MBRS Open Day 2019
2019-11-30 10:00 - 15:00 (Australia/Sydney) | Moreton Bay Research Station, 37 Fraser Street, Dunwich, QLD, 4183, Australia
We are thrilled to be participating in Moreton Bay Research Station’s Open Day 2019! We will be bringing student robotics kits for visitors of any age to try out. Visit their website for more details.

Subs In Schools National Final
2019-12-09 - 2019-12-11 | St Peters College, 55 Hackney Road, St Peters, SA, 5069, Australia
The Subs in Schools Program organised state finals in South Australia and Western Australia, and qualifying teams will be meet at the National Final in December in Adelaide. Teams are challenged to design, build and operate ROVs or submarines. Details still to come.

Bondi Ocean Lover's Festival 2020
2020-03-20 - 2020-03-22 | Bondi Beach, Bondi Beach, NSW, 2026, Australia
The Ocean Lovers Festival is an annual celebration of Ideas, Art+Music and Actions, showcasing some of the latest innovations, science and state of the art technology for helping the oceans.
A feature at the Bondi Icebergs Pool will be the SIMS’ “Live Ocean Revival Experience”. Presented by Volvo the immersive display showcases current research projects focusing on restoring the ecology of Sydney’s coastline and harbour and invites the public to literally get in and swim through an underwater Crayweed forest and Living Seawalls installation.
Explore all the excitement of the Ocean Lovers Festival!

Nautical Archaeology Society Webinar Series
2020-04-07 21:30 - 22:00
For those interested in old wrecks, the UK’s Nautical Archaeology Society is holding 30min webinars every Tuesday night on various topics. See https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/4181979687901187341 for details or check their YouTube channel for past talks at https://www.youtube.com/user/nautarchsoc

AMCS Coral Bleaching Webinar
2020-04-09 12:30 - 13:30
Last wee, there was confirmation that a mass bleaching was occurring on our beautiful Great Barrier Reef, the third in the past five years.
Today, scientists have released a map showing the extent of the bleaching this summer. At first glance, it’s devastating. But what does it all mean?
With the mass bleaching happening amidst the news of COVID-19, and the disruption that it’s had on our daily lives, AMCS asked a coral reef expert, Professor Morgan Pratchett, to explain exactly what’s been happening on the Great Barrier Reef and to answer your questions.
To register, visit: https://email.marineconservation.org.au/t/j-l-qelrll-yhckllrdd-t/

Earth Day 2020
2020-04-22
Today marks Earth Day’s 50th Anniversary!

World Tuna Day
2020-05-02
The United Nations (UN) established World Tuna Day on May 2 to raise awareness about the importance of tuna and to promote more sustainable fishing practices. It is observed for the first time in 2017.

National Reconciliation Week
2020-05-27 - 2020-06-03
In 2020 Reconciliation Australia marks twenty years of shaping Australia’s journey towards a more just, equitable and reconciled nation.
Much has happened since the early days of the people’s movement for reconciliation, including greater acknowledgement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander rights to land and sea; understanding of the impact of government policies and frontier conflicts; and an embracing of stories of Indigenous success and contribution.
2020 also marks the twentieth anniversary of the reconciliation walks of 2000, when people came together to walk on bridges and roads across the nation and show their support for a more reconciled Australia.
As always, we stand on the shoulders of those who came before us, and Australians now benefit from the efforts and contributions of people committed to reconciliation in the past.
Today we work together to further that national journey towards a fully reconciled country.
Reconciliation is a journey for all Australians – as individuals, families, communities, organisations and importantly as a nation. At the heart of this journey are relationships between the broader Australian community and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
We strive towards a more just, equitable nation by championing unity and mutual respect as we come together and connect with one another.
On this journey, Australians are all In This Together; every one of us has a role to play when it comes to reconciliation, and in playing our part we collectively build relationships and communities that value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, histories and cultures.

