed before these disturbance events.
When the team start the next survey season later this year, we'll gain a clearer picture of coral mortality on surveyed reefs.
Sign up to "Back to the Reef", the LTMP newsletter, to receive the report when it is released in August.
Weaving a better future for coral reefs and culture through the Woppaburra Coral Project
The Woppaburra Coral Project was the first project for AIMS’ new way of doing business with Traditional Owners. We now seek partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, learning from each other through two-way knowledge sharing of the marine environment via on Country workshops.
As our relationship with the Woppaburra TUMRA Aboriginal Corporation and Traditional Custodians has deepened, surprising outcomes have occurred – it’s not only about the science. The workshops identified Traditional Owner aspirations and provided the Traditional Custodians with baseline data for future management of their sea Country.
The Project is part of the Australian Coral Reef Resilience Initiative, a partnership with AIMS, BHP and Woppaburra Traditional Custodians.
Ready to embark on the next chapter of your career?
We are pleased to announce a new AIMS@JCU initiative - Postdoctoral Research Fellowships - with three up for grabs!
This initiative continues the long partnership between our leading tropical marine research institutions, offering the opportunity to work closely with distinguished researchers from both AIMS and JCU.
Each fellowship is named in honour of distinguished marine scientists, celebrating their immense contributions to our field.
AIMS@JCU Janice Lough Postdoctoral Fellowship - Reef Responses to Environmental Change
Dr Janice Lough is recognised as a world leader in developing high-resolution environmental and growth histories from corals, assessing the nature and consequences of climate change for coral reefs and for the people who depend on them.
AIMS@JCU David McKinnon Postdoctoral Fellowship - Modelling Coastal Dynamics
Dr McKinnon and the biological oceanography group led many pioneering studies describing the plankton and their contribution to ocean productivity and marine foodwebs across northern Australia.
AIMS@JCU Bette Willis Postdoctoral Fellowship - Reef Connectivity
Empro Bette Willis is a world leader in the biology and ecology of reef corals. Her research focussed on the health of reef corals and the factors driving outbreaks of coral disease, and the potential of corals to acclimatise and adapt to a changing world.
Australian Academy of Science Fellow
STEM Changemakers
Photo: Marie Roman
We congratulate Professor Madeleine van Oppen who was named as a 2024 Australian Academy of Science Fellow, in recognition of her exceptional contribution to science.
Over her 20 years at AIMS and as a Professor at the University of Melbourne, Madeleine has researched a range of approaches to speed up the rate of naturally occurring evolutionary processes to enhance the resilience of corals under climate change.
Her recognition as a Fellow places Madeleine amongst Australia’s most distinguished scientists.
Photo: Warren Cheetham, courtesy of STEM Changemakers
We were delighted to support the pilot STEM Changemakers initiative connecting regional girls with local STEM industries.
The two-month program focussed on engineering and offered hands-on experiences and mentorships in STEM careers to girls from underrepresented backgrounds.
Pictured left to right at the culmination of the program is: AIMS mechanical engineer Devereux Harvey, AIMS Technology Transformation Research Leader Melanie Olsen, Australia's Chief Scientist Dr Cathy Foley and AIMS CEO Prof. Selina Stead.
AIMS in the spotlight
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