Reef events at Wellington Central library

The Wellington Central library has 3 events to celebrate 2018 as the International Year of the Reef.

Experience an underwater reef with Virtual Reality

Want to experience a coral reef with no diving gear required? Visit the Wellington Central Library and try out a full Virtual Reality experience for free

• Wednesday 21 February, 12:30-2:00pm & 4:00-6:00pm
• Thursday 22 February, 12:30-2:00pm & 4:00-6:00pm
• Friday 23 February, 12:30-5:00pm

Slots are available inside of these times. Reserve the headset so you don’t have to wait in queue. Email enquiries@wcl.govt.nz to make a booking or find out more.

Deep water coral reefs of New Zealand talk

Friday 23 Feb, 5:30-6:30pm
Dr Ashley Rowden is a principal Scientist in Marine Ecology at NIWA.
Dr Rowden’s talk will be about deep water coral reefs in New Zealand, which are different from shallow water reefs — with emphasis on the themes of the 2018 International Year of the Reef (threats, management, conservation and sustainable use) in a New Zealand context. He will share examples from research undertaken at NIWA.

A special virtual reality reef demonstration

Taehyun Rhee /Associate Professor at Victoria University.

Taehyun Rhee is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science at Victoria University, as well as Deputy Director of Victoria’s Computational Media Innovation Centre (CMIC), and a founder of Mixed Reality startup DreamFlux. He is a founder and director of the Victoria Computer Graphics (VCG) Lab and the founding member of Victoria’s Computer Graphics Programme, established in collaboration with Weta Digital.

DreamFlux technology provides immersive VR experiences by realistically compositing digital content into 360° video. This process is achieved in real-time, allowing for interactive content. The seamless blending of digital content into the real world in an interactive setting allows for powerful applications in education, training, entertainment and more. Dreamflux technology mitigates potential visual discomfort in VR headsets by rendering at a high frame rate (90 FPS, stereo).

For further information: www.wcl.govt.nz/blog/index.php/2018/02/08/experience-an-underwater-reef-with-virtual-reality