Non-invasive Analysis of Ancient Papyri: A museum floor talk

Papyrus is the first flexible writing support that was used from 3100 BC until the 11th century AD. While primarily produced in Egypt and then southern Italy, it was exported throughout the Mediterranean and Roman empire. The last two decades have witnessed great progress in the investigation and analysis of archaeological papyri. My work focuses…

A Splash of Colour – Identification of pigments in the collections

Colour is found on a wide range of ancient objects, such as coffins, papyri, ceramics and paintings, and also in cosmetic materials for body and hair. Colourants can from a range of natural sources including minerals, plants, insects, lay and soot from oil lamps or by charring ivory or bones. The use of specific colours is often…

Scouting the Skies

Scouts will be designing and constructing a payload for a high altitude balloon. The payload will be designed to record atmospheric data during the flight, such as temperature, air pressure, and CO2 concentration. It will also be able to record photos and video of the flight, showing the amazing panorama from the top of the…

Great Glossy Count Training Workshop – Burpengary

Join like-minded bird-lovers to learn how to locate and identify Glossy Black-Cockatoos and their feed trees in the wild. Eric Anderson from Birdlife Southern Queensland will present information about Glossy Black-Cockatoo identification and ecology. The workshop will also feature a talk from Geckoes Wildlife who will display a live Glossy Black-Cockatoo and other native wildlife….

Hands-on Science at Harrison School

The science team at Harrison will be conducting break time activities in the VAST building at the school. Students from P-10 can register for the activity of their choice and celebrate science.

Exploring Careers in STEM

Interested in a career in STEM? Come along to Melton City Libraries to hear from a diverse panel of young people who work in the field. Ingrid, Daniel and Josh will speak about their journeys so far working in the industry, and answer any questions you may have. The panel includes Ingrid Freeman (data science…

Minute to Win it

Students at Lota State school from Prep to Year 6 will take part in 4 science-based games.  Chop Stick Pick-up  materials science How many blocks can you move from 1 cup to the other using only the chopsticks in 1 minute. Dice Stack structures Can you hold an ice cream stick in your teeth and…

St Paul’s Science Fair Extraordinaire

How can we make the world better for those around us? Is there a problem you wish you could solve? Have you ever wondered how things work the way they do? We all have those big questions and through our Science Fair Extraordinaire, students will begin unlocking them. A range of experiments will be selected…

Psychedelics: From ‘Magic’ to Medicinal

Could psychedelics unlock the answers to managing complex mental health issues? Once associated with cults and hippies, psychedelics are now becoming an evidence-based treatment for psychiatric disorders. In Australia there are psychedelic trials taking place and come July, psilocybin and MDMA will be available for prescription by authorised psychiatrists for the first time. This is…

The Mathematics of Twisting Somersaults

What do a space station, a falling cat, and a springboard diver have in common? They are in free fall. But in contrast to a falling rock, they all have the ability to reorient themselves whilst they are falling. In this talk, we’ll explore the principles behind this phenomenon. The mathematics underpinning the reorientation uses…