ENTERTAINMENT highlights from across Australia this National Science Week
- One-up your mate’s Bali pics with selfies in a replica International Space Station – Melbourne
- This ain’t your mammal’s reproduction, in the adults-only Sex on the Beach Science Show – Canberra
- What do experts make of the ‘science’ in Mars Attacks!? – Canberra
- Can Raider’s fans move the needle? Earthquake experts will find out – Canberra
- Brewing experimental beer, with interactive drink-along four packs – online and Hobart
- Dr Karl, dinosaurs, furry friends, and a T-Rex autopsy show: all on the Sydney Science Trail – Mt Annan and Sydney
- Plant-powered cars, Jurassic poop, the science of piracy, and more at Festival of Bright Ideas 2022 – Hobart
- Battle of the boffins: which scientific field is best? – Hindmarsh, SA
More on these highlights below.
ScScientists, performers and event organisers are available for interview leading up to and throughout National Science Week: 13 to 21 August.
Read on for contact details for each event, or call:
- Tanya Ha – tanya@scienceinpublic.com.au, 0404 083 863 or 03 9398 1416
- Jane Watkins – jane@scienceinpublic.com.au or 0425 803 204
Visit ScienceWeek.net.au/events to find stories in your area using the event listing.
Media centre here. Images for media here.
Individual event details and media contacts
Step inside the International Space Station and take a selfie– Melbourne, VIC
Mars sunsets and Venus’s lightning storms can be seen from in a scale replica of the International Space Station that is ready to land in Melbourne.
Astronauts working weightlessly on the real-life space station sleep in bags attached to the wall and must swallow instead of spitting out their toothpaste after they’ve brushed.
Visiting the space station replica is much more enjoyable, as part of the award-winning Neighbourhood Earth exhibition.
Tuesday 19 July – Sunday 28 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/neighbourhood-earth/melbourne/
Media enquiries: Andy Lee (VP, Marketing and Design) – andy@totocreative.com
Images available for media interviews, email Andy for images.
Reaching organism: an adults-only marine science show – Canberra, ACT
Flatworms cross their double-pronged penises in the heat of foreplay. Sharks hold each other close by biting into their tangled bodies while writhing in passion. A single whale crosses a surging ocean to find a lover, singing into the darkness ‘where are you’ in whale song.
Science communicator Alice Ryder invites you to join these organisms down below it’s wet and dimly-lit: the ocean.
In ‘The Sex on the Beach Science Show’, Alice’s adults-only comedic one-woman show, she will be exploring underwater animal sex and drawing on her own experiences working in marine science.
Saturday 13 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/the-sex-on-the-beach-science-show/canberra
Media enquiries: Alice Ryder, ryder.alice@gmail.com
Alice Ryder is available for media interviews.
What do experts make of the ‘science’ in Mars Attacks!? – Acton, ACT
Have you wondered what an alien scientist looks like and what their science might be? What do scientists think how their work is depicted in movies? And how do movies and pop culture influence public understanding of science, for better or worse? Join two expert as they discuss the spaced-out science from Tim Burton’s film ‘Mars Attacks!’
- Dr Brad Tucker is an astrophysicist and cosmologist. He’s leading programs using the NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope and TESS to understand why and how stars blow up. He’s also building a network of ultraviolet telescopes in the upper atmosphere and a search to find Planet 9. He is interested in how science fiction increases awareness, inspiration, and knowledge of these topics.
- Dr Anna-Sophie Jurgens is a Lecturer in Popular Entertainment Studies at the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science. Her research explores the cultural meanings of science.
A screening of ‘Mars Attacks!’ at the National Film and Sound Archive will be followed by a discussion of the popular image of science in space cinema, our cultural fascination with clowns and scientists in space, and why it’s all worth investigating.
Thursday 18 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/science-art-film-mars-attacks/acton
Media enquiries: Brad Tucker, brad@mso.anu.edu.au, 02 6125 6711 or 0433 905 777
Brad Tucker and Anna-Sophie Jurgens (anna-sophie.jurgens@anu.edu.au) are available for media interviews.
Footy Quake: can a rugby crowd register on the Richter scale? – Canberra, ACT
The ‘footy quake’ made by rugby league crowd cheers is set to be measured by researchers.
Scientists from ANU’s Research School of Earth Sciences will install a seismometer–a piece of equipment normally used to measure earthquakes–under the main stand at the GIO Stadium for the Raiders versus Dragons NRL match.
