Key Information
When
22nd August 2026
1:30pm - 3:15pm
Where
Ground Floor, JCU Brisbane Campus, 349 Queen Street, Brisbane
Cost
Free
Audience
Research and Industry
Contact
Andy Grodecki
president@royalsocietyqld.org
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Don’t miss this trio of amazing speakers bringing us the latest research and use of advanced robotics technology for conservation. The Royal Society of Queensland (RSQ), working with James Cook University Brisbane, is excited to present this next edition of our Seminar Series during Queensland National Science Week 2026.
Dr Cecilia Villacorta-Rath from JCU Townsville and a RSQ Research Grant recipient, will explore the use of environmental DNA (eDNA) methods for the detection of invasive invertebrates in northern Australia such as invasive ants. Also a RSQ Research Grant recipient (via his supervisor), Braden Willows from UniSQ Toowoomba will present his intriguing research into the Eucalypt-fungi relationships associated with the impact of the invasive shrub Lantana. Meanwhile, Alicia Dunn from Sweep Deep in Tasmania, will be bringing up one of their underwater drones and explain how they are used to cull invasive sea urchins to protect vital marine habitats and give the latest on the development of the world’s first marine debris-collecting underwater drone.