Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Marine Science program

We’ve been a bit quiet… but not today…

Today we’re celebrating four of our ATSIMS Ambassadors who graduated from JCU! 🎓

and (Bachelor of Marine Science)
and (BSc Marine Biology)

While their degrees are their own incredible achievements, we’ve been lucky to have them as part of the ATSIMS community, supporting and inspiring the next generation along the way.

We are SO proud of you all and feel privileged to have been a part of your journey! We can’t wait to see what the future holds for you all! Congratulations!!!

What a deadly way to wrap up the year! On the 10th of September, we celebrated the hard work, growth, and achievements of our ATSIMS students with a full day of learning, sharing, and connection.

Highlights included:
📚 Workshops: the MyFuture career pathways workshop, led by ATSIMS Ambassadors Zoe and Charlie, prompted the students to think about what a future career for them might look like, based on their skills, achievements and interests.
🐟 Lab Tours: Thank you to Aquaculture Lecturer Dr Jarrod Guppy for giving us a tour of the barramundi aquaculture labs. And thank you to Lab Manager and MSc student Caitlin Dudzik from the RummerLab for showing us the epaulette shark lab facilities.
🧪Lab Practicals: In the JCU Science Place, we were given an introduction to crustaceans and macroalgae and how critical they are for Aquaculture research with the Head of Aquaculture Assoc Prof Leo Nankervis and Lecturer Dr Mark Cyrus.
🏆 Graduation & Awards Ceremony: honouring the deadly efforts of our students, with recognition from our program staff, Ambassadors, the Reef Authority and our partners. Special congratulations to those students awarded placement in our Beyond ATSIMS program!

We are so proud of the next generation of Indigenous marine scientists. Big thanks to all our collaborators and supporters for making this journey possible. Here’s to the future of Sea Country care! 🌊✨

Congratulations to ATSIMS Alumna Jessie Courtney on her new role as Executive Officer with Reef.to! 👏🏾 You continue to be a role model and an inspiration to our community 🫶🏾

We’re proud to welcome Jessie Courtney to the ReefTO team as Executive Officer!🪸 🐠 💙

Jessie is a proud Butchulla Traditional Owner with ancestral ties to Darnley Island and the Warrgamay people. She’s passionate about ensuring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices are embedded in environmental decision-making and brings deep cultural insight and strategic expertise to her work in policy and stakeholder engagement.

With a collaborative spirit and a strong commitment to strengthening partnerships, Jessie is dedicated to championing Indigenous leadership and driving sustainable management strategies that honour Traditional Knowledge and protect land and sea Country.

Jessie has been part of the ReefTO story for a long time. She was a youth representative on the Reef 2050 Traditional Owner Steering Group, and part of the launch of the Traditional Owner Implementation Plan that guides our work.

"I'm excited to return to this journey - one that began with the humbling experience of helping develop the plan, to seeing it launched, and now finally watching the aspirations of the report come to life. I'm committed to ensuring Traditional Owner voices continue to guide the management of Sea Country, as they always have," she said.

We’re excited to have her on board and look forward to the impact she’ll make! 💚

🌊✨ ATSIMS on Goolboodi

What a magical few days! Our mob had the chance to dive deep into reef and culture, learning, sharing, and connecting on Country.

🐠 Big thanks to Liz from The Reef Authority for teaching us reef ID and rapid monitoring techniques. The students put their new skills to the test snorkelling (first time in the water for heaps of them!).

🌏 Georgia from Tangaroa Blue taught us about marine debris and led two beach clean-ups, including a brand-new site, where together we collected over 80kg of rubbish!

🌿 Thank you to the MinggaMingga, GMY, and Girringun Rangers for taking us on a mangrove walk and teaching us about the importance of these intertidal ecosystems.

Outside of workshops, students shared stories in daily yarning circles, played plenty of volleyball games, and soaked up the beauty of Goolboodi.

Biggest thanks to everyone that made this trip happen 🙏

🔬🌊 ATSIMS at AIMS!

