Outreach & Lab News
We strongly believe that it is essential for scientists to communicate and share their findings. As such, we give marine ecology lectures as well as host workshops for students (elementary to university level) and community groups. Watch this space for more information on our events as well as some fun lab activities/updates.
If you are interested in us hosting an event for your school/community, please contact Dr. McRae (crystal.j.mcrae@mail.nsysu.edu.tw).
If you are interested in us hosting an event for your school/community, please contact Dr. McRae (crystal.j.mcrae@mail.nsysu.edu.tw).
Lab Rescue Diver Training
Spring 2026
As marine scientists there is nothing we love quite as much as being in the ocean, but we also know that SCUBA diving needs to be done safely and responsibly.
To ensure our safety while we work, our lab took the PADI rescue diver course together (supported by funding from Delta Electronics Foundation). It was a great way to learn and practice important skills, and was a lot of fun too!
We will be doing a lot of diving this spring and the timing was perfect for learning and honing new skills. A big thanks to our excellent instructors, Fang-Yu Tai and Jason, for their patience and expertise.
Enjoy safe diving all!
Spring 2026
As marine scientists there is nothing we love quite as much as being in the ocean, but we also know that SCUBA diving needs to be done safely and responsibly.
To ensure our safety while we work, our lab took the PADI rescue diver course together (supported by funding from Delta Electronics Foundation). It was a great way to learn and practice important skills, and was a lot of fun too!
We will be doing a lot of diving this spring and the timing was perfect for learning and honing new skills. A big thanks to our excellent instructors, Fang-Yu Tai and Jason, for their patience and expertise.
Enjoy safe diving all!
Revamping an Aquaculture Tank
Winter 2025
With the help of a fantastic group of undergraduate and graduate students, we gave our department's aquaculture tank a new look. The Department of Marine Biotechnology and Resources tank has had a full clean and we have added in some new critters too!
Moving forward the students have taking the lead with tank maintenance - doing cleaning, water changes, assessing water chemistry, and feeding the fish & corals.
The overarching goal of this tank is for education. This is an opportunity for NSYSU students to learn some fundamental aquaculture skills, and is also a platform for marine science outreach when visitors (e.g., school groups) come to our building. Feel free to swing by and see what's happening in the revamped tank and ask our budding student aquarists if you have any questions!
Winter 2025
With the help of a fantastic group of undergraduate and graduate students, we gave our department's aquaculture tank a new look. The Department of Marine Biotechnology and Resources tank has had a full clean and we have added in some new critters too!
Moving forward the students have taking the lead with tank maintenance - doing cleaning, water changes, assessing water chemistry, and feeding the fish & corals.
The overarching goal of this tank is for education. This is an opportunity for NSYSU students to learn some fundamental aquaculture skills, and is also a platform for marine science outreach when visitors (e.g., school groups) come to our building. Feel free to swing by and see what's happening in the revamped tank and ask our budding student aquarists if you have any questions!
NSYSU Science Booth Event
Fall 2025
Each year the College of Marine Science at National Sun Yat-sen University (NSYSU) has an educational outreach event to showcase the work of 4th year undergraduate students' projects and their associated lab's research.
This year Peter (with help/support from our lab's PhD student, Chinmay) presented some of the work we have been doing focused on photogrammetry-based monitoring on coral reefs. They gave elementary school and junior-high school students a glimpse into the workflow processes from image collection, to 3D model creation, to data analysis.
Other groups showed the breadth of research done here at NSYSU including research on marine pollutants, fish skin microbiomes, parasitic barnacles, oceanographic upwelling dynamics, and mesophotic monitoring with submarines and ROVs.
Fall 2025
Each year the College of Marine Science at National Sun Yat-sen University (NSYSU) has an educational outreach event to showcase the work of 4th year undergraduate students' projects and their associated lab's research.
This year Peter (with help/support from our lab's PhD student, Chinmay) presented some of the work we have been doing focused on photogrammetry-based monitoring on coral reefs. They gave elementary school and junior-high school students a glimpse into the workflow processes from image collection, to 3D model creation, to data analysis.
