Wednesday 14 August
Highlights from day 5 of National Science Week
Researchers, experts, and other interesting people available for interview around the country.
VIC: Hedy Lamarr’s Hollywood glamour and scientific genius on stage – Bendigo & Melbourne
NSW: Celestial Emu premier with Gamilaroi astrophysicist Karlie Noon and dancer Daniel Mateo
ACT: Surviving in the wilderness without an iPhone or having to drink your own wee
NSW: Satellites, space junk and the future of our dark night skies
WA: Bug Barcode Blitz to map the state’s creepy crawlies – online
NT: 9-metre whale puppet tells The Whale’s Tale at Darwin Festival
NSW: Whale snot, poop and other mysteries on the ‘Humpback Highway’
TAS: Eavesdrop on bats, bitterns, and other animals – online
SA: Giant ancient kangaroos, Tasmanian tigers, and the history of Naracoorte Caves – online
National: 200+ schools make fake blood
Read on for more on these, including direct event contact details.
Also today:
- WA: Are there flowers under the sea? Yes! See the seagrasses at AQWA
- SA: What do theoretical physicists do? Ask Professor Susan Coppersmith about her career in quantum mechanics.
Coming up tomorrow:
Canine happiness 101; vampire movie science; galactic green-thumbs; your ‘visual brain’; and speaking for trees – see a preview of Thursday’s highlights.
National Science Week 2024 runs from 10 to 18 August.
Visit ScienceWeek.net.au/events to find more stories in your area.
Media centre here. Images for media here.
General Science Week media enquiries: Tanya Ha, tanya@scienceinpublic.com.au or 0404 083 863
Hedy Lamarr’s Hollywood glamour and scientific genius on stage – Bendigo today & Brunswick next week
Hedy Lamarr, glamorous star of the silver screen, also invented Frequency-Hopping Spread Spectrum Technology that makes the world of wireless communication tick. From Austria to Hollywood, WWII, torpedoes, ecstasy, and intrigue to the very cell phone in your pocket, Hedy Lamarr is there!
American actor and writer Heather Massie, who also studied astrophysics, enchants the audience as Hedy Lamarr, along with Jimmy Stewart, Bette Davis, Louis B Mayer, and more in a one-woman solo play with 36 characters. She’s coming to Australia with her award-winning show, touring Victoria and ACT.
“In Lily Tomlin-esque fashion … Massie channels the iconic star … vividly yet matter-of-factly, and often very humorously … In a balance of high energy and poise, Heather Massie is no less than captivating.” Jed Ryan - The Huffington Post.
More information: www.heathermassie.com.
Bendigo: Wednesday 14 August. Event Details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/hedy-the-life-and-inventions-of-hedy-lamarr-2/bendigo
Brunswick: Tuesday 20 August. Event Details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/hedy-the-life-inventions-of-hedy-lamarr/brunswick
Heather Massie is available for media interviews.
Media enquiries: Helen van de Pol, hjvandepol@icloud.com or 0448 920 235. Heather may be contacted directly via What’s App +1(212)600-0514.
Celestial Emu: Connecting Sky Country and astronomy – Sydney, NSW
Gamilaroi astrophysicist Karlie Noon and Bangarra Dance Theatre’s Daniel Mateo celebrate First Nations astronomy in the premiere of a short film project, directed by Olivia Costa.
The Celestial Emu (Gawarrgay) is a ‘dark constellation’ which comprises the dark spaces in the Milky Way between the Southern Cross and Sagittarius.
This event at Sydney Observatory forms part of the Sydney Science Festival, presented by Powerhouse.
Wednesday 14 August: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/celestial-emu/millers-point
Media enquiries: Michelle Lollo, media@powerhouse.com.au or 0419 523 735.
Satellites, space junk and the future of our dark night skies – Parramatta, NSW
Is it too late to save our dark skies? Space environmentalist, Associate Professor Moriba Jah, and artist, Trevor Paglen, reveal the challenges of an incresingly crowded sky – littered with space junk and‘invisible’ surveillance satellites – in conversation with Dagogo Altraide, founder of YouTube’s ColdFusionTV.
‘Our Crowded Skies – Moriba Jah and Trevor Paglen’ is a National Science Week event at Paramatta Town Hall which forms part of the Sydney Science Festival, presented by Powerhouse.
Wednesday 14 August: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/our-crowded-skies-moriba-jah-and-trevor-paglen/parramatta
Media enquiries: Michelle Lollo, media@powerhouse.com.au or 0419 523 735.
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: 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
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.
9-metre whale puppet tells The Whale’s Tale – The Gardens, NT
When a whale washes up on a beach and is discovered by a child, the whale’s spirit embarks on a journey to find out what is wrong, with the help of one Dr Walrus.
Featuring a giant whale puppet, The Whale's Tale outdoor interactive theatre show combines playful performance with an inspiring environmental message through the eyes of a child. The show highlights the plight of northern Australian whales and the threat of ocean pollution.
The show is part of the Darwin Festival and will be performed outdoors at the Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory.
Wednesday 14 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/the-whales-tale/the-gardens
Media enquiries: Kirsti Abbott, Kirsti.Abbott@magnt.net.au or 0466 726 525.
Whale snot, poop and other mysteries on the ‘Humpback Highway’ – North Ryde, NSW
Each winter, Australia’s coastal waters transform into a bustling ‘humback highway’, when 40,000 whales migrate from the Antarctic to breed. But what else do they get up to?
Whale scientist, Dr Vanessa Pirotta, from Macquarie University – also the author of new book, Humpback Highway – explores ‘out of sight’ behaviors of these gentle giants in the Southern Ocean; the intriguing properties of whale snot; and importance of whale poop to marine ecosystems.
Wednesday 14 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/humpback-highway-diving-into-the-mysterious-world-of-whales/north-ryde
Media enquiries: Kelly Sharpless, fse.outreach@mq.edu.au or 02 9850 2888.
Dr Vanessa Pirotta is available for media interviews.
Wired for sound: bugging bats, bitterns, and other animals – online, via TAS
How do you find where the wild things are at night? Through the noises they make, from the ultrasonic chirps of nine elusive bat species to the booms of the rare and mysterious Australasian bittern.
Bookend Trust are looking for people to join the CallTrackers project, using state-of-the-art sound recorders to capture nocturnal wildlife calls, helping scientists and conservationists track changes in wildlife numbers and habitats over time.
‘Discover CallTrackers’ workshops during Science Week will show you how to get involved in acoustic wildlife monitoring, book a survey spot, borrow and use recorders, upload your recordings to the Acoustic Pipeline website, and make identifications. Trained volunteers will go to field from September to March around Tasmania.
Online: Wednesday 14 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/discovering-calltrackers-st-helens/
Other in-person CallTrackers workshops around Tasmania.
Media enquiries: Clare Hawkins, hello@naturetrackers.au or 0400 889 336
Giant ancient kangaroos, Tasmanian tigers, and the history of Naracoorte Caves – online
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.
Today’s webinars include:
History of the Naracoorte Caves (Wednesday 14 August): Learn about early scientific discoveries and developments in the caves, from early research by Julian Tenison-Woods, historical uses of the caves post-European colonisation, and development by early park managers and the eventual discovery of significant fossil deposits in Victoria Fossil Cave.
Beyond the Boundaries – Geology of the Naracoorte Caves (Wednesday 14 August): geologist Ian Lewis takes a trip back in time to when the Naracoorte Caves didn't exist.
Media enquiries: Thoman Shortt, thomas.shortt@sa.gov.au
200+ schools make fake blood
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.
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.