(Images courtesy of CANVA, UNSW, Birdlife Australia and Surrey Now-Leader)
Space farming, dark matter, Indigenous Knowledge systems, eco-criminology and dinosaur-loving rock bands… the 2025 National Science Week grants reflect the diversity of Australian science, and the myriad of ways it touches all our lives. Whether participants are looking to build skills, reflect and wonder, debate, or laugh, these events will inspire all Australians to celebrate and engage with science.
Thirty-one grants were awarded by the Australian Government for special events during this year. Just some of these events include:
- The science behind saving lives at sea: from the chemistry of distress flares to physics of personal floatation devices, and whale rescue drills in New South Wales.
- Space farming: future food scientists will enlist the public’s help to grow and harvest crops in extreme environments and contribute recipes to a ‘Space Food cookbook’ in Victoria.
- Dark matter on the move: to celebrate the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, dark matter hunters and quantum experts will tour regional and remote communities across Western Australia, South Australia and New South Wales.
- A science camp for deaf youth on the site of Australia’s only nuclear research reactor in New South Wales.
- How-to guides to use cutting-edge technology to monitor threatened species including koalas and glossy black cockatoos in Queensland.,
- A dinosaur-loving supergroup touring a musical show across South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory.
- A school boat building challenge using recycled and found materials in Western Australia.
Many of the funded events and activities will be held in remote and regional areas, with a focus on increased participation of rural communities, First Nations Australians, and culturally and linguistically diverse groups. The grants also include efforts to better engage audiences with visual/hearing impairment through sensory science experiences.
See below for a full list of events:
Western Australia
East Kimberley School Boat Building Challenge and Family Day
Wyndham Youth Aboriginal Corporation, Wyndham
What floats your boat? That’s a pivotal question for students competing in a school boat building challenge across WA’s East Kimberley region. They can only use recycled items and ‘found materials’ from the local environment to build – and test – their innovative, eco-friendly vessels at Wyndham’s public swimming pool.
The challenge, facilitated by Wyndham District High School and St Joseph’s School, is open to students from East Kimberley, including Wyndham, Balgo, Warnum, Glen Hill and Kalumburu. Indigenous Elders, rangers and locals with boating/fishing experience will also assist students.
Kalgoorlie Festival of STEM
The Kids Research Institute Australia, Kalgoorlie
Join yarning sessions on Indigenous science, craft your own sun visor, and ‘kill’ bacteria with mini beanbags at the Kalgoorlie Festival of STEM.
This free, two-day event brings together local scientists, health professionals, Indigenous leaders, displays, and fun activities from Kids Research Institute Australia. It showcases accessible pathways to science and technology careers in Kalgoorlie and invites local schools to join a curriculum-based experiment and showcase results to the community.
Victoria
The National Quantum & Dark Matter Road Trip
University of Melbourne. Melbourne, Brisbane.
Meet dark matter hunters and quantum experts at events across Australia.
To celebrate Quantum Year, the National Quantum & Dark Matter Road Trip will tour pubs and schools in regional and remote communities in Western Australia, South Australia and New South Wales, and run public events in capital cities over two weeks in August.
Dark matter accounts for 84 per cent of all the matter in the Universe… but we don’t yet know what it is. Australia is a key player in the quest to find out. Quantum technologies are crucial in the hunt for dark matter, and they’re already used in smart phones and cars, medical imaging, manufacturing, and navigation. But today’s technologies capture only a small fraction of the potential of quantum physics.
Communities will also get the chance to trial a Dark Matter Hunter computer game, play with 3D quark puzzles, a muon detector, gravity well, diamond-earring-based magnetic field sensor, and quantum computing chips.
Celebrating Science at Flemington Library
Moonee Valley City Council, Melbourne
Join a ‘Writing the Future’ workshop with science communicator Steve Mushin and sci-fi author, Aimie Kaufman, who will reveal how science shapes her story plots.
This is just one of the Celebrating Science events for children, young people and families, along with STEM Storytime for preschoolers, STEM challenges for primary students, and intergenerational science trivia. The program aims to boost participation of families from low socio-economic or refugee backgrounds.
