OCEAN LOVERS TALKS - CAN OUR REEFS SAVE THEMSELVES?

Hear from leading researchers Dr. Elliot Scanes and Prof. Ana Vila Concejo, as they discuss the survival strategies and evolutionary traits that help reefs survive during ongoing climate change and rapid heating events.

Dr Elliot Scanes is an ARC Discovery Early Career Research Fellow in the Climate Change Cluster at UTS. He is a marine biologist and ecologist who focuses on understanding how marine organisms will respond to climate change, specifically the relationship between oysters and their microbial partners. Elliot’s research is currently focused on how climate change contributes to oyster disease. Elliot has built a strong reputation as an emerging leader in his field with research published in top journals and strong collaborations with industry.

Dr Emma Camp is a marine biologist and the Team Leader of the Future Reefs Team at UTS. Her research ranges from organism scale molecular signatures to broad scale ecological interactions, and specialize in advancing technical solutions to support innovative scientific capacity to help preserve and re-build “healthy reefs”. In 2018, Emma co-Founded Coral Nurture Program, a science-tourism partnership to repopulate corals on the Great Barrier Reef. Since 2013, Emma has received or been short listed for over 30 awards, including the 2023 WINGS Women in Discovery Award, the 2021 Macquarie University Eureka Prize for Outstanding Early Career Researcher and in 2020 was named a Next Generation Leader by Time Magazine (2020). Emma researches and advocates for the world’s marine life under threat from environmental and climate change.

Dr Cheng Chen is an Engineering Postdoc Fellow at SIMS, who works primarily on the Cooling and Shading sub-program of the Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program (RRAP) - the world's largest initiative dedicated to protecting the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). Focused on upscaling the seawater atomization nozzle technologies, Cheng implements marine cloud brightening and artificial fogging to lower sea surface temperatures and shade the reefs. His recent 4-week expedition to the GBR involved contributing to the world-leading shading trials, aiming to reduce temperatures and light intensity experienced by corals to mitigate bleaching events. Cheng is honored as the 2023 recipient of the Auxilium Kickstarter Prize from the John Preston Auxilium Foundation.

WHERE? High Tide Room, Bondi Pavilion

WHEN? 1.15 pm - 1.45 pm Saturday 23rd March, 2024

Ocean Lovers Talks are a feature program of the Volvo Ocean Lovers Festival bringing you inspirational talks by leaders and luminaries, scientists, innovators, adventurers and future thinkers focused on solutions to better protect our ocean, promoting a hopeful and inspiring view for the future.

The Volvo Ocean Lovers Festival is an annual celebration of Ideas, Art+Music & Actions, showcasing some of the latest innovations, science, state-of-the-art technology and cool ideas for helping the ocean. Be inspired and entertained with art, music, food, talks, stalls, workshops and more. Visit our website for more information.

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