From 23 May to 21 June, a team of Pacific early career researchers joined New Zealand scientists and crew aboard the RV Tangaroa on a voyage to the waters around New Caledonia and Vanuatu.
Yvonne Wong from Papua New Guinea, Laura Williams from Fiji, and Antony Vavia from Cook Islands participated under the second voyage of the Floating University programme – a platform for early career Pacific scientists to gain experience working, living, and conducting science at sea while exploring key issues affecting their countries and communities.
While onboard, Yvonne, Laura and Antony helped the team service tsunami detection buoys. They also got involved with plankton and water sampling and recording the creatures found living on the buoys. The hands-on science was interspersed with virtual learning and science talks from experts onboard. On World Oceans Day, the team gave a live shipboard tour and answered questions from students from six Fijian schools taking part in the Veivueti Kids Ocean Conference in Suva.
Participants reflected on the experience:
“I’m very grateful for this opportunity because I’d never had a chance to take part in such rigorous science before. I particularly liked water sampling and appreciated the supportive learning environment.” – Yvonne Wong, PNG (Wildlife Conservation Society officer)
“The community on board was super cool. You felt ok asking questions and everyone was happy to create the research experience. I enjoyed revisiting university-taught concepts and applying them in real-world settings.” – Dr Antony Vavia, Cook Islands (post-doc research fellow)
“It was a fantastic hands-on learning experience that was relevant to my PhD research. It was cool to see the differences between communities growing on the buoys in the tropical Pacific and cooler New Zealand waters.” –Laura Williams, Fiji (PhD candidate and tutor at University of the South Pacific)
“Having the Pacific Island Early Career Researchers onboard has been fantastic. It’s brought fresh perspectives, and we’ve learned a lot. It’s also made the voyage more enjoyable for everyone.” – Alice Overend, Earth Sciences NZ Technician
“A HUGE VINAKA VAKALEVU for today! It was AMAZING - the tour of the boat, the comedy and the information was all incredible.” – Hannah Nanovu, International School Suva
“This programme really adds value to the Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis (DART) initiative.” – Benita Murray, NEMA
The Floating University is a collaboration between Earth Sciences NZ and the Pacific Community Centre for Ocean Science (PCCOS).