They want the Raiders crowd making seismic noise by stamping on the ground when the Raiders score and during the famous Viking clap, to see how large a footy quake fans can make.
Sunday 14 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/footy-quake/bruce
Media enquiries: Jillian Matthews, actscienceweek@gmail.com or 0406 355 996
Earth scientists available for media interviews.
Beer quenches scientists’ thirst for knowledge – online and Hobart, TAS
Four brewers from around Australia will put on lab coats to craft experimental beers in a live-streamed event, hosted by scientists Kelsey Picard and Matthew Fielding.
The four brewers will represent Victoria’s Black Arts Brewers and Blenders, South Australia’s Shapeshifter Brewing Co, New South Wales’s Mountain Culture Beer Co and Tasmania’s Shambles Brewery.
Drinkers watching online can order a 4-pack so they can taste the beers for themselves during the event as Kelsey and Matthew delve into the science of brewing.
Date: Friday 19 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/exbeerimental-science-2
Media enquiries: Matthew Fielding, matthew.fielding@utas.edu.au or 0417 167 618
Kelsey and Matthew are available for media interviews.
Dr Karl, dinosaurs, furry friends, and a T-Rex autopsy show: all on the Sydney Science Trail – Mt Annan and Sydney, NSW
See rare orchids, learn about First Nations medicine, and meet scientists from the Australian Institute of Botanical Science at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney and Mt Annan.
Ask Dr Karl about climate change solutions, hear about First Nations tools and technologies from the experts, meet a furry possum, and come face-to-face with the roving puppet dinosaur Winny the Muttaburrasaurus at Australian Museum.
The Sydney Science Trail is back in multiple locations across the city, with family-friendly activities, an expo, workshops, expert talks, silly science, and spectacular demonstrations.
Plant-powered cars, Jurassic poop, the science of piracy, and more at Festival of Bright Ideas 2022 – Hobart, TAS
- Cars of the future could be fuelled by plants, according to Dr Graham Walker. He’ll be exploring the future of energy, including solar power and storing carbon dioxide.
- The singing palaeontologist Professor Flint explores the science of dinosaur droppings and the origin of faeces.
- Find out about the science of piracy in Piratechniques 101, with ABC’s Lish Fejer (Pirate Captain ScungeBucket).
- Plus, the science of circus trapeze, robot building, drug designing, bunny cuddling, forest secrets, volcano and lava science, and underwater creatures: more than different 40 science sessions, all under one roof.
These are just some of the speakers, activities and displays at the Festival of Bright Ideas, Tasmania’s largest public STEM event, at Princes Wharf 1 on Hobart’s waterfront.
Friday 19 August: Schools Day.
Saturday 20 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/festival-of-bright-ideas-2022/hobart
Media enquiries: Sarah Bayne, sarah@luminousevents.com.au or 0419 472 539
Chemistry, marine biology, maths, or biomed: which field of science is the best? – Hindmarsh, SA
My Science Rulz, Your Science Droolz! is a cheeky debate where four teams representing different fields make their case as to why their science is the best while making digs at the other teams’ science.
Who will come away the champion? Who will be able to confidently say they their science RULZ?! The audience will decide.
- Team Mathematics (defending champions): Dr John Maclean, Dr Jono Tuke & Dr Ed Green
- Team Chemistry: Prof Kerry Wilkinson, Assoc Prof Yan Jiao & Dr Cameron Shearer
- Team Marine Biology: Prof Bronwyn Gillanders, Dr Zoe Doubleday & Prof Charlie Huveneers
- Team Biomedical Science: Prof Derek Abbott, Prof Rachel Burton & Dr Hannah Wardill
Tuesday 23 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/my-science-rulz-your-science-droolz-2/hindmarsh
Media enquiries: Rona Sakko, rona.sakko@gmail.com or 0419 827 723.
Team members are available for media interviews.
About National Science Week
National Science Week is Australia’s annual opportunity to meet scientists, discuss hot topics, do science and celebrate its cultural and economic impact on society—from art to astrophysics, chemistry to climate change, and forensics to future food.
First held in 1997, National Science Week has become one of Australia’s largest festivals. Last year—despite a global pandemic—1.3 million people participated in more than 1,750 events and activities.
National Science Week is proudly supported by the Australian Government, CSIRO, the Australian Science Teachers Association, the ABC, and Cosmos magazine.
National Science Week 2022 will run from Saturday 13 to Sunday 21 August. Event details can be found at www.scienceweek.net.au.