Sydney Harbour Marine Education and Research (MER) Activity

Dr Joseph DiBattista

Join us for an exciting morning of presentations and Q &amp; A to support 3 NSW Marine Scientists in our first ever Sydney Harbour MER activity

Parsley Bay Reserve

WhatBy joining us in this activity you will directly support ongoing research projects led by our next genetion of NSW Marine Biology Researchers, who will deliver 3 x 15 minute PowerPoint presentations, along with Q &amp; A. This ongoing Sydney Harbour Marine Education and Research (MER) activity is partially supported by <a href="https://www.blueworld.net.au/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Blue World</a>. Although the recommended age for presentation and Q &amp; A listerners is 15 and above, we will have an arts and crafts table set up to host accompanying children during the event. When930 AM to 1100 AM on Sunday November 19, 2023Where<a href="https://maps.app.goo.gl/oeFzP7cmqU67m8jt7" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Parsley Bay Cafe Kiosk, Vaucluse, NSW</a>Why"The ocean is the mother of all life on earth" - Valerie Taylor AM, Knight of the Order of the Golden Ark. And so learning more about marine life in our own backyards from local experts is our privilege.Another great reason to join us is that $20 of the value of your ticket purchase will go towards supporting our featured Early Career Scientists in their research. Do join us to support the next generation of researchers in Australia.*Note that you will also be provided with e-guides to fish and marine invertebrates known from Parsley Bay and surrounds in advance of the day to help you better explore and appreciate the biodiversity living alongside us in Southern Sydney Harbour.Featured MER TalksDr Claire Rowe (<a href="https://australian.museum/get-involved/staff-profiles/claire-rowe/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Collection Manager Marine Invertebrates, Australian Museum</a>): Infamous for being simple creatures with a painful sting, Dr Claire Rowe will explore the weird and wonderful world of jellyfish. With summer on the way, Claire will identify the common species encountered around Sydney Harbour. Additionally, she will investigate the unusual upside-down jellyfish, and why we should care that they are spreading down the east coast of Australia.Jess Nguyen (<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-nguyen-664b871a2/?originalSubdomain=au" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Undergraduate Honours Student, UNSW</a>): Predators play a critical role in keeping herbivores such as sea urchins in check to reduce the impacts of grazing on our marine vegetation. In NSW, the black long spined sea urchin is a native herbivore that structures our rocky shores by creating “barrens” or "mosaic seascapes" along our coastline. To date, only a handful of predators of these urchins are known. Jess Nguyen will discuss her Honours Thesis aimed at identifying key fish predators of black long spined sea urchins in the Sydney metropolitan region and modifications of their behaviour based on size.Dr Joseph DiBattista (<a href="https://experts.griffith.edu.au/44243-joseph-di-battista" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Senior Lecturer Molecular Ecology, Griffith University</a>): Small volumes of water containing environmental DNA (eDNA) are increasingly being used to detect and catalog our planet’s flora and fauna. Indeed, eDNA can be thought of as genetic “breadcrumbs” left behind in the environment that can identify every living thing, from microbes to mammals. Dr Joseph DiBattista will explore these new genetic tools as applied in Sydney Harbour, as well as explain how citizen science programs aimed at photographing fishes in our rivers, estuaries, and oceans can "value add" to this type of research.Speaker BiosDr Claire Rowe started her career as a volunteer in the Marine Invertebrates Department of the Australian Museum in 2014 while completing her undergraduate degree at the University of Sydney. In 2015 she was employed as a Technical Officer, and since then has worked on various projects within the department. In 2018, Claire commenced her PhD through the University of Sydney and the Australian Museum Research Institute. Her project focused on the identification, seasonality and population dynamics of upside-down jellyfish (Cassiopea sp.) along the east coast of Australia. Since completing her PhD in 2022, Claire has continued her work as a technical officer and is now Acting Collection Manager in the Marine Invertebrates Department of the Australian Museum. Twitter <a href="https://x.com/ClaireRowe28?s=20" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">@ClaireRowe28</a>Jess Nguyen is a Bachelor of Advanced Science (Honours) student based at the University of New South Wales, majoring in Genetics and Marine and Coastal Science. Her honours project explored predation of the black long spined sea urchin in the Sydney area. She also works as a research assistant in the Seagrass, Algae and Tropicalization (SALT) lab lead by Professor Adriana Verges, in addition to a SCUBA instructor at <a href="https://www.prodive.com.au/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Prodive</a>. Twitter <a href="https://x.com/jessnguyens1?s=20" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">@jessnguyens1</a>Dr Joseph DiBattista (MER activity coordinator) most recently served as NSW Senior Research Scientist and Curator in the Ichthyology Section at the Australian Museum (2018-2023), where he maintains Research Associate status and continues to coordinate legacy fish genetic projects between the museum, CSIRO, and the Minderoo Foundation. His current research at Griffith University is focused on exploring new ways to track and monitor environmental shifts in our coastal and marine ecosystems with environmental DNA (eDNA). He is also co-founder of the Sydney Harbour MER events and actively managing an <a href="https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/marine-biodiversity-of-southern-sydney-harbour" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">iNaturalist citizen science project</a> that aims to increase available marine biodiversity records from Southern Sydney Harbour. Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/joey_squishfish" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">@joey_squishfish</a>

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