Designing for the Tropics
School Holiday Program

This school holidays, Queensland Museum Tropics invites you to explore the future of reef science with Designing for the Tropics, an exciting program developed in partnership with the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS).

Through hands-on activities, expert talks, and an interactive display, discover how AIMS monitors over 6000km of northern Australian coastline and 3000 coral reefs - and how new technologies are transforming what we know about our oceans.

Reef Monitoring Technology Display

9am – 2pm daily | Drop in | Free

Traditional reef monitoring is expensive, time-consuming, and limited by human access. AIMS is addressing these challenges through ReefScan—an innovative family of smart marine monitoring tools integrating robotics, machine learning, and advanced imaging. These modular systems, from manually operated devices to autonomous vessels, allow researchers to monitor large areas with greater efficiency and reduced human risk. ReefScan Deep and ReefScan Transom are already being used by AIMS, Indigenous communities, and regional partners to collect high-resolution data and detect threats like crown-of-thorns starfish.

Tidepool Tinkerers

9am – 2pm daily | Drop in | No booking required | Free

Young designers are invited to get creative and build their own mini models of future reef monitoring tools using recycled materials. This activity fosters curiosity, problem-solving, and sustainable thinking through imaginative play.

Popup Talks with AIMS Experts

10am - 10:30am | Dates below | No booking required | Free

Go beyond the display and hear from the experts behind the science. AIMS researchers will deliver daily talks sharing their experiences monitoring tropical reefs, detecting outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish, and building the future of autonomous marine systems.

DATE	TOPIC	BLURB
Mon 30 June	Overcoming the challenges of monitoring Australia’s tropical oceans.	Join AIMS technologists and engineers for a behind-the-scenes look at how they design, build and test uncrewed reef monitoring robots to survive and thrive in the tough tropical marine environment.
Wed 2 July	Coral reefs in 4D: how photogrammetry is revolutionising coral reef mapping, monitoring and modelling.	In this interactive session, you’ll discover how AIMS scientists are using cutting-edge tech to map and model the reef in 4D. 👓 Slip on a VR headset and take a virtual dive beneath the waves.🖍️ Then put your creativity to the test by sketching your own reef map.
Fri 4 July	Using robots to seed baby corals.	Discover how AIMS are using clever coral robots to deliver large numbers of baby corals to the Great Barrier Reef. Learn how this amazing coral seeding mission is helping damaged reefs recover faster from the impacts of climate change.
Wed 9 July	Monitoring microplastics in our oceans.	Plastic pollution is harming our oceans, breaking down into tiny microplastics that are just as dangerous. Climate change is making the problem worse, pushing more plastic into the sea. In this talk, AIMS will share how they're improving tools to track and tackle this invisible threat.

 

Also at the Museum... James Cameron – Challenging the Deep

9:30am - 4pm daily | Book tickets here

Enhance your visit with this immersive paid exhibition exploring filmmaker James Cameron’s real-life deep-sea missions and the cutting-edge technology behind them.
Whether you’re a budding scientist, future engineer, or ocean enthusiast, Designing for the Tropics is your gateway to the next generation of reef science—right here in Townsville.