National Science Week Education stories up for grabs now around Australia
- Neurodiversity, teenage attention spans and the school-aged brain
- How do you count koalas?
- 200+ schools make fake blood
- Inflatable DNA: meet the molecular biologist-turned-balloon artist teaching kids what makes them unique – multiple locations, ACT
- You could have a science career in government – Canberra
- Tracking cats, robot cars, drones, fossils, and more at Festival of Bright Ideas – Hobart
- Ice blasts, penguin eggs, and mobile Antarctic classroom – multiple locations, TAS
- Naracoorte’s giant ancient kangaroos, Tasmanian tigers, and a singing palaeontologist – online
- Students make stars – multiple locations, NT
- The Indigenous night sky, bush food, and technology – Sydney
- Bug Barcode Blitz: WA’s creepy crawlies need your help
- Family tree of Tassie devils - Sydney
- Why can’t you see the stars? – online
More on these below and visit ScienceWeek.net.au/events to find more stories in your area.
Scientists, experts, performers and event organisers are available for interview throughout National Science Week.
Direct contact details for each event are below or contact Tanya Ha on tanya@scienceinpublic.com.au or 0404 083 863.
Media centre here. Images for media here.
Individual event details and media contacts
Neurodiversity, teenage attention spans and the school-aged brain – online
While the human brain stops growing in size before our teens, adolescent grey matter remains a work in progress, often confounding teachers and parents alike.
CSIRO neuroscientist and TEDx presenter Dr Dana Bradford is the go-to when it comes to ‘understanding the school-aged brain’. She knows the techniques to boost student engagement, attention, curiosity, collaboration, retention and brain health – and how this applies to both neurotypical and neurodivergent students.
Dana is delivering a series of free professional learning webinars for educators, school administrators, student support staff, parents and anyone who works with young people.
Thursday 8 August – ‘Engaging curiosity and teamwork’: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/engaging-curiosity-teamwork-teacher-professional-learning-with-neuroscientist-dr-dana-bradford/
Wednesday 21 August – ‘Boosting attention and memory for better learning’: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/boosting-attention-and-memory-for-better-learning-with-neuroscientist-dr-dana-bradford/
Thursday 12 September – ‘Incorporating movement and mindfulness’: events.csiro.au/Events/2024/July/12/Incorporating-movement-and-mindfulness
Media enquiries: Holly Stemm, holly.stemm@csiro.au or 0424 268 350
How do you count koalas? – online
We don’t know how many koalas are left. Koalas are notoriously shy and hard to spot. So how do scientists find and count them to map their populations and protect them?
Answer: they use drone-mounted thermal cameras, detection dogs, visual surveys, volunteer citizen scientists, apps, and more.
Meet the scientists from the CSIRO-led National Koala Monitoring Program:
- quantitative biologist Dr Andrew Hoskins
- spatial ecologist Dr Samantha Munroe, who maps the distribution of different species
- conservation ecologist Dr Romane Cristescu, who develops methods to monitor koala movement.
They will present a webinar to share their koala science and show people how to get involved in the Great Koala Count.
Tuesday 13 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/the-great-koala-count/
Media enquiries: Amy Edwards, amy.edwards@csiro.au or 02 4960 6169
CSIRO Program lead Dr Andrew Hoskins and collaborators are available for interviews.
Beautiful koala images and b-roll available, including close-up footage of koalas in the wild, a koala release at Redland Coast near Brisbane, kids using the CSIRO koala spotter app, and the detection dogs at work.
200+ schools make fake blood – Online
What’s in our blood? How many colours can a bruise really turn? Why does slime behave the way it does? What different slimes are out there in nature?
To answer these questions (and more) Dr Rob Bell, former TV presenter of science show Scope, has teamed up with the Red Cross to have a bloody good time with slime this Science Week. More than 200 primary schools have signed up to the Big Bloody Slime Experiment and will make a slime-based version of fake blood (with all the components). The blood will be fake, but the facts are real!