2020 Sea Perch Challenge - CANCELLED
2020-05-30 - 2020-05-31 | University of Maryland, College Park, 4128 Valley Drive, College Park, MD, 20742, United States
Get ready for the Sea Perch Challenge 2020!

2020 National Underwater Robotics Challenge - POSTPONED
2020-06-05 - 2020-06-07 | Arizona State University Polytechnic Campus, 7001 E Williams Field Road, Mesa, AZ, 85212, United States
The US-based National Underwater Robotics Challenge emphasizes real-world hands-on activities that motivate students to take on tough challenges in a fun and exciting way. Teams compete in one of four categories: Pre-High School, High School, University, and Adult. The goal of the various levels is to encourage vertical articulation, or collaboration and communication, between the levels to stimulate the teams to be the best they can be. Teams can choose from several levels of kits to build their ROV or build one on their own.

World Oceans Day
2020-06-08
World Oceans Day is a global day of ocean celebration and collaboration for a better future.

2020 MATE International Competition - CANCELLED
2020-06-25 - 2020-06-27 | Villanova University, 800 Lancaster Avenue, Villanova, PA, 19085, United States
Get ready for MATE 2020!!

Robosub 2020 (Online)
2020-08-03 - 2020-08-09 | NIWC Pacific TRANSDEC, 420 Transdec Road, San Diego, CA, 92106, United States
Launched in 1997, RoboSub (hosted by RoboNation) is an exciting underwater robotics competition in which teams of high school, college, and graduate students from around the world design and build an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). These vehicles are designed to autonomously navigate through a series of tasks that mimic ongoing research in Autonomous Underwater Systems.
UPDATE: The in-person part of this competition has been cancelled. Go to website for more info.

Far South Film Festival
2020-08-23
Watch our Through the Garden of Eden film with amazing underwater scenes captured by a customized BlueROV2!
The FAR SOUTH FILM FESTIVAL showcases stories told by regional filmmakers from Australia.
The 2020 festival is ONLINE on Sunday 23 August 2020.
The festival is run by Far South Film Inc, a not-for-profit incorporated association of professional and emerging filmmakers and digital creatives living in South East regional NSW.
Read more about Far South Film here
We look forward to watching the unique, the beautiful, the scary and the moving stories from filmmakers living outside the metropolitan areas of our island continent.

R U OK?
2020-09-10
‘THERE’S MORE TO SAY AFTER R U OK?’

2020 has been a challenging year for everyone and circumstances have made it even more important for us all to stay connected and, for those who are able, be willing to support those around us. In the lead-up to R U OK? Day we’ll help Australians know what to say when someone says they’re not OK and guide them through how they can continue a conversation that could change a life.

You don’t have to be an expert to keep the conversation going when someone says they’re not OK. By knowing what to say you can help someone feel supported and access appropriate help long before they’re in crisis, which can make a really positive difference to their life.

Virtual Ocean Talks
2020-10-01 19:30 - 20:30
REGISTER NOW (it’s free) for The Australian National Maritime Museum’s Virtual Ocean Talks: Exploring Australia’s deep sea with Schmidt Ocean Institute
Australia is an island continent, surrounded by three oceans and multiple seas, which are home to some of the world’s most amazing organisms. Yet with so much water, ocean life and discovery potential, Australia has limited research opportunities. This year, Schmidt Ocean Institute’s research vessel Falkor and its remotely operated vehicle (ROV) SuBastian, explored Australia’s deep-sea submarine canyons, seamount and coral ecosystems – bringing to light fascinating new species from coast to coast.
Hear from Drs Carlie Wiener (Schmidt Ocean Institute), Nerida Wilson (Western Australian Museum), and Robert Beaman (James Cook University) as they share some of the amazing surprises and discoveries that have been made for the first time.

