Marine science draws a crowd at community day

The Queenscliff Marine Science Centre Community Day hosted by Deakin University and the Victorian Fisheries Authority on Sunday 11 August was a huge success.

More than 800 visitors braved chilly conditions to attend the Community Day, which was presented as part of National Science Week.

Dr Prue Francis, a marine science educator from Deakin’s School of Life and Environmental Sciences, said visitors had lots of opportunities to learn about the fascinating and diverse marine life that lives close to our shores.

‘Microscopes were set up in the Deakin laboratory with different marine animals and plants to examine,’ Dr Francis said.

‘Visitors were able to watch mussels clean up their tank water by sucking in algal concentrated water, digesting the algae and filtering out clear water. They were also able to see weird and wonderful tidal animals up close in a specially designed tank and use virtual reality headsets to experience being underwater without getting wet.

‘We were thrilled with the response from the community and hope all our visitors gained a greater understanding of the amazing marine environment that surrounds our region.’

This National Science Week project was supported by the Australian Government.

Find out more about studying marine at Deakin.