Elisa Bone - Melbourne University

Bron and Peter in the hot seat today, with Dave deftly guiding them across the radiowaves direct to you at home. Also at home is Anth, who is still battlng with laryngytis, larungtygis, laro - basically a really sore throat.

Happy Fathers day to all of the father figures out there - it's a beautiful day - make sure you get out there and enjoy yourself! Fine throughout much of the week, should be nice out on the bay as well: like a "millpond".

In terms of recent news, the Port Phillip "channel project" has popped up in the news again this week, with even more restrictions being placed on divers in the vicinity.

Elisa Bone, a postgraduate of Melbourne University, has just returned from the Solomon Islands where she has been teaching a marine ecology course to a group of of students from all over the Pacific region. She joined us in the studio to have a chat about this experience that was both challenging, fun, and enlightening.

Throughout the course, the students that participated gained experience and insight into experimental design and practical applications of marine ecology, while Elisa was immersed in a culture of an entirely different kind. While our association with the sea in Australia can be somewhat limited, within the Pacific people live and breathe the ocean - they rely on it for food, for transport, and it is just such an integral part of their lives.

The Spring holidays are rolling around once again, and down at Queenscliff's Marine Discovery Centre that means just one thing - it's time for another School Holiday Program! Education Officer Mandy Stirrat joined us to talk about what people can expect from the program this time round.

This year, participants can expect a wide range of craft activites aimed at children of 5 and up, rockpool rambles at Point Lonsdale and Barwon Heads Bluff; there are mudflat meanders on Swan Bay; there are boat tours which take in the amazing animals and plants of Port Phillip Bay - from Fish to Gannets to Seals!

It's open to absolutely everyone, regardless of age - and for many families is an almost annual event. It's open 10-4 daily over the holiday period, and is situated on the main road at the entrance to Queenscliff.

For more information, and for admission prices, give the Marine Discovery Centre a call on 5258 3344.

Listeners may remember from last year when Dr Alecia Bellgrove joined us in the studio to chat about a new course that Deakin University was offering - Marine Ecology. It's now six months into that course, and Alicia and Dr Gerry Quinn join us on the line from Deakin Uni to tell us how it's been going.

To recap, it's a course aimed specifically at the marine side of things, as opposed to previous courses which covered aquatic systems in general (marine and freshwater).

So far it's great success, with students covering such subjects as experimental methods, marine ecology and lots of field trips. Stay tuned as the course develops over the next few years.

Eco Finprint is the start of a new segment where we provide information on what you can do to reduce the impact you have on the environment, especially the marine environment. The name is a variation on the concept of the eco footprint that was coined by Mathis Wackernagel. Our eco footprint is the amount of land and sea space it takes to support our lifestyle.

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