World Octopus Day
2020-10-08
Can’t think of a better day to celebrate octopi or octopuses, depending on which plural form you prefer (they are both acceptable )

NAIDOC Week 2020
2020-11-08 - 2020-11-15
Always Was, Always Will Be.
Always Was, Always Will Be. recognises that First Nations people have occupied and cared for this continent for over 65,000 years.
We are spiritually and culturally connected to this country.
This country was criss-crossed by generations of brilliant Nations.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were Australia’s first explorers, first navigators, first engineers, first farmers, first botanists, first scientists, first diplomats, first astronomers and first artists.
Australia has the world’s oldest oral stories. The First Peoples engraved the world’s first maps, made the earliest paintings of ceremony and invented unique technologies. We built and engineered structures – structures on Earth – predating well-known sites such as the Egyptian Pyramids and Stonehenge.
Our adaptation and intimate knowledge of Country enabled us to endure climate change, catastrophic droughts and rising sea levels.
Always Was, Always Will Be. acknowledges that hundreds of Nations and our cultures covered this continent. All were managing the land – the biggest estate on earth – to sustainably provide for their future.
Through ingenious land management systems like fire stick farming we transformed the harshest habitable continent into a land of bounty.
NAIDOC Week 2020 acknowledges and celebrates that our nation’s story didn’t begin with documented European contact whether in 1770 or 1606 – with the arrival of the Dutch on the western coast of the Cape York Peninsula.
The very first footprints on this continent were those belonging to First Nations peoples.
Our coastal Nations watched and interacted with at least 36 contacts made by Europeans prior to 1770. Many of them resulting in the charting of the northern, western and southern coastlines – of our lands and our waters.
For us, this nation’s story began at the dawn of time.
NAIDOC 2020 invites all Australians to embrace the true history of this country – a history which dates back thousands of generations.
It’s about seeing, hearing and learning the First Nations’ 65,000+ year history of this country – which is Australian history. We want all Australians to celebrate that we have the oldest continuing cultures on the planet and to recognise that our sovereignty was never ceded.
Always Was, Always Will Be.

MBRS Open Day 2020 - CANCELLED
2020-11-28 09:00 - 17:00 | Moreton Bay Research Station, 37 Fraser Street, Dunwich, QLD, 4183, Australia
Moreton Bay Research Station plans to hold their Open Day 2020 on Saturday, November 28th! Come visit and check out the marine petting stations, underwater robotics, and other educational activities

Oceanology International 2020 - ONLINE
2020-12-01 - 2020-12-04
Oceanology International has been the world’s largest ocean technology exhibition and conference for over 50 years.
As the global Covid-19 Pandemic has made international travel and business extremely difficult, we look forward to once again bringing together key players in the ocean tech industry from Government, businesses and academic leaders to reconnect and establish lasting business relationships in our brand new virtual platform Oi Connect.​
With an audience of 6,000+ expected to engage in our 2020 virtual event – it’s an essential event for those involved in exploration, monitoring, developing or protecting the world’s oceans, from seabed to surface and beyond.​

Visitors will benefit from video demonstrations, 121 meetings, industry led speed networking, interactive seminars and industry leading content including Catch The Next Wave and Ocean Futures Forum.​

Join us online to discover game-changing innovations and solutions transforming the future of ocean technology. Continue your ocean tech journey with us at Oi Connect.​

Annual Coral Spawning on GBR
2020-12-04 20:30 - 2020-12-07 05:00
This once-a-year, coral spawning event is happening on the outer Great Barrier Reef this weekend. The ABC will be streaming video live from 8:30pm Friday on ABC and iview: Reef Live
Background at: ABC Science 04dec20

Clean Up Australia Day 2021
2021-03-07
What will you pledge this year to help reduce waste in our environment?

International Women's Day 2021
2021-03-08
IWD 2021 campaign theme: #ChooseToChallenge
A challenged world is an alert world. Individually, we’re all responsible for our own thoughts and actions – all day, every day.
We can all choose to challenge and call out gender bias and inequality. We can all choose to seek out and celebrate women’s achievements. Collectively, we can all help create an inclusive world.
From challenge comes change, so let’s all choose to challenge.

