Raising the Bar

Ten world-leading researchers from The University of Western Australia are set to transform Perth bars into learning spaces, hosting free public talks for this year’s Raising the Bar event on Tuesday 24 October.

Join them at one of five CBD bars, enjoy the atmosphere and discover how our researchers are tackling global, national and regional issues to make the world a better place.

This year’s talks range from unlocking the secret to lifelong health in kids, the influence of fake news, diving to the deepest parts of the ocean, open water swimming in extreme seas, what Brazil has to offer beyond soccer stars and supermodels, talking about death, and medicines management in aged care.

The speakers are Associate Professor Doina Olaru, Dr Flavia Bellieni Zimmermann, Dr Scott Draper, Professor Michael Rosenberg, Professor Samar Aoun, Dr Amy Page, Professor Alan Jamieson, Professor Sergey Shabala, Dr Paul Harrigan and Dr Clas Weber.

Are you curious about what it takes to become a marine biologist or ocean researcher?

Join us for this exciting talk with marine scientists Anna Faber and Mike Taylor from The University of Western Australia Oceans Institute. Hear about the rewarding career paths in marine science and discover how you could make a difference in protecting our oceans and marine life.

Suitable for ages 12+

Mammung is the Noongar name for the whale: A creature that carries songs and stories through the world's oceans, transmitting them from the Perth Canyon to all the continents of the globe.

In this film, Mammung tells the story of a period of climatic change that rivals the one we are seeing today. 10,000 years ago, Western Australia experienced rapid sea-level rise. The film explores Noongar memory of this event, following Dr Noel Nannup in recalling the significance of places that are now below the sea and the dramatic process of change that indigenous people endured.

It challenges us to ask: can we learn to understand and value this rich body of knowledge as we too adapt to a changing climate? And what awaits us if we don't?

The film screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Maevia Griffiths and producer Lillian Robb.

Drinks will be available 30 minutes before and after the event.

Tickets are $10.

An exhibition that explores a hidden underground world overseen by giant prehistoric spiders has crawled its way into the Museum of the Great Southern.

The Sixteen Legs travelling exhibition, which mixes art and science, is based around the environmental and cultural significance of Australia’s deepest caves and the still-living 200-million-year-old Tasmanian Cave Spiders hidden within them.

The free multi-media exhibition features photography, dark-fantasy digital artworks and a visual fairy tale by Queensland artist Jodee Taylah and international best-selling author Neil Gaiman.

A large-scale resin and fibre-glass sculpture, and community artwork, are all overseen by two giant prehistoric spider replicas with 18-foot leg-spans and a giant spider egg-sac.

Sixteen Legs is a free exhibition and will be on display at the Museum of the Great Southern from Sunday 1 July to Sunday 15 October 2023.

The health and wellbeing of Country and people are connected. The oldest continuing cultures in the world – Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures – have held this truth at the core of their knowledge systems and their management practices.

Western Australia has eight out of Australia’s 15 declared biodiversity hotspots and one of the highest rates of new species discovery in the world. But the recent State of the Environment report found significant changes in some Australian ecosystems over the past five years, with at least 19 now showing signs of collapse due to pressures of climate change, habitat loss, invasive species, pollution and mining.

While many are working to make a difference, we must expand collaboration across government and nongovernment sectors by co-developing solutions with Indigenous and local communities, learning from both Indigenous and western scientific knowledge. The time for action is now.

This Conference brings together researchers and practitioners from across Country, academia, government, industry and community to share knowledge. With its strong Western Australian focus, this event promises the synergistic benefits that come from collective forward thinking.