Other groups showed the breadth of research done here at NSYSU including research on marine pollutants, fish skin microbiomes, parasitic barnacles, oceanographic upwelling dynamics, and mesophotic monitoring with submarines and ROVs.
'Hong Kong Team' Collaboration
Fall 2025
It has been a collaboration filled semester - we have been so lucky to work with such excellent researchers over the last few months! After a quick 1-day changeover from the 'Australian Team' our aquaculture room was transformed to a new system for an experiment led by Joe Brennen.
Joe is a PhD candidate from the Chinese University of Hong Kong working under the supervision of Dr. Shelby McIlory. The experiment he conducted in our lab is part of his larger project examining the thermal limits of corals (both upper and lower temperature thresholds). He has undertaken this standardized experimental protocol on corals in Jeju, Hong Kong, Okinawa - and now Taiwan!
Through this work we hope to gain a better understanding of the thermal tolerance ranges of corals across different latitudes. Thanks to colleagues here at NSYSU and NMMBA for their logistical support and Arthur Chang for dive assistance!
Fall 2025
It has been a collaboration filled semester - we have been so lucky to work with such excellent researchers over the last few months! After a quick 1-day changeover from the 'Australian Team' our aquaculture room was transformed to a new system for an experiment led by Joe Brennen.
Joe is a PhD candidate from the Chinese University of Hong Kong working under the supervision of Dr. Shelby McIlory. The experiment he conducted in our lab is part of his larger project examining the thermal limits of corals (both upper and lower temperature thresholds). He has undertaken this standardized experimental protocol on corals in Jeju, Hong Kong, Okinawa - and now Taiwan!
Through this work we hope to gain a better understanding of the thermal tolerance ranges of corals across different latitudes. Thanks to colleagues here at NSYSU and NMMBA for their logistical support and Arthur Chang for dive assistance!
'Australian Team' Collaboration
Fall 2025
It was such a pleasure to welcome back Dr. Wing Chan (University of Melbourne/Australian Institute of Marine Science) to Taiwan - and this time with 2 of her fantastic PhD students, Evan Heit and Mei-Chen Liu!
This current collaboration is examining the thermal response of Pocillopora acuta and Galaxea fascicularis sourced from reefs with different thermal regimes. Specific emphasis is being placed on understanding metabolomic-based responses to heat stress.
A big thanks to colleagues at the National Museum of Marine Biology & Aquarium for their assistance during coral recovery as well as Fang-Yu Tai for excellent dive support.
Fall 2025
It was such a pleasure to welcome back Dr. Wing Chan (University of Melbourne/Australian Institute of Marine Science) to Taiwan - and this time with 2 of her fantastic PhD students, Evan Heit and Mei-Chen Liu!
This current collaboration is examining the thermal response of Pocillopora acuta and Galaxea fascicularis sourced from reefs with different thermal regimes. Specific emphasis is being placed on understanding metabolomic-based responses to heat stress.
A big thanks to colleagues at the National Museum of Marine Biology & Aquarium for their assistance during coral recovery as well as Fang-Yu Tai for excellent dive support.
Our Lab is Growing!
Fall 2025
We are very happy to welcome 2 new members to the McRae Marine Ecology Lab! Starting this semester we have: 1) a PhD student (Chinmay Somani) who will investigate reef connectivity under climate change, and 2) a lab assistant (Chian Shiun Hu) who will navigate all things administrative for our lab.
It is so great to have them join our team!
Our new/existing lab members also helped this week to welcome some new critters to our mesocosm tank to ensure the tank is running smoothly. These new fish and crabs will help keep the conditions stable and optimal for coral recovery after our experiments are completed in our other multi-tank experimental system.
Fall 2025
We are very happy to welcome 2 new members to the McRae Marine Ecology Lab! Starting this semester we have: 1) a PhD student (Chinmay Somani) who will investigate reef connectivity under climate change, and 2) a lab assistant (Chian Shiun Hu) who will navigate all things administrative for our lab.
It is so great to have them join our team!
Our new/existing lab members also helped this week to welcome some new critters to our mesocosm tank to ensure the tank is running smoothly. These new fish and crabs will help keep the conditions stable and optimal for coral recovery after our experiments are completed in our other multi-tank experimental system.