Recently our mob visited the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), home to some of the world’s leading tropical marine research. Students rotated through hands-on workshops, exploring:

🪸 The National Sea Simulator (SeaSim): learning how scientists grow and study corals to help the reef adapt to climate change.
🛠️ The Engineering Workshop: seeing how innovation and tech like underwater camera equipment or 3D printing is supporting coral reef research.
⭐️ Crown of Thorns Starfish research: connecting with scientists studying destructive COTS outbreaks and learning about these venomous creatures and an important natural predator: the Giant Triton sea snail.
🌏 The ECORRAP Hub: where we dove into the world of underwater robots to explore the reef, and learning about how microplastic research is being undertaken to protect our fragile ocean ecosystems.

It was an inspiring day of science, and to wrap the day off we finished with storytime, where First Nations employees at the Institute and our program Ambassadors told us about their unique paths into marine science, giving our students a deeper look into how research and Indigenous Knowledge comes together to care for Sea Country.

Big thanks to the AIMS team for sharing their wisdom and sparking so much curiosity! ✨

We had a deadly time visiting the Australian Institute of Marine Science with our 2025 program participants - check it out!

Our annual trip to Goolboddi (Orpheus Island) finished earlier this week - check out some snaps from one of our participating schools!

🪸✨ The corals of Fantome Island

This photo was taken just off Fantome Island (Eumilli), at Indigo Bay. This is the same location where our 2023 ATSIMS crew snorkelled during their Orpheus Island trip🐠

It was a deadly day of exploring vibrant reef life, learning about coral ID and reef health.

Next up in our 2025 program: we’ll dive deeper into coral science when we visit the AIMS National Sea Simulator (SeaSim). Thanks to the Indigenous Partnerships Program Team and the AIMS scientists, we’ll get hands-on with coral research and meet those working to protect reefs for future generations.

Can’t wait to learn more about these incredible ecosystems and how we can care for Sea Country with our students. 🌊🌿

📸:

🌿🐚 Yunbenun Land and Sea Ranger Day!

Today we explored Yunbenun (Magnetic Island) with the Yunbenun Rangers and were welcomed to Country at the start of the Forts Walk.

We made our way to Arthur Point Lookout for some group photos, before chatting about plans to build a yarning circle on site. Along the trail, we learned to identify bloodwood, ironbark, local pines, and soap tree leaves.

After a walk through Horseshoe Bay Conservation Park out towards the coast, we took a moment to appreciate the beauty of Country.

Then it was BBQ time. Thank you to Bones for putting on an absolute feed at the Magnetic Island Bowls Club 🍗 We wrapped up with a quick beach stop at Alma Bay before heading home on the ferry.

🌿🐢 Ranger Day with the Gudjuda Land and Sea Rangers🐍
What an unforgettable day on Country with the Gudjuda Land and Sea Rangers!
We started with a bush tucker walk led by Uncle Eddie Smallwood, learning about the plants that have sustained communities for generations. Then, Aunty Diane showed us the ranger boats and shared stories from their turtle rodeos, a powerful example of blending traditional knowledge with modern science. And finally Uncle Jim spoke about the sacred burial site marked by the Rainbow Serpent at Plantation Park in Ayr.

Big thanks to the Trainee Rangers for manning the grill and preparing lunch for us! And of course thank you to all the Gudjuda Land and Sea Rangers for your hospitality and wisdom.

Today, the rest of our group head to Yunbenun Rangers to yarn with the rangers on Country.

JCU: College of Science and Engineering
JCU: James Cook University, Australia
JCU: Indigenous Education & Research Centre
Ayr State High School
Bowen State High School
The Cathedral School of St Anne & St James - Townsville
St Margaret Mary's College
Townsville Grammar School
William Ross State High School
Thuringowa State High School

ATSIMS is proud to serve schools in regional parts of North Queensland including schools like Ingham State High School, Official 🙌🏾

Love when our deadly schools share their own pics from our program events! 🙌🏾