A Different Light: Multisensory Science Books of X-Ray Crystallography
Monash University, Melbourne
‘A Different Light’ will explore the hidden atomic structures and protein formations revealed through X-ray crystallography through multisensory books and a touring exhibition designed for blind, low vision, and diverse needs audiences (BLVDN).
This Quantum Year project celebrates Nobel Prize winners Henry and Lawrence Bragg, the Australian father-and-son duo who pioneered X-ray crystallography.
Designed by legally blind artist Dr Erica Tandori, from Monash University’s Rossjohn Laboratory, and designer/musician Dr Stu Favilla, from Swinburne University of Technology, it will be delivered through partnerships with Vision Australia (VIC), Next Sense (NSW), Braille House (QLD) and other key educational organisations, promoting inclusion and cutting-edge Australian science.
CSI: eDNA – Solving Eco-Crimes with Environmental DNA
Corymbia Eco Solutions, Melbourne
Think David Attenborough meets CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Don your lab coat, safety goggles and gloves and help a team of scientists solve eco-crimes by collecting and analysing environmental DNA (eDNA).
Step into BioQuisitive, a shipping container-turned life sciences Lab in the heart of Brunswick, where a mock crime scene awaits, full of physical evidence, environmental samples and contextual clues that need to be deciphered. The eco-crime could relate to water pollution, endangered species trafficking, biodiversity loss, climate change or deforestation.
Learn how to collect environmental samples from water, soil and air, avoiding crime scene contamination. Then, conduct eDNA extraction and analysis using the world’s first portable DNA laboratory, the ‘Bento Lab’, before crunching genetic data and using DNA barcoding.
This four-hour workshop is designed for participants aged 12+.
The STEM Zone Experiment
STEM Zone Pty Ltd, Drouin and Lardner
Visit a STEM extravaganza in West Gippsland, bursting with more than 25 stalls for the public to perform experiments with microscopes, delve into forensics, chemistry, propulsion and more. Activities include laser tag, VR experiences, a gas car racetrack, engineering challenges, flight simulators, microplastics investigations, forensics and butterfly habitats.
Local scientists will be available on stage for participants to ask burning questions they’ve always wanted answered. This free festival aims to inspire the next generation of scientists and celebrate Australian science innovations.
Jurassic Wonders: From Earth to Sky
Bendigo Science and Technology Museum, Bendigo
Meet roving dinosaurs, dig for fossils, and learn how Indigenous Australians connect with land and sky Country to understand the Universe.
This event for children (aged 3 to 11) aims to foster cross-cultural engagement and appreciation of First Nations knowledge systems and Western science. It also includes Auslan interpretation for children with low or no hearing.
Space farmer // Space cook!
La Trobe University, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide
It’s Day 530 on the moon base and you’re eating packaged slop again… until a delivery of nutrient-enhanced microgreens arrives from Earth. Your mission is to sustainably grow and harvest edible plants in an extreme environment. But first you need to learn the basics of plant biology, food chemistry and farming approaches that minimise water, energy and resource use.
The ARC Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space is supersizing its mission to develop out-of-this-world ‘future foods’ by enlisting public participation in Space farming experiments. Participants will receive a microgreens kit and guidance on how to alter plant sensory traits (colour, taste, smell and texture). The project involves 80+ scientists, nutritionists and chefs, with online and in-person events (Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth).
Empowering Health Through Science and Technology
Smart Health Global Australia Inc, Melbourne
Wearable health technology and apps have been around since the mid-2000s. But what’s the science behind them, and why should you care?
Find out in workshops, events, and a virtual health series for rural and remote communities. The program showcases how innovative technologies can reduce health disparities and improve access to preventative care. It also explores how nutrition science and mental health tools that empower users to make better decisions about everyday health and wellness.
The project will foster healthier lifestyle practices by equipping participants with the knowledge and resources to utilise health technologies effectively.
Smart Health Global Australia is a not-for-profit organisation based in Melbourne and Nepal with an aim to act as a catalytic driver to promote easy access to quality health in hard-to-reach areas.
Tasmania
Beaker Street Festival 2025
Beaker Street Ltd, Hobart, Cambridge, Swansea
Experience ‘scientifically proven fun’ where microscopes sit on bar tables, scientists take centre stage and late-night conversations could change the world. Welcome to Beaker Street Festival, an annual celebration of science and art in Lutruwita/Tasmania.