Advanced Photogrammetry Training
August 2025
We hosted a 3-day workshop at National Sun Yat-sen University focused on building the skills needed for data extraction/analysis of photogrammetry data.
Our fantastic teaching team (Nicole, Nate, Kelly, and McClaran) was composed of leading experts in large-area imaging from Stuart Sandin's Marine Community Ecology Lab at the University of California San Diego/The Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
We practiced data collection as well as model building (honing skills from our last workshop), and then delved into many of the exciting workflows in Viscore allowing us to quantify benthic community composition and assess reef structural complexity.
August 2025
We hosted a 3-day workshop at National Sun Yat-sen University focused on building the skills needed for data extraction/analysis of photogrammetry data.
Our fantastic teaching team (Nicole, Nate, Kelly, and McClaran) was composed of leading experts in large-area imaging from Stuart Sandin's Marine Community Ecology Lab at the University of California San Diego/The Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
We practiced data collection as well as model building (honing skills from our last workshop), and then delved into many of the exciting workflows in Viscore allowing us to quantify benthic community composition and assess reef structural complexity.
Photogrammetry Workshop
June 2025
We hosted a 2-day photogrammetry workshop at National Sun Yat-sen University to teach students and researchers about the ins and outs of 'Structure from Motion' (i.e., photogrammetry/large-area imaging).
Our invited speaker was Guan Yan Chen, a Taiwanese PhD candidate currently completing his research at the University of Hawaii. Workshop participants learned foundational theory, built small and large-scale models of classroom objects/plots (using Agisoft Metashape), and extracted data from these models (using R). By developing these skills it is our goal that participants can then apply these tools to their own research questions in the marine environment.
Our next workshop will be in August 2025 - stay tuned for more info and if you are interested in participating, please contact Dr. McRae.
June 2025
We hosted a 2-day photogrammetry workshop at National Sun Yat-sen University to teach students and researchers about the ins and outs of 'Structure from Motion' (i.e., photogrammetry/large-area imaging).
Our invited speaker was Guan Yan Chen, a Taiwanese PhD candidate currently completing his research at the University of Hawaii. Workshop participants learned foundational theory, built small and large-scale models of classroom objects/plots (using Agisoft Metashape), and extracted data from these models (using R). By developing these skills it is our goal that participants can then apply these tools to their own research questions in the marine environment.
Our next workshop will be in August 2025 - stay tuned for more info and if you are interested in participating, please contact Dr. McRae.
Making our Aquaculture Room!
Spring 2025
In addition to our field studies we also want to conduct controlled experiments - but as a new lab, we first needed to create our own aquaculture room!
With a lot of renovations (revamping our electrical system), cleaning/painting, and some shopping for tanks and equipment we have transformed a lab room into a fully functioning aquaculture room (and have even run our first experiment - congrats to Louisa for completing her internship project examining heat stress responses in Pocillopora acuta!)
We are very excited for all the neat experiments that lie ahead!
Spring 2025
In addition to our field studies we also want to conduct controlled experiments - but as a new lab, we first needed to create our own aquaculture room!
With a lot of renovations (revamping our electrical system), cleaning/painting, and some shopping for tanks and equipment we have transformed a lab room into a fully functioning aquaculture room (and have even run our first experiment - congrats to Louisa for completing her internship project examining heat stress responses in Pocillopora acuta!)
We are very excited for all the neat experiments that lie ahead!
United Nations Ocean Conference
May 2025
It was my pleasure to participate in the 'MARRES Around the World' event organized by the Université Côte d'Azur, France.
This was a remote 24-hour live 'tour around the world' to gain insight into the type of marine research that is being undertaken across a diverse range of marine ecosystems.
Check out this link to learn more and to see all the videos, and this link to see the segment where I discuss our research here in Taiwan.
May 2025
It was my pleasure to participate in the 'MARRES Around the World' event organized by the Université Côte d'Azur, France.
This was a remote 24-hour live 'tour around the world' to gain insight into the type of marine research that is being undertaken across a diverse range of marine ecosystems.
Check out this link to learn more and to see all the videos, and this link to see the segment where I discuss our research here in Taiwan.
