How Did I End Up Hosting Science Talks on a Tropical Island??

So… I somehow ended up helping host a science festival on a remote tropical island… and yeah, it was as wild as it sounds. 🌴

Welcome to Lord Howe Island Dark Skies Festival — where I ran nightscape photography courses, helped host the pub science talks (yes, actual science… in a pub), led the kids’ "Blast Off!" space class, explored the glowing light walk, visited the Lord Howe Island Distillery (because science needs gin), and spent every night imaging under some of the darkest skies on Earth.

Between the stargazing, science chaos, and way too many camera batteries, this was one of the most unexpectedly amazing trips I’ve been on.

Seriously… how did I end up here?

🔭✨🧪🍸

https://youtu.be/p784nyhK-hc

#ScienceFestival #DarkSkies #Astrophotography #LordHoweIsland #NightscapePhotography #SpaceLovers #AstronomyLife #StargazingNights #TelescopeTime #AstroAdventure #ExploreAustralia #ScienceForEveryone #PhotographyTrip #TravelWithPurpose #BackyardAstronomy #AstroVibes #EducationalFun #IslandLife #SpaceEducation #OutreachMatters

BUCKET LIST Astronomy Trip: Lord Howe Island ✨ - PART 1

I traveled to Lord Howe Island to run astronomy viewing nights for tourists under some of the darkest skies in the Southern Hemisphere! 🔭✨ Watch as I capture stunning astrophotography and explore this remote stargazing paradise.

🔔 Don’t forget to LIKE & SUBSCRIBE for more space adventures! 🚀

#Stargazing #Astrophotography #LordHoweIsland #DarkSkies #MilkyWay #lovelordhowe

Special thanks to Danielle from Love Lord Howe

Video Link: https://youtu.be/o50qRuzp2D8

Lord Howe Island ten oosten van Australië is te vergelijken met de Galapagos Eilanden op het gebied van onbevreesde natuur. Omdat er inmiddels 90 jaar niet meer gejaagd wordt en er geen huiskatten, ratten en vossen zijn, kun je de vogels tot op centimeters benaderen. Hier een pentekening die ik gemaakt heb voor mijn boek die in september uitgegeven wordt en waarin ik dieper op deze materie inga. #lordhoweisland #lordhowe #australia #galapagos #penandink #art #nature #writer #jacquesgregoire

Lost in the clouds, Lord Howe Island’s highest peak is a rainforest paradise straight out of a fairy tale. Home to unique plants and animals found nowhere else on Earth, this otherworldly ecosystem has needed bold action to survive. #LordHoweIsland #Rainforest #Conservation #extinction

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWlr4kJGXOw

Driven To ‘Extinction’ By A Shipwreck, A 2001 Discovery Brought The ‘World’s Rarest Insect’ Back To Life #lordhoweisland #stickinsect #extinction #deExtinction #insects

https://www.forbes.com/sites/scotttravers/2025/01/06/driven-to-extinction-by-a-shipwreck-a-2001-discovery-brought-the-worlds-rarest-insect-back-to-life/

Read about Australia's Lord Howe Island, its cloud forest, its coral reef and how its people work to maintain its special environment:
#environment #LordHoweIsland

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-11-23/lord-howe-island-cloud-forest-rare-ecosystem-species-return/104407260

Some good and beautiful news. Five years after the invasive rodent eradication program on #LordHoweIsland native birds, plants and insects have rebounded far faster than expected, with Lord Howe Woodhen population increasing tenfold to over 2,000 birds. Coral and palm recovery has rebounded from drought and bleaching.

Our paradise Island is doing well, a testament to a culture of belonging, protection and a close bond to the place to which they belong.

#Conservation #environmentaljustice #ClimateDiary #Australia #NewSouthWales

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-11-23/lord-howe-island-cloud-forest-rare-ecosystem-species-return/104407260

The #Polynesian history within #Australia, both ancient and contemporary is absolutely fascinating. Every time I dip into the story of #NorfolkIsland, more interesting things emerge... literally. I feel that we may still have yet more to learn about #LordHoweIsland. It's just a hunch, but looking at the geography, location, and natural environment... I can't help but think that some forgotten voyagers in their catamaran stumbled across that delightful little island long before some white dude rocked up. Let's learn the full story about the who actually made these "voyages of discovery"

#Australia #NewSouthWales #Polynesia #Pasifika

https://www.sydney.edu.au/arts/news-and-events/news/2022/12/12/new-evidence-for-polynesian-settlement-on-norfolk-island.html

This evening has been spent carefully sanity-checking the #NavajoNation and #LordHoweIsland in preparation for Number::Phone sprouting a new tentacle in its next release. Both failed. Lord Howe Island observes really "special" DST, and the Navajo observe DST even though the rest of Arizona is sensible enough to say #FuckThatShit. #TimeZones @perl https://github.com/DrHyde/perl-modules-Number-Phone/pull/134

Lord Howe Island – a botanist’s paradise.

