- Step into the ‘digital memory’ of an endangered forest at the NFSA – Canberra
- Want to work as a scientist on Capital Hill? – Canberra
- Meet the inventor of green steel from old tyres – Canberra
- Early signs of blindness you can stop – Canberra
- Surviving in the wild without an iPhone or having to drink your own wee – Canberra
- Fang-tastic: For the love of bats, vampires and pop-culture flick, Blade – Canberra
- Shop alongside reptiles, daleks, dinosaurs, robots, and more – multiple locations
- Can you see the stars? Dark skies versus light pollution
More on these highlights below.
Scientists, experts and event organisers are available for interview throughout National Science Week.
Read on for direct contact details for each event or contact Tanya Ha – tanya@scienceinpublic.com.au or 0404 083 863.
Visit ScienceWeek.net.au/events to find more stories in your area.
Media centre here. Images for media here.
Ghost Trees: big data, art and sound bringing back landscapes lost – Acton, Canberra
Step inside the ‘digital memory’ of an endangered forest to better understand what we’re losing in the natural world.
That’s the call to action by Australian artists, James McGrath and Gary Sinclair. Combining science, data and audiovisual art, their installation ‘Ghost Trees at the NFSA’, provides a 360-degree perspective of Rushworth Forest on the lands of the Ngurai-illam Wurrung people in Victoria.
The installation is developed entirely from environmental data captured for the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN) by Ghent University’s Professor Kim Calders. James McGrath created the visuals from TERN’s three-dimensional LIDAR (light detection and ranging) scans, giving viewers kinetic and surprising perspectives on the forest, while Gary Sinclair’s surround-sound audio features eco-acoustic site recordings, with melody generated from the spatial data points of the trees.
Saturday 10 August - Sunday 8 September. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/ghost-trees-at-the-nfsa/acton/
Media enquiries: Jacqui Douglas, comms@nfsa.gov.au or 0417 738 434.
Images and vision available here on Dropbox.
You could have a science job in government – Capital Hill, ACT
Every day, thousands of Australian Government scientists are working on tasks like investigating potential drug cheating in sport, stopping weed seeds from coming into Australia, setting standards for radiation safety, and putting our own communication satellites into space.
Meet a plethora of government scientists at Parliament House. These are public servants who do science in the departments, agencies, and regulators that make up the Government Scientists Group (GSG), such as the Australian Institute of Marine Science, Sport Integrity Australia, Therapeutic Goods Administration, Geoscience Australia, the Australian Antarctic Division Questacon, and many more.
Australia’s Chief Scientist Dr Cathy Foley hosts the GSG STEM Expo, showcasing the diversity of careers available within the 20 or more GSG members exhibiting and presenting insights into their careers, working environments, and experiences.
Thursday 15 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/gsg-stem-expo-2024/capital-hill/
Media enquiries: Angeline Lowther, communications@chiefscientist.gov.au or 02 6213 6553.
Making steel from old tyres – Parkes, ACT
Scientia Professor Veena Sahajwalla invented technology that uses recycled tyres in steel production.
She and her team also invented an e-waste microfactory that harvests metals from old laptops, circuit boards, and smartphones, and technology that makes ceramic tiles and kitchen benchtops from waste clothes and glass. Now they’re targeting plastic, turning hard plastics into feedstock for 3D printing.
Veena will share her vision for a sustainable future at the annual Ann Moyal Lecture at the National Library of Australia. Veena is director of the Centre for Sustainable Materials Research & Technology at UNSW and heads the ARC Industrial Transformation Research Hub for ‘green manufacturing’.
Monday 12 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/ann-moyal-lecture-scientia-professor-veena-sahajwalla/parkes
Veena Sahajwalla is available for media interview.
Media enquiries: Stuart Snell, s.snell@unsw.edu.au or 0416 650 906.
Discover the early signs of blindness that you can stop – Capital Hill, ACT
Up to 90% of vision impairment or blindness in Australia is preventable, but only if we recognise the early signs and know treatment and prevention options. At the Eye Surgery Showcase, participants will learn about the most prevalent and impactful diseases impacting vision impairment in Australia.
Attendees at the showcase will participate in interactive displays, ophthalmologist-guided demonstrations, and even live interventions using leading technology. This will include a focus on the treatment within remote Indigenous communities, such as preventative measures and emerging treatments, with the potential to hear from first-hand patient experience.
Wednesday 14 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/aso-eye-surgery-showcase/canberra
Media enquiries: Emma Crowley, emma@asoeye.org or 0413 178 031.
Speakers are available for media interviews on request.
Surviving in the wilderness without an iPhone or having to drink your own wee – Canberra, ACT
Think you can survive alone in the wild? Discover what it takes with science adventurer, Kate Grarock, who starred in SBS documentary series, Alone Australia.