Seaweed Forests Festival 2021
2021-04-09 - 2021-05-09 | Manly Art Gallery and Museum, 1 West Esplanade, Manly, NSW, 2095, Australia
The Seaweed Forests Festival blends science, art and food in a celebration of the lush underwater ecosystems that line the Sydney coastline, as well as the entire Great Southern Reef.
Generously funded by the My Community Grant program from the NSW Government, this festival invites the community to participate in a celebration of our remarkable underwater forests through engagement with science and the communicative power of art. There will be panel discussions, hands-on restoration work, snorkelling tours, tastings of seaweed delicacies, and much more.

Earth Day 2021
2021-04-20 - 2021-04-22
Join thousands of organizations by coming together for three days of Climate Action, 20-22 April 2021

National Reconciliation Week 2021
2021-05-27 - 2021-06-03

World Ocean's Day 2021
2021-06-08
Protecting 30% of our blue planet for a healthy ocean and climate

With your help and that of hundreds of other organizations worldwide, we will support and grow the global movement to protect 30% of our blue planet by 2030 (“30×30”). A healthy ocean is a critical part of the solution to the climate crisis. By supporting 30×30, we can protect our planet’s life support systems – specifically the interconnected issues of ocean, climate, and biodiversity.
Decisions about the future of our blue planet are being made this year by world leaders, and they need to hear from you! The actions that our leaders take (or fail to take) this year will determine the health of our blue planet and security of future generations for decades to come.
We will very soon be posting resources and toolkits to help you and your organization integrate the Conservation Action Focus into your activities, celebrations, and other events. Stay tuned for more details!

Urchin & Kelp Symposium
2021-06-17 09:00 - 17:00
The Nature Coast Marine Group has been instrumental in the creation of a symposium taking place in Narooma on the importance of healthy kelp forests and of controlling numbers of long-spined sea urchins. The symposium will be led by scientists from the University of New South Wales. The intention is to have a science-based introduction, followed by practical discussions as to what action is feasible and how it should be progressed. Central to this will be various approaches to culling urchins, but we will also be urging strengthening natural controls. We are also working for citizen science involvement and a central role for the Batemans Marine Park.
Here are links to a couple of videos that can help you understand what it is all about:
“Hidden Deserts” – a short video showing what urchin barrens are:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGYj8YItrXA&t=8s
“Sea Urchin Science” – A discussion with University of Tasmania scientist, Dr Scott Ling, taken when he was in the area doing research:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGYj8YItrXA&t=8s

NAIDOC Week 2021
2021-07-04 - 2021-07-11
The NAIDOC 2021 theme – Heal Country! – calls for all of us to continue to seek greater protections for our lands, our waters, our sacred sites and our cultural heritage from exploitation, desecration, and destruction.
Country that is more than a place and inherent to our identity.
Country that we speak about like a person, sustaining our lives in every aspect – spiritually, physically, emotionally, socially, and culturally.
Heal Country, heal our nation.
NAIDOC Week 2021 will be held from Sunday 4 July to Sunday 11 July.
For further information on the NAIDOC 2021 theme please visit: 2021 theme.
Media contact: NAIDOC@niaa.gov.au

RUOK Day 2021
2021-09-09
THIS YEAR THE MESSAGE IS:
Are they really OK? Ask them today.

Do you know how the people in your world are really going?
Life’s ups and downs happen to all of us. So chances are someone you know might be struggling. Your genuine support can make a difference whatever they are facing, big or small.
So, don’t wait until someone’s visibly distressed or in crisis. Make a moment meaningful and ask them how they’re really going.
Are they really OK? Ask them today. Your conversation could change a life.
R U OK? has developed FREE resources to help you encourage everyone in your school, workplace and community to think about who in their world might need to be asked how they’re really going and how to make a moment meaningful by asking “are you OK?” Sign up below to view the resources.
