CSIRO Science Ship Takes Students on Tasmanian Circumnavigation

Thirty university students and trainers from across Australia will get to circumnavigate Tasmania aboard CSIRO research vessel Investigator.

The 10-day voyage is part of a tertiary sea training program called CAPSTAN, the Collaborative Australian Postgraduate Sea-Training Alliance Network, which is being delivered in partnership with CSIRO (Australia's national science agency), marine science industries, universities and government.

The program offers a national approach to applied teaching and learning in marine science and wider science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines.

CAPSTAN Director, Dr Pier van der Merwe from the University of Tasmania's Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), said the sea-going experience was invaluable for developing Australia's next generation of marine experts.

"Nothing compares with hands-on learning. For future marine scientists, this is where the action happens – where theory is put into practice and where concepts sink in because students can observe the ecosystem with their own eyes," Dr van der Merwe said.

"They can feel cold wind on their face and relate that to sea surface temperature data streaming into the ship, or experience the sun rise over the horizon and watch photosynthetically active radiation sensors detect that.

"Being at sea is where it all makes sense for marine