She chats to interdisciplinary scientist, Ingrid Stirnemann, about finding food, seeking shelter and not drinking your own urine when the going gets tough.
‘Survival Science – In Conversation with Kate from Alone and Ingrid Stirnemann’ takes place a world away from the wilderness in the comfort of Dickson Library.
Wednesday 14 August: https://www.scienceweek.net.au/event/survival-science-in-conversation-with-kate-from-alone-and-ingrid-stirnemann/dickson/
Media enquiries: Kate Grarock, kate.grarock@gmail.com
Dr Kate Grarock is an environmental scientist, hiker, filmmaker, and speaker. She is also a part of SBS documentary series Alone Australia. She is currently an expedition leader at Bush Blitz, travelling to remote parts of Australia, looking for new species of plants and animals, and is passionate about inspiring others to get outdoors and enjoy all the benefits of connecting with nature.
Fang-tastic. For the love of bats, vampires and pop-culture flick, Blade – Canberra, ACT
Marvel’s first box office hit, Blade (released 1998), is often credited with kickstarting the superhero cinema age.
Grab some popcorn for a special ‘Blade Screening and Panel Discussion’, delving into the myths and science of vampires and bats popularised in the blood-sucking horror genre.
It forms part of the Science. Art. Film. 2024 program, presented by the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science and the ANU Humanities Research Centre.
On the panel:
- Pidge Greenwood is studying a Bachelor of Science at ANU with a focus on genetics and evolutionary sciences. They have a strong interest in vampires and the metaphors they often embody in fiction.
- Dr Brendan McMorran is an Associate Professor and research group leader at the ANU's John Curtin School of Medical Research. His research spans genetics, immunology and infectious disease.
- Dr Joanna Haddock holds degrees in psychology and environmental science and completed a PhD investigating the impacts of urban street lighting on insectivorous bats. She now uses her psychology expertise and love of bats as a science communicator.
- Dr Alice Motion is an Associate Professor and Deputy Head of School at the University of Sydney’s School of Chemistry. Their work centres on ways to better connect people with science, including through citizen science collaborations.
- Dr Anna-Sophie Jürgens (moderator) is a Senior Lecturer in Science Communication at the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science and the Head of the Popsicule – ANU’s Science in Popular Culture and Entertainment Hub.
Thursday 15 August: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/blade-screening-panel-discussion-science-art-film-at-the-nfsa/acton
Media enquiries: Jacqui Douglas, comms@nfsa.gov.au or 0417 738 434.
Meet reptiles, daleks, dinosaurs, robots, and more while you’re shopping – multiple locations, ACT
Science while you shop! Pop-up science activity centres will give shoppers the chance to meet scientists, engineers, and daleks, and learn about space, engineering with LEGO, live reptiles, dinosaurs, parasites, chemistry, geology, robotics, and more.
Westfield Belconnen, Westfield Woden, South.Point Tuggeranong, Cooleman Court, Gungahlin Marketplace, and the Canberra Centre will host a variety of displays and hands-on science activities during the weekends of National Science Week (10 - 11 and 17 - 18 August).
Media enquiries: actscienceweek@gmail.com
Representatives from stallholders are available for interview.
Why can’t you see the stars? – online
What happened to the night sky? The Milky Way is no longer visible to an estimated third of humanity, including more than half of Australians, thanks to light pollution.
This August, the ABC is exploring the dark sky and the impact of light pollution on science, creatures, and culture. Light pollution in the night sky is a problem for astronomers and stargazers, it confuses the circadian rhythms of some creatures and misguides the navigation of others, impacts Sky Country and Indigenous cultural practices, and contributes to sleep deprivation in humans.
ABC Science will invite people to explore the dark sky, contribute to an Australian National University study of the Milky Way’s visibility, see solutions to light pollution, stargaze with Radio National and guest astronomers, and vote in their poll on ‘the most amazing thing you’ve seen in the night sky.’
Monday 31 July – Friday 16 August: www.scienceweek.net.au/exploring-dark-skies-with-abc/ or www.abc.net.au/nightsky.
Media enquiries: Shelley Thomas, shelley@scienceinpublic.com.au or 0416 377 444.
Scientists available for media interviews, including ANU’s Brad Tucker, astrophysicist and cosmologist at Mt Stromlo Observatory; and Peter Swanton, Gamilaraay/Yuwaalaraay man and cultural astronomer.
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 about 2.7 million people participated in more than 1,860 events and activities.
The festival is proudly supported by the Australian Government, CSIRO, the Australian Science Teachers Association, and the ABC.
In 2024 it runs from Saturday 10 to Sunday 18 August. Event details can be found at www.scienceweek.net.au.
Contact details:
Direct contact details for each event are in the media release, or contact Tanya Ha on tanya@scienceinpublic.com.au or 0404 083 863.
