Anke Maria Hoefer an enthusiastic and energetic morphologist and behavioural ecologist who studied Garden Skinks for her post graduate studies at the Australian National University. 

She is focused on creating inclusive environments for communities, is an advocate for Citizen Science and has been running the ACT & Region FrogWatch Program since 2011. 

More Information

https://ginninderralandcare.org.au/frogwatch/

https://researchprofiles.canberra.edu.au/en/organisations/centre-for-conservation-and-ecology-genetics

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At the Hunter Science Festival in Newcastle, Mark Murray of the Newcastle Astronomical Society shared his enthusiasm for the night sky, which is matched only by his deep knowledge of it. The Society had hosted an observing night at Lake Macquarie the evening before, registering 400 attendees despite poor weather. On the festival day itself, the sun shone down on the museum grounds where curious visitors gathered to learn more.

More Information

https://www.facebook.com/newcastleastrosociety/

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At the heart of the Newcastle Museum during National Science Week, Macker McKrell from the Hunter Innovation and Science Hub (HISH) introduced children to the world of robotics. His aim was simple yet profound: to give young people the opportunity to play, experiment, and explore why things move and how they can be controlled. He emphasised that this curiosity is vital, particularly in a country like Australia, which is struggling to keep pace with the rest of the world in robotics.

More Information

https://hish.org.au/

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At the Hunter Science Festival in Newcastle, botanist Lily Mickaill spoke with conviction and warmth about her work in seed conservation. Based at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney, she represents a new generation of scientists dedicating their careers to protecting biodiversity. Her focus lies on something deceptively small yet enormously powerful: seeds.

More Information

https://www.botanicgardens.org.au/our-science/science-facilities/australian-plantbank

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At the Hunter Science Festival, Brooke Harvey, a PhD student at the University of Newcastle and the Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI), welcomed visitors into the Poo Palace—a hands-on exhibit that takes people on a playful journey through the digestive system. While she spent the day guiding children and adults through foam pits, slides, and interactive explanations of gut health, her academic work focuses on something much smaller: the genetics of leukemia. Her research explores how patients develop resistance to treatment and whether that resistance can be prevented or targeted. Although not every experiment has confirmed her hypotheses, she values every result, noting that negative findings can save other researchers from pursuing unproductive avenues. She is on track to complete her PhD by the end of next year.

More Information

https://hmri.org.au/

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At the Hunter Science Festival 2025, one of the youngest volunteers stood out not just for his age but for his extraordinary dedication to waste management. Thirteen-year-old Caz Martin, a year eight student originally from Taree and now living in the Hunter Valley, has turned his fascination with garbage into a mission to make his community cleaner and smarter about waste.

More Information

https://newcastlemuseum.com.au/what-s-on/current-events/national-science-week-hunter-science-festival

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Dr Simon Berrow is a man with shark fever. He has been passionately obsessed with basking sharks since the 1980’s and he is the founder of the Irish Basking Shark Group. He has been influential in the protection of basking sharks and has successfully lobbied the Irish government to get legal protection for these ancient creatures. 

He is the CEO of the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group and after 15 years, he finally tagged a basking shark.

More Information

https://www.baskingshark.ie/

https://iwdg.ie/

Books Mentioned by Simon

https://www.amazon.com.au/Sun-fish-Hunt-Kenneth-McNally/dp/0856400440

https://www.amazon.com.au/Harpoon-at-Venture-Gavin-Maxwell/dp/1780271808

https://www.amazon.com.au/Sea-My-Hunting-Ground/dp/1166131270

https://www.amazon.com.au/Last-Shark-Hunters-Other-Yarns/dp/1539198928

Film of Basking Sharks

https://www.canolapictures.com/about-us/

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When asked about his lifelong passion, Paul Revie smiles and recalls a childhood picnic in Goomburra. At just nine years old, he watched a spotted animal leap onto the family’s table and snatch sausages before vanishing into the bush. It was only after consulting his family’s World Book Encyclopedia that he discovered the culprit—a spotted-tailed quoll. That moment sparked an obsession that has never faded.

Now an ecologist and zoologist, Paul is the founder of the Quoll Society of Australia and works with Wildlife Queensland and other conservation networks. Speaking from Brisbane, with Girraween National Park as the backdrop on his screen, he explained how quolls have disappeared from much of southern Queensland since the 1990s. “By the time I started mapping their distribution, they were reduced to just a handful of populations. Today, Girraween is the main stronghold left in Queensland,” he said.

Determined to act, Paul founded the Quoll Society with three goals: find the remaining quolls, study their ecology and threats, and take tangible conservation action. His team deployed cameras across 36 protected areas and found quolls in only three. With government funding, they went further, fitting Girraween quolls with GPS collars to track their movements. The research revealed they would not cross open areas wider than about 100 metres, even inside the national park. “It showed us how fragmented the landscape still is,” he explained.

To bridge those gaps, the Society launched a massive revegetation effort. Over two years, with the help of volunteers, they planted 39,000 trees across the Southern Downs to reconnect habitats. “It nearly broke me, but those trees are now growing well,” Paul admitted. “They are the stepping stones quolls need.”

More Information

https://www.quollsociety.org/

https://wildlife.org.au/our-work/conservation-programs/quoll-seekers-network/

https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/people/7772516

https://www.friendsofparksqld.org/

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Clare Peddie is a science-focused journalist and editor with 25 years’ experience, including 18 in newsrooms.

She joined The Conversation in 2023 after 16 years at The Advertiser, following earlier roles in science communication.

Her career highlights include interviews with Sir David Attenborough and Jane Goodall, and coverage of climate, drought, and renewables. 

She’s proud of her work on the “I Love Murray” campaign and Adelaide’s National Park City bid, and created Good Green News to spotlight grassroots environmental efforts.

More Information

https://theconversation.com/topics/good-green-news-156369

https://www.linkedin.com/in/clare-peddie-74524713/

https://theconversation.com/au/environment

https://www.naturefestival.org.au/

https://www.adelaidenationalparkcity.org/

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Lochie Cameron has devoted much of the first half of this year to monitoring and collecting valuable data related to a large, harmful algal bloom (HAB) that has infested the waters off South Australia.

His proactive work to help monitor this devastating harmful algal bloom is inspiring and heartwarming.

Not only has he contributed valuable information that scientists can use to minimise or prevent future harmful algal blooms, he has become an inspiration to young and old by his decision to do something about the disaster and not just leave it to someone else.

More Information

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-05-30/cooler-water-brings-hope-for-end-of-sa-toxic-algal-bloom/105351192

https://greatsouthernreef.com/2025-algal-bloom

https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/sa-marine-mortality-events-2025

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We are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.

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