Capturing ‘Snapshots’ in Time
Spring 2025
We use large-area imaging to document coral reef health and structure. To do this we have established many 10 x 10 m monitoring plots at various locations in southern Taiwan.
We survey these sites (taking 2000-3000 photos/timepoint) and then use software to create 3D models of our plots. This let's us better understand changes in benthic community structure, coral bleaching (and associated mortality/recovery), and the dynamics of the physical shape (rugosity) of the reef.
Robustly quantifying comprehensive contemporary baselines of coral reefs is important as it allows us to better understand how these critical ecosystems are changing/adapting/degrading under climate change.
Spring 2025
We use large-area imaging to document coral reef health and structure. To do this we have established many 10 x 10 m monitoring plots at various locations in southern Taiwan.
We survey these sites (taking 2000-3000 photos/timepoint) and then use software to create 3D models of our plots. This let's us better understand changes in benthic community structure, coral bleaching (and associated mortality/recovery), and the dynamics of the physical shape (rugosity) of the reef.
Robustly quantifying comprehensive contemporary baselines of coral reefs is important as it allows us to better understand how these critical ecosystems are changing/adapting/degrading under climate change.
Typical Day at the 'office'
Spring 2025
As marine ecologists we are so lucky to be able to spend time exploring beautiful and fascinating ecosystems for our job.
Some of our regular work includes diving at our long-term monitoring reefs sites to deploy and retrieve temperature loggers to ensure a good record of in-situ temperature across reefs with unique characteristics (e.g., reefs with stable thermal regimes, reefs with variable thermal regimes due to upwelling, and a reef that has been chronically warmed by an adjacent nuclear power plant).
Despite being a relatively small country, Taiwan has a vast array of marine thermal regimes to study - perfect for investigations into climate change responses!
Spring 2025
As marine ecologists we are so lucky to be able to spend time exploring beautiful and fascinating ecosystems for our job.
Some of our regular work includes diving at our long-term monitoring reefs sites to deploy and retrieve temperature loggers to ensure a good record of in-situ temperature across reefs with unique characteristics (e.g., reefs with stable thermal regimes, reefs with variable thermal regimes due to upwelling, and a reef that has been chronically warmed by an adjacent nuclear power plant).
Despite being a relatively small country, Taiwan has a vast array of marine thermal regimes to study - perfect for investigations into climate change responses!
Winter Break Field/Lab Work
February 2025
It was such a pleasure to host Dr. Wing Chan from the University of Melbourne here in Taiwan. We had great dives and productive lab work - it was an excellent kick off to our collaboration together (more to come in summer 2025). Special thanks to Vicky Chang and Hung Kai Chen for lab and field support!
We are specifically interested in understanding the holobiont composition (especially bacteria and symbiotic algae) in a range of corals species across reefs with distinct thermal histories.
Identifying potential differences in holobiont composition and pinpointing the drivers responsible for these differences can help us better understand the capacity of corals to withstand climate change stressors.
First Official Lab Dive
December 2024
Fantastic first official 'McRae Marine Ecology Lab' dive! Great skill practice and review of dive safety - getting ready for lots of exciting research that lies ahead :)
Tough taste of reality on this dive too…the long heatwave this summer hit southern Taiwan hard. This once healthy reef is looking quite rough – high mortality in many species and bleaching is still persisting as we inch into the winter.
Our future work will focus on monitoring reefs using photogrammetry to assess changes in community composition over time, as well as conducting seasonal sampling in-situ to assess holobiont traits that help confer coral resistance to bleaching as well as recovery.
December 2024
Fantastic first official 'McRae Marine Ecology Lab' dive! Great skill practice and review of dive safety - getting ready for lots of exciting research that lies ahead :)
Tough taste of reality on this dive too…the long heatwave this summer hit southern Taiwan hard. This once healthy reef is looking quite rough – high mortality in many species and bleaching is still persisting as we inch into the winter.
Our future work will focus on monitoring reefs using photogrammetry to assess changes in community composition over time, as well as conducting seasonal sampling in-situ to assess holobiont traits that help confer coral resistance to bleaching as well as recovery.