Centred around Hobart’s Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) and nearby venues, the week-long festival features talks and workshops by top local and visiting scientists, interactive science/art installations, photography exhibitions, live music and performance, and Tassie food and drink.
Young Tassie Scientists – Taking Science Around Tasmania
University of Tasmania. Locations around Tasmania
Hunting bad bugs that weaken kids’ bones, tracking tabby cats, creating black holes and virtual galaxies, and exploring how ice shelves collapse… these are just some of the research topics of last year’s Young Tassie Scientists, a group of 40 early-career researchers who volunteer their time to share their passion for science with audiences across Tasmania. New recruits are trained each year… we can’t wait to see what they share next!
Students and the wider public will get the opportunity to meet these bright young scientists as they travel around Tasmania, talking at schools and public events, with a focus on reaching regional, rural and island communities state-wide. They highlight local science and career opportunities through engaging presentations and activities.
National Science Week 2025 at Hive: Decoding the Universe from NW Tassie
Central Coast Council, Penguin and Ulverstone
How does space weather impact our view of the Southern Lights, aka Aurora Australis? What do scientists find when monitoring some of the world’s cleanest air at Cape Grim? And how do technological advances change our understanding of the Universe?
Find out during Hive Tasmania’s program of events including guided stargazing, rapid science sessions for schools, public talks, pub trivia nights, planetarium shows, and a dark skies citizen science project.
South Australia
Science in the Outback Pub
Outback Communities Authority, Oodnadatta, Andamooka and Copley
Is it easier to grow food on Mars than in the South Australian Outback? That’s the curious question behind Science in the Pub events organised by the Outback Communities Authority in partnership with the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space.
Achieving food security is a key challenge for remote communities and disproportionately impacts First Nations Australians. Events will be held in Oodnadatta, Andamooka and Copley, where communities have demonstrated an interest in and capacity for independent food production, including controlled growing environments, community gardens, solar and desalination facilities.
Plants for Space scientists will share insights on future food missions, in Space and on Earth, and explore how their research, technologies and processes could benefit Outback communities.
The Ammonites ROCK!
Heaps Good Productions, Adelaide, Alice Springs, Perth and Geraldton
Move over Spice Girls… Aussie girl-geek band, The Ammonites, are taking a palaeo-musical show on tour across South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory.
The trio – Danni, Morgan and Blair, who graduated from Dinosaur University, are the alter-egos of performers Bridget Tran, Kate Neville and Montana Vincent. With the help of renowned singing palaeontologist Professor Flint, their show explores Australia’s prehistoric past, while shining a light on challenges facing women in science, but inspiring girls to follow their lead and dream big!
Professor Flint will also bring a ‘show and tell’ table of Australian fossils on tour. Plus, audiences will get the chance to dive into a 580-million-year-old inland sea, thanks to the University of South Australia’s 360 VR reconstruction of the ancient Ediacaran seafloor.
Queensland
Tech Meets Nature Showcase: How technology advances wildlife outcomes
Glossy Black Conservancy Inc., Gold Coast
Wildlife monitoring is being transformed by new technologies, including eco-acoustics, thermal imaging, drones, artificial intelligence and remote 4G cameras. But it can be hard for citizen scientists, and rural and remote communities to keep up with what these tools can do to make it easier to track populations and identify environmental changes.
The Tech Meets Nature Showcase, delivered as an in-person and livestreamed event at Griffith University, aims to educate communities across Australia on use of these technologies and open-source tools to protect a range of iconic species, from koalas to glossy black cockatoos.
Gladstone Art Science Innovation Festival
Rebecca Cunningham, Gladstone
What will our dining rooms look like in 2050 and 2100 in a changing climate?
Join a ‘low-carbon’ picnic that doubles as a sustainable social experiment, with celebrity chefs whipping up a future food smorgasbord, highlighting ingredients that may be grown around Gladstone under different climate scenarios in the future. Audiences will be invited to taste and vote on their favourite future flavours.
Or if food isn’t your forte, discover how Gladstone is driving Australia’s decarbonisation transition and why it’s home to the world’s largest seagrass restoration nursery. Go on a sunset sound walk punctuated by creative works that use music, dance, light and circus to highlight the region’s unique biosphere on the doorstep of the Southern Great Barrier Reef.
