National Science Week starts tomorrow with over 1,700 events from Darwin to Antarctica
- Dinosaurs, bees, and a shark in a bus – Saturday 13 August in Sydney
- Bleaching hits a crocheted coral reef – in Darwin all next week
- How hard is it to get scientists to believe BS (bad science)? – Wednesday in Adelaide
- Born in Atherton, he co-invented lasers –Wednesday to Saturday in Townsville/Atherton/Cairns
- What do changes in the Southern Ocean and Antarctica mean for Tasmania? – Tuesday in Hobart, Wednesday in Launceston
- The muddy trenches of World War I and the mucus-lined trenches of a nurse’s gut – a graphic novel – Saturday 20 August in Melbourne
Just a few of the highlights, and there’s more on each below.
From laser shows celebrating Far North Queensland’s Nobel hero, down to ‘Brain Break’ science-themed morning teas in the Antarctic bases. From finding pests in Perth’s pantries to dinosaurs in Sydney—over 1,700 events and activities have been registered across Australia for National Science Week.
Running from 13-21 August, National Science Week 2016 is expected to reach over a million Australians—with everything from science festivals, music and comedy shows, expert talks, art installations and performances, interactive hands-on displays, open days, online activities, and even a Women in Science WikiBomb.
There are science festivals in Hobart, Sydney, Perth, Brisbane, the Sapphire Coast, Lismore, Geraldton, Ulverston, Hunter Valley, Alice Springs, and more.
And there are expert panel discussions, exploring topics such as ‘will robots replace teachers?’, ‘what can we do about science denial?’ and ‘what’s happening in the Antarctic and why should we care?’
‘Wildlife Spotter’—the ABC’s citizen science project for National Science Week 2016—is inviting ordinary Australians to be citizen scientists from the comfort of their own homes, contributing to real science by identifying quolls, malleefowl, Tassie devils, feral cats, and many more animals captured in photos. These citizen scientists will identify animals in roughly a million images taken all across Australia by automated cameras. Visit: www.wildlifespotter.net.au.
First held in 1997, National Science Week has become one of Australia’s largest festivals. Last year’s program saw a staggering 1.3 million people participate in over 1,500 events and activities.
The festival is proudly supported by the Australian Government; partners CSIRO, the Australian Science Teachers Association and the ABC; and sponsors Cosmos, Discovery Science, New Scientist and Popular Science.
Visit the National Science Week website for the details of events in your area: www.scienceweek.net.au.
For general media inquiries:
- Tanya Ha – tanya@scienceinpublic.com.au or call 0404 083 863
- Ellie Michaelides – ellie@scienceinpublic.com.au or 0404 809 789
- Niall Byrne – niall@scienceinpublic.com.au or call 0417 131 977.
Dinosaurs, bees, and shark in a bus – Centennial Parklands, Sydney, NSW
Photo opportunities of family science fun.
Saturday 13 August, 11am – 3pm Event details
Media enquiries: Vanessa Barratt, Vanessa.Barratt@cp.nsw.gov.au or 0450 018 752
Pantry Blitz: what pests might be lurking in your pantry? – WA
If you love local wines, be on the lookout for the elephant weevil, a vineyard villain.
This citizen science activity will involve the community in learning about insects and helping to protect our food, environment, and livelihoods from pest damage.
Participants will place a pantry trap in their pantry for one month and use free reporting tools to send insect reports for identification. The findings will be published on the Pantry Blitz webpage.
Saturday 13 August to Sunday 30 October Initiative details
Crocheted coral and knitted reefs communicating climate change – Darwin, NT
This community art installation has been designed to raise awareness of the impact of global warming on our coral reef systems in oceans and seas around the world. The installation will also serve as a visual explanation of what coral bleaching looks like as the coral pylons will transition from a pylon covered with healthy brightly coloured corals to a pylon with dead bleached corals.
Mon 15 – Fri 19 August Event details
Enquiries: Jasmine Jan, jasmine.jan@nt.gov.au or 08 8988 7228
Can scientists spin and spot the Bull S…cience – Adelaide, SA
What do the moon landings, global warming, and vaccination all have in common? They’re conspiracies perpetuated by scientists, right? WRONG!
Just how hard it is to get scientists to believe BS (bad science)? The Science Nation is holding a contest of intelligence, interrogation and intimidation that sees a lineup of scientists each trying to have their peers believe complete and utter BS.
Adelaide’s participants include: metaboloepigeneticist and comic Dr Hannah Brown; botanist and molecular biologist Associate Professor Rachel Burton; anthropologist and evolutionary scientist Professor Alan Cooper; physical chemist and surface scientist Dr Andrew Stapleton; and paleontologist, RiAus Director and train aficionado Dr Paul Willis.
Wednesday 17 August Event details
Organiser and host Andrew Stephenson is available for interviews.
Contact Andrew directly via info@thesciencenation.com or 0421 400 688.
Prokhorov LaserShow: highlighting Far North Queensland’s Nobel hero – Townsville, Smithfield and Atherton, QLD
The LaserShow is a 45-minute interactive show with demonstrations and audience participation, followed by a Q&A session.
Wednesday 17 to Saturday 20 August Event details
Scientists available for interviews.
Contact: Errol Hunt, errol@scienceinpublic.com.au or 0423 139 210
What’s happening down south and why should we care? – Hobart and Launceston, TAS
Find out from a water and sea ice expert, a biologist, and an ice sheet expert what’s going on with the Southern Ocean and Antarctica and what this means for Tasmania and beyond in public lectures to be held in Hobart and Launceston. These presentations will be followed by a panel discussion with the audience and will be streamed live online.
Experts from diverse backgrounds speaking for 15 minutes on the topic of the Southern Ocean and Antarctica, and a 40-minute panel discussion with the audience. The speakers include Professor Matt King, Dr Delphine Lannuzel, and Dr Mary-Anne Lea, with Dr Guy Williams as master of ceremonies.
Hobart: Tuesday 16 August Event details
Launceston: Wednesday 17 August Event details
Microscopic battles in the large intestine – Melbourne, VIC
What does World War I have in common with your large intestine? Find out in a new graphic novel The Invisible War, to be launched at the Royal Society of Victoria.
The story is set in 1916, partly around the muddy trenches of World War One, and partly in the mucus-lined trenches of a nurse’s large intestine. It describes a vast, unseen world populated by bacteria and viruses, where microscopic battles between ancient enemies are waged on a daily basis.
The afternoon will feature an exhibition of original artwork by Ben Hutchings (illustrator of The Invisible War) and an interdisciplinary panel discussion led by The Science Show’s Robyn Williams.
Saturday 20 Aug Event details Enquiries: Mike Flattley, rsv@sciencevictoria.org.au or 03 9663 5259
Why NASA’s hunt for water in the solar system is the hunt for life – Canberra, ACT
Are we living alone in the universe? How did life emerge on Earth?
Explore ice on comets from the ROSETTA mission and take a look at NASA’s future plans to probe subsurface water on Jupiter’s icy moons in a public lecture from visiting planetary scientist Dr Essam Heggy, from the University of Southern California NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Sunday 21 August Event details