National Science Week starts today, with stories around Northern Territory
- Art bringing Miocene megafauna back to life – Alice Springs
- NASA’s $23m space dunny in virtual reality – Darwin
- 9-metre whale puppet tells The Whale’s Tale – The Gardens
- Help us find the birds at Red Lily Lagoon – Jilkminggan
- Students make stars – multiple locations
- First Nations science and culture for conservation – Mamadawerre, West Arnhem Land
- Volunteer beach-side bird-spotters wanted! – Brinkin
- Dark matter on the move – quantum science roadtrip comes to Alice Springs
- 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.
NT launch event: Young Einstein tonight at Deckchair Cinema
National Science Week kicks off with a screening of the cult classic film Young Einstein.
Meet Yahoo Serious. An off-beat, off-centre and off-the-wall cult hero who is also the writer, producer, director and star of this unorthodox version of the early life of Albert Einstein. Growing up on an apple farm in Tasmania, youthful Albert Einstein develops the theory of relativity and somehow manages to invent rock ‘n’ roll along the way.
Where: Deckchair Cinema, Jervois Road, Darwin City NT 0801
Media enquiries: Sarah Sutcliffe, sarah.sutcliffe@cdu.edu.au or 0498 578 030
Art bringing Miocene megafauna back to life – Alice Springs
How do palaeo-artists reimagine and recreate what an extinct animal looks like when there are no living specimens to paint from life?
Renowned artist and book author Peter Schouten and fellow palaeo-artist and Megafauna Central’s senior curator of earth sciences Dr Adam Yates discuss the methods they used to put flesh, fur, skin, and scales on long extinct creatures and re-imagine their environments.
Megafauna Central will unveil Peter’s large mural showcasing iconic species from the Late Miocene Alcoota fossil assemblage in their main gallery.
Peter and Adam will discuss the unveiled work, and the process and challenges met in its creation.
Saturday 10 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/brushes-with-the-past-unveiling-the-late-miocene-with-peter-schouten/alice-springs
Media enquiries: Sam Arman, samuel.arman@magnt.net.au or 0431 197 171.
NASA’s $23m space dunny – Darwin
Do loos flush in space? Not quite. In zero gravity they operate with suction, like a vacuum cleaner, requiring intense astronaut pre-training.
Goggle-up and join Darwin local, Debbie Hyder – a former circus performer and unicycle world champion who now runs Amazing XR – on an ‘Outback to Outer Space’ VR field trip.
From Ubirr Rock, Kakadu National Park, to the International Space Station (including a peek at NASA’s $23 million dunny, dubbed ‘the orbital outhouse’).
Monday 12 August (Darwin City Library) & Tuesday 13 August (Casuarina Library): www.scienceweek.net.au/event/outback-to-outer-space/darwin
Media enquiries: Debbie Hyder, deb@amazingmissdeb.com or 0427 615 097
9-metre whale puppet tells The Whale’s Tale – The Gardens
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.
Help us find the birds at Red Lily Lagoon - Jilkminggan
Integrate western science and traditional knowledge in a bird and wildlife survey. Grab a pair of binoculars and join the Mangarrayi Rangers on Country at Ngarrmirngan (Red Lily Lagoon) to look for birds, practice western survey skills, and learn traditional knowledge and names of wildlife. Rangers will use the survey to make a poster of birds and wildlife for the community.
Wednesday 14 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/surveying-wildlife-at-ngarrmirngan-red-lily-lagoon/jilkminggan
Media enquiries: Amanda Lilleyman, hcp@jawoyn.org.au or 08 7903 2020.
Students make stars – multiple locations
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.
First Nations science and culture for conservation – Mamadawerre
Explore the importance and practice of biodiversity and conservation through Traditional Knowledge.
Nature's Custodians: Science and Culture for Conservation is a two-day workshop for students and community members of the Nawarddeken Academy, bicultural, community-driven independent school located in three First Nations homelands within the Warddeken Indigenous Protected Area in West Arnhem Land.
The workshop emphasises the importance of biodiversity and the interplay of scientific and traditional Indigenous knowledge in conservation efforts. Workshops will be held the remote communities of Mamadawerre and Manmoyi.
It’s a unique opportunity to learn from guest speakers from Warddeken Land Management, ecology specialists, Bininj and Daluk rangers.
People will explore thematic stations delving into ecosystem interdependencies, genetics, and technological innovations in conservation. They will learn all about human impacts on ecosystems. There will be DNA extraction activities, and opportunities to use drones to monitor wildlife habitats.
They will build native animal habitats, plant native flora and a plant a bush garden with support from Bininj rangers, will develop and present conservation-focused projects aligned to Warddeken Land Management’s Plan of Management, and learn about citizen science opportunities. The projects will culminate in a commitment ceremony, reinforcing the community's dedication to biodiversity preservation.
Monday 12 - Friday 16 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/natures-custodians-science-and-culture-for-conservation/mamadawerre/
Media enquiries: Kiri Marschall, Kiri@culturetech.com.au or 0437 794 649
Volunteer beach-side bird-spotters wanted! – Brinkin
Migratory shorebirds can make an annual of tens of thousands of kilometres, across multiple continents, to and from their breeding grounds. Some species journey through the Top End, including the double-banded plover (Charadrius bicinctus), and the critically endangered Far Eastern Curlew (Numenius madagascariensis) and Curlew Sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea). Help is needed to find where and when they’re visiting.
BirdLife Top End are working with the community to increase the participation and capacity of local volunteers. These volunteers will help to monitor migratory shorebirds in and around Darwin/Garramilla. The workshop will cover the theoretical scientific knowledge about shorebirds and survey methods. Volunteers will train in monitoring techniques, identification skills, and data collection.
Pictured: Far Eastern Curlew, credit BirdLife Australia
Saturday 17 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/building-community-capacity-for-shorebird-monitoring/brinkin/
Media enquiries: Amanda Lilleyman, topend@birdlife.org.au or 0458 226 908.
Dark matter on the move – tour comes to Alice Springs
Meet dark matter hunters and quantum experts at events across Australia.
The National Quantum & Dark Matter Road Trip will tour pubs and schools in cities and towns around Australia starting off at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, then heading to Dalby, Cloncurry, Ballarat, Sydney, Perth, Kununurra, Broome, Dandenong, Melbourne and many other places over 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.
Monday 12 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/national-quantum-and-dark-matter-road-trip-9/alice-springs/
Media enquiries: Fleur Morrison, fleur.morrison@unimelb.edu.au or 0421 118 233.
Multiple experts involved with different legs of the tour are available for media interviews, including dark matter enlightener Jackie Bondell and particle physicist Ben McAllister.
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 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.