Saturday 10 – Saturday 17 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/the-big-bloody-slime-experiment/
Dr Rob and members of the Red Cross Lifeblood Team are available for interviews. Rod can set up demonstrations or photo/filming opportunities with participating schools.
Media enquiries: Dr Rob Bell, rob@experimentary.com.au or 0438 387 019.
Inflatable DNA: meet the molecular biologist-turned-balloon artist teaching kids what makes them unique – multiple locations, ACT
Show-and-tell takes a twisted turn with Dr Chloe Lim. The former reality TV star and trained molecular biologist (with a PhD in Medical Science) introduces pre-schoolers and primary school kids to the concept of genetics through balloon twisting.
Chloe founded edutainment venture, Twisty Science. She is the author of children’s book, What Makes You Unique; and made the finals of Channel 7's TV show, Blow Up.
Her ‘Twisty Science Show’ takes place across multiple locations.
From Thursday 8 August: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/the-twisty-science-show-science-storytelling-with-a-twist-4/denman-prospect
Media enquiries: Chloe Lim, chloe@twistyfic.com or 0401 118 648
You could have a science career 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.
Tracking cats, robot cars, drones, fossils, and more at Festival of Bright Ideas – Hobart, TAS
- Become a Nature Tracker and about Tasmanian threatened species, such as birds of prey, burrowing crayfish, bats and bitterns.
- Meet the microbiologist hunting the bad bugs, the tabby cat tracker, the astrophysicist creating virtual black holes, and other Young Tassie Scientists.
- Tap into 50,000 years of the Palawa Traditional Knowledge.
- ‘Drive’ a Sphero Indi, the cool little robotic cars that react to colours.
- Come face-to-face with Tassie wildlife, both land and marine creatures.
- Go fossil finding or see drones in action.
- Meet the feline friends and ferals from Ten Lives Cat Shelter and find out how to reduce the impact of cats on the environment.
- Connect with makers and tinkerers from Hobart Hackerspace.
These are just some of the speakers, activities and displays at the Festival of Bright Ideas, Tasmania’s largest public STEM event, at Princes Wharf 1 on Hobart’s waterfront.
Friday 16 August: Schools Day. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/festival-of-bright-ideas-3/hobart
Saturday 17 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/festival-of-bright-ideas-4/hobart
Media enquiries: Belinda Brock, Belinda.Brock@utas.edu.au, 0438 616 747
Antarctic roadtrip: ice blasts, penguin eggs, and science-on-the-go – Campbell Town and other locations, TAS
Tasmania is the nerve centre for Antarctic scientists, driving Australia’s research activities in the coldest, driest and windiest continent on Earth – also recognised as the world’s most important natural laboratory.
Mawson’s Huts Foundation has converted a bus into a ‘Mobile Antarctic Classroom’, complete with snow tent, to acclerate education about Antarctic and Southern Ocean science, and inspire schoolchildren to become future scientists.
What to expect: play with magnets, replica penguin eggs, and polarising filters; take a #Selfie in the snow tent; and learn about Australia’s Antarctic history, plate tectonics, magnetism, climate, and animals.
Thursday 8 August (Campbell Town): www.scienceweek.net.au/event/the-mobile-antarctic-classroom-antarctic-festival-tour-4/campbell-town/
Media enquiries: Daryl Peebles, daryl.peebles@bigpond.com or 0418 972 420.
Giant ancient kangaroos, Tasmanian tigers, and a singing palaeontologist – online, via Naracoorte, SA
Naracoorte Caves is home to an exquisitely preserved giant wombat, a 2.5 metre kangaroo, marsupial lions, giant monitor lizards, Tasmanian tigers, and other megafauna fossils. It’s one of the largest and oldest fossil sites in the world, celebrating the 30th anniversary of its World Heritage listing this year.