These are just some of the highlights of the two-day Gladstone Art Science Innovation Festival, bringing together university, industry and arts sectors at Central Queensland University and East Shores parklands.
Nature’s Blueprint: Science, Regenerative Design, and Sustainability
Chrisopher Otto, Nelly Bay
Sustainability beyond recycling and composting: discover meaningful and practical ways to better safeguard our planet through a series of workshops and discussions on regenerative design, First Nations knowledge systems, the circular economy, and biodiversity conservation.
Activities include turning waste into construction materials (glass into sand and plastic into sheets), crafting products from organic waste (eggshell ceramics and coffee ground tiles), creating natural dyes from plant-based materials, Indigenous land management (cultural and ecological importance of cool burning and medicinal plant use), and mapping koala habitats.
Northern Territory
Biodiversity Buzz: Top End Eco Science Fair
Landcare NT Incorporated, Darwin
Tuck into bush tucker, purchase native plants from an array of 120+ species, and learn about soil chemistry, pest management and the importance of habitat preservation. Biodiversity Buzz brings together Top End experts in environmental science, botany, zoology, microbiology, ecology and social sciences at Darwin’s Jingili Water Gardens.
Join interpretative walks, get tips on boosting biodiversity in your home garden, discover the science of plant classification, and encounter native wildlife from bees to birds. This event aims to enhance community knowledge about Top End ecosystems and encourage locals to safeguard terrestrial, freshwater, marine and estuarine biodiversity.
Decoding the Universe: A Journey Through Time and Space
The Board of the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Alice Springs
Discover how Australia’s Red Centre provides insights into the history of life on Earth.
Explore our abundance of fossil sites, from the precursors of multi-cellular life (which lived billions of years before dinosaurs) to the world’s largest bird. See how Central Australia has changed through deep time, and learn about our more recent geological past by exploring the twelve craters created just 4,700 years ago by the Henbury Meteor!
New South Wales
The Indigenous Science Experiences @ Redfern and the Scrub
Macquarie University, Sydney
How can virtual reality games open a portal to Torres Strait Islander culture? What does Aboriginal astronomy tell us about the night sky? And how do Indigenous knowledge systems help us understand physics, gut health, renewable energy, and more?
The Indigenous Science Experiences at Redfern Community Centre and the Scrub (Western Sydney Parklands) celebrate Indigenous knowledge systems and their impact on safeguarding natural resources, sustainable living and innovation. The program includes practical workshops and displays on the science of sound, weaving, bush foods, cultural uses of seaweeds, and movement science incorporating Aboriginal dance.
Grow Our Own: Regional STEM Industry Tours 2025
Regional Development Australia – Riverina, Griffith, Yenda,Tharbogang, Leeton, Stanbridge, Bilbul and
Whitton
Grow Our Own is taking high school students behind the scenes of working labs, cellars and paddocks of New South Wales’ Riverina food bowl.
Free excursions aim to inspire young people to consider future careers in the region, covering everything from the science of winemaking to agricultural engineering, renewable energy farms and more.
Grow Our Own is an industry-led alliance of business, education, and government agencies who seek to inform and inspire young people to live, work and learn within the Riverina region.
Deaf Youth Science Camp
Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), Sydney
Nuclear scientists and deaf educators will visually unpack the science behind our universe – at the atomic level – in this three-day youth camp on the site of Australia’s only nuclear reactor, OPAL.
Located at ANSTO’s Lucas Heights campus in Sydney, the camp for deaf and hard-of-hearing youth (aged 12 to 17) includes workshops, site tours, 3D printing and robotics demonstrations, bushwalking and outdoor games. The camp is organised by ANSTO in partnership with Deaf Youth Australia.
The OPAL reactor produces radiopharmaceuticals for nuclear medicine and neutron beams for research. It also supplies more than half the global demand for irradiated silicon used in electronics and green technologies.
Youth Drone Project
Police Citizens Youth Clubs NSW Ltd, Moruya
Do you have what it takes to be a Drone Ranger? Find out in a two-day workshop for wannabe high-flyers aged 15 to 18. Tackle flight physics, drone structure and coding, while building and testing an aerial obstacle course.
