Spending six months away from home and away from the normal work environment was a privilege that not many people have the opportunity to experience. It is one of the substantive 'perks' of academia for those who choose to avail themselves of this opportunity. While it does take considerable energy to move house and office and get set up in a foreign land, the opportunity to view what you do from outside your normal world provides invaluable perspective.

Read more

The trip around Savai'i Island passed through dozens of small villages that intercept the single road that largely follows the coastline. Each village had one to several large churches with immaculately kept grounds and a painted empty propane tank hanging out front. The propane tanks serve as the church bells to call people to the services.

Read more

Samoa is broken up into American Samoa and Samoa (formally known as Western Samoa). The islands are volcanic in origin, formed by a 'hot spot' of tectonic activity below the Pacific tectonic plate which is moving from east to west. The last volcanic outburst was on Savai'i, the largest island in the archipelago, in the early 1900s. The volcanic soils are nutrient-rich, resulting in lush plant growth.

Read more

At the invitation of Drs. David Haynes and Tim Carruthers, I visited the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) offices in Apia, Samoa. I had previously met David Sheppard, the Director of SPREP, when he visited Washington, D.C., but David was away on travel when I visited Samoa. The SPREP offices formed a nice campus of separate buildings, joined by covered walkways. I met with various staff, gave a seminar and had a nice lunch in town with Tim and Tepa from SPREP.

Read more

A new scientific facility in Brisbane is the Ecosciences Precinct on the site of the old gaol (jail) which was known as Boggo Road. The facility is just across the Brisbane River from the University of Queensland, connected by the new Eleanor Schonell pedestrian, bicycle and bus bridge.

Read more

The naming of the city of Darwin is an interesting case of premonition by a sailor. Port Darwin was named by Captain John Wickham in 1839 when the HMS Beagle sailed into Darwin Harbour as part of a survey of Australia's top end. Charles Darwin went on to become one of the most famous men in history, based on his theory of natural selection, the basis of evolutionary thought.

Read more

On June 1, I boarded the 'Beaglet', a Natural Resources, Environment, The Arts and Sport (NRETA) boat for a Darwin Harbour field trip. I enjoyed the naming reference to the famous ship 'Beagle' that Charles Darwin sailed around the world, including his famous visit to the Galapagos Islands. The boat skipper was Matt Majid and Julia Fortune was the biologist leading the tour.

Read more

I had breakfast with Malcolm Robb, Western Australia Department of Water, and Professor Lyn Beazley, Western Australia Chief Scientist. We talked about a wide range of issues associated with science applications and education. Lyn is a vibrant and personable scientist who clearly advocates for science in Western Australia.

Read more

On May 9, I attended a Project Catalyst Workshop at the Mackay Entertainment and Convention Centre along the Central Queensland coast. The workshop was organized by Will Higham and his colleagues at Reef Catchments, and it included three dozen sugarcane growers from three sugar producing regions within the Great Barrier Reef catchment; Mackay/Whitsunday/Isaac region, Burdekin region and the Wet Tropics.

Read more

As part of Brisbane's heritage week, a walking tour along the Brisbane River and a concert in historic Customs House was held on May 15. These events were sponsored by Brisbane's Living Heritage Network. The walking tour started in the Botanic Gardens and visited the 1974 flood marker which has been modified to include the 2011 flood levels. We visited the site of the 1893 stranding of the naval ship Paluma, where there is a children's park with a climbing frame in the shape of a ship.

Read more