Antarctica and the Southern Ocean lie at the heart of the global climate system. This icy region connects the atmosphere and the ocean abyss. The Antarctic Ice Sheet stores records of our past and how it responds to the present will shape our future.

The Far South is changing rapidly. There are warming oceans and vast decreases in sea ice coverage. The future state of the climate depends on what happens next.

This year's Philip Law Lecture will be delivered by Dr Edward Doddridge, a prize-winning jam maker and Physical Oceanographer at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies in Tasmania.

Edward uses super computers, mathematical theory, and observations to explore the ocean and sea ice around Antarctica. He studied Maths and Physics as an undergraduate at the University of Tasmania and obtained his doctorate from the University of Oxford, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar. He subsequently worked as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before returning to Tasmania.

Free event. Registration required.

What's on:

Events and points of interest around Hobart.

13 Aug 2026 - 15 Aug 2026
Saplings | By Hannah Belanszky
Saplings tells the story of four vulnerable young people who come face to face with Australia's youth justice system.
1 Aug 2026 - 31 Aug 2026
Hadley’s Art Prize
Presented by Hadley’s Orient Hotel, the Hadley’s Art Prize, Hobart is an annual, acquisitive Australian landscape prize, which offers $100,000 to the winning entry.
13 Aug 2026 - 16 Aug 2026
Mount Pleasant Radio Telescope Tour – Beaker Street Festival
Join Dr Warren Hankey for a guided tour of the Mount Pleasant Radio Observatory, one of Lutruwita/Tasmania's great hidden scientific treasures. Explore the observatory's famous
7 Aug 2026 - 1 Nov 2026
Antarctica is Melting: photographer David Neilson
'Antarctica is Melting' presents a powerful selection of black and white photographs by Australian wilderness photographer David Neilson, drawn from six journeys to Antarctica and
1 Mar 2022 - 31 Aug 2027
Phoenix Creations Wooden Spoon Carving Workshops
Welcome to a day of creative mindfulness with David and Michelle of Phoenix Creations in their small Cygnet studio.
5 Aug 2026 - 6 Sep 2026
CoLab Exhibition – Beaker Street Festival 2026
Through Beaker Street's CoLab initiative, students work directly with local scientists, visiting their labs and field sites, to create artworks inspired by their research.
5 Aug 2026 - 6 Sep 2026
Science Photography Prize Finalist Exhibition – Beaker Street Festival 2026
Each year, the Beaker Street Science Photography Prize celebrates extraordinary images that reveal how science shapes our understanding of the world.
31 Jul 2026 - 26 Sep 2027
Becoming Modern: Mid-century Australian Art
This large-scale exhibition brings together paintings, sculpture and works on paper, highlighting figuration, abstraction, and foregrounding works by Tasmanian women artists.
31 Jul 2026 - 18 Oct 2026
EXPOSED LANDS: 100 Years of Tasmanian Landscape Photography
This exhibition is a survey of 100 years of photographic history depicting Tasmania's nature, sharing perspectives of the island.
31 Jul 2026 - 1 Mar 2027
The World of Seashells
This exhibition celebrates the natural beauty of seashells and the enduring sense of wonder they inspire.
All events