Two Te Papa botanists recently spent a week collecting ferns on Lord Howe Island. They were guided by Lord Howe Island museum curator Ian Hutton & joined by Daniel Ohlsen from the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria https://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/2023/11/15/lord-howe-island-a-botanists-paradise/ #Museums #botany #LordHoweIsland #TePapa

Are you in #Sydney #Australia on 23 Sept? Come see #AdriftLab’s Dr Jenn Lavers @SeabirdSentinel speak about #ArtSci #collaboration & #PlasticPollution at Powerhouse Museum. The panel discussion will be feature Jetsam, an incredible table made of beach-washed #ocean #plastic (see photo!) by renowned furniture designer Brodie Neill 🌊♻️

Brodie lives in London, he kindly put Jenn’s name forward for this event. This created an important opportunity to limit #CO2 through not flying internationally - yay! In addition, as Jenn has committed to significantly reduce her own flying, she’ll be staying in the Sydney area for 3 weeks to attend a research paper #WritingRetreat, meet with colleagues, & complete critical #FieldWork on #LordHoweIsland.

Find out more and *book your ticket* by visiting our news page www.AdriftLab.org

#flygskam #SciComm #jetsam #RecycledMaterials #FurnitureDesign #MarineScience

The #AdriftLab team are THRILLED to announce one of our brilliant students, Megan received incredible feedback from her PhD thesis examiners: essentially…zero revisions on >200 pages of writing. This is rare and speaks to Megan’s remarkable skill, dedication, and willingness to collaborate.

Message from Jenn: I’ve been so lucky to be primary supervisor for both Megan’s Honours and PhD. I distinctly remember the first day she walked into my office, and so many laughs, cries, and wonderful stories ever since. I think I speak for everyone when I say Megan is one of the kindest, most hardworking and compassionate researchers and we all are very fortunate to have worked with her. It’s been an absolute l honour and career highlight.
HUGE CONGRATULATIONS DR MEGAN GRANT! 🥳

#ThesisSubmission #TeamWork #LordHoweIsland #seabirds #shearwaters #PlasticPollution #GoodScienceGoodPeople

Proud supervisors: @SeabirdSentinel, @TheLabAndField & Suzie Reichman (Uni MEL)

Another #AdriftLab #seabird paper has been featured in #AudubonMagazine (this important #research from #Australia will now reach an even broader audience in the USA) 🥳 - congrats to Hayley (our student) and team 👏

“a word can only do so much. Ultimately, reducing the world’s reliance on #plastic is the preventive treatment for #plasticosis”

#LordHoweIsland #PlasticPollution #SublethalEffects #PlasticIngestion @SeabirdSentinel @TheLabAndField READ THE ARTICLE HERE ➡️https://www.audubon.org/news/plastic-pollution-so-pervasive-its-causing-new-disease-seabirds

#travel #wanderlust #newsouthwales #lordhoweisland

Today our beautiful, broken #AdriftLab team removed >400 #plastics from one baby #seabird and >50g from another. It’s been rough (!), proud of how we’ve rallied around one another 💔🐦♻️

#PlasticIsNotADistraction #Ecogrief #LordHoweIsland #PollutionIsADesignChoice #PlasticPollution #shearwaters #BiodiversityCrisis #SentinelSpecies #Plasticingestion
@SeabirdSentinel @TheLabAndField

#AdriftLab at their absolute best: pretending to be #shearwaters during a team photo. @TheLabAndField is a road kill bird, @SeabirdSentinel is regurgitating, the rest is anyones guess 🤣🤣

Massive thanks to photographer extraordinaire Justin for capturing this image for us and being an all-round legend 🙏💙📸

#DreamTeam #GoodScienceGoodPeople #LordHoweIsland #seabirds #PlasticPollution #FieldWork

TWO tile spacers in the stomach of the same baby #seabird 🐦🥺
#PlasticPollution #shearwater #LordHoweIsland #AdriftLab

Today #AdriftLab found a #shearwater entangled in recreational fishing gear (line & hook visible in the top left corner). The line caused serious injury to the wing, leg and foot. We’re sad to say, the bird is no longer alive. Please fish much more carefully and responsibly, what you leave behind causes great suffering and ends the lives of others who are innocent and don’t have a voice
#FishingInteraction #entanglement #SentinelSpecies #seabird #LordHoweIsland @SeabirdSentinel @TheLabAndField

Best hairdo award goes to…this little dude! Tonight he made his first flight into the big blue, never having actually seen the ocean before! His pink toes won’t touch dry land again for FIVE YEARS, and in that time, he’ll probably cover close to 50,000 km! Safe travels, gorgeous one, the #AdriftLab team are already talking about the day we’ll see you again 🌊🪶💗
#Shearwaters #SeabirdSaturday #seabird #LordHoweIsland #Adorable #FieldWork #conservation #PlasticPollution #PlasticIngestion @TheLabAndField @SeabirdSentinel