It’s almost upon us – National Science Week 2019! And we can assure you it will be well-worth the long wait since last August with so many new and exciting things to see, learn, try, and experience!
Open the enticing event calendar and take a moment to peruse. With almost 2 000 events on offer, you’ll be left wondering how you are going to fit it all in!
Even before you leave home, this year’s ABC national project The Aha! Challenge is giving you an opportunity to experience your own Eureka moment. Submissions to the national project will help scientists investigate the process of creativity and problem solving in our brains. So open your mind and invite researchers in!
To help you start your week of science, here’s a few tasty morsels on offer this weekend across our vast land.
ACT
Interactive Science – Acton
Experience all the science Canberra has to offer with this free family day out.
1-5pm Sat 10 August
Unconformity Tour – Meet the Geologist – Australian Parliament House, Canberra
Journey through time with renowned geologist Wolf Mayer. Explore the wide variety of stone used in the architecture of Parliament House and see a rare rock formation, known as an unconformity, where two rock masses, millions of years in age apart, connect.
2-4pm Sat 10 & Sun 11 August
Larger than life: explore butterflies, bugs and beetles with scientific drawings – Griffith
Join NatureArt Lab for an exciting National Science Week art event … Butterflies, Bugs and Beetles! Experience hands-on examination of insects with microscopes and learn about insect anatomy and sketching techniques, then use drawing ink and watercolour to create a beautiful illustration of an insect.
9:30am-12:30pm Sun 11 August
NSW
Womsat and all things wombat! – Rydalmere
Come and learn everything about wombats from the WomSAT team! There will be all things wombat to do and hear about for all ages.
10am-2pm Fri 9 August
Soapbox Science Sydney – The Rocks
Soapbox Science Sydney is a free, interactive, public event showcasing female researchers in Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths and Medicine. Picture an iconic backdrop and 12 enthusiastic researchers on soapboxes discussing their research with anyone and everyone who happens to walk past.
12-3pm Sat 10 August
Life on the levee – Wagga Wagga
Wagga Wagga levee banks are home to an abundance of flora and fauna. Join Wagga Wagga City Council’s Environmental Officers as they lead participants on walk commencing from Lonergan Place Playground. Learn about the River Regeneration Project and our natural environment.
10am-12pm Sun 11 August
Bush tucker, beasts and banksias – Huskisson
Kain, Nick and Stig from Booderee National Park will speak of the Bush Tucker section in the Botanic Garden, the progress of the quolls and other introduced species and the propagation of Jervis Bay’s very own, and very rare, Banksia Vincentia.
11am-12pm & 1:30-2:30pm Mon 12 August
NT
Apmereke Akaltye-irreme (Learning from the land) – Alice Springs
2019 is the International Year of Indigenous Languages. Apmereke Akaltye-irreme will feature local and regional projects that are connecting language and technology to ensure the continuation of Indigenous languages in the 21st century. Music by Stuart Nugget.
6-8pm Fri 9 August
Parent and child tech time soldering basics – Palmerston City
Build IT Up is proud to present to you the Parent and Child Technology Time workshop at the Palmerston Recreation Centre. We will provide the space and platform to tinker with technology. Your enthusiasm and energy are very welcome.
10am-3pm Sun 11 August
Katherine Mission Moon Science Week eveNT – Katherine
The Mission Moon EveNT is an expo for students, aged 6-9, in the Katherine region, to showcase the work they have completed during the First Lego League Junior Mission Moon challenge. Students will share their work with each other and a wider audience, including other schools and the community.
11am-2pm Mon 12 August
QLD
Luminary Lecture: Australia in space and Apollo (presented by Professor Alan Duffy) – Robina
Join science star Professor Alan Duffy as he explores Australia in space, and the unthinkable technologies allowing the next Space Race to be between startups not superpowers, and the ways in which Australia finds itself at the cutting-edge of space exploration.
6:30-7:30pm Fri 9 August
Hologram dinosaur adventure launch – Southport
Holoverse’s Holographic Dinosaur Experience takes you back to prehistoric times as you take part in adventures such as swimming with a Kronosaurus, feeding a Brontosaurus, dodging a stampede of Triceratops and hiding from Velociraptors in our state-of-the-art hologram technology adventure rooms.
