With more than 2000 events planned around Australia, National Science Week from August 10-18 offers plenty of educational fun for all ages.
Events in and around that week will include parties, music and comedy shows, panel discussions, citizen science opportunities, interactive displays, film nights, open days and online activities, making science accessible and enjoyable.
Activities will take place in capital cities, regional centres, and remote settlements across Australia. Exciting local and international stars of science will headline the 2019 event.
These include NASA exobiologist Darlene Lim, a scientist who prepares astronauts for missions by putting them in the toughest environments on Earth.
Another popular attraction will be Sylvia Earle. Nicknamed “Her Deepness”, she is a veteran US oceanographer who pioneered extreme diving and lived in experimental underwater habitats.
Based at the University of NSW, Veena Sahajwalla is the inventor of green steel, a new building material made from old car tyres and recycled plastic. Also featuring will be Sydney maths teacher and YouTube star Eddie Wu, who was named Australia’s Local Hero for 2018, and fronted the TV series Teenage Boss.
Another speaker is Australian Nobel laureate Elizabeth Blackburn, a world-leading expert on telomeres -the protective caps at the end of our chromosomes – which play an important part in keeping us healthy as we age. She will discuss her research, and what you can do to keep your telomeres in good shape.
Highlights of the 2019 program include:
- The Great Aussie BioQuest – a citizen science project using smartphones to map biodiversity,
- The Science of Star Wars – at GAMMA.CON in Canberra
- Coffee On The Moon – scientists demonstrate the fine art of brewing in zero-gravity in Melbourne and Victorian regional centres
- Science Behind Bars – at Fremantle Prison, enables visitors to explore forensics and criminology with scientists from Perth’s Murdoch University
- Kids Navigate Neuroscience – fun and games for Adelaide children keen to explore the form and function of the brain.
- TastroFest – features droid-building displays, telescope workshops and a giant inflatable Space Shuttle.
First held in 1997, National Science Week has grown to become one of Australia’s largest festivals, with about 1.2 million people taking part in more than 2100 events last year.
- Visit scienceweek.net.au/events to search for events in your area.