Meet the megabeasts and the scientists who study them through webinars presenting the latest discoveries in the caves, livestreamed from within the caves themselves. Significant discoveries include finding new species of animals and understanding how mammals respond to climate change.
In addition, the singing palaeontologist Professor Flint will launch his new album ‘Dancing with Diprotodons!’
Sunday 11 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/world-heritage-beyond-the-boundaries/
Media enquiries: Thoman Shortt, thomas.shortt@sa.gov.au
For Professor Flint: Michael Mills, michael@heapsgood.com.au or 0411 287 381.
Students make stars – multiple locations, NT
Stories in the Sky transforms individual classrooms across the Territory into a celestial sensory experience with learning kits. Students will be immersed in a world of stars as an audio guide takes them through the science and significance of stars and space.
They will go on a guided journey through the physics and chemistry of space and learn how cultures around the world have been guided by the stars for millennia. Inspired by the experience, students then use their learnings to create a new star design using the power of the sun, for inclusion in an augmented reality gallery.
Media enquiries: Sarah Sutcliffe, sarah.sutcliffe@cdu.edu.au or 08 8946 6413.
The Indigenous night sky, bush food, and technology – Redfern, NSW
What can Aboriginal astronomy tell us about the night sky? How are native flora used in bush medicine and soap making? How do Indigenous Australians make axes from stone and other artefacts? What can deadly science tell us about seaweed, birdlife, engineering, textiles, and more? What can 60 000+ years of Indigenous culture tell us about sustainable living?
The Indigenous Science Experience at Redfern is a celebration of Indigenous and Western science, and the achivements of Indigenous youth and Elders. This annual event demonstrates the value of traditional and contemporary Indigenous knowledge in science and technology. Indigenous students assist in demonstrating activities.
Saturday 17 August. www.scienceweek.net.au/event/indigenous-science-experience-at-redfern-4/redfern/ Media enquiries: Joanne Jamie, joanne.jamie@mq.edu.au, 0439 170 683 or 02 9850 8283.
Indigenous student leaders and event organiser Joanne Jamie (non-Indigenous) are available for media interviews. View video from 2022 event.
Bug Barcode Blitz: WA’s creepy crawlies need your help – online, WA
Western Australia is covered in bugs. Roughly the size of Western Europe, the state is home to everything from assassin bugs to stink bugs, and even an ant species named after Voldemort, from Harry Potter fame.
But nobody knows the true scale of invertebrate species in Australia, with less than 30% identified.
WA Bug Barcode Blitz 2024 is on a mission to remedy this, enlisting schools and regional communities to help discover and catalogue insects and arachnids using DNA barcoding, ahead of a ‘big reveal’ of potential new species. Selected specimens may also be sent to Murdoch University for conservation research.
Wednesday 14 August & Saturday 17 August (live-streamed sessions on DNA barcoding guided by Murdoch University experts): www.scienceweek.net.au/event/wa-bug-barcode-blitz-2024/
Media enquiries: Pauline Charman, pauline.charman@biobarcode.com.au or 0410 613 736 / Samantha Ferguson, samantha.ferguson@murdoch.edu.au / Katherine Sambrook, Katherine.Sambrooks@murdoch.edu.au.
Family tree of Tassie devils - Sydney, NSW
For most people, it’s fun to look at genetic data to understand a family tree, but for scientists, this data can be a critical tool to help conserve threatened species.
Discover how scientists use genetic data to help recover threatened species like the Tasmanian devil and bilby with Professor Carolyn Hogg.
Carolyn is the founder of the Threatened Species Initiative which collaborates with scientists, government, and ‘big tech’ to help scientists access valuable genomic data. Learn about her work and how genomic technology has become an essential tool to manage Australia’s threatened wildlife.
Wednesday 14 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/biodiversity-bilbies-and-battling-extinction/sydney
Media enquiries: Events Office, Office of the NSW Chief Scientist & Engineer, nswchiefscientist@chiefscientist.nsw.gov.au
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.
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.
