Annual Humpback Whale Day: whale-y fun webinar for schools with Dr Vanessa Pirotta and friends

Join the celebration of the second Annual Humpback Whale Day (first humpday of May)! This is a celebration of why the humpback whales swim to Australia and how to keep them safe. This FREE online educational learning event is provided by the Australian National Maritime Museum and CSIRO and hosted by Australian whale scientist Dr Vanessa Pirotta. Special guests from around Australia will be interviewed LIVE, sharing their knowledge of whales.

There whale-even be a LIVE cross to scientist Dr Ben Arthur on the CSIRO's research vessel, RV Investigator! This is a perfect event for all ages, schools and for those learning from home.

Audience

School students – Kindergarten to Year 10

Location

Webinar (via Zoom) hosted by Australian National Maritime Museum.

Partners

Pricing

• Free! Register now to book your class into this whale-y fun event.

  Free

Dates and Times

Contact

Matt Marrison

More information

About the presenters

Dr Vanessa Pirotta

Vanessa is one of Australia's most renowned wildlife scientists, pioneering innovative technologies to transform wildlife conservation across marine (whale snot drones) and terrestrial environments (AI to detect illegal wildlife trafficking). She leads impactful, cross-generational research that empowers communities through wildlife, including the Tongan Whale Tourism Project in the Kingdom of Tonga and the creation of the Wild Sydney Harbour citizen science program collaborating with First Nations Gamay Rangers to unite Indigenous Knowledge with cutting-edge science. A celebrated author of acclaimed wildlife books for children and adults, a trusted media voice, Vanessa stands at the forefront of conservation, communication, and leadership—shaping how science is understood, valued, and used to protect our natural world.

Dr Ben Arthur, CSIRO

Ben is a marine ecologist and science educator with CSIRO. He has researched marine mammals and seabirds in the sub-Antarctic and Antarctica, and is passionate about our natural world, how science helps us makes sense of it and inspiring others about it. Ben is the Engagement Programs Coordinator with the CSIRO Marine National Facility and a Voyage Manager on our national ocean research vessel (RV) Investigator. He is also a Founding Director of the Macquarie Island Conservation Foundation.

In 2024, Ben was awarded the Tasmanian STEM Communicator of the Year by the Tasmanian Government.

Dive into more whale-y good stories

Story time from a Science Ship

In 2023, Vanessa and Ben teamed up during National Science Week to deliver Storytime from a Science Ship, a unique event for Australian school students beamed from onboard CSIRO's ocean research vessel, RV Investigator. Dive into the story