9am-12pm Fri 9 August
Flight of the drones – Charters Towers
Bring your drone and compete by flying the obstacle course. Token prizes will be awarded to junior categories. Here is your chance to compete against the best local talent.
10am-2pm Sat 10 August
Wine, whales and sea tales – Main Beach
Descend below the surface into the mysterious underwater world of whales. Don’t miss this unique experience to learn from leading researchers and visual artists who are making ground-breaking discoveries in our very own blue backyard.
6:30-9pm Mon 12 August
SA
SCINEMA @ Leigh Creek Area School Community Library – Leigh Creek
SCINEMA is a celebration of the power of the moving image to inspire the young, satisfy the curious, explain the baffling and ask the impossible.
7:30-9:30pm Fri 9 August
Andamooka night skies tour – Andamooka
We will be hosting a journey through the Andamooka night skies using naked eye astronomy and telescopes to observe the Earth’s Moon, constellations, Jupiter and Saturn.
7-10:30pm Sat 10 August
Roboroos Robot Scrimmage – Banksia Park
Want a chance to see FIRST Tech Challenge Robots in action? The Student Robotics Club of SA Inc. (RoboRoos) are holding a Scrimmage with teams from around the state competing in Rover Ruckus, a game celebrating the 50th anniversary of the lunar landing; demonstrating STEM education in action.
11:30am-3pm Sun 11 August
TAS
Blueprints of nature – South Bruny Island
Back when science and art were better acquainted, we find a beautiful story weaving together the histories of women, art and science through cyanotype photography. Using a technique unchanged since the 1800s, join us to create your own blueprints of nature using the power of the sun.
10:30am-4pm Sat 10 August
Craig Challen: Australian of the Year – Sandy Bay
Joint Australian of the Year Craig Challen SC OAM explores how a love of investigation and environment enabled him to help others.
5-6pm Sat 10 August
Kitchen science and amazing chocolate creations – Latrobe
Be prepared for an exciting journey of discovery in the chocolate kitchen where tasty morsels will be created and the chemical reactions explained.
2-2:30pm Sun 12 August
VIC
Fatberg (displayed) – Southbank
Artists Arne Hendriks and Mike Thompson invite you to join them at Testing Grounds to build Australia’s first purpose-built island of fat, and to ask – What is fat? What does it want? What is fat’s future? And do we really know fat?
11am-6pm Wed-Sat 7-10 August
Coffee in space – Shepparton
Coffee-making in space is a challenging proposition. How do you grind the coffee without coffee grounds flying everywhere? How does an astronaut drink a floating ball of hot coffee? What to do with dead coffee grounds? Is space-made coffee even drinkable?
4-6pm Fri 9 August
Frogs and why we need them – Chiltern
Join Dr John Rafferty, Lecturer in Environmental Education from Charles Sturt University to learn about frogs and their importance to the environment. This talk is for people of all ages including children. There will be time for questions and refreshments will be provided.
10:30am-12pm Sat 10 August
WA
Stargazing and astronomy night – Bencubbin
Come and observe our amazing nights skies of the wheatbelt at the Bencubbin Community Recreation Centre. Richard from Astro Ed Services will give a fully laser guided tour, followed by stargazing through telescopes.
6-10:30pm Fri 9 August
The Innovators’ Tea Party – Perth
The Innovators’ Tea Party are hosting eight free speed-networking events for students in Years 10, 11 and 12 to meet with a range of women working in a variety of science, technology, engineering, medicine and maths careers.
9am-3pm Sun 11 August
Solar house design workshop – Kenwick
During this session we will cover the basics of good solar house design using a simple model house. You will then have the opportunity to apply that knowledge to evaluate how solar passive your own home is.
9:30-11:30am Sat 10 August
STEMFEST– South Hedlands
Come one and all to the unique, out of this world Hedland STEMfest. An interactive, free event designed to entertain children and adults alike; code a robot to battle to the death, learn about sound waves using fire at Ruben’s Flaming Disco, or build something in the Little Maker’s Space.
5-8pm Sat 10 August
Goodness Festival Launch and Science Extravaganza – Geraldton
There will be live demos in all the labs, sustainability tours around the campus, challenges, virtual worlds to explore as well as plenty of opportunities to get your hands dirty and have a go.
10am-2pm Sat 10 August
