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## Tour
### Description
### Title
tour.name = The National Marine Science Centre Campus Tour - Southern Cross University
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### Button
Button_C5D552A3_F189_5499_41DF_D88A3DC874D8.label = Aquarium Entry
Button_DB9962F6_F189_547B_41A5_25C56403D39D.label = National Marine Research Centre
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HTMLText_51607FF2_7ED5_6CBE_41DD_201505F94A64.html = ‘Study occupational therapy at Southern Cross University’
Students at the NMSC have access to contemporary study and lounge facilities. It’s a great place for informal meetings and hanging out with other students.
Undergraduate and postgraduate courses in marine science are delivered through the National Marine Science Centre. PhD candidates are also based here – the NMSC is a hub for cutting-edge Australian research.
Facilities for every kind of aquaculture
Research into all aspects of aquaculture is possible, with a broodstock facility (30,000 litres), hatchery and nursery tanks to grow fish to fingerling stages. The hatchery enables researchers to grow all stages of the food chain, from algal culture to live food. The broodstock facility is climate-controlled to allow breeding conditions to be simulated and studied to attain optimal reproduction of fish species.
Teaching Spaces at the NMSC
The NMSC has an 80 seat lecture theatre, a computer laboratory with 25 computers, a classroom that can seat 30 - 40 people and a teaching laboratory that can hold up to 60 people.
The Solitary Islands Aquarium is an important facility for educational programs for all levels of school. Our expert educators and marine scientists deliver programs covering everything from aquaculture to mangroves and the impact of recreational fishing.
Aquarium Entry
The Solitary Islands Aquarium, located at Southern Cross University’s National Marine Science Centre in Charlesworth Bay, Coffs Harbour, serves as an important community asset helping to bring an awareness and appreciation for our marine environment through education and science.
Our facility is focused on regional species, resource management and conservation. Open to the public on weekends and during school holidays, also by appointment for school and community groups, this facility forms the core of the NMSC's public outreach program.
Aquaculture Farm
The large aquaculture farm allows the NMSC to house a wide range of fish and invertebrate species in a variety of round tanks and raceways that range from 1,000 to 7,000 litres. This space includes open air, undercover and climate-controlled rooms to cater for different animals and research requirements.
The National Marine Science Centre (NMSC) is part of Southern Cross University’s School of Environment, Science and Engineering. It is located in Coffs Harbour on the east coast of Australia and adjacent to the Solitary Islands Marine Park, where both tropical and temperate currents meet. This interesting setting provides practical opportunities for the study of marine science and management for both students and researchers.
Marine Life
Visitors can get up close and personal with marine species that are hard to observe in the wild such as these anemone fish, made famous in the popular film, Finding Nemo.
The Solitary Islands Aquarium showcases a range of species from local marine and estuarine environments and is a primary interpretive facility promoting community education. Hatchery, breeding and broodstock facilities are diverse at the NMSC, like these undercover outdoor tanks. These allow students and researchers to examine a variety of environments and species under the one roof.
Maintaining healthy marine ecosystems and sustainable marine resources in the face of a rapidly changing environment are among the greatest modern challenges facing humanity. Research at the National Marine Science Centre addresses critical aspects of these challenges through themed programs across four broad topics: Biodiversity, Ecological Interactions, Aquaculture and Sustainable Fisheries.
Our focus is to produce high impact research that addresses issues relating to the resilience of marine ecosystems and resources. Our team of researchers foster extensive collaboration with industry and academia, nurture and encourage graduate students and foster engagement with the public and policy makers. Research at the NMSC is enhanced by state-of-the-art marine laboratory and field facilities.
Seawater Supply System
The NMSC has a state-of-the-art flow-through seawater supply system. Drawing water from Charlesworth Bay, high-quality filtered seawater is available on tap in the laboratories, hatchery, aquarium rooms and tank farm. Identified as one of the best systems in Australia, the supply of seawater supports a range of experimental research activities and specialist laboratories, and is backed up by a standby generator and an elaborate alarm system.
A contemporary kitchen and eating space is available for all students to use – it can provide a welcoming space for a break after those long hours behind the microscope, out at sea or at the tank farms.