The ACFR is going to Japan!  Next week Oscar will be visiting the Institute of Industrial Science (IIS) at the University of Tokyo and the Tropical Biosphere Research Center at the University of the Ryukyus. The scope of the trip includes following up on an existing collaboration with Dr Blair Thornton’s Ocean Perception Laboratory at IIS that uses some of the ACFR tools to assist in mapping artificial hydrothermal vents and seafloor areas affected by the 2011 Tōhoku Tsunami. Oscar will be encouraging new collaborations with our Japanese colleagues, presenting our capabilities for coral reef mapping to interested scientists in Okinawa as well as our underwater archeological survey results to members of IIS.

For details on the seminar at Sesoko station, check here http://www.jcrs.jp/en/seminar-announcement-dr-oscar-pizarro-sesoko/

Stay tuned for further updates.

This trip is part of of the project ‘Understanding Marine Habitats off Tōhoku Using Underwater Robots’ and is supported by the Commonwealth through the Australia-Japan Foundation, which is part of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

In collaboration with the Ocean Perception Laboratory at the Institute of Industrial Science (IIS) at the University of Tokyo, we organised a marine imaging workshop at JAMSTEC on March 12th, 2015.  The main aim of the workshop was to talk about the scientific rationale and the data collected during two cruises completed in 2014 in Japanese coastal waters.  These cruises resulted in large scale, 3D visual maps of the seafloor to help interpret the distribution of seafloor habitats in the Tōhoku region, and in hydrothermal vent fields in the Okinawa trough.  Talks focused the interpretation of the data and the distribution of various benthic organisms.

This trip is part of of the project ‘Understanding Marine Habitats off Tōhoku Using Underwater Robots’ and is supported by the Commonwealth through the Australia-Japan Foundation, which is part of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Sept 7th, 2014 was the 4th annual SIMS Harbour Hike. Thousands of participants raised awareness and support for the Sydney Institute for Marine Science and their Sydney Harbour Research Program.  Donald Dansereau and Ariell Friedman had the chance to man an information booth at the event, showing off videos of SIRIUS and the IVER in action, and  showing everyone what the Marine Robotics group is all about.