A 12-metre shipping container that gives science lovers a taste of life aboard Australia’s ocean research vessel (RV) Investigator is on display at QUT in inner Brisbane over the school holidays.
The ‘ship in a box’ is called INVESTIGATE and provides visitors with a free opportunity to see what it’s like on the CSIRO science ship – without getting their feet wet.
The repurposed shipping container’s roof and walls have been equipped with video screens and a state-of-the-art sound system to provide immersive 360-degree experiences such as riding the waves in an Antarctic storm.
The science exhibit is spending five weeks at QUT’s Gardens Point campus and is open to the public for free.
INVESTIGATE’s visit to QUT is part of this week’s International Conference on Research Infrastructures in Brisbane, which is the biggest conference of its type in the world.
Conference delegates will be among the people checking out the shipping container, with visitors also encouraged to visit The Cube in neighbouring P Block while on campus.
The Cube features two-storey high digital screens that showcase interactive displays on topics ranging from physics and robots to the Great Barrier Reef (see video below). It’s one of the world's largest digital interactive learning and display spaces.
RV Investigator and INVESTIGATE are part of the Marine National Facility – national research infrastructure operated by CSIRO (Australia’s national science agency) and funded by the Australian Government’s National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy.
CSIRO Marine National Facility Director Toni Moate said visitors who stepped inside INVESTIGATE would immediately feel what it was like for the researchers on board the science ship.
“RV Investigator sails around Australia from the tropics to the Antarctic ice-edge, and visitors to our exhibit can further explore the oceanography, marine biology and seafloor mapping research conducted on board, year-round,” Ms Moate said.
“RV Investigator, as showcased through our INVESTIGATE exhibit, is a powerful demonstration of what outstanding science and global collaboration can achieve.”
INVESTIGATE is located on the river side of P Block at QUT Gardens Point, next to Gardens Point Road and the Goodwill Bridge.
Visitors can check it out daily between 8am and 5pm, from December 3 to 24, and again from December 26 to January 5.
To get from INVESTIGATE to The Cube, continue along Gardens Point Road and turn left at the Botanic Bar and go up the external stairs or lift to get to Level 4 of P Block.
PLEASE NOTE: The Cube will be closed from December 20 to January 13.
Main image at top of page: Dr Ben Arthur, Engagement Programs Coordinator with the CSIRO Marine National Facility, helps get INVESTIGATE ready for visitors at QUT’s Gardens Point campus.
QUT Media contacts:
- Mechelle McMahon, media@qut.edu.au
- After hours, 0407 585 901 or media@qut.edu.au