The workshop aims to help teens develop technical and social skills like teamwork, collaboration and problem-solving, while showcasing related careers in search and rescue, environmental and agricultural research, 3D mapping, film and television, security, and more. Participants aged 16+ can also gain drone operator accreditation.
Science in the Swamp: Superpowers of Nature
Centennial Park and Moore Park Trust, Sydney
Discover the Superpowers of Nature. Explore plankton’s critical role in conservation, join bug hunts, ID a frog, learn how Indigenous knowledge systems harnesses nature’s superpowers, use solar scopes to observe the sun, or wander the wetlands.
There’s something for everyone at Science in the Swamp including wildlife encounters, science experiments, guided biodiversity walks and eco-friendly crafts. The free family event is a partnership between Centennial Parklands and a series of science exhibition providers.
Lake Mac STEAM Week 2025
Lake Macquarie City Council, Lake Macquarie
Robotics, stargazing, and a ‘Fab Lab’ for digital creatives. Lake Mac STEAM Week returns with a focus on First Nations science, art-meets-science and engineering.
Drop into Lake Mac Libraries for ‘taster’ maker workshops at the Fabrication Lab. Peer into science-themed dioramas created by local high school students. Explore the science of stargazing via a multi-sensory, 360-degree projection artwork at The Cube (located in the Multi-Arts Pavilion).
Marine Rescue: The Science behind Saving Lives at Sea
Volunteer Marine Rescue NSW. Port Macquarie
Rescue a model whale, compete in knot-tying, goggle at underwater drones and learn how waves, wind and currents impact marine rescue operations. From the chemistry of distress flares to physics of personal floatation devices, survival at sea is anchored to advances in science.
Meet marine rescue volunteers, Master mariners, an ex-Navy clearance diver, remote sensing experts, and marine and earth systems scientists at this family-friendly event focused on the scientific principles that make search and rescue operations possible.
Science on the South Coast
University of Wollongong, Nowra, Batemans Bay and Wollongong
Launch a rocket, fly a virtual reality Navy chopper, hold a crocodile, build a lava lamp, gawp at liquid nitrogen shows, examine your muscles with ultrasound, and journey through ancient Indigenous songlines. These are just some of the free activities on offer at University of Wollongong’s rural campuses (Nowra and Bateman’s Bay), and state-of-the-art Science Space in North Wollongong.
The program aims to demonstrate accessibility of science careers in rural communities, increase participation of Indigenous and culturally and linguistically diverse groups, and better engage audiences with visual/hearing impairment through sensory science interactions.
Indigenous Science Storytelling Series: Celebrating Knowledge & Innovation
Community News Hub Aboriginal Corporation. Gunnedah
How do you capture 65,000+ years of Indigenous Knowledge? Powerfully… through a series of videos, articles, podcasts and online events that showcase traditional knowledge, environmental stewardship and deadly inventions of Australia’s First Scientists.
The Indigenous Science Storytelling Series, released during National Science Week, captures the voices of Indigenous elders, scientists and environmentalists who are leading the way in conservation, technology and sustainable practices. The project will also illustrate how Indigenous and Western science can work in harmony to solve contemporary challenges, with educational toolkits for schools and community groups.
Australian Capital Territory
CSIRO Science Experiment
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). National.
Aerogard, fast Wi-Fi, and plastic bank notes. Where would we be without them? These iconic Aussie inventions were born from CSIRO experiments.
Now, the national science agency is seeking public participation in a ‘CSIRO Science Experiment’ to be unveiled during National Science Week. It will be delivered virtually and include a citizen science component. Since 1916, CSIRO has turned science into solutions targeting Australia’s greatest challenges, from food security to sustainable energy and resources, resilient environments, future industries, and health and wellbeing.
Parasite Pandemic: Unlocking Science Through Immersive Experience
The Australian Society for Parasitology. Canberra and Kiola
Are you ready to save humankind from a rapidly spreading parasite pandemic? Step inside the ‘A Race for the Antidote’ Escape Room; visit a Parasite Zoo packed with live and preserved specimens; identify and avoid parasitic infections through virtual reality; meet real-world parasitologists; and explore the fictional world of Manga characters with parasitic mutations.
The program, starting in Canberra before moving to NSW South Coast, combines interactive science games and activities aimed at sparking interest in the study of parasites. It also aims to provide participants with insights into how scientists tackle global